Photo courtesy of Syfy Films.
Determinedly fighting to not only protect, but also publicly spotlight and celebrate their hard work, is a powerful endeavor for many people. That’s certainly the case for both the characters and cast and crew members of the new sci-fi movie, ‘Hover.’ Actor Shane Coffey, who’s best known for starring in recurring roles on such television shows as ‘Pretty Little Liars’ and ‘Perception,’ is proving his leading man potential in the film. Coffey, along with his co-stars, screenwriter, director and other crew members, diligently bonded together to create an independent action-driven movie that focuses on attentive leaders who are willing to risk everything to save their society.
Cleopatra Coleman, who plays the female protagonist in ‘Hover,’ also made her feature film screenwriting debut on the drama. The sci-fi film was directed by Matt Osterman. SYFY Films, which released ‘Hover’ in theaters last Friday, June 29, is also distributing the movie on VOD and Digital HD today.
‘Hover,’ which is set in the near future, during which time environmental strain has caused food shortages around the world. Technology provides a narrow path forward, with agricultural drones maximizing the yield from what land remains. Two care provides, the trusting Claudia (Coleman) and her mentor, the weary John (Craig muMS Grant), are partners who work for Transitions, a company that provides in-home ascension services for ill individuals and their families. With complete compassion and respect for the patients and their families, the duo aids in the transition from life to death.
After John doesn’t report to work one morning, Claudia learns of her mentor’s untimely passing. She isn’t given much time to grieve before her boss, Jason (Leo Fitzpatrick), assigns her a new partner, the inquisitive Tania (Fabianne Therese). Now acting as a supervisor, Claudia leads Tania to their first case. They must oversee the transition of Abner Smith (MacArthur Hewitt), but the circumstances don’t go according to plan. Mr. Smith’s surviving relatives, including his widow, Helen (Rhonda Johnson Dents), and son, Victor (Dré Starks), are upset about the situationo. As a result, Victor soon begins spreading conspiracy theories about the link between drones and the rapidly deteriorating health of farming families.
Claudia soon finds herself surrounded by a diverse community of people who, much like Victor, are growing suspicious of VastGrow. The company is creating some of the world’s most up-to-date technology, including the drones that tend the crops and control property boundaries. People like drone repair specialist Isaiah (Coffey) are becoming increasingly distrustful of the money-hungry corporation. As a result of their suspicions, the public begins to fit together the pieces of a grand puzzle that seems to center around the always-present drones.
In honor of the sci-fi film’s theatrical and digital releases, Coffey generously took the time recently to talk about starring in ‘Hover’ during an exclusive interview over the phone. Among other things, the actor discussed that he was interested in starring in ‘Hover’ because not only does he enjoy the sci-fi genre as a fan, but he was also intrigued by the prospect of trusting his craft and natural instincts, as he was on the film’s set a few days after he signed on to portray Isaiah. Coffey also praised his co-stars, especially Coleman, since she worked so hard on writing the script and then playing one of the lead roles, as well as Osterman’s trusting directorial nature.
The conversation with Coffey began with the performer sharing what drew him to play Isaiah in ‘Hover.’ “Well, first and foremost, I was interested in the script.’ I’ve always been a huge fan of the show ‘Black Mirror,’ and Cleo’s script (for ‘Hover’) reads like one of the best episodes of ‘Black Mirror,'” the actor shared.
Coffey also admitted that he “didn’t get this role in the traditional way, with an audition, callback, chemistry read and screen test. This role came about during a little lull in my career, and I was getting the itch to act again. Pilot season also seemed non-existent during that time, at least for my look and age range. So I sent this email to a bunch of friends, collaborators and creative types, who I’ve either worked with before, or had a desire to work with, or I knew,” the performer stated.
“Immediately after that, Travis Stevens, who’s one of the producers on ‘Hover,’ called me. He said, ‘Shane, I just sent you this script for this movie called ‘The Region,” which was the original name for ‘Hover.’ He was like, ‘Can you get on an airplane tomorrow and come to Baton Rouge? We need you to shoot the role of Isaiah right away.’ I was like, ‘Okay, let’s do it,'” Coffey revealed.
