There’s a select group of actors who are fortunate enough to make an imprint on the history of cinema with a character they‘ve portrayed. For instance, Robert Englund will always go down as the iconic slasher Freddy Kreuger. Daniel Radcliffe will be looked upon as the heroic young wizard in Harry Potter. And Robert Carradine could possibly go down as Hollywood’s most famous nerd.
Carradine, better known for his hilarious depiction of “Lewis Skolnick” in the comedy-classic Revenge of the Nerds franchise, has been a mainstay in the competitive film industry. A member of the Carradine acting tradition, he has continued to work in a variety of studio driven features as well as a plethora of independent films and television productions (Lizzie McGuire). His resume embodies what it means to be successful in the industry…Working.
So does it bother him that the casual fan thinks he only has one claim to fame…
“Not really man. If it wasn’t for the Nerds, who knows man? Maybe I would have never been in a hit. It’s not easy to get into a hit movie; because if you could plan which ones were going to be a hit, they’d all be a hit. I’m just thankful that Revenge of the Nerds struck a nerve and it’s got legs. People still think that movie is funny cause it kind of holds up.”
Now if you are one of those above mentioned casual fans who subscribe to that stigma, you’re probably wondering why Carradine is having a chat with yours truly? Well, the working actor is co-starring in a film titled Fancypants, which premiered at the 6th annual Sunscreen Film Festival in St. Petersburg, Florida. The pro-wrestling themed flick written and directed by Joshua Russell, picked up the award for Best Feature at the festival this past weekend. Alongside Carradine in this piece, is pro-wrestling legend Rowdy Roddy Piper.
The two are paired off as wrestling commentators in this tale about a past-his-prime wrestler (Patrick Gleason), who gains inspiration from a young die-hard fan (Jackson Dunn). Carradine worked with Piper on a film over in Italy back in the 80s. He has a respect for pro-wrestling, but admitted that he relied heavily on the lines of dialogue when doing color-commentating in Fancypants; for he and Piper were essentially talking blind…
“The hardest part about being a pro wrestling commentator in this movie, is that there wasn’t any wrestling going on while we were commentating. Magic of movies right?”
From there, we went right into how the industry is seeing new faces – like Joshua Russell – coming up and crafting new artistic projects in the independent film realm. Carradine finds it interesting when he has twenty-something’s now helming projects he’s a part of. But he also feeds off their energy…
“I’ll tell you what, I really like working these young writers and directors, cause I think that’s the wave of the future. He (Russell) had a lot of good energy and he wrote a compelling story. I’m looking forward to seeing it myself, the script was really good and that’s why I signed on.”
Carradine is currently on-location in Bradenton, Florida shooting a TV movie titled Worker’s Comp with Morgan Fairchild. He mentioned how the fresh-out-of-high school writer and director (Harrison Sandborn & Castille Landon) are exciting to work with, and how there’s a mutual respect on the set. It’s their show, but when one has the knowledge base of a Carradine and/or Fairchild available, the young filmmakers are not afraid to ask…
“The thing that’s cool, is that they appreciate the depth of the resume you know. When I have a suggestion, they kind of listen.”
Speaking of his resume, what’s the daily grind entail for a guy like Carradine at this stage of his career? People tend to focus in on the glitz and the glam of the life via tabloids and entertainment shows; yet Carradine elaborates just a bit on the reality of his situation presently…
“I have an agent of course. He keeps my name out there and tries to keep opportunities coming my way.”
“In the meantime, you know, I got the daily challenges of raising teenage children and trying to find colleges that are suitable for them. Just the day-to-day life of a normal person that happens to be a motion picture actor. It ain’t like I’m being driven around a town car. Occasionally I am, which is kind of cool. And every now and then man, I get ride in the front of the jet.”
Carradine seems to have a realistic scope on his career and is very candid and willing to talk about anything. He even warned me not to watch a horror project he did about five years ago titled Tooth and Nail, when I alerted him that was on my indie horror list of flicks to see…
“Ok, well you do so at your own risk.”
After a brief sidebar – and since the whole purpose of the Sunscreen Film Festival is to promote the indie filmmaker – Carradine was a good candidate to ask about the allure of the independent film sector. There was no direct question per say, as yours truly was just curious about his thoughts since he’s been in the industry for so long…
“Well the thing I like about independent films, is that there just that…They’re independent. You don’t have a whole bunch of studio executives trying to figure out market research and all these other elements to encumber the movie with. You have a vision of a young writer/director and somehow they find the financing to put it together. And it’s just more artistic. It is an art form after all – I know it’s a business – but it’s also an art form. Especially from an actor’s standpoint. So I love independent films. I think some of the best movies that come out every year, tend to be independent movies. Very rarely does a major studio picture have the kind of heart and soul the independent films do.”
That statement led to his final thoughts on Fancypants…
“Well its interesting that this movie is coming out after The Wrestler (another independent). Cause I’m sure there’s going to be some comparisons, but uh, it’s kind of a different animal and it has a lot of heart. And that’s what I like about it.”
Hopefully, Carradine can find more of these independent projects made with tender-loving care. Cause I got my hands on a copy of Tooth and Nail, and I should have listened to the man. I can just picture him channeling that infamous laugh of Lewis Skolnick as he mocks my pain.
By Joe Belcastro
