Entertain This!
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Join Hayden, Mitch, and Tom with upcoming movie, tv show, and game news. Listen to reviews and off the wall facts, while providing a comedic spin with our opinions on the matter. Join us for amazing behind the scene interviews. The one true original "Entertain This" podcast.
Entertain This!
From Hendersonville to Hollywood: Mason Mecartea Cinematic Journey
Join us for an electrifying conversation with Mason Mecartea, the actor and filmmaker who's left his mark on projects like "Terrifier 3," "Stranger Things," and "Smashing Pumpkins." Mason takes us on a journey from his roots in Hendersonville, Tennessee, to the bustling sets of major productions. He recounts the thrilling yet humbling experience of his first Marvel role and the surreal moments spent on set, even if his line was ultimately cut. Plus, Mitch shares his own Marvel memories, including a chance encounter with Anthony Mackie on "Falcon and the Winter Soldier."
Discover how Mason's passion for storytelling led him from acting in country music videos to directing and producing. His collaboration with childhood friend Ryman opened doors to music video directing, and he humorously shares his "where's Waldo" moments in various productions. Listen in as Mason recounts a hilarious costume switch up on the "Ms. Marvel" set and hints at upcoming projects inspired by his experiences on these large-scale productions.
Our episode wraps up with a heartfelt exchange about the magic of film and theater. Mason explores with us the nostalgic allure of indie theaters showing 35mm prints and the technical artistry of shooting on film. We share insights into Mason’s own projects like "Smashing Pumpkins" and "Axe to Grind," spotlighting the classic horror influences that shape his creative visions. From restoring vintage cars to navigating challenging scenes with intimacy coordinators, this episode is a treasure trove for film enthusiasts, actors, and anyone passionate about the art of storytelling.
Hello and welcome to entertain this. It's a podcast about movies, tv shows and video games. I don't know why we feel obligated to say it that way. I'm Tom With me, I have Mitch and my name is Hayden.
Speaker 1:That's right, we still don't have our co-host Hayden. He's still galvanizing around Texas. Now he's slowly making his way around the globe back to my apartment to drink all my Pepsis and put his nasty feet on the coffee table. But we're not here to talk about that. We have a guest and a special treat for you, listening wherever you may be. We got Mason McCarty.
Speaker 3:What's going on, guys? How you?
Speaker 1:doing, doing good. Mason, how have you been?
Speaker 3:Oh man, just soaking in the holiday season, taking it easy, that's about it.
Speaker 1:So for those of you who don't know who Mason McCarty is, he's an actor, filmmaker. You can catch him in Terrifier 3. You can catch him in Stranger Things. I think people have heard of that Stranger Things show.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's a little underground, but it's pretty cool. I recommend it to a lot of people.
Speaker 2:And I'm going to say you've also got your short films of the Smashing Pumpkins Acts to Grind. I saw that you were in Ms Marvel for a scene as well.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's a fun story, but, yeah, yeah, I love that stuff. Um, miss, you know what I will say. Miss marvel was, um, that was one of my first like legit bookings, because I had grown up in hendersonville, tennessee, and I wanted to pursue acting. I wanted to get out of here and, uh, I really fell in love with directing and producing.
Speaker 3:So I was working on my own stuff, I was doing whatever I was doing a lot of commercials here in town but, then one day I got the call from my agent that I booked the one-liner, the one-liner in Ms Marvel, and I was like no way, are you kidding? I was so excited and I'd never really been to Atlanta before and it was shooting for a week because it was like um, it was just like, uh, like to get into it. So I don't know if you guys watch this marvel, but there's a big comic con sequence but it's avengers avengers con in the first episode.
Speaker 3:So, and um, of course you know you're gonna have to pay extras more if you let them talk or have a line, so they're going to pay three people that can be your talking extras. So it's like they're getting paid more than extras. Uh, so they're pretty much day players, but they're going to be in the extras crowd, but whenever you need them you pull them out and they they say the line. You know what I mean? And um, anyways, I was one of those people but I got to be at Trillis Studios for a week and I mean, on, that set was incredible and it was such a eye-opening experience for me. It was just like I felt thrown into, like oh, this is what a big set looks like for the first time.
