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© 2008 Lionsgate Home Entertainment
Rider Strong in BORDERLAND
DVD:
Exclusive Interview: RIDER STRONG GETS TORTURED FOR AFTER DARK HORRORFEST'S 'BORDERLAND'
The BOY MEETS WORLD star talks about his roles in both festival films TOOTH AND NAIL and BORDERLAND as well as CABIN FEVER 2.
By PETER BROWN, Associate Editor
Published 3/19/2008
Rider Strong has a great sense of humor. You probably have to have one in order to make it through 157 episodes of BOY MEETS WORLD. He doesn’t mind poking fun at himself or others and seems to genuinely enjoy being part of this crazy thing called acting and Hollywood.
Strong made an impact on the horror community six years ago starring as the protagonist in a little film called CABIN FEVER, directed by a near nobody Eli Roth. Obviously, the rest is history there as Roth has become one of the go-to horror directors in Hollywood and CABIN FEVER went through the roof as a gory, nasty and brutal film about a disease and unlucky campers.
Now Strong is starring in two films as part of the AFTER DARK HORRORFEST 2007, the very good BORDERLAND and the mediocre TOOTH AND NAIL. Strong took a few minutes of his day to talk about the two films and the upcoming CABIN FEVER 2.
iF Magazine: You seem to have embraced the whole horror genre with both feet from CABIN FEVER to now both BORDERLAND and TOOTH AND NAIL as part of the AFTER DARK HORRORFEST 2008. Is this a genre you enjoy working with and do you watch horror films in your “free” time?
RIDER STRONG: I’ve always been a fan of horror films. Plus after I worked with Eli Roth on Cabin Fever, his passion was infectious (yeah, yeah, pun intended) – he actually wrote me a list of movies I had to see. The reality of the business is that it’s hard to break into new stuff, and horror films are one of the few areas that will take chances with casting. Coming off of BOY MEETS WORLD, it was a very different genre that let me stretch in a new direction.
iF: Let’s chat first about BORDERLAND. Are you fluent in Spanish or did you just learn it for the film?
STRONG: Not at all, I’m the worst Spanish speaker ever. I was uncomfortable beyond belief, which luckily worked because I played such a timid character. The Mexican actors made fun of me … when I say “Cabron” I sound Scottish.
iF: I noticed that “Cabrón” doesn’t show up in the subtitles in BORDERLAND, guess that’s one way to get around the MPAA by leaving out an asshole here or there, eh?
STRONG: That’s why we speak Spanish during the sex and gore scenes too. If it’s not in English, it doesn’t count, right?
iF: I don’t know about you but I didn’t have a clue that the Mexican culture had a history of voodoo or cults. Did you know that going into BORDERLAND?
STRONG: I learned about it from our director, Zev Berman during rehearsal. Santeria’s all over the place ... I hadn’t even heard the word before. The specific sect that the cult in the movie practices, Palo Mayombe, is really rare – and of course, doesn’t always lead to human sacrifice. All of the real stuff is pretty tame. We had a Palo Mayombe priest come and bless our set the first day of shooting. It was kind of cool; he chanted and burned some incense. But I wanted something dramatic. Some bat guano or eye of newt … a little goat’s blood.
iF: How do you prepare for a role where you get your ankle cut, your tongue ripped out and then strung up by your feet?
STRONG: You get comfortable with your crew. If I didn’t feel safe, physically and emotionally, it would be impossible to get anything close to real. We had a tight group on Borderland. We actually had to institute a rule that no one could ask me if I was ok. I would get all worked up for a scene, miserable, teary-eyed and wrapped in chains and crew members would keep coming up to check on me or to try to make me feel better. We had to tell them I was supposed to look miserable.
iF: So be honest, you ever fallen for a Mexican hooker with a baby?
STRONG: Every weekend. No, but Brian Presley and Jake Muxworthy and I rehearsed for the movie by going around Tijuana in character. The two of them dragged me to some dirty, dirty club and bought me a lap dance. I had never had a lap dance in my life, and the woman kept calling me “Phil,” grabbing my hands and telling me it was ok to touch her ... it was overwhelming.
iF: What was it like working with Sean Astin? He definitely played a different character than I’m used to seeing him, downright creepy …
STRONG: Sean’s awesome. He’s one of those actors who wants busy work, he always wants to be moving or doing something with his hands. Which was perfect because every scene I had with him I was tied up and couldn’t move. He made them dynamic.
iF: Did you constantly give him sh** about his hobbit feet on set?
STRONG: No. I’m not a big LORD OF THE RINGS guy. When I was a kid I was obsessed with the GOONIES though. I didn’t know what asthma was and I couldn’t understand why his character kept breathing into this little pipe. But I distinctly remember getting a piece of PVC piping from my dad’s workshop, and when I ran around playing with my friends, I would take little breaks to breath into it … all so I could be like Sean Astin. I didn’t tell him that though. That’s kind of embarrassing. I probably shouldn’t admit it.
iF: Please tell me you asked him to be your “gardener” too?
STRONG: Nope. He did call me Mister Rider though. It was a little awkward.
iF: Moving on to TOOTH AND NAIL, a completely different film set in the future where the oil has dried up and civilization has basically become a Darwinesque playground. Obviously, this was a film on a smaller budget but surprisingly with more “known” names. It moves at a decidedly slower pace to let the tension build, so what was it like playing in an apocalyptical film?
STRONG: I was drunk a lot of the time. Philly’s a great town. Real, pre-apocalyptic Philly, not the one in the movie. That one would probably suck.
iF: You are pretty much an asshole the whole film until the end, yet in BORDERLAND, your character is quite likeable and you feel for him. Just a part of being an actor, eh?
STRONG: Yeah, it was nice to not be the sweet guy who gets taken advantage of … I’m sick of it.
iF: You get your ass kicked in TOOTH AND NAIL again, when we are we gonna see Rider kick some ass?
STRONG: I know, right? I came pretty close near the end of CABIN FEVER … that was a blast. I need an action role. If only I had muscles. Or height. At least a chiseled jaw.
iF: Of the two films, which did you enjoy more, you obviously have a larger role in BORDERLAND.
STRONG: BORDERLAND was a lot of hard work, and I’m really proud of it. I didn’t necessarily enjoy every minute (days on end of being tied up and crying) but it was certainly more up my alley.
iF: Speaking of CABIN FEVER, what can you tell us about CABIN FEVER 2? Eli Roth isn’t behind it, correct?
STRONG: Eli’s a producer but he handed over directing to Ti West. It’s gonna be pretty over the top and ridiculous. I haven’t seen it yet.
iF: Are you in the film for a majority of the time or just a death cameo at the beginning?
STRONG: I resent the question. Cause, you know, my presence is so overwhelming, even if I were just a cameo, I would suffuse the entire film with my unique Rider-ness. Hence, I’m the star no matter what.
iF: You also have a couple of other projects coming up PENTHOUSE and H2O EXTREME. Can you tell us what these are about and the roles you are playing?
STRONG: I’m moving out of horror. PENTHOUSE is a comedy about the life of a reality show star and his friends after the cameras are off. H2O Extreme is a wakeboarding movie. But I’m primarily focused on writing/directing right now. My brother and I made our first short film, IRISH TWINS and it will premiere in April at the Tribeca Film Festival. It’s what I’m most proud of in my career, so if anybody’s in the area, come check it out. Here’s my shameless website plug, www.irishtwinsfilm.com
(c) 2008 Lionsgate Home Entertainment
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