Greetings, all! I bring you a milestone 30th interview we’ve been able to score for this site and the efforts being made to connect more and more with the film world, especially in the independent arena. This time, thanks to a kind word shared about the site and nudge in my direction from recent interviewee, actress Sara Castro, I bring you actor/comedian David Banks. From our many chats on Twitter, David has proven to be a humble, yet confident and very outgoing individual whose support of the work being done at OneFilmFan has been truly incredible in the short time since connecting. Straight forward answers abound, and Mr. Banks proves that not only is his sense of humor intact, but so is a true sense of simply being real, down-to-earth, and the soul of brevity! Therefore, I give you Mr. David Banks!
One Film Fan: Born and bred in SoCal, a West Coaster through and through. Understand you even have a little Cherokee Indian heritage in there? Give us a brief rundown of exactly WHO David Banks is as a person before we get into a career history.
David Banks: Well, I was raised in a small town in NorCal called Petaluma. The kind of town where everyone truly knows everyone. I moved to SoCal right after high school. I love to go back for a visit from time to time. It’s an amazing place to escape. Being a big part of the 80’s metal scene, and growing up bouncing from band to band, I made the move out here to take advantage of that by attending MI (Musicians Institute).
Growing up a big fan of bands such as Van Halen, Ratt, Iron Maiden, Great White, Y&T and Dokken, the move made perfect sense at the time. Shortly after the move the 80’s metal movement crumbled with the depressing Seattle Nirvana phase. My career choice quickly shifted into acting. I cut my hair and stocked up on some ties. (LAUGHS)
O.F.F.: What ultimately drew you to acting? What would be the catalyst to see it as a career choice overall?
D.B.: It made the most sense. My father was in advertising and was responsible for many of the popular 80’s commercials so it was always around me growing up.
O.F.F.: How did you further learn the art (ie: mentors, influences, and schooling)?
D.B.: I studied at the Groundlings to tackle and dive into improv and comedy head first. I spent years doing stand up as well just to break the nerves. I was absolutely terrified.
O.F.F.: You’ve been in over 100 commercials?? I mean, WOW! How has that experience influenced how you’ve evolved as an actor?
D.B.: Well I have always been such a fan of the entire process, and everything that goes into it. I really enjoy a good 30 second commercial. Perhaps it’s my short attention span. There is something about a good old fashioned commercial from the 80’s that will always bring a smile to my face (Milk, Little Caesars, Wendy’s “Where’s the beef”?
O.F.F.: Now more specifically, what caused you to choose comedy as your primary medium?
D.B.: There is just something about the way a Chevy Chase film would make me feel as a child and rewinding my VHS tapes over and over at some of his one liners and facial expressions. My brother and I would grab our cassette players and record shows like “Different Strokes”, “The Jeffersons”, and “Three’s Company” and play them over and over at night and memorize them word for word. That uncontrollable laughter is something that really touches your soul.
O.F.F.: Has there been a certain character (or characters) to date you’ve enjoyed playing in particular and why?
D.B.: For some reason I really enjoy being the guy you either laugh at, feel sorry for, or just want to be as far away as possible from. My mother would always say “just be yourself, that shouldn’t be much of a stretch”. (LAUGHS)
O.F.F.: Additionally, you’ve covered a lot of ground acting-wise, period! Short Films, Feature Films, TV Series. Have you found you prefer one particular genre or style over another when it comes to your comedic performances, even including your stand-up act?
D.B.: Lately, I have been diving into a few deeper more demented roles. They seem to be a little more rewarding as an actor. They bring you to a much darker place which is a nice little challenge.
O.F.F.: So, my understanding is that you recently did the feature film, “Cut!”, which was a first venture into producing, and you co-wrote it to boot. Tell us the story of this project!