Speaker 3:And of course, I was a Marvel fan. But it was funny because it came down to the last day where I was supposed to say my line and they just cut it. So I was like, okay, but honestly I wasn't that upset at all. I just kind of had the best week ever and it was such a taste of like what I want to continue pursuing. I want to get back to this. You know what I mean. So it was an incredible experience. But you can see me in the crowd, but yeah, what was your line?
Speaker 3:oh, my line was totally like are you okay?
Speaker 1:like it was that it was just like I got like three words yeah, pointless.
Speaker 3:Um, I don't blame him for cutting it I think that we've.
Speaker 2:I don't know, Tom, if you did, but I've worked on one of the Marvel films. As far as doing security, we worked on the Winter Soldier and Falcon and one of their scenes they were filming they were having to break out of jail and all that stuff. So we got to work a little bit of security for that. That was kind of fun.
Speaker 1:I only did security for one, and that was what was that show, deputy? I think it was on fox or something, or fx.
Speaker 2:I did that, oh yeah, I worked a little bit of that one, but yeah, I got to. You know stand, I was standing next to anthony mackie and talked to him for like a couple minutes before, like in between scenes.
Speaker 1:That was kind of cool you never told me that, and we've been friends for years. Well, you never mentioned that.
Speaker 2:I only saw him for like maybe five minutes before he went and filmed his thing, because where I was standing in the hallway that was where his like, I guess pre-makeup artist or makeup person was before he went on. Yeah, but we've done a couple of smaller things like that, but that's our extent of our I mean our.
Speaker 1:The real person who should be here for these interviews is Hayden, because he actually has a degree in film.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he's made some short films and things like that.
Speaker 3:That's sweet, that's awesome.
Speaker 1:So how long were you really in the acting business or filmmaking business before they're like, hey, you're going to be in a Marvel show?
Speaker 3:Oh, that's a good question. You know, I I was uh not really doing much at all before that. I I was here in Tennessee and I uh fortunately had gotten an agent in high school and, um, and she's just been lovely and uh, she's this little boutique agency here in the southeast but she is incredible and uh, and I I don't know what she saw on me because I was very uh odd whenever I was younger. I just was finding I, I just I didn't know what I was doing at all, but uh, she took a shot on me and um, anyway, so she was keeping me busy here with music videos. You know, n's got so many videos. Uh, I, I joke with my friends there's like some sort of there's got to be some sort of like Mason McCarty music video universe, because I'm in so many freaking country music videos here and it's so funny to see me pop up like where's Waldo on some of these things, and I mean, honestly, I've met so many great people doing this. But uh, I saw, sorry oh, what was that?
Speaker 2:oh, uh, I saw that you were in a lot of the Ryman music videos.
Speaker 3:as far as credits on the IMDb, yes, so a lot of coming out of high school I was, I was doing was doing music videos, acting in them. But then I was also falling in love with oh, I can produce and direct because I, I'm just a movie lover all around, and so that was something I'm really passionate about. And so Ryman was one of my greatest childhood friends. We grew up next door to each other and he's really taken off as a musician and had some great opportunities. So we found ourselves like I ended up directing like six or seven music videos for him, because we just we we got each other, but we we like each other's ideas. I liked his music actually, and so, uh, it made for really fun, creative uh projects. So, yeah, I think I bloated those things on my imdb for some reason, but but, I mean, I'm very proud of them.
Speaker 3:I'm really. We created some really fun stuff there. So yeah, nashville, I was directing a lot of music videos but I wasn't acting. I wanted to act, but I was only acting in my own stuff or commercials or random short films here. And then my agent, who still was having me read for great stuff you know, I just wasn't booking anything. I eventually read for that one line on Miss Marvel, but they had dummy side, so I actually did a scene and then they booked me just to say hey, watch out which is so funny, but yeah, I mean, at least you got a couple of lines or you know a couple of words to say and something like that.
