EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH ACTOR AND FILMMAKER EDWARD GUSTS ~ STAINED
Thank you Edward for taking the time to do this interview with NVRI. Kindly introduce yourself to our audience.
Hi, My name is Edward Gusts. I am an actor, filmmaker and writer. I make weird little indie films, and sometimes you will see me on TV. My film Stained is streaming everywhere and I couldn't be more proud of it.
2. Tell us about your most project Stained, what is the premise of the film and what do you hope that the audience learns?
STAINED is a modern retelling of Shakespeare's Macbeth. My co writer and I were doing a project that involved performing Shakespeare on horseback and we got to talking about the oddness that the protagonists have no children in Macbeth. That got the ball rolling and suddenly this script we were writing became the vehicle to humanize these classic characters. If we did our job well, the audience will hopefully have a connection to these monstrous people and realize that they too are, to quote John Huston in Chinatown, " capable of anything".
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3. I see that you help create the story for Stained, from script–to–screen, how close did Stained come to its original vision?
Nowhere near close, and I think that's a good thing. There is no such thing as an "original" version for me. I think that Neil Gaiman put it best when he said that writers are either Architects or Gardeners. And I definitely fall into the gardener category.
The original story idea was about a couple seeing visions of other people's sins and somehow it evolved into are telling of Macbeth.
I am a tinkerer. There is the concept. The outline. Multiple drafts. The script you shoot with. Changes made on the day. And, of course, the Edit, which is the real final draft. (Until we make a director's cut 10 years later :) )
4. Not only are you the lead actor in the film, but the Executive Producer as well... Did you find it difficult to manage both or did it come easy to you?
Luckily, I didn't know better. I lucked out with an amazing cast crew and production team. Filmmaking is rarely easy, but everyone involved made this film better.
5. Tell us about your character John Macbeth ... What do you love about him and what do you hate about him?
That he's relatable. I love and hate that.
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6. What was your most difficult scene for you to perform? Why?
Ha! I cut those scenes. Producer prerogative.
But in all seriousness, this crew gelled so well that it was relatively smooth going from acting to producing. I recall having to shush someone who didn't know we were rolling and then immediately enter and perform. That is the thing about Director Joston Theney. His sets are like movie camp. Everyone is on this great adventure where we feel safe to expose our emotions, and that makes acting so much easier.
7. Who inspired you the most in the film industry and why?
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