Lawrence Michael Levine: Actor, DETONATOR
Another great interview with Lawrence.
1Q: Tell us a little about how you came to be involved in DETONATOR.
Kier, Damon and I went to film school together. We’re friends and they knew I could act so it seemed like a good idea to do this together. I love those guys.
2Q: You have been to Cinequest before with GABI ON THE ROOF IN JULY. How did you feel about your first experience with Cinequest, and do you think your experience will be different this time? More important, will Sophia have nude scenes in this film as well?
Cinequest 2011 will always be one of the best times of my life. Sophia and I had fought and struggled so hard for such a long time to make Gabi that seeing it screen to such great audiences was extremely meaningful to us. We had no idea whether or not we’d made a good movie or even a movie at all until we screened in San Jose. I can’t really put into words how great it was for Sophia and I to realize what we’d accomplished together and it really brought us very close together. It was also so nice to have Kate there, who had been such a big part of Gabi and would be such a big part of our work and lives going forward.
Also, we met Nandan Rao [BUMMER SUMMER] at Cinequest and he went on to shoot our next film, Green. He also was the photographer at our wedding and has become a dear friend along with Rob Malone and Zack Weintraub, who we also met that year at Cinequest.
So Cinequest was a very big deal for us.
No. Sophia is not naked in Detonator. She is wearing short shorts though.
3Q: What was your best and/or worst experience while making Detonator?
We shot in some dicey neighborhoods and there were some very tense situations. Keir and Damon tried to keep some of that stuff from me but I eventually found out that there was a dude with a gun hanging around set and extorting money from Keir. On the last night of shooting, we had to wrap early because all our gear was about to get robbed. I was rushed into holding. I never felt like my life was in danger though. Also, the mattress they had me sleeping on was a piece of shit, but that’s indie filmmaking. The funny thing about it, is that Damon presented it to me like it was some great boon to even have a mattress, but my back was sore the entire shoot.
4Q: Festival audiences often have to make hard decisions about what to see, and the catalog descriptions sometimes run together. In your own words, why should people see your film?
The astonishingly amazing lead performance obviously. I’m joking. Um, I hate telling people what to do, but it is a great example of the kind of creativity that comes from making personal films that aren’t about marketing, films that are about feelings.
5Q: The current market for independent films is fractured, to put it lightly, and existing distribution models grow more ineffective with each passing moment. What are your hopes or plans for distribution?
I hope it gets the widest distribution possible. I’m proud of the work we all did.
Buy tickets to see DETONATOR at Cinequest.
Watch the Trailer.
Popcorn and Vodka 
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