Our Interview with Actor, Writer, and Director Kelly Blatz

Hello everybody, I'm Jackie Kay Cooper and today I am honored to have the presence of Kelly Blatz and we're going to talk and you're going to find out a lot of things about him. He's an actor, director, writer. He runs the gamut. So Kelly, welcome today. Thank you so much for taking your time to talk with us. Oh, thank you so much for having me. Appreciate it. Well, you know, I've got to go to this to begin with. I saw the movie, One Fast Move, based on the fact that you wrote me. Yes. I had gotten nothing across my desk, no information about this film and out of the blue, here comes a letter from this guy saying, would you please consider looking at my film? And I thought, well, this is kind of unique. I do get some like that, but there was something about the way you wrote your letter. I thought, I might watch this guy's movie. And then I watched it, really, really liked it and wanted to talk to you in person because you've just come out of nowhere for me to present this film that you wrote and directed, correct? Correct. Yeah. And it is the look of it, the acting of it, the story of it. Everything is just top rate. Who are you and where are you from? Wow. Thank you. Well, first, Jackie, thank you so much for first reading my email, then second, taking the time to watch the film. For me, I'm always so grateful when people take the time, it's two hours out of your life to watch the film. And so that means so much to me. And also your kind words about it. I'm so glad that you enjoyed the film. I can't wait to discuss it with you. And this was a labor of love, about a five-year labor of love for me, this particular film. And I realized in your own career, in your own journey, you really have to be proactive in terms of... I had read reviews of yours before, specifically the one on Top Gun, Maverick, I had seen. And I thought, gosh, I really like this guy and his take and his writing. And that's why I reached out to you and sent it to you and just luckily responded. So I really appreciate it. But yeah, I've done some research on you, Kelly. And you started out as a musician. You've done several movies. You've directed two short films and then a full-length film. I mean, you have been getting it all done with one fast move. Was this a project that someone had already started and they need a director? Or did you create this project and make yourself director? I created this project. Yeah. So I guess working backwards with one fast move, I had done my first feature film called Senior Love Triangle, totally different type of film. I did that in 2018. And I am a motorcyclist and a motorcycle enthusiast myself. And I was also thinking about this story about a father and son, just thinking about what it means to be a man in the modern world and being pulled in many directions in your mid-20s. And so I kind of combined those two questions and wrote this film during COVID actually. And I brought it to my management who helped bring on producers and financiers and actors. And that was kind of a three-year process from that point on. But I have to stress, this is not some, you know, we're going to go as cheaply as we can production art. It doesn't look that way, which is an important thing. This is a glossy, well-acted, well-cast motorcycle racing backdrop story. I agree with you. The relationships is the main impact of this film. But I just can't imagine how somebody just gets things done. No, I really appreciate it, man. You know, I couldn't have done that without an extreme amount of help and people who believed in it along the way. The very quick of it is that, luckily with my first film, I had some support in terms of people wanting to help me make my next film with one fast move. I never thought I was going to be able to make the film because it was very expensive. You know, there's a lot of stunts, there's a lot of moving pieces. And luckily the pieces just kept falling together where, you know, I got introduced to producers who wanted to work with this actor, KJ Apa, who I brought him on and he loved the script. All those pieces and the producers brought it to Amazon and Amazon said, we love this, we want to do it. And that's really what kicked it into gear and got a very big budget for me behind the film. And so I am just so grateful that people got behind it. I had an amazing crew who got behind it and I learned so much and now it's finished and being sent out to the world. Well, just having Amazon on board, that guarantees you a huge market of audience. Yeah. And it's still there. People can go see it on Amazon Prime. Oh yeah. It'll be there. Yes. It'll be there forever. Yeah. I think. Why did you, you're an actor, why did you decide not to play the KJ Apa role? Well, I got. I believe you as a motorcycle rider. Oh, thanks. You know, I got into acting because I wanted to be a director. You know, when I was in high school, I was making student films and I had a friend who told me, you know, if you can work as an actor, you can make a living while learning how to make films if you just ask questions. And I thought that was an interesting idea. So I started studying acting instead of going to film school. And, you know, I was I started working pretty early and it was an amazing experience. But in my mid 20s, I realized this is not my passion. This is not what I want to do for the rest of my life. You know, filmmaking is that, you know, writing and directing, which encapsulates all of the things I love, music and acting and photography and all these things. And so ultimately, I'm fine not not being in front of the camera these days. And, you know, I was lucky enough to to find KJ Apa, who is just a wonderful young talent who who has just as much as passion as as I did for this. And again, I just got lucky with the people who came on board along the way. But not only did you get KJ Apa, you got Eric Dane, James Edward Olmos. Those are solid actors. It's one of Dane's best performances