There are times in life when you honestly know you have reached a MILESTONE moment.  Efforts put forth, time spent, money invested, research done, and sometimes…a question just asked straight up!  In this first 8 1/2 months of having created this blog, OneFilmFan.com, the associated Facebook Page and Twitter avenues via @OneFilmFan and @Pacifica777, it has been a time of both victories and defeats as I strive to access the world of film and the people who MAKE them and act IN them, along with ideally connecting with other industry people and, importantly, others like me…the fans…who go and fill the theaters to see the finished works.  Today, OneFilmFan takes its next step forward, as I present to you my very first interview with a musician, and now actor, who is ALSO enjoying HIS first experience IN and ON film!  And from what I was able to gather in this 12-question adventure….I think he’s kinda liking it all!  Therefore, I give to you my interview with former Columbus, Ohio native Blake Rayne from the recently released theatrical offering, “The Identical” (my review is here), co-starring Ashley Judd, Ray Liotta, Joe Pantoliano, Seth Green, and Erin Cottrell.  A story about twin brothers, who, due to the circumstances their birth parents are in, are separated at birth to go on and lead similar, yet decidedly different,  life paths in their passion for and giftings in music.  A powerful film about love, faith, loss, and life, Blake weighed in on everything with clarity and depth.

                       

OneFilmFan:  The story so far…how were you first drawn to the acting/performing profession? When did it become evident music, and now acting, was your career choice?

Blake Rayne:  You have to understand that I never really picked entertainment… it picked me. I was building websites when my mother faxed me an entry form for a local Elvis contest. She wrote “I dare you to do this” on the form. I entered as a joke thinking I would get laughed off the stage. As it turns out… I won. Doors opened immediately and before long I was performing all over the world – on the road 200 days a year. In 2000, I won the Worldwide Images of Elvis Contest in Memphis and was crowned best in the world. It was during these early years of my entertainment career that I realized I wanted to be an entertainer for the rest of my life. It calls to my soul in a way that nothing else does. I can truly say that while it takes a ton of hard work and sacrifice to be in the entertainment business, I feel like I haven’t worked a day in my life since becoming an entertainer.

Likewise, acting kind of picked me. While making the transition from an Elvis guy to an artist in my own right, I was at a rehearsal studio in Nashville, rehearsing with my band for a tour we were about to do. At the same time, Yochanan Marcellino (executive producer of “The Identical”) came to the same studio – looking to possibly rent out space to work on music for his new movie. We bumped into each other, and had lunch a couple of times. One day he simply said to me “I don’t know if you can act… but if you can, I want to cast you as the lead in my new movie called ‘The Identical’”. Bam… I got into the movie business – just like that.   

O.F.F.:  How did you further learn the performing arts (ie: mentors, influences, schooling)?

BR:  I really learned how to be a stage performer by simply watching Elvis Presley videos. I never cared to be exactly like Elvis in terms of how he moved. What always stuck me was how much charisma he brought to the stage. I would notice it in other entertainers as well. Over the years, I tried, and continue to try to find that charisma in me… and bring it to whatever project I am working on.

I never had vocal lessons, and I am self taught at guitar and piano. No one ever told me how to write a song… I just started doing it.  I did have an excellent acting coach who really helped me get prepared for “The Identical”. His name is D.W. Brown and he works out of the Barron/Brown School of Acting in Santa Monica, CA.

O.F.F.:  Please tell me more about your current project, “The Identical”, out now…What drew you to this film?                                                                                                   

BR:  The story is compelling, no doubt, but I have to be clear and admit that the film picked me instead of me picking it (see above).             

O.F.F.:  How do the themes about faith strike you in relation to your own life?                                                                                      

BR:  I grew up in a very strict home, and we would go to church Sunday morning, Sunday night, and on Wednesdays. I am a man of faith, and so the faith element in The Identical really resonated with me and in my life.  My life runs a very close path to that of Ryan Wade in the movie “The Identical”.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

O.F.F.:  When preparing for this dual role, did you have the same routines/methods to get into the characters or did that vary depending on the nature of EACH and how they fit into the overall story? Additionally, how much research did you do FOR the characters of Drexel and Ryan?

BR:  A great deal of research went into both Drexel and Ryan – but for different reasons.  It’s an actors job to deconstruct their character, and really find out who they are. In this case I had to even create life long backstory’s for each character so that I could wrap my head around how the two character were the same and different based upon being identical twins with completely different upbringings. It was a study in “Nature vs. Nurture” for sure.

Ryan Wade’s character closely relates to my own life story, so I was able to draw a great deal on my own life and experiences. Drexel Hemsley was a bit different. I always saw him as the ultimate rock star… an amalgamation of every major rock n roller from the 50s, 60s, and 70s. So a great deal of research went into pulling tid bits away from a bunch of rock stars. In the movie, if you look, you will see elements of Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Beatles, Johnny Cash, Jim Morrison, Jimmy Hendrix, James Brown, and Jackie Wilson, just to name a few!

O.F.F.:  Therefore, how was it, in the scope of the OVERALL production of “The Identical”, to have played the dual roles of the twin brothers?

BR:  It was a dream role!  I love deconstructing characters and getting to know them. “The Identical” provided quite a challenge in that regard.  But the creative process of getting to know who each of the characters really was – it was simply one of the best and most fun creative experiences I have ever had in my life.

O.F.F.:  With future roles, would you prefer more physically driven characters or emotionally driven characters and why?

BR:  Ryan Wade, the main character in The Identical, is clearly an emotionally driven character.  I really enjoyed the challenge of portraying him on screen.  I would love to go in a different direction in my next project – getting away from music, and truthfully, getting away from anything that is remotely related to Elvis – unless of course it’s an Elvis biopic… that would be interesting for sure!

