The star of Paradox talks to The Movie Sleuth.
MY: Yeah. It's a busy life. Every week is busy. It means you're doing stuff.
TMS: My mom always says it's good to be busy.
MY: (laughter)
TMS: So, jumping right in here, what do you want to tell people about Paradox?
MY: If you like sci-fi. If you like time travel. If you like me. If you like Zoe Bell. If you like any of the cast members......you'll just enjoy the film. It's a fun little ride. It's a bit of a mind bender. It's wild.
TMS: Considering this is an action, science fiction film, what would you say outside of Paradox is your favorite time travel movie?
MY: Wow. That's a good question. I don't think I have one. Does Star Trek count? They traveled through time and went to different dimensions. As a kid, that was big for me. Someone asked me earlier today about my love for sci-fi but I'm not a huge sci-fi fan. It's not a big part of my life but I'll do it.
TMS: When you're looking at Paradox are there any other genre movies you can compare this to?
MY: It's funny because when I first booked it, I did a little bit of research on other films that have dealt with time travel. But there's nothing off hand.
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MY: From an actor's perspective it all feels the same. I just finished a film last week that's for TV One. In terms of the actor's process, it's pretty much the same. I enjoy them both. I enjoy them for what they are. They're all slightly different.
TMS: I ask these questions a lot. And I always get a different answer. Some people say they like working on TV more because they get more time with the character. And some say they're into the short time spent on a film because it's a compressed format and they can get it all out there.
MY: It's interesting. And I might answer differently at some point. It all depends. This film that I just did, I wished that I had more time to prepare the character. You know you're going to shoot a film in a couple months. With television, you can spend more time with the character over the course of a few seasons. How many shows have you seen where you watch season one and you think you know the guy but by season four you've got a completely different understanding of him?
TMS: The character starts to change.
MY: Yeah. And you live with them longer. Even in this film Paradox (I tend not to watch my own work) but I'm like 'damn, I wish I would have had more time in that moment.....I might have been rushed to get through something. This comes down to nuance. The subtle stuff.
TMS: What do you think of the new way we're watching movies?
MY: I hopefully never lose the movie going experience in the theater. Even if you have a home theater, it's nothing like being with a bunch of strangers having this experience together in the dark.
Let people see it when they want to see it where they want to see it as long as it's still making money and doing what it's supposed to do. Entertaining. Generating revenue.
TMS: What keeps people coming back to these kinds of science fiction films?
MY: I just think there's something for everybody, bro. I think people like what they like. It's interesting because you go to a place like comic con, right? These people that show up at comic con are very specific. People that love these genres, just love them. I think that's great.
MY: There's nothing like the power of the word of mouth, for sure.
TMS: If time travel were possible, where would you go?
MY: Every time I'm asked this question, I say something different. I think I'd go visit my 26 year old self and give him some proper instruction. I'd tell him to behave. It's funny though, I'm reflecting these days. I'm working on a solo show....my life story. The story keeps writing itself as I continue on this journey. There's so many things I know now that I certainly would go back and give myself fair warning. Nothing horrible. But there's nothing like emotional intelligence. You can only really develop that over time.
-CG
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Paradox is now available on iTunes and other streaming services.