Interview: Michael Matteo Rossi and Damien Puckler

Michael Matteo Rossi and Damien Puckler sit down to discuss the new movie Chase.

Michael Matteo Rossi is a talented writer, director, and producer who already has a feature film (Sable) and several shorts on his resume. His newest film Chase will be in theaters soon. Damien Puckler (Grimm) plays a hitman who must prove himself while his girlfriend wants him to leave the business. The cast is very solid. Names such as “Tiny” Lister, Richard Riehle, and Skye Townsend.

Puckler was a regular as Meisner on the show. If you were not a dedicated follower of Grimm, you should check out his YouTube channel, especially if you appreciate the martial arts. He is a one-man wrecking crew.

Hidden Remote: Michael, when did you begin getting an interest in writing and Damien, follow that up with your acting and stunt work.

Michael Matteo Rossi: Before I got into directing or producing or anything, I actually started in high school doing creative writing. Um, that’s kind of what I did started with short stories, started with things like that and took some creative writing classes in high school and it was only up until my first year of college that I decided to take it from paper to the, to the screen. So from there, I had a short story adapted into a short script and I made my first four-minute short film and kind of never looked back.

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Hidden Remote: Damien, tell me about your acting and stunt work?

Damien Puckler: Well, I was actually a professional athlete in my teens and then a motorcycle crash, ruined that and I had to retire. My girlfriend at the time, ironically told me I need to start doing some work. She was a model-actress and she got me some, stunt work. During the years of stunt work, they kept asking me if I could deliver a line because they didn’t want to hire two people. So I thought maybe I should go to drama school. But then the older I got, the more, acting I got, because the body is starting to slow down and, uh, I can make some money just speaking.

Hidden Remote: Michael, who is your biggest inspirations?

MMR: Well, you know, again, I, I know a lot of indie filmmakers will refer to him, but you know, people like Stanley Kubrick or is definitely one of the tops, he’s a huge influence far ahead of his time. In terms of more the contemporary directors, you know, the Christopher Nolan’s David Fincher, Darren Aronofsky, of course, can’t go wrong with Scorsese. I’d say all of them in terms of their visual scope, the stories that they, that they do, those are ones that really told me I want to be a director.

Hidden Remote: Damien, how about yourself?

DP: As far as acting is concerned, there’s only one in one, one person Steve McQueen. Full-stop, period, done. Steve McQueen. That’s it.

Hidden Remote: Now that you mentioned Steve McQueen, you have the movie Bullitt, correct?

DP: Oh yeah.

Hidden Remote: You also have, which I just saw today, on Twitter, the 1978 Firebird. so that’s a little bit of McQueen.

DP: Michael made my day when he posted that because I had no idea. That’s a life lifelong dream. Smokey and the Bandit that’s just like, that’s awesome-

MMR: When I was writing the script and everything, I saw the main character Chase, who Damien’s playing, driving a car like that. I was kind of debating between either something like a Mustang, maybe even a late sixties Camaro, but when I saw the 78 Firebird, I jumped on the opportunity. I said this is a sexy car.

DP: The true story is, is that actually I hadn’t signed the contract and I told him I want to have a 78 Firebird back (jokingly) gotta be it’s gotta be the Firebird (laughing).

MMR: That’s a point that just sold them on it (laughing).

Hidden Remote: Michael, I was wondering if you could go through the way that you discipline yourself in getting scripts and writing done.

MMR: Well, I might take a kind of unorthodox approach to it because I’m somebody where I can’t sit for six hours at a time and just write like I do it in short control bursts, I will, I will sit down, I will not have any social media open, nothing like that, no distraction. I’ll put my phone away and I will just let it spill out from my head to the keyboard and to the screen and I just go. When I take a break, I like taking walks. It just clears my head. I’m not looking at any other kind of distractions while I’m on my walk. I will sometimes think what’s coming next. I usually have an outline of where I see it going, but interestingly enough, I feel like I get to know the character so well that it almost kind of organically happens without me even having to put in that much effort. I, I take it one scene at a time and that’s my process.