Speaker 3:Well, yeah, I mean, I I just had a blast being on set. Like I said, I just like being there was so cool, and so it was really insightful to watch how the crew works on such a scale like that. And the set was massive, it was just there was so much to it. I will say they, they had a costume error with me because, um, you know, people are dressing up for avengers con, right? So my first day I dressed they had me dressed as a shield agent for some reason, and I was like that's kind of odd, isn't shield? Like like it. That's like I guess that's like me dressing up as the fbi for a halloween party, you know, whatever.
Speaker 3:And um, so I go and I shoot that day and you know, you still see me in the crowd. Like you know, I'm kind of close to the front and, um, all of a sudden, one of the ads walks up to me and, um, I get. You know, this is my first big close up on a thing they're about to do, this giant crane shot. You know they're placing all the extras in the crowd and so they're placing the three you know day players that they casted for the line and so they placed me towards the front and I'm like, oh my God, and you know, the cameras in my face and I'm so excited and I'm like whoa, whoa, this is gonna be really. This isn't even my line moment, I'm just gonna be like close up, this is awesome.
Speaker 3:And, um, the ad is kind of walking around. You know, the ad doesn't care who I am or know who, like you're the day player that says blind later no, he doesn't know or care, he just looks at me and he looks at my costume and he goes huh, he goes yeah, agents of shield are kind of fascists, and this time around in the universe. So he scooched me all the way to the back and I was like, like you, son of a no, for real, and I've never pulled this move before, ever again.
Speaker 3:But I slowly snuck my way back up there you go and I've never done that because you know I really want to respect that. Like you just take what they tell you, you just go with the flow. But he eventually caught me and he goes what the heck are you doing back up here? And he was pissed about it and I was like and I didn't even say a word, I just walked to the back again.
Speaker 2:But I was like damn it, oh my god. She told him you're a shield agent, you're working your way to the front, you're there for security.
Speaker 1:I'd be like francis told me to come up here Like well, who's?
Speaker 2:Francis.
Speaker 1:It's like what do you mean? Who's Francis? Francis is in charge. She said get up here. What am I going to do? Tell her no.
Speaker 3:Dude, you're a genius man, you see, you would have handled this better than me. The funny thing was next day I came to set and my trailer was a different costume. So technically you see me in the first episode of Ms Marvel in two different costumes. So I love the idea that I'm like a twin in that world. It's on them, though, but it's kind of funny to me.
Speaker 1:Wasn't that guy just in the other scene wearing a suit?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think they just put me in a Captain Marvel sweater like a Christmas, I don't know. So random, it was so random, but, like I said, it was a great week, though I think they were shooting no way home at the time and so I could see it barely down the block over there stage studios and, um, it was just awesome, it was so cool.
Speaker 2:Well, when you, after you, did miss Marvel, did you work on some of your short films first, or did you go to stranger things as your next thing?
Speaker 3:So that was a pretty crazy year for me, because COVID happened in 2020, of course, and then, oh, I'm trying to remember the dates on these things. Oh, that's right. So 2021, as we're kind of coming out of COVID just being shut down, I was auditioning that fall for some things. So that was Ms Marvel. And then I auditioned for Stranger Things, which was, of course, one of my dream shows to imagine being a part of.
Speaker 3:You know, I'm such a big fan and, um, once we hit 2021, I kind of like had all these, you know, really big life resets, just kind of like really finding who I am and like planning myself in my life. And then that was really interesting because at that time, um, when I was just finding myself and find my faith, trying to find, like, just like you know, the world just had kind of fallen apart. Uh, I was was about I just graduated high school, now what I'm stuck here, what's going on. All of a sudden, all these weird opportunities started popping up and it was just a really strange transitional time of my life. So I had auditioned for stranger things. I think it's uh, fall of 2020 and then 2021. I shot. So it was. It was miss marvel first quarter of the year and then stranger things was in, uh, like june or july I think uh, yeah, it was such a I loved it.