that I've seen him give. They're all good. I didn't know much about KJ Apa except he was Archie on Riverdale. And he fits right into that role. The dynamics between the actors are are amazing. Oh, thank you. Yeah, I again, I got very lucky with, for instance, with Edward James Olmos. When I was writing the script, I was imagining him as the role of Abel, not thinking that I was able going to be able to actually get him, you know, to play the part. But, you know, when the time came and we we sent him the script saying this is my dream, you know, my dream choice for this. He loved the script and the world and said, yes. And so it was similar with Eric Dane. You know, I really loved Eric Dane and especially for this particular role. And, you know, we got him a couple of weeks before we started shooting. And then just the dynamic between him and KJ was was really just, for me, really incredible and set the tone for that entire film. And Maya Rafiko, who plays Camilla, was a discovery for me. Where did you find her? I'd never seen her before. Yeah, you know, I was made aware of her through the casting director. And she was from Argentina. She had just started, you know, she had just done this TV show for for HBO called Pretty Little Liars. And I I just thought that she had a there was a luminosity to her, you know, she she lit up the screen. And that was really the essence that I really wanted for Camilla in this particular film, you know, was was was was a light and a light for Wes and that he could be drawn towards. And so, again, I just got each step of the way. Believe me, Jackie, I was going, I really can't believe it's gotten to this point. I really can't believe we're doing this. I really can't believe I've gotten these amazing actors. And so for me, I just have an immense amount of gratitude that the fact that Amazon, with the reach that it has, has gone behind the film to put it out into the world. I'm just I'm just so thrilled. I can't I can't imagine what it was felt like when you looked at the finished product because it looked so good. Oh, thank you. Did y'all film in Atlanta? We did. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, we did. Where are you? Are you from Georgia? Yeah, I'm in Georgia right now. I'm a hundred miles. Oh, Atlanta, a little town here in Erie, Erie, Georgia, right below me. No way. I love Georgia. And I thought that looks like Georgia. Oh, it is. It's Atlanta. It's it's north of Atlanta as well. The racetrack, the main racetrack is in Brazelton. I don't know if you know Brazelton. It's called Road Atlanta is the racetrack and also Atlanta Motor Speedway, which is about an hour south of Atlanta, is where we shot a lot as well. And I just fell in love with Georgia, the people, incredible crews as well. But the food, I mean, me and my wife, just we wanted to move there, honestly. Come on down. You know, there's so many elements of this movie that I want to talk about, but the motorcycle racing scenes. Where was the camera? Because I felt like I was on the road on that motorcycle. It was the visuals of that. How did that how did that set up? I'm glad I'm glad you felt like you were on the back of the motorcycle. You know, for me, one main thing to start was that I didn't want to use. Yeah. People were telling me as they're watching it, they're leaning into the car. We've got to make a curve. I'm glad, you know, for me, again, I didn't want to use visual effects. I didn't want to use a backdrop or a green screen. And so my approach was I want a green screen. I mean, yeah, they can do a lot of things, but this is real. Yeah, no. And thank you. That was the approach was I wanted to shoot real races, find real racers in Georgia, which we did and set up these races and then find a way to shoot them at speed, which, you know, that main camera that you're talking about, we put a film camera, a movie camera on a race bike, you know, with a real racer on it. And we put it on the front of the bike, on the back of the bike. We built a custom race car that could weave in and out and keep up with the bikes. We used a helicopter for the aerials because drones can't go that fast. I mean, we shot every possible vehicle you could shoot from. We we shot from to capture these races. Well, it paid off because you do feel like you are right there in those races. Oh, that's good. I'm glad that was that was the goal. Kelly, did you come up with all that? Did you say, hey, let's put the camera back here and let's put the camera up here? Yeah, it was it was me and I had an amazing team, you know, Rudy Webber was my stunt coordinator. Dave Cutler was my motorcycle coordinator. I mean, I had Greg Smurs, who who worked on Mission Impossible. You know, he did the famous Tom Cruise motorcycle scene in the canyons. He was a second unit director. Yeah. So I had an amazing team and my director of photography, Luca Del Poppo, you know, we were all sitting in rooms months beforehand trying to develop the races at speed. So, no, it was not just me at all. It was it was a team of people who all, you know, basically my whole vision was like, we don't want to use green screen, so let's try to do this for real. And that kind of set the tone, I guess. Again, amazing shots in that. But as I've said, the focus really is the relationship. And you co-wrote or you wrote the script and the scenes that deal with these father issues and in all four of the characters, really, because KJ Apa has his scenes with his father, played by Eric Dane, who talks about his own conflicts with his father. Then Edward James almost talks about his family, how he sacrificed his life dedicated to motorcycle racing. And then the love interest there, you know, issues there about fathers and children, etc. What threw you onto that concept of dealing with basically four sets of father-child relationships? It was two main things. You know, one main thing was, I've had, you know, I was lucky enough to have my own father and still do. He's an amazing man. But I have a lot