Hidden Remote: Damien, you have two black belts. One in Karate and the other in Tae Kwon Do. You also have trained in Muay Thai and was a World Champion at one point. I was just curious about your discipline, and how that may be transferred into your, your acting.

DP: I did martial arts because I had so much energy as a kid. That was just insane. They called me mini-Hulk. I had a huge temper and then I did all these martial arts things, Karate Tae Kwon Do, did all the forms, and then I got my ass kicked so badly. I was in the hospital for six weeks. When I came out, a friend of mine was doing kickboxing and he said, well, you could apply the traditional to the actual fighting part.

I did that and I really loved it. And he went to Thailand. I went to Thailand and then everything changed because I suddenly could use my temper to do something that was actually giving me something back. So I didn’t stick to it because of discipline necessarily. I stuck to it because it actually literally saved my life. So it’s just for me, it’s not discipline, it’s just, it’s part of me. I have to do it, you know what I mean?

Hidden Remote: But I think it still takes something to do all that. If it isn’t discipline, what is it?

DP: Well acting and martial arts training has definitely taught me one thing. I don’t see it as discipline. I, uh, made the decision to be a martial artist. So there isn’t really a decision to make every day that I will study my art. It’s the same with acting. I will always work on something. I’ve made the decision to actually get into this, whether it’s acting or the martial arts. So that means I will just have to apply myself at it every single day. It’s just, it’s a job, it’s just part of your life. I guess a lot of people make the mistake and go, “oh, do I feel like it today?” Or I don’t know. I don’t see it that way. I’m an Aries. I’m a very extreme person. This is what I do. Shut the F up and just do it.

MMR: I’m a Gemini, but I think that we share the same kind of passionate, you know, if, if I would’ve just been blasé about the approaching film and not really doing it and tackling it and making excuses, I wouldn’t have made anything at all. Chase is going to be technically my fourth feature films and me, my biggest I’ve done so far. But if I could’ve found excuses are not hustled or anything like that, you know, that that’s, that’s what separates that. I mean, a lot of people sell their house to make their first feature film and it makes no money and then that’s basically all they do. it is the true test if you can consistently try to make films.

We start shooting in a little over three months and I’m like, I’m ready to go next week. You know, that’s the thing of course pre-production is everything. And, and you know, I felt like I rushed pre-production a little bit with the last feature I did, but with this one, we’re being so systematic about it and just getting everything down to it-

DP: Preparation is everything. People never understand that it will always want to go with the flow. You can’t achieve great things by going on the flow. It does not happen-

MMR: I wrote it (Chase), I’m directing it, I’m helping produce it. But this is something I believe in so much and this technically, is the best cast that I’ve ever had and this is the biggest cast I’ve ever had in terms of people who have done the most. We have Tiny Lister, who’s been in a ton of stuff, which I’m sure you know, Friday, all of that. We have Damien, of course, we have Richer Riehle, who’s in Casino (Charlie Clark), Office Space (Tom Smykowski). We have Aries Spears (Jerry Maguire) who was original cast member in Mad TV and a worldwide comedian. So my point is, we have some heavy hitters in this cast. I’m taking all of the steps to make sure that it goes somewhere far.

Hidden Remote: Is it sort of surreal for you, to have all these great actors, playing the roles that you wrote for?

MMR: It is, I think that comes with, um, with my own experience, but I want to step it up each time I’ve told myself because if I’m being very honest and I’m very happy with how it turned out. My last feature Sable, it was, it was good and I’m very proud of it. But one problem was we didn’t have any real names that, that pushed it in any type of distribution way. But already, and we haven’t even shot Chase yet. I’m getting emailed from sales reps and distributors. Hitting me up because of the, the cast that we have. I told myself, I needed somebody to be able to carry this film and Damien, of course, has a big cult following, is a great actor, and all of that.

