James Duval: Pun Intended with Black Water’s Trouble Making Master. By Brian Kirst
There are plenty of lessons one can learn from a James Duval film –Never get stranded in a small town with a delicious girlfriend and a mysterious stranger (The Doom Generation) – That unusual games shouldn’t be played by friends on deserted islands (Black Waters of Echos Pond) – Will Smith comes in handy during a violent invasion of aliens (Independence Day)- Don’t screw your sister, especially when she’s suffering from Mad Cow disease and loving on a member of the original cast of Star Trek (Mad Cowgirl)- and perhaps most handy (purposeful humor for all whom have seen the film), don’t go home with that quirky chick you just met at the bus stop (May).
But it’s the lessons that Duval himself has learned that are perhaps the most interesting – helping him evolve from an interesting looking kid in a café to a full-fledged, spiritually connected actor.
“Gregg (Araki) spotted me in a café when I was 18. He said, Hey, you’ve got an interesting look, you wanna do a no budget film? He sent me the script. I read it and auditioned and got it. Working with Gregg, it was very natural with the camera – very calm. I had to re-learn everything with future projects.”
Those projects, of course, included such blockbusters as Independence Day and Gone in 60 Seconds. In retrospect, “Independence Day definitely changed the opening date for summer films. It was insane. CGI had just come into existence, but practical effects were still the name of the game. There was nothing to compare it to, at the time – we filmed in this gigantic hanger.”
And when the projects aren’t that big or are too far between each other? “I don’t avoid it. I just keep it in balance. I go back to teaching yoga and then go back to acting when projects arise.”
Thankfully, many of those projects, like Duval himself, have been both intelligent and unusual. “In May, the thing that stands out the most is Angel a Bettis. She is literally a doll – pun intended. It was truly amazing how she could switch from sweet to creepy instantaneously.”
With Evilution – “It was a chance to do something different with a group I admired. I had fun diving into that crazy character. Adlibbing was encouraged and I adlibbed a lot!”
Crazy (yet fun) experiences also reigned on the set of Duval’s recent horror epic, The Black Waters of Echos Pond. Asked about his most memorable moment from that film he states, “Having to go at with immediately with Danielle (Harris). I walked on set, met Danielle for the first time and we immediately began shooting the end of the movie. Neither of us had worked that way before, but she was a pro -otherwise it wouldn’t have worked.”
Working is something that Duval is doing quite a lot lately, as well. “I’ve got three movies in a row. Eventually, I would like to produce, get my own projects made. – You know, you’ve got to work as much as you can, do whatever they give you. Some jobs are better than others, but learning to work around a bad script is essential as an actor. Even when you’re not working as an actor – you need to work on your craft constantly – work on scenes with your friends, rehearse.”
Yep, Duval (whose image as Donnie Darko’s Frank is truly iconic) is quite a long way from café days, indeed!