O.F.F.:  How was it to work with veteran actors like Ashley Judd, Joe Pantoliano, Ray Liotta, and Seth Green?

              

BR:  I can’t imagine that every situation – every set was like it was on “The Identical”.  Truthfully, I was terrified when I first found out that Ray Liotta was going to play my father… after all, we have all seen “Goodfellas” before. But Ray flew into town two weeks before we started production just to hang out with me – a first time actor – just to make me feel more comfortable.  We hung out, went to a couple football games, went to a concert – all in an effort to develop that “father-son” relationship.  It made such a huge difference on set.  And that kind of compassion, care and concern was demonstrated by everyone – including Seth Green, Ashley Judd, Joey Pants, and Erin Cottrell.  These are seasoned, veteran actors and actresses, and they went out of their way to make a first time actor feel comfortable. I give them so much credit for my performance. They were simply amazing.

O.F.F.:  You have to have a great sense of accomplishment in completing “The Identical”, as your very first film and with such an amazing cast around you first time out. DO you consider how the film might impact (or DOES impact) those who watch it? Does that reaction (or lack of reaction), whether critics or movie fans, affect you in one form or another?

BR:  I take a lot of pride in “The Identical”. It’s no secret that the critics slammed the film. That being said, it is crazy how significantly different the audience response has been. They are literally polar opposites. I can’t even begin to describe the 1000s of emails and messages I have got from people who have watched the movie and loved it… and within those emails were stories of how this movie impacted their life – made a man want to be a better father – made a woman decide to get on with her life after losing her close friend last year – the stories go on and on. And in all those emails and messages I received… I didn’t get a single negative response. It’s crazy. It’s telling. At the end of the day, to be involved in a project that had a positive impact on even one person’s life is reward enough. After all, “The Identical” was never designed to get great acclaim by the critics… it was a movie that was hoped would have a positive impact on the people who saw it. I believe that goal was accomplished.

O.F.F.:  In doing this role, it has basically catapulted you into stardom. Beyond the whole “fame & fortune” aspect of being in film, how do you keep yourself grounded with the new pressures (if any!) of having a job that happens to put you in the public’s (and soon, the world’s) eye so prominently. Do you find opportunity to interact with fans, people outside “the business”? (Though I think I already know THAT answer! Lol)

BR:  Fame and Fortune = here today, gone tomorrow! I have been blessed to be in the public eye (though not quite to this extent) over the years via my music career. For me, it’s more a responsibility than something to wear as a badge of honor. For those that support me and my career – for those that support the arts of music and movies – I want to be there for them as well. I want to continue to create music and play movie parts because they want me to. I do it for me because I love it – but I also do it for them. It is very difficult to say thank you to every individual that has helped support my dreams over the years – but when I am creating and working, I feel like that’s what I am doing. Every chance I get to say thank you – I do. No one is guaranteed tomorrow, or success, or fame, or fortune. If any of that happens, I am blessed. But to not understand how and why you got to where you are… that’s just foolish. So I say thanks – and I mean it.

O.F.F.:  What projects are on the horizon for you currently or that you would LIKE to be involved in?

BR:  There are a number of movie projects that are looming out there. We will see what happens. I would certainly love to be involved in another movie project – sooner than later – something completely different than “The Identical”. I went into “The Identical” with just 6 weeks of actor training and working with an acting coach… Since we wrapped filming, I have taken over a year of training – and I feel that I will be able to deliver a much better performance moving forward. Regarding music – it’s always an ongoing thing with me. Me and my band are currently writing, writing, writing. We have come up with some really great songs, and we hope to be recording and touring quite a bit over the next year. The only thing that would limit our progress musically is if another big acting role came along. Time will tell. I’m not too worried about it. These are good challenges to have!

O.F.F.:  What advice would you give to someone looking to get into the film OR music industry in general?

BR:  Ask yourself why you want to be in the business. Is it because you are seeking fame? Money? Acclaim? None of these will ever fill you up and make you successful… and none of these desires will ever build a large enough fire in your heart to deal with the ups and downs of the business, and to deal with just how difficult it is… how hard you have to work every day just to stay afloat.

BUT – if it is your desire to be creative, to continually grow your abilities, to hone your craft as a singer, songwriter, or actor/actress… then you have a chance. At the end of the day it is about the art. If you don’t love the art, just for the art itself – it is nearly impossible to stand amidst the craziness that is the music and movie business.

O.F.F.:  Finally, what is YOUR favorite film and why?

BR:  That is a tough question. I own a ton of movies – and I love different movies for different reasons. “Dead Poets Society” changed my live as a young man… and to this day I still try to live my life to the fullest. “The Last of the Mohicans” made me want to be an actor as a young man… loved Daniel Day-Lewis in that… loved everything about the movie. I am a sci-fi fan, so I love the “Star Wars” concept – and I am a huge comic book fan, so the recent influx of all the Marvel and D.C. Comics movies has been a lot of fun.

But if you asked me tomorrow, I would probably have another answer…

 

So there you have it folks!  A glimpse into the life of an up and coming actor in the Hollywood ranks!  Sincere and down to earth, I honestly feel like we will be seeing more of Mr. Rayne on film in the future.  PLEASE support this movie by going to the official website and on Twitter.  THEN…follow the man himself, Blake, at his own website, Facebook, and Twitter!  This IS honestly the KIND of film we NEED to have more of and the kind of actors we need more of!  A HUGE “THANK YOU!!” to Blake for sharing with OneFilmFan and the rest of the internet universe!  Tell your friends, family, heck, EVERYONE to see this film!!

As always, this is all for YOUR consideration and comment peeps!  Until next time, thank you for reading!