Blayne Weaver is on the film festival fast track
propelled by his screenwriting debut, Manic, which just received Best
Digital Picture nods from the Berlin Film Festival. But as the buzz grows,
people are finding out this screenwriter is not such an overnight
sensation. As an actor, he’s shared the screen with Tommy Lee Jones,
Frances McDormand, Matt Damon, and Don Cheadle. And just when you’ve
settled into the dark recesses of his previous work, unpredictably, he
makes an about-face, voicing Disney’s latest incarnation of Peter Pan.
Blayne sat down to talk with us about the edgy film that has critics
talking and the child who never grew up. by Melissa Hyrne After a successful run at Sundance, Manic embarked on a whirlwind tour of film festivals, opening to rave reviews in Toronto, Korea, Berlin, and just recently London. Has it been tough walking on the forefront of digital filmmaking? Definitely, it has been nearly two years since we opened at Sundance. Nobody ever thought it would take so long to release Manic, but we’ve had to contend with all of the glitches of exploring something new. Yet critics loved it. The day after Variety stiffed another major digital contender, Manic was heralded. Yeah, we were really pleased. Variety is famous for slamming movies, especially art-house movies. The positive response from critics has been overwhelming. One critic touted Manic as “the real deal: raw, angry, articulate and vulnerable …” Are you afraid the subject matter is too raw for Joe Public? Manic is a dark film, there’s no doubt about it, but sometimes you need a break from the norm where daily drama includes the dating life of Tom Cruise. Reality, even disturbing reality, pulls us all back to even keel. In addition to writing Manic, you also play Charlie in the film. Did you write this part specifically for yourself. Actually, I wrote Lyle, the lead, for myself. At the time I was 21 and could pass for 17, but when our director, Jordan Melamed, joined the project, Manic went into lengthy development. By the time it was set to go into production, I was 24 and had to come to grips with the fact that I no longer looked 17. So, I stepped aside and took a supporting role. When the role became available, some heavy-hitters read for the part including Hayden Christensen and Breckin Meyer. Eventually, Joseph Gordon-Levitt [Third Rock From the Sun] was cast. Did you feel like this was stretching your expectations? I worked with Don [Cheadle] and Joe [Gordon-Levitt] in one of the first scenes shot. I just sat there thinking how cool it was that they were saying my lines. I am still amazed that all of this came from something I decided to write in my free time. Did you know you had this in you? If I had waited until I knew I was good enough, I’d still be waiting. I’m glad I started as soon as I was interested. I mean, I didn’t write Jerry Maguire, I wrote this intense little movie and it got made. I guess one stop can take you a long way. In the film, Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Lyle, a seventeen year old committed to a juvenile institution in lieu of being criminally prosecuted. Was the set as intense as it sounds? We were all really sold on making something outstanding. We filmed in a closed-down mental institution, a couple hours outside LA. It was basically us and the institution. When you’re in confinement, burning through heart-wrenching material, it’s easy to get caught up in it. Don [Cheadle] was the only one making the drive back each night to see his family. The rest of us spent the nights shaking off the day’s demons. How was it working with Don Cheadle? He was amazingly gracious. We had him for twelve days, and when you only have a lead actor for a short time, they really get pulled through the ringer. Long days, long scenes, intense material, all for pittance, a percent of what he usually gets paid, and he still managed to be nice. It was really inspirational. Before you decided to go the independent route with Manic, you had a lot of interest from studio producers. What made you choose the road less traveled? Integrity. It was really important to me that the ending remain strong, and for the mainstream, studios wanted to tie things up in a neat little package. I wasn’t willing to make that compromise.. So by going independent, Manic was made exactly as you envisioned it? I wish it was like that. It seems the independent world is streamlining into an industry with major actors and substantial budgets. There is no happy independent land where you can avoid all of the pitfalls of Capitalism. If you have money coming from anywhere other than your own pocket, at some point you’re gonna have to bow down to the money people. So, why independent? Despite the fact that independent filmmaking isn’t perfect, there are more opportunities to do dangerous things. You can write, direct and submit to film festivals all on your own. All you really need is a bankroll. By making an independent film, we compromised, but we didn’t have to sell-out, and that’s really empowering. Coming off Manic, did you get any flack for being the voice of Peter Pan? The one thing independent artists know is that you’ve got to make a living and people pull for each other. Look at Joe [Gordon-Levitt], he’s playing this violent role in Manic, and he’s been on a sitcom for nine years. Joey Lawrence couldn’t do that. It’s all about the acting. Besides, I loved doing Peter Pan. The day after Halloween, I opened the paper and saw three kids dressed like Peter Pan. It was pretty cool. It wasn’t my idea to write it, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t like it. Manic opens mid-April in limited release. Where can we see it? When dates are firmed up, they’ll be on our website, Manicasylum.com . For now you can check it out to preview Manic. |
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