Speaker 1:I loved it, right, I haven't seen all the stranger things. I've seen the first, like three or four episodes that's it really.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I've seen everything that they got so far, so oh my gosh, I love it.
Speaker 3:I mean, I, I stand by. I think that first season is up there with like, in my opinion, I love it just as much as I love, like true detective season one like the season one was in my opinion, in my opinion, I think, those two first seasons and I'm like what? What would it's lightning in a bottle? It's just incredible. I think it's so good.
Speaker 2:To me. I think the drawback for Stranger Things is they've made so much space in between seasons that the kids are no longer kids.
Speaker 3:I know, I know.
Speaker 1:If you're going to do a show, like it's the same thing with the Harry Potter movies, you have to draft the right three people off the bat, because you have to carry a franchise over a decade. They have to grow up with each other. It has to be that way. You have a core group of actors. It's like a football team or a baseball team. It's like you've got to draft the core players together, let them play with each other and learn, and then there'll be veterans down the road. Then they'll go to the Hall of Fame and you'll win championships.
Speaker 3:Absolutely. I runs down the road. Then they'll go to the hall of fame and you'll win championships, absolutely. And I'm honestly still blown away by how harry potter pulled that off. You know what I mean. Do you guys think about how, like harry potter is that damn good in my opinion? Like I think, like it is so consistently great for every single movie in my opinion. I don't know, that's just my opinion, but man, I'm I'm a huge fan of I look at at Harry Potter movies and I'm like what an accomplishment. It's insane.
Speaker 1:I agree. I mean, I read the books, and all the books hadn't even come out yet.
Speaker 2:Mitch, just stop smarting, we're going to talk about Harry Potter. Yeah, I know You've never read them. You saw the first one. I saw the first movie, that was it. I only saw that because we did some trivia and I didn't want to leave, so I had to watch it.
Speaker 1:What was wild? Was like you know, the sorcerer stone comes out and every all these kids are reading it. And then we see the movie and everybody learned oh, that's how you pronounce Hermione, his name. No way, everybody's just going to go like how the hell do you say this?
Speaker 3:Wait, that is hilarious. Wait, that is hilarious. Oh my God, I love that.
Speaker 1:But we all grew up with those movies. But that's you know. With Stranger Things and like Harry Potter, like long term franchises are going to have a core set of actors. It's that building that continues, and Stranger Things has obviously done a great job. Now I don't know anything about your character, mason. What?
Speaker 3:can you tell me about your character from Stranger Things as someone who has never actually seen it? Okay, that's hilarious. Well, so I kind of got this cool, fun part because I wasn't a regular, I wasn't a recurring character. I literally was this named character that pops in for just one scene and I come in, I say some lines and I I mean it was just like, it was just a total gift, like it was just such a cool moment to like walk into the world, live in it for a second and then walk out. So uh, I, uh, mike, okay, wait, how do I explain this?
Speaker 3:uh, I guess you know Maya Hawk, right, she plays. She plays this character named Robin and she comes in on season three, um, she's finding herself, uh, and uh, she, she develops this crush on this other girl in her band class, and so the whole season it's kind of like, ooh, oh, are they? Oh, she, she might be into her, wait, she's into her. And then, um, towards the end of the season, um, robin's like, oh, I'm gonna go profess my love to her, and it's very sweet, you know, she builds up the courage to go do it because she runs into her crush in this store. And then, as she's gonna go walk up to her, all of a sudden I come bursting in and it turns out that Robin's crush has a boyfriend, which sucks.
Speaker 1:You, son of a.
Speaker 3:Yeah and dude, everybody was so angry. It was amazing. It was such a fun shock for the show. You know it was such a fun furball and I loved coming in and doing that. It was so fun. Amy Beth was just incredible. It was Maya Hawk, of course I'm such a big fan and she's so talented and cool. It was a blast. It was a great time.
