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Jon Lee Brody Actor/Director/Producer and future star
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I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Jon Lee Brody. Jon has done a few projects such as an episode of "CSI: NY, and a small part in "Dark Knight."
Jon has 5 films in pre-production and 2 in development. Jon owns his own Production/Distribution company. I would like to introduce Jon Lee Brody, the future of filmmaking.
Q. After reading your bio I just have to ask if there is anything you CAN'T do? You have two degrees, (sports management and business,) you have a 2nd degree black belt in Tae-Kwon-Do, you were a Golden Gloves boxer. You also are an accomplished violinist, you play guitar and on top of all that you can jump 37 inches vertically.
A. I don't figure skate! ha ha.
but seriously. It's hard for me to answer that question because to me it's a trap question. If I say 'no' then i'm boasting' but if i say 'yes' then i'm placing limitations on myself. I have the approach that impossible is nothing. There may be things that I simply cannot do, in fact there WILL be many, but I will never say i cant do something. I'll try my hardest to accomplish anything and wont go down without a fight.
Q. You own a production/distribution company "Aquarius Entertainment." Your resume has a lot of acting listed and also behind the scene positions. Owning your own production company is almost putting the cart before the horse. Why did you approach show business this way? Is it a way to secure work?
A. I've always been a 'go-getter' and someone who takes the initiative. Producing and directing is something i knew i wanted to do down the line. My head is full of ideas and stories that I want to tell, and the vessel for that is a production company. I figured why wait?
Plus i graduated with a degree in business from one of the best business schools in the USA, The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I figured that i should use that fancy degree for something other than decoration on my wall.
Q. I see you have 2 projects in development and 5 in pre-production. Is there one or two you really want off the ground first and what makes your favored project so special.
A. That's easy. I'd have to say 'Reborn' is my biggest passion project. It's a project that my great friend and co-producer, David Sepulveda, and I built from the ground up. It started out as a script that people deemed 'poor' and 'amateur'. We had the toughest time just getting ANYONE to read the script. Now we're in the advanced stages of development, just steps away from being greenlit. We have had A-list actors and actresses interested in the script and even won Best Screenplay at the Illinois International Film Festival!
Reborn has been a long time coming. I'm also playing the lead role in Reborn, that was a tough sell at first because i'm not a bankable star (not yet at least :)). But I just thought of Matt Damon and Sylvester Stallone when they made Good Will Hunting and Rocky, respectively, and they stuck to their guns and knew that they were ultimately the right people for the leads. So far it has paid off and I cannot wait til the world gets to see what 'Reborn' is all about.
Q. The films you are working on have a lot of talent attached, how did you choose these actors and manage to get them for your films?
Some of the talent that I chose were based on personal reasons. To me it's surreal that Courtney Peldon or Lester Speight or Dustin Nguyen would be interested in one of my projects. I grew up watching Dustin and I've been a huge fan of Courtney's and Lester's for a long time. Aside from being a fan of theirs, I knew they had a lot more up their sleeves than the roles they had been given. I wanted to take it upon myself to give them the roles outside of their usual realm and show the world how versatile they really are.
As far as how I got them to my films. A little bit of persistence mixed with a little bit of luck. Agents and managers get offers for their clients everyday, its a matter of staying persistent and consistent but at the same time not be pushy and annoying. I just kept grinding it out and so far it has worked.
Q. What do you look for in a project you're considering getting involved with. What is that certain something that catches your attention.
A. Hmm. Something that always stands out is if i see the passion of the writer. When he or she believes very strongly in their project, that speaks to me. It shows that they've put their heart and soul into the script and I can empathize with that. I know what it's like to be really proud of a piece of work you've done and to want it to be shown to the world.
And of course if someone like Martin Scorcese or Steven Spielberg or Robert Rodriguez are directing, then well that would definitely be something to draw me in too! :)
ON TO ACTING!
Q. One of your first jobs in Hollywood was a small part in "Dark Knight," how did that come about and how was it being on a major Hollywood set with major actors?
