Talking With the Dead: 13 Questions with Muse Watson

“Muse Watson was born in Alexandria, Louisiana and attended Louisiana Tech on a music stipend for two years before transferring to Berea College, Berea, Kentucky, where he performed for the first time on stage as Petruchio in “Taming of the Shrew”. During and after his years at Berea, he worked in outdoor dramas, dinner theaters, and small repertory groups before going on to pursue a career in film.

His theater credits include Hamlet in “Hamlet”, Stanley in “A Streetcar Named Desire”, Pale in “Burn This”, Cervantes in “Man of La Mancha”, and directing “Ain’t MisBehavin”. In 1989, with a new commitment to acting, Muse began pursuing roles in feature film. By 2010, he had appeared in 51 feature length films sharing scenes with Julia Roberts, Jason Robards, Jon Voight, Robert Duvall, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Don Cheadle, Richard Gere, Sylvester Stallone, Robert Patrick, Hilary Swank, Kiefer Sutherland and Richard Gere. In television, he appeared as the wise Charles Westmoreland/DB Cooper in the award winning first season of “Prison Break” (2005) with Wentworth Miller and 11 episodes of “NCIS” (2003) as Mark Harmon’s mentor. Muse also gave an unforgettable performance with Jennifer Love Hewitt as a special guest on Saturday Night Live.”*

1. Let’s start with a joke: Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers and Ben Willis all walk into a bar… What was it like to stand shoulder to shoulder with two of the other biggest horror icons (Derek Mears and Tyler Mane) of the last 30 years and where do you see yourself and your character of Ben Willis in that history?

Maybe it’s a tribute to their graciousness… but standing with them was very comfortable. Where do I see myself and Ben Willis in history? I hope I am remembered for being easy to work with … for Ben Willis, I think he will be remembered for being an intelligent and skillful killer.

2. You have done a ton of television and film over the years, in many different roles. What drew you to Compound Fracture and how did it feel playing the father of two of horrors favorite sons?

That’s exactly what drew me to the project. Just the thought of the three of us being in the same story was enough to get me in there… Of course it made a huge difference for Renae’s script to give me the chance to show “Gary’s” depth of character.

3. Your character Gary has a very checkered past in the film. Not only family issues, but your character is also suffering from the early stages of dementia. Did you study the illness any before the role, and how hard was it to convey the forget effects of the disease while trying to remember lines and cues?

I did study dementia. My experience with dementia led me to believe there are times of clarity and times of confusion and they can be milliseconds apart. Gary’s beliefs, his convictions, and his dementia make him a very confusing person to watch … and in real life his behavior could be considered bad “acting,” a very dangerous pit fall of the ‘role’. LOL

4. Derek (6’5”) and Tyler (6’9”) certainly are not small guys. I remember talking with Renae and Tyler about them having height requirements for actors for framing purposes. At 6’1”, your not a tiny guy, but did you ever feel small on set between those two, and did you guys have to shoot anything several times because of this?

It would certainly change a guy’s targets wouldn’t it? I tended to aim more toward the groin.

5. Other than dealing with the onset of dementia and the ghost, the character of Gary has other skeletons in his closet, including the relationship with his son Michael (Tyler Mane) and the somewhat absentminded abuse of his Annabelle, his wife (Leslie Easterbrook). How much did you and Leslie talk about and practice those scenes, and as an actor, how were you able to pull up the emotions needed for those tense moments?

Leslie and I treated the condition like it is treated in most real cases. We didn’t speak of it. As for the emotion… I considered Gary more aware of other people’s reactions to his behavior than Annabelle’s. I’m sure that would convince her to leave. That he was more concerned about his son’s reaction to his abuse of her than hers.

6. With I know What You Did Last Summer, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money, Hollywood Vampyr, Season of the Hunted, Dead Birds and Frankenfish, you are another member of the cast that has seen and done his fair share of horror films. How would you say Compound Fracture matches up with your previous genre experiences, and what do you think was unique about it?

Well, I thought this was horror until we started working on it… then it became about some very involved relationships and although plenty scary…it was not pure horror…but more mystery.

7. Mane Entertainment has gone a different route with the marketing aspect of the film. They have set out on a 70 city VIP Tour across the country. Social media has been a huge factor in getting people out to the event and gives the audience a look at the film they may not otherwise get. What are your thoughts on how the film is being promoted and are we going to see you at any of the upcoming events?

Hollywood is changing. The distribution models are changing. Time will tell whether we are correct in our marketing strategies. Social media has the ability for us to connect with the public without checking with the little boys who now run Hollywood. I hope to be at some of the screenings but scheduling with other work is a bear. I am available to the fans thru Facebook and Twitter.

8. Whether it has been on television or any of your other films, you always seem to be playing the tough, bitter and grizzled anti-hero who does things his own way. You certainly brought that flavor to the character of Gary in Compound Fracture. How did you incorporate those past roles into Gary and what did you try and bring to the character that is different?

Well, looking closely, at the Julia Roberts film Something to Talk About and the role of Sam in A Christmas Snow and others, I think I have left ‘bitter’ out of many of my performances and have been able to avoid Hollywood’s typecasting on many occasions. As hard as it is to be an ‘actor’ in Hollywood because of their being more comfortable casting the “person”, I think, much to my detriment financially, I have avoided stereotyping. Gary told me he could not build the security system he built by being social. He was a loner … and I played him that way.

9. Having to fight the ghosts of his past and present (literally), Gary fights through his mental condition, family issues and ghosts. While a tragically flawed character, he tries to redeem himself in his families eyes and his own. Do you feel the character of Gary achieves this by the end of the film, and how do you feel about how it played out?

I don’t think Gary achieved redemption for his flaws. I think many of the characters awarded him redemption due to the end of the threat and change in circumstances. He ends up, after all, being right. Not a good person… but right.

10. You have been a film producer as well, with 2008’s Between the Sand and the Sky. You also wore two hats on that set, being an actor as well. Can you let everyone know what it is like to wear both of those hats at the same time, and can you give us your impressions of how you thought Tyler and Renae handled it?

Tyler and Renae are smart, fair, and easy to work with… what more could you want? Wearing two hats is hard… and dangerous.

11. On IMDB, it states that you worked as a driver, captain, and coordinator in transportation departments and rented equipment to film productions on 19 films while he auditioned for his first roles. After paying all of your dues, you have come full circle, working on lower budget films for the next generation. What would you tell everyone about you experiences on the set of Compound Fracture, and was there anyone on set that reminded you of your beginnings in the industry?

Whoa. Well, the set was comfortable and creative. A combination that many films miss. I don’t know that I ever thought of my “beginnings” on the set, which is probably a good thing.

12. Leslie Easterbrook owns her own theatre, and I see you have been helping with renovations to fix the Princess Theater in Harriman, Tennessee. How have the renovations gone and will Compound Fracture be playing there on the tour?

Well, the Princess is renovated and open. The Glenn Miller Orchestra will be appearing there soon. I certainly hope we can show Compound Fracture there. I know the theater would be honored to have it…

13. Thank you so much for your time! Compound Fracture was a great film and I know your contributions had a great deal to do with that. What else would you like to tell everyone about your experiences on the film and what’s next for you?

Everyone should see the film. Period.

Next, for me, besides the television and film roles Hollywood will offer, I hope to finally get my dream role of an African American Lesbian Attorney. She will not be “bitter”.