Speaker 2:Well, I've also noticed you had the Smashing Pumpkins and Axe to Grind and you directed and produced both of those, or just directed.
Speaker 3:Directed and produced.
Speaker 2:That's what I thought when I looked it up and both of those that I can remember one you play kind of a jerk boyfriend that's getting revenge and the other one you kind of play a bully how did you decide just to make yourself those roles?
Speaker 3:Oh man, that's a great question. I? Um honestly wait. Which one came first? Smashing Pumpkins? Um, I made Smashing Pumpkins with one of my best friends. Uh, he's an actor and writer, uh, his name's Hunter Romanios and, um, just one of my best friends. He's, uh, he's on stranger things as well. He's one of the basketball players and just, uh, incredible, incredible actor, writer, really talented guy. But we both found we worked on a film together years ago and that's where we met and um, uh, it was ironic, we didn't meet each other on stranger things at all, but, uh, I'd seen him on it and you know he knew me from it, whatever, but we had this shared love for John Carpenter. We just loved John Carpenter movies.
Speaker 1:They are fantastic.
Speaker 3:They're so good. The vibe, just his kind of ambient, even his soundtrack, all the technicalities of his storytelling is just it's imprinted with his name, like it's just that is john carpenter, like it's unmistakable, almost, and uh, and we love his movies. So we we kind of realized it's like well, no one's asking us to be in a john carpenter movie right now and that's kind of our dream as actors. You know what I mean. Do something like that. So we ended up writing Smashing Pumpkins, which was kind of just built around everything that we love about horror movies. It takes place on Halloween. It's got a very good fall vibe. We got the music to sound as close to John Carpenter as we could and whatever. And I think I was just really influenced, character wise, by Christine and you know there's a lot of bully, jock assholes in that.
Speaker 1:A cool car. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I saw that 80s Monte Carlo and I was like, oh yeah, that's nice.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's a fun one, dude, and I think I, as an actor, just really like exploring different shades of myself that aren't like I wouldn't think were within me at all. You know what I mean like I wouldn't think were within me at all. You know what I mean. So, like I, I think it was just fun to like see that as an experiment or like a stretching myself, to be like, okay, I'm going to be the, the bully. I want to be the bully, you know, and I I never felt like that growing up. You know I never. I've maybe felt like on the receiving end sometimes. You know what I mean, but I wanted to play that and I thought that would be fun and I'm very proud of it. It was a short that we have ideas for a feature and really want to. We're having conversations, but we'll see what happens down the road, because it would be amazing.
Speaker 2:I really like that one and it was very creepy throughout the entire thing, because you have the person that's kind of like you can't tell if he's real or not, and he's in the background and you have that character and then you have a very good twist at the end.
Speaker 3:Yeah, thank you, man. Thank you, that means a lot to hear.
Speaker 1:It's one of my favorites. The filming of it was really good, like the cinematography aspect, like the clarity, all of it looked really really good at the end when he's, like you know, swinging the bat and I was like I know what's gonna happen and I was like I was like here it comes and I was like, yeah, I knew it. But I like the shooting where you have, like you know, the shape, we can call it like you know john carpenter style from the original halloween the shape not Michael Myers where he's standing there, silhouetted, ominous, spooky, scary movie.
Speaker 1:And then instead of like there's like a light flash or something distracts you from it where he's just gone, he literally just drops. It's like okay, well, where did he go? It was still like. That was also creepy, because normally it's always like there's like a flashing light, someone like grabs you and you turn and it's like, oh what? And then you turn back and he's gone. It's like dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun and the music starts.
Speaker 3:You're so right. You're so right. You know it was such a happy accident. I got to be honest, at least from what I'm remembering. I wish I could take more credit for that because we were so strapped for time, we could not be in that diner any later. And that amazing friend of mine, baron Bodacker he's an incredible actor and really underutilized in this short film, but he plays the grave who is our shape in this film. But he stayed with us for that whole night and he's got some height on us. So he's just this tall guy and we had that shot of him silhouetted there and we were like, all right, just drop and dude. I kid you not. I swear to god, we only did one take, because the way that he did that I don't even know. It almost just messes with my head because it looks like we faked that Like it almost does. He drops in such an odd way. It really spooks me Like even having been there.