I wanted to package it around people that even audience members would be like, “hey, that’s that guy from that.” And when I met up with Tiny, no joke, we just spent about an hour together. people were coming up to him wanting to take pictures, all that. I mean it was incredible and a really nice guy. All of this helps because I want to get good distribution. I’m already looking at what festivals when we’re going to do it. I’m hoping that the whole film will be pretty much completed and edited by Fall.

Hidden Remote: Damien. what about the role that you found really spoke to you?

DP: Well, apart from the fact that its bad ass, which every guy likes. And again, the Steve McQueen, angle definitely comes in a little bit. What really excited me about the role is that there’s a lot of different shades in it. It’s not just a straightforward bad ass dude that just goes around and is a hitman, because a lot of times when you have those kinds of films, they’re kind of rather one dimensional. This character is not one dimensional. As a matter of fact, the whole film is about him struggling with all these different dimensions. I love playing with that because that’s reality. That’s what really drove me into that character.

Hidden Remote: What are going to be the most difficult aspects of playing Chase?

DP: The hardest part has to be the shade of everything. I think the hardest part is putting this all together and actually making it work and not make it look like you’re playing three different people within one film. He has different shapes everywhere. I do like the fact that he has to actually deal with a kid (Eli Michael Kaplan) and he hardly says anything in that thing, but I think it’s very powerful-

MMR: And, and just going off that too, the actor that we have for the kid role is brilliant. He is sharp.

Hidden Remote: Is the relationship between Chase and Micah like Leon and Mathilda in the Professional?

MMR: I love the Professional. One of my favorite films are different in terms of their, their relationship, the kid and Damien’s character Chase. They took a completely different dynamic by again, a little bit of a little bit of John Wick, a little bit of the Iceman, a little bit of Jason Bourne, you know, a little bit of Drive, a little bit of a throwback to Steve McQueen films in terms of his bravado, how cool he is. We have a couple scenes in the film that I personally cannot wait to film. I’ll put it this way, we’re going to have some scenes that the audience is definitely gonna enjoy.

Hidden Remote: Damien, are you doing any stunts in Chase?

DP: Well, let me put it this way. It’s really up to the director, but I always like to do everything myself because I like to me considering I’ve done it for 25 years, but I do understand sometimes directors say no. Generally speaking, I always do my fight scenes. I definitely always do myself. That’s actually something I definitely do. And then it is anything else like driving cars or something like that then? Yeah. And this car for sure.

Hidden Remote: I saw that you know German, is there any other languages you speak?

DP: I speak quite a few languages, but German is the, the main language that I speak. Obviously, a little bit of Thai, a little bit of Russian, Czech, French, and then apparently I speak English.

Hidden Remote: Where did you learn so many different languages?

DP: It’s just because, uh, my family is very international. I’m very international. I was raised all over the world. I always say I consider myself a true soul international. I don’t have the nationality. I’m just as human and I’ve been everywhere and I’ve seen so many different cultures and yes, they’re all different, but in the long run, they’re all the same man.

Hidden Remote: How is Roxy the dog doing?

DP: I grew up with a lot of, a lot of animals, horses, dogs so many animals in my life. Roxy is very special, out of all these animals. She’s the one who actually jumped in my car at the time when I did not want to have an animal because I know how much it takes responsibility wise. She just jumped in, and to be honest, it was a very, very, a dark period of my life. I literally believe that she saved my life, so to speak. She’s 13, she’s very old and she’s struggling a lot, but she’s still there and we’re still just going for a walk even if I have to carry her. She’s like my soul mate. She’s actually famous herself. She’s on IMDB. You can Google her.

Hidden Remote: That’s awesome!

DP: My friends and an awesome director did a short film called “Roxy” and it’s about Roxy and it was in all, a lot of festivals all over the world. And uh, since then she, (jokingly) Roxy herself has a little chip on her shoulder, but fair-

Hidden Remote: Well, ya, if you’re going to be a star you need the chip-

DP: There you go.