“So we talked on the phone, and I was on a plane the next day. I was then on set a day or two after that, playing a lead role. So there wasn’t a lot of time for me to prepare,” the actor pointed out.
“But that made the experience all the more worthwhile, because there’s something so thrilling about just trusting your craft and natural instincts, and just diving head first into the deep end. That experience alone attracted me to this project; not only the description, but also the feeling of just going. I was on the plane right away, and preparing as much as I could during the couple days that I had before I was on set,” Coffey divulged. “It was also exciting and thrilling to just trust that I could do this.”
Like the actor previously mentioned, Coleman made her feature film writing debut with the script, and also played Claudia in the movie. So Coffey’s collaboration process with the writer-actress on the drama is something that he cherishes. “Cleo is amazing. As soon as we met each other, we bonded and laughed. I’m almost more excited about this film being released so that people who don’t already know who she is can get to know her” than seeing his turn on screen, the performer humbly admitted. “She worked so hard on the script, and getting the movie made. I’m just blessed to be a part of it, and to have gotten to work with her, and also bonding outside of” the set.
Working with the rest of the cast, in addition to Coleman, was an experience that Coffey also valueed, even though the actors didn’t have much time to rehearse together. For instance, Coffey “was honored to work with Beth Grant; she’s a pro, and has been acting fora very long time. The wisdom she shared with all of us is unforgettable,” the performer divulged.
“One of my most memorable moments happened before shooting this six-page piece of dialogue between Cleo, Beth and me. While the crew was setting up in this centuries-old, beautiful, Gothic home that we were shooting in, the three of us sat outside and went over the scene, and explored all the ways that it could be done,” Coffey shared. “In this brief rehearsal of sorts, if you could call it a rehearsal, because it led to us laughing and talking about our lives, we created this really special and remarkable moment.
“It was great to realize that we were working with other actors who we really vibed with, both inside and outside of the world of the script. We clicked emotionally and intellectually, as well as over the same humor,” the actor added with a laugh. “The amount of freedom and trust that Matt Osterman, the director, provided to us with each decision was great. It was an unforgettable experience to work on this movie overall.”
Further speaking of the fact that ‘Hover’ was helmed by Osterman, Coffey also shared what his experience of collaborating with the director was like on the film. “Since I got the script and then flew to Baton Rouge to shoot in two days, we had to have a lot of trust in each other,” the performer admitted. “There wasn’t time to do anything but do our jobs. I’d go in with what I had to offer as Isaiah, and Matt had to trust that I was going to mold it in a certain way that fit what he saw for the character. So there was a lot of trust, friendship and respect during that process. There had to be, because there was no other way we could have done this. We just had to go out there and do what we do right away.”
Like Coffey also mentioned, the drama was shot on location in Baton Rouge. The actor then described what the experience of filming on location in Louisiana was like. He noted with a laugh, “First of all, it was extremely hot! I have to mention that, because when I first got there and did my costume fitting, I really liked this jacked, and said I had to wear it. It was kind of chilly outside during that fitting, but that jacket eventually became the bane of my existence.
“I remember Matt asked me, ‘Are you sure you want to wear that jacket? Once you put it on, we can’t take it off, and I think it’s going to be about 100 degrees next week.’ I was like, ‘Yeah, I really like the jacket,’ but I was kicking myself for that decision later on!,” Coffey humbly admitted.
“But the location was amazing. I have family in New Orleans, and Louisiana is one of the best and most beautiful states,” the performer added.
Coffey also enthusiastically spoke about the process of crafting the physicality for his role of Isaiah in ‘Hover.’ He noted with a laugh that the experience “was a lot of fun. It was the first time that I got to be the action guy. It was sort of reminiscent of childhood, when you would play make-believe in the backyard with your brothers. I was reminded of that experience when the crew put me in the back of a truck and strapped me in with a shotgun. I then had to shoot drones out of the sky, while the truck was going 50 or 100 miles an hour. Overall, it was a really good time and fun experience.”