D.B.: “CUT!” started as a little side project with my writing partner David Rountree. It was more of a fun weekend kind of thing in the beginning. We ended up showing our distribution team the first few scenes and they were blown away, which was a nice little surprise for us both. They asked if the entire film was going to look like this? With a long pause, we both said “um…..I think so”. Almost 3 years later “CUT!” had it’s theatrical release. It was an absolute thrill for us all.
O.F.F.: What projects do you currently have on the horizon? Also, is there a particular actor/actress that you really want to work with?
D.B.: I just wrapped the film “Half Magic” with Heather Graham, in her directorial debut, along side Chris D’Elia, Molly Shannon, Thomas Lennon, and Angela Kinsey. It was an absolute pleasure working with Heather. She is one of the sweetest girls I have ever met.
O.F.F.: Getting back to wider thoughts about comedy, it strikes me that almost the entire focus of it in the current film era is “how vulgar, how crude, how foul can we make this!” Your bio does happen to indicate that you frequently play shady or immoral characters. But, honestly, how do you see the state of modern comedy and is there room to perhaps go back to at least SOME that ISN’T overtly nasty and just go for some good, ole fashioned silliness and slapstick??
D.B.: Well, I think we may have hit the point of no return. There are things that are happening now that would have never happened 10 years ago or even 5 years ago. It does make for interesting conversation, but I think those clean, “I Love Lucy” days may be over. I knew once we started seeing full frontal male nudity in films we were doomed! (LAUGHS) Although, I’m a huge fan of the clean Cosby comedy and really admire the comedians who can make me laugh without the F-bomb being thrown around like a football on Super Bowl Sunday.
O.F.F.: Independent cinema is a widely utilized but severely understated genre that tends to get buried amidst the Hollywood giants. Nothing against the big films we all love to view, but how do you see the state of indie films and how important is it that they not just get made, but more widely promoted and seen by the movie going public?
D.B.: I am a much bigger fan of the indie type films. I have always liked to escape to a tiny theatre on a weekend and watch a film with up and coming actors. There are so many little hidden gems I have seen lately. I remember hunting for hours to try and find the film “The Salton Sea” after seeing the trailer and had to drive almost an hour away to a theatre the size of my garage to see it. It was very raw and gritty. The whole experience is so much nicer than a packed cinema with lines of people paying almost $20 a ticket.
I remember watching my first faith-based film called “Facing the Giants” and was absolutely blown away. There wasn’t one named actor and most of the cast and crew were comprised of members of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia. The movie was shot in high definition video and transferred to film. It’s still one of my favorite films with such a powerful message. I think studios were a little afraid to release films of faith until now. I AM A HUGE FAN! “The Passion Of the Christ”, “God’s Not Dead”, “Son Of God”, and “Heaven Is For Real” are the kind of films that really leave me thinking and thanking God for each and every day.
O.F.F.: So, the final questions I always ask! What is YOUR favorite film of all time? Why?
D.B.: Hands down, “Vacation”! Wait—“Planes, Trains, & Automobiles”! Wait—I mean “The Breakfast Club”! Ok, fine! Anything 80’s! (LAUGHS)
And there is the world of one David Banks! Making his way through the world of independent film while also working with some of Hollywood’s bigger names along with way, I know I appreciate his friendship and the real manner in which he conveys his thoughts and ideas about what is most certainly continuing to be a lucrative career in comedy, regardless via which medium that may come about. Make sure to check out his film “Cut!”, which I hope to soon view and review here at OneFilmFan.com! In the meantime, want to keep up with what David is doing? Accomplish this by the following means:
“Follow” David on Twitter: here
“Like” David’s Facebook Page: here
Check out David’s website: here
As I always make sure to do, a heartfelt and sincere “Thank you!!” again to David Banks for connecting with OneFilmFan and for his willingness to do this interview! So, this of course is not the end! Stay tunes to the site for another upcoming interview to be posted soon! And please, if you like what you’re seeing here, spread the word and keep coming back for more! Until next time, thank you all for reading!