Speaker 1:It's like his bones melted.
Speaker 3:Yes, I don't even know how to explain it. It's very weird.
Speaker 1:It was very fluid how it happened.
Speaker 2:Well, to me it almost looked like he's with the toys from Toy Story and Andy's home.
Speaker 1:He just dropped. He's suddenly inanimate.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Andy's coming. But I've noticed in that movie or that short and then in some of the movie stuff, and I mean it in the best way possible- you play a very good bully slash jerk character, because you've had a couple of movies where you're like you're a frat, uh kind of like a frat person, uh, you know in like colleges and stuff and you do a very good job thank you very much, man, I that's awesome.
Speaker 2:Something I had heard was you know, the nicer people are good at playing the bad guys and bad guys you know, sometimes they're not necessarily the great greatest people are playing are good at playing the bad guys and bad guys. Sometimes they're not necessarily the greatest. People are good at playing good guys because it's just something they're acting towards.
Speaker 3:You know what? I had never heard the latter before, but the first part always made sense to me, but I've never heard the latter before, which is like oh, that raises some eyebrows for me, but I'm going to rethink all these movie stars that I've been talking to. No, it's funny. There was a time where I really wanted to play gruff and haunted and dark, because I just felt like that wasn't me at all. But I wanted to explore my range. I wanted to explore playing a character more and all of a sudden I found myself playing a lot of college fraternity asshole type, which is really funny. I didn't even mean for that to happen, but it just started. I mean, even Terrifier 3 is kind of in that realm, but we got to play with the formula a little bit, in my opinion, with Terrifier 3, but kind of funny how that happened. Now I'm like boy. I got to play a nice guy, now Something nicer, everybody's going to think I'm a douche.
Speaker 3:I know I can't keep this up.
Speaker 1:It's like, hey, we need you for this movie. Oh, okay, what's it about? Oh, you know the subplot. It's like, yeah, you're going to play this frat guy and you're like all right Yep. Here we go.
Speaker 3:I just turn it right on. It's fun. I do enjoy it I love it.
Speaker 2:Well, that's going to come with age, you know. As you get older, they won't be picking you for the young roles anymore.
Speaker 3:I'm down for whatever I mean. I I wish I could be pickier about um. Well, you know, as an actor, you don't. You don't get to cast yourself as often as you'd like, and and I will say that that is what's brought me to embracing more of the producer and director side of me is because, for one, I love that style of creativity. It really excites me. But also the fact that you can put yourself in something and try something out that maybe nobody was asking you to do. The stakes aren't too high, it's for yourself. You know what I mean. But experiment, and I really love that, I really love that. But I'll take what I can get. Man, I'm a hungry actor over here.
Speaker 2:Well, when I saw that you had been in some of the Marvel movies the more kind of like fantasy and sci-fi and horror things, one character that comes to mind that whenever the MCU decides to try and make like the X-Men and stuff you should definitely try out for, like Warren Worthington, which is Angel and becomes Archangel, You've got that. Look to you.
Speaker 3:Oh my God, I would be honored. You could be an X-Men.
Speaker 2:Just looking from the character in the comics and stuff, you fit that persona. You're not overly huge, but you've still got all that muscle tone, you're right.
Speaker 3:Okay, so he's Angel from X-Men, wasn't he in X-Men Apocalypse Am?
Speaker 1:I crazy. Yes, he is in.
Speaker 2:Apocalypse? Yeah, but he looked a little different than what I normally would.
Speaker 3:Yeah, he looked a little different. Yeah, comic accurate Angel from X-Men. All right, somebody make that happen, somebody give me a phone.
Speaker 1:You need to talk to your agent. It's just like hey, if they ever cast this character me Angel in X-Men, I need to be in X-Men.