of friends and family members who did not have fathers, whose fathers left or were not present. And I saw how that affected them and how painful that was and the hole that it left in their lives and the ripple effect of when they became fathers. And, you know, I just started to see that it was something that was a lot more common than it used to be from, you know, studies I've read. And so I started studying that as something that what fatherlessness does. Also in my own life, thinking about going into my late 20s was, you know, do I want to be a father, you know, or do I just want to pursue my passion at all costs and not have a family? And is that what it takes to sacrifice your family, you know, to do something, you know, do something great? And so there's these questions that were going on in my head. And so, you know, I was using the story as a way to explore those themes. You know, you have Dean, who is somebody who chose the path of complete selfishness, leaving his son. It was Eric Dane, sorry, Eric Dane's character to pursue motorcycle racing, you know, leaving his son. And how did that affect him? How did that affect Wes? You know, and then you have Abel, who, you know, he had a wife, but he pursued his career over having children, right? But he has regrets about it. And then you have Camilla, the love interest, who, you know, her partner left her child, but she chose to stay and be a mother to this child, as opposed to pursuing her own dreams. And so for me, Wes was sort of this blank slate coming in, going, being pulled in Dean's direction, in Abel's direction, in Camilla's direction. And ultimately, by the end of that, can you find the balance of being able to pursue your passion, but also, you know, be a father and have a family? And so, anyways, those were the questions I was asking. I'm sorry. What did you decide? That you can have both. That you can have both. Yeah. Yeah. I have to ask you, I was looking at your acting career, and your last movie that I could see was Lauren and Rose. Yeah. That upset Jackie Vinson. Yes. Blew my mind. What was it like working with her? Oh, really incredible, Jackie. She's just, obviously, she's a legend, and being able to... I've seen her whole career. Right. And just have always been fascinated by oh, she is a fascinating actress and human being. You know, her and I became very good friends. She actually came to the premiere of One Fast Move. Oh, that is great. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll send you a photo of her and I there. But she, you know, that whole film was, I was essentially playing, I was playing a young filmmaker who was working with this actress. And the whole film is her and I, you know, my dinner with Andre. And so what a gift it was for me to sit across from Jacqueline Bessette and speak with her for a month. You know, it was a total dream come true for me. But it was also quite symbolic for me, you know, because I was essentially playing a young filmmaker who was just starting his filmmaking career. And it ended up being my last movie as an actor. So yeah, she's wonderful. I still, she's still one of my very good friends. I love her. When you were coming along, Kelly, what, what movies influenced you? I mean, when did you become aware of the role of a director and the act of a director? Oh, so many. And I want to, I want to ask you as well, because I'm fascinated. I want to hear about your intro into movies. But, you know, my favorite film of all time, I would have to say, is Good Will Hunting by Gus Van Sant. There's something about that movie that just knocks me out. I feel I just, the performances, I feel like the script is perfect. You know, it's about a few characters intersecting in each other's lives, dealing with their own traumas, and by the end are, are changed even in subtle ways by it. I love Milos Forman, you know, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Amadeus. Frank Capra is a hero of mine. It's a Wonderful Life. Mr. Smith Goes to War. I mean, it just goes on and on. I mean, current day directors, I enjoy Scott Cooper's films. I like Jane Campion. I mean, so, so many, but I would say that the film that impacted me the most, or the two have been One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Good Will Hunting, I would say, that continually knock me out. What about, what about you? I want to ask you the same question. It's funny because people are always asking, you know, what's your favorite movie? What's your favorite movie? And I've given different answers at different times because I've been in different places at different times. But I just had my birthday and my son gave me wall hanging of the one sheet from The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. I don't know if you've seen that. Of course. My wife is French. So, of course, I've seen it. Yes. But I was, I grew up in a tiny town. I don't want to make this interview about me, but I grew up in a tiny town, Clinton, South Carolina, had one movie theater and never thought of having foreign film, you know, play. We just saw American Fair. And I went to, went to college in a small town, went to law school in Columbia, South Carolina, the state capital, and had an apartment right above a little section called Five Points that had a fine arts theater. One day I stumbled into The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and I realized there was a whole other world of movies. And everything about that movie was beautiful to me. It still holds up. I've got it and I play it every so often. But I was in law school. I was telling my friends, you know, there's this French movie called The Umbrellas of Cherbourg that you really ought to see. And they're like, why? And that really was the impetus for me becoming a critic. Really? Because I wanted people to know about these movies that they didn't know anything about. Wow. I love that. That was the charging force that put me on the road. What a beautiful story, you know, stumbling in this arts