Hidden Remote: Michael, if you could pick any writer dead or alive, who would it be? And what questions would you ask them?

MMR: It’s a good question. Um, I think I’ll go because he did write and co-write a lot of his stuff. I probably choose Stanley Kubrick. I’d love to kind of know what he thinks about where film is going now because years ago where film is to now and everything and think that it’s shifting a lot of ways. I think a lot of that has to do with technology. A lot has to do with society. I just wanted to pick his brain in terms of where he’s seen the evolution of film and all that.

Hidden Remote: What, what is it that you think that he would say?

MMR: He had a kind of cynical view about some things as well. So I don’t know. I think in one aspect maybe he’d been disappointed at some stuff and then another thing maybe he like make more of the scope and, and everything. So it was hard to say. I think with Chase, most of the stuff’s going to be practical effects. I grew up watching the original “RoboCop” and “Casino” and “Heat” I still think is the best shootout in maybe film history.

I don’t know how they did it. I mean all of downtown LA, everything was on paper. You know, you see a lot of the superhero films, you see all of that or they have like these huge spectacles and it’s awesome. But you know, you always think, OK, the green screen and CGI personally impressed is more something that you know, that they were all there. He probably has to be choreographed like to the “T” and that just impresses the hell out of me.

Hidden Remote: Damien. I’m, I’m assuming and I could be wrong, but I’m assuming that if you could ask any questions they would be to Steve McQueen.

DP: I would have two questions. I would ask them two questions in. One would be, which was his favorite motorbike, cause I’m a motorbike fanatic and he was. And then I would also ask him, which is the favorite role he ever played and I actually think it was a taped theater, a play version of the “Enemy of the People” which he did. And he did that during a time when people were saying he’s done and all that kind of stuff and nobody watched it and he made no money. But he did it.

He did a lot of things a little bit different than a lot of people. He didn’t go down to Hollywood. He didn’t let people tell them what to do. He just did it and he did it for himself. And I think that’s what made him. People tell you, you gotta go this way, you got to do this way, you can post this, you can’t post that. In the beginning, I tried to do it and then I went, “F&ck this. What’s the point?” Unless I’m actually doing what I want to do, this is hard enough. It is a struggle no matter what. Let’s just do what I want to do-

MMR: Just to again, piggyback on Damien, you have to stay true to yourself as well. You have to stay true if you have certain things about you, you know, you’re not gonna please, everybody. That’s just the fact, especially for an actor who’s kind of more on the spotlight than even I am. Keep trying to create content that you like doing. Like Chase, a gritty kind of crime thriller, some action, all of that one budget permits, you know, some good spots. So that’s what brings me joy and I stay true to that.

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Hidden Remote: Do you find the difference in your writing when you are doing something you’re passionate about comparable to doing it for a job?

MMR: Completely. I mean, I, I’m telling you ever since, you know, Chase got greenlit. I knew that we were good. All that. I have been just so pumped. Like almost. I mean I appreciate every day, but I’m like, I’m like counting the days until I get to be on set and do this and you know, just for the record to, you know, our, our principal photography in terms of how many days that we’re shooting, you know, it’s an 18 day shoot, which still sounds like it’s not that much, but at the same time it’s, it’s, it’s enough and that I’m just, I’m so excited for it.

I mean, it’s going to be spaced out because we’ll have weekends off know it’s going to be about a month of us really doing this and I’m telling you by the end of it, hopefully. Ah, we’re going to all feel very close with one another.

Hidden Remote: I’m really looking forward to seeing this takeoff and it’s been a pleasure speaking with both of you.

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Michael Matteo Rossi and Damien Puckler chat about their new movie Chase and more

By Michael Valverde | Apr 30, 2018

Michael Matteo Rossi and Damien Puckler sit down to discuss the new movie Chase.