Speaker 2:I'm sure the MCU will get back to it because that's what they're working towards the mutant stuff. He's like one of the first characters in X-Men comics.
Speaker 3:Dude? Oh, I mean that would be such a. Hopefully my involvement with Ms Marvel won't bite me in the butt later. Could you imagine that it's like an extra on a Marvel set? They're like oh, we can't Technically. You're a guy in the crowd number two.
Speaker 2:If that ever comes up, you just tell them that was before you manifested the mutant powers.
Speaker 3:Yeah, come on.
Speaker 1:I was undercover. I had the jacket on. The wings are under the jacket. You can't see the jacket.
Speaker 3:That was Angel. You guys don't get it. That was Angel.
Speaker 1:It's all connected.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that was Angel. You guys don't get it, that was Angel, it's all connected. Yeah, well, in preparing for the, the interview that we had for today, I kind of looked at some of the other stuff that you had done. Some other people you had talked to you had mentioned at one sorry, I stumble over stuff you had mentioned in one other interview that you had done is that there was a big difference between acting and filming on digital and film and you kind of expressed the desire to do both. So how has that kind of influenced your short films and what you've filmed so far?
Speaker 3:Oh man, you know. So I really love film. Like I love film. Like I can tell when we're watching film. I love the experience of watching film. Like I love film Like I can, I can tell when we're watching film. I love the experience of watching film. I've got a little indie theater around here that plays a lot of 35 millimeter prints of older movies and I really love the experience of that. Not that I'm like, oh you know, film over digital forever. Like I'm not, I'm not ever there and uh, and with what I can afford, it's probably gonna have to stay digital but, um, I understand that, yeah, yeah, what I, what I really fell in love with, though, was just the?
Speaker 3:um, the energy that film brought to being on set was just slightly different. It was kind of hard to put words to, but you hear the camera rolling, which was one difference. You hear that thing rolling, and it, it really kind of it keeps your brain awake. That you're, you're like, you're on the time, you're on the dime, you know what I mean, and it, it excites me, it excites me a lot, and, and I think, other than that me, it excites me a lot, and, and I think, other than that I, you know, even with Smashing Pumpkins, like I'm just a big fan of that kind of older look of the 80s and uh, even that, uh, early 90s, uh, I love how film looked then.
Speaker 3:Even, even I feel like the 2000s had a very striking, uh, strange look with their lighting setups and film, and so I, I think I let my favorite movies influence my shooting style sometimes, because I'm not a DP, but you know, when you're directing and writing, you tend to write down what you're looking for on your shot list, and, man, I just kind of try to create something that I would enjoy watching myself, even if it was me four years ago. You know, when I first fell in love, I watched. You know, uh, I remember when I was first falling in love with Steven Spielberg movie, so it's like I want to make something that reminds me of that. It evokes that feeling out of me. Um. So, yeah, I, uh, I love both. I love both. I wish I could afford film and afford to color it and edit it. It's just a crazy process. But acting for somebody's film that was shot on 16mm, that was a complete, totally unique and awesome experience for me. So I had a great time.
Speaker 1:So, from somebody who's not in the know. You said you have to pay to have the film colored. So you shoot, it doesn't matter what size, it's always going to be in black and white, and you have to pay for the colorization.
Speaker 3:You know. So here's what I think I understand. I believe you shoot Kodak, you shoot whatever. You got your art flex or whatever it's rolling. You shoot it. After that you ship it to go get developed and it takes a couple of weeks, maybe even a month or two, and then they package you. Oh my gosh wait, do they do that, or do they? I think in some cases you ship it out and then they send you a disc or a drive and it's like the highest quality digital of all of your film. You know what I mean? Like you don't actually get. Maybe you get your film back, but I feel like it's like MOVs now, but they're log, so they're they're very gray so that you can just color them on like DaVinci or something else like that. This is me not really knowing how the process works, but kind of gathering it from people.