theater and seeing, being a teenager, a kid from South Carolina who had barely been outside the state during this and you see a whole new world. Wow. That's just incredible. That's the magic. First of all, happy birthday. Happy belated birthday. That's the magic. That's the magic of cinema and movies, you know, is that you can, you can stumble into a theater and see something that completely alters your life and your perception of life. And, you know, it's such a gift what you're doing, you know, finding these films, even watching One Fast Move and you're doing this count, you know, you've been doing this for years, finding these films and share, I mean, yeah, thousands, I assume, you know, and sharing these films is such a gift that you're giving. It really is such a gift. So thank you for doing that. Let me tell you, Kelly, it's lately, I love it, but, you know, since COVID, used to, I've had to go to screenings or, you know, they send you everything. Yeah. Once your name gets out there, you get, I mean, I didn't have a clue there were that many movies made every, released every week. And I just, last year, there was a movie, I don't know if you saw it, called Mending the River. No. It was about veterans with PTSD and how fly fishing, I love that movie. I pushed that movie in every way I could. And it, again, it was like with Umbrellas, I wanted people to know about this movie. I just saw a movie called My Old Ass. I've heard of it, yeah. Fantastic movie. Just came out of nowhere. It just blew me away. It's what I'm looking for now. And I found that with one fast move. It was a movie that was just a serendipity, serendipitous, because I didn't expect it and it came and I was so entertained. That's what I'm spending the rest of my career doing, you know, the big movies, don't get me wrong, but for those smaller movies. And that's why I was so thrilled when you asked me to look at your movie and it was, it paid off. Oh, that means so much to me, Jackie. Seriously. I mean, I don't know if you follow, you'll see, I don't like what I don't like. Yeah, yeah. I'm not going to sit here to trash somebody or anything, but I will say it just didn't work for me, et cetera. Because if I like it, like I did one fast move, I want people to know, hey, he really means it. Yeah. Well, I feel extremely honored that you really, I do, you know, I have to say that because, you know, these films, they come from the deepest part inside you, that it's your passion, it's your love, just as movies are for you. And so when you spend the time to do it and you express something that you feel like is true for yourself, you know, for somebody to recognize that and take the time to see it and to recognize what you were going after is just, it's such a joy. So I just have to thank you. It just blows my mind that there's this route now. My old ass was written and directed by a young woman named Megan Park. I'd never heard of her. I just interviewed a guy named Jake Allen, who has a ride. Yeah, yeah. And again, writer, director, Jake stars in his film, but there's this new crop coming along that are so talented. And that gets me excited, you know, it really does. And one last question, because I've got to know you've got to run out of shoes, but what's next? What are you planning next? You don't have to write me and say, well, you look at this. I'm going to be, I'll jump on it. Thank you, Jackie. You know, there's something, there's two things. One is a script that was brought to me that I just fell in love with. I can't disclose too much right now because it's, I'm attached to direct it. Incredible script with some great actors. I'll keep you updated on that, especially once it's official, but totally different than One Vast Move, has zero action at all. But I'm also writing something that's been a passion project of mine about a friend of mine who's dealing with addiction. He's a musician. And so those two things, I know that's very vague, so I'm sorry I can't be more specific. You've got projects on your mind. That's why I, well, I'm just going to wait and see what, no, I want more, you know. Yeah, no, it's definitely, there are definitely projects in the works and happening. And, you know, this other one might be shooting actually in January, February. So I will keep you updated with that. But I'm just as excited about you as you are about these new films and new filmmakers. I'm trying to watch as many as I can. And you're always searching for, like you said, you know, this thing that affects you and really grabs you out of nowhere, especially because there are so many films made these days, so it's hard to keep up. But, you know, you're doing the great work. A new wave, you know, just these people who not only can direct, they can write, they can, you know, you have single threat, double threat, triple threat. And that just, you know, makes me so optimistic about the film. Oh, good. And the great thing about movies, you know, in my life is, you know, you don't run out. There's always somebody, somebody talented who's out there waiting and coming along. But listen, Kelly, this has been wonderful. I'm so glad you took the time to talk with me because I'm really interested in your career. You better keep me informed about what's coming up. You know, I'll be hounding you. But thanks again. Jackie, thank you again for taking the time to watch the film, for having me on. And I wish I could do this for a couple more hours to talk movies with you. But I will be keeping up with all of your reviews. I can't wait to hear. You'll be my source for good films coming out. And again, I appreciate it. I'm so grateful. And let's please talk soon. All right. Listen, everybody, One Fast Move is on Amazon Prime. You can go right as soon as you get through watching this. Just go right over to Amazon Prime and watch it. You're going to be entertained. So relax and enjoy. And Kelly, thank you very much. Thank you, Jackie. This has been Jackie K. Cooper at my interview with Kelly Blatt.