A. I got that bit part in 'Dark Knight' when I was still living in Chicago. A friend of mine told me they were casting extras for 'Dark Knight' while they were shooting. My acting teacher at the time had just recommended that I be an extra at least once on a big production because it'll teach you how a big production works but most of all it teaches you PATIENCE. I remember I was on set for about 10 hours..for that 1 scene I was in. But that's just how the movie biz works, and my teacher's advice was spot on. But I realized that day that this is what I'm meant to do because I enjoyed every minute I was on set.
It was a bit of a freak occurrence because I was just supposed to be way in the background. But the director said i 'caught the light well' and put me into the shot! You can get a good glimpse of the back of my head in one of the restaurant scenes.
Being on set with major Hollywood stars was amazing. I was in awe but I was amazed how dedicated they are. Being so close to them shows you why they are in the position they're in. They work their butts off. I knew I had to do the same, so that definitely lit an extra fire under me. For the record, everyone on the Dark Knight cast and crew was super cool.
Q. You're ethnicity is diverse, Korean, Hawaiian, German, Swedish and Cherokee. You are also 6'2". Your range in acting could be wide. However, Hollywood loves to typecast, how do you feel about that and how do you avoid it?
You're right, Hollywood does love to typecast. I've been lucky enough to play a fairly wide range of roles. But the fact that a lot of ethnic artists get stuck playing roles that 'suit them'.
This is why I really respect director Justin Lin. If you watch Justin's movies you'll notice that anyone could play the roles he casts. He truly is someone who implements 'colorblind casting'. A great example is Sung Kang's character in 'Fast and Furious'. Sung's character could've easily been a Caucasian male or African American male or Hispanic male or even a woman. But Han (Sung's character) is Asian only because Sung is Asian. Does that make sense?
The same goes for Roger Fan's character 'Loo' in the movie 'Annapolis'. ANYONE could've been Loo, it's not a stereotypical Asian role. It's just an open role that happened to be played by an Asian American.
I don't know if it's possible to completely avoid it. The fact that I'm mixed does help me get a broader range of roles. My approach is to simply go after the role no matter what, even if the director already has a certain idea, go in there and change their minds.
Q. Independent films are very important to actors, you've done most of your movie work in Indies. How do you feel about the state of the Indie film making business? Film festivals are cutting back or going under and funding is harder to get. How has this affected you career?
I feel like Indie films are more prevalent than ever but at the same time theres so many Indie filmmakers trying to get their movie funded or made that it has increased the competition. I think that the state of the economy has definitely made investors gun shy about throwing their money into an unknown entity, even if the script is really really good. I think this is why we're seeing more superhero movies and remakes these days because those are already preexisting content that have proven to be very lucrative. Movies are a business like any other, so when it comes down to putting your money in a brand that has a set audience already or something unknown...then the money making brand will win out.
But where theres a will theres a way. 'Reborn' has been through thick and thin getting to the point we're at. It hasn't been easy but perseverance can take you a long way.
Q. To expand the above question, have you seen the film "Paranormal Activity?" I've talked to many Indie directors, actors and producers, they all said "PA" is a good shot in the arm for the Indie part of show business. They also had a few other things to say about it...what is your opinion of the film as far as what it is doing or not doing for the business? Also, why do you think it took off in such a big way. (Paramount bought it, I know...big money. However, if it sucked....it would have failed after a short time.)
I have seen 'Paranormal Activity'. I think that 'Paranormal Activity' is a once in a blue moon type of occurrence. I think the longing for a 'Blair Witch' type of movie and brilliant marketing is that helped it become what it is. Viral marketing and a well cut trailer can do wonders for any film. I think the story behind how it was made helps in the selling of it.
Think of 'El Mariachi', Robert Rodriguez's first film. It cost him $7,000 to make and he donated his body to drug testing in order to get the money to make it. Studio execs and agents absolutely loved the story of how Robert funded his film, I for one am always inspired by it too. I think when a modest movie has a great backstory to follow, then a big audience (and big dollars) will follow.
But again, this is a very rare occurrence.
Q. How do your parents feel about you going into show business instead of law school (something that is mention on your resume, law school)
A. My parents weren't thrilled. But they knew I had to do what I wanted to do. They knew it woulnd't be fair to be in law school and be unhappy. Long story short, they eventually came to accept it.
Q. Is there was one thing you want people to know about you?
A. Hmm...perhaps. But if I tell you now then you won't have anything for your follow up article. so lets save this question for another time. :)
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