Speaker 2:It's more than what we know. I know Because in my head I'm like has anyone ever shot a podcast on film? I hope not. There's a lot of, oh my gosh on tape.
Speaker 3:Oh, we should do this on tape, That'd be fun. Oh, like VHS on tape.
Speaker 1:Oh, we should do this on tape, that'd be fun. Oh, like VHS. It's like the lost episode, it's like it's on VHS. You have to have a VCR.
Speaker 3:That's hilarious.
Speaker 1:We record on A-track here.
Speaker 3:Completely analog.
Speaker 2:Now looking back at some of the stuff through your IMDb. Were you ever in musical theater as well?
Speaker 3:It was. You don't have to be embarrassed through your IMDb. Were you ever in musical theater as well?
Speaker 1:I was, it was yeah, you don't have to be embarrassed, is that?
Speaker 3:something you enjoy. I really do. I don't think I got it when I was a kid. I don't think I. I loved performing, I loved acting, I loved acting, I, I loved singing and I was. I was better than I was, than I am now. I was a little, I had a little bit more together with the singing, but, um, I, I wish I. There were people around me that were like studying theater and they were amazing. They were like they got it and I think I just struggled to like. It's so performative that, like every inch of your body is being witnessed.
Speaker 3:You know what I mean and so you got to have such a control of yourself in that sense, full body acting.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it wasn't like a matter of confidence, but I always just felt like going back and watching myself on whatever. You know, if the theater videoed the show or whatever, I would just be like what am I doing? I'm like I noticed how out of control I would let myself be, in the sense of like I'm not even embodying this character completely. I don't know, and this is me being really critical of myself, but I do love theater and I I wish I could go to some school and like get my butt kicked by like a professor and like really like learn and like rehearse and get into it, because I really only was doing theater in high school uh, high school program, school program, but I really did enjoy it. But, uh, I wish I uh worked hard. I was having too much fun, but not not like giving my performance my all. If that makes sense, I don't know. That's that's me being critical, though I it was formative years for me, falling in love with performing, truly falling in love with performing truly.
Speaker 1:I think a lot of us think like that. It's like, oh, if I went through high school now.
Speaker 3:I'd get straight A's yeah, yeah, yeah, it's the same principle precisely.
Speaker 2:Well, because I know, like you know, nowadays I like the musical movies, like the Greatest Showman and things like that, but I remember when I was younger I was like I have no interest in watching a musical, but nowadays they're pretty interesting, depending on which ones they are. I like them a lot. I'm still hitting this on musicals. It depends on the movie, it depends Like Guys and Dolls.
Speaker 1:I think is great. West Side Story is great.
Speaker 3:Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is fantastic. That was a great lineup. I think I felt the same way. I was a great lineup. I think I felt the same way. I was a lot more into movies. I just wasn't in love with theater or even just musical theater. I see it for what it is now, in a different way. I'm really jealous that I don't have that in front of me now. That school forcing me, that class, my theater class forcing me to do it class, my theater class forcing me to do it. It's like I wish somebody was forcing me to do it right now.
Speaker 3:Um, because I kinda, I really I've fallen in love with it too, and um, but one of my favorite movies was uh, la La Land when it came out, because I felt like it was such a. It was a really unique marriage of. It's not really a musical, but it is, but it's more of a movie than it is a musical. It's very odd because it'll go like 25 minutes without a musical number at some point. You know what I mean. There is a musical number, but it's more grounded than I don't. It's so fascinating, but I really have fallen. I haven't seen wicked yet, but, uh, I have really fallen in love with uh watching musicals I I really enjoy them you should make a movie about going to like drama school that would be sweet.
Speaker 3:Honestly, I that truly was like my coming of age.
Speaker 1:Oh wait, going to drama school like the theater department, or like yeah, like going into like theater, like make a movie about it hire a professor to be like the actual teacher in the mood.
Speaker 3:This way you could actually kind of do it for free, yeah see well that I that truly was like my coming of age was high school theater Like I just remember being a freshman and all