John Pelkey: Actor, 7 LIVES OF CHANCE

1Q: Tell us how you became involved with 7 LIVES OF CHANCE, and how you prepared for your role as “Narrator”. Will we also see your face in the film, or just hear your deep sexy voice?

Banks wrote the role of Chance for my wife Jodi and at some point they had a meeting and he mentioned that he had written the “Narrator” role with me in mind and asked her to see if I would be interested in auditioning for it, which I did. And yes, for better or worse, you will see me. And for the record, my voice is far from deep and sexy, its very mid atlantic (I’m from Northern Virginia) and nasal. As far as preparation goes, my role didn’t require that I act opposite anyone in the scenes I’m in…it’s just me making a comment about the situation in the scene…so really, all I had to do was learn the lines and present them in a relatively staccato manor, which is what Banks wanted.

2Q: Cinequest is proud to host the World Premiere of 7 LIVES OF CHANCE. Explain to the audience how you feel about bringing this film before audiences for the first time, and what do you think their reaction will be to your film?

I think people will find it a quirky, sweet, often funny and sometimes poignant film with a redemptive message. Also, the lead actress is really wonderful…and I would say that even if I wasn’t married to her.

3Q: What was your best and/or worst experience while making 7 LIVES OF CHANCE?

Best: Watching my wife work… because of the nature of our filming (Banks films fast! Two to three takes maximum for most scenes) the pressure on a lead character is immense (she was in almost every scene) and watching her rise to the task was thrilling for me.

Worst: First day of shooting (my opening monologue, in fact)…early morning call and there was no coffee on the set….brutal!

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?

I think that beyond the redemptive aspect of the story which I mentioned earlier, I think that the film illustrates that even with a very short (7-8 days) shooting schedule and a very low budget, if you have a unique voice and quality collaborators, you can make a film that’s beautiful to look at and moving.

5Q: Tell the craziest story you know about director Banks Helfrich. I know you must have several.

This isn’t so much crazy as it is odd, but, I’ve worked with Banks in several capacities since 1990 (we were both in the opening cast at Universal Studios Florida) we’ve done dozens of shows and parades and special events, etc… and until I had a small part in his film  “moment:noun” in which he played the lead, I never worked with Banks in any project in which he had lines! Every character was mute! Only time I ever heard him speak was offstage. 

Watch the trailer! 

Buy tickets to see 7 LIVES OF CHANCE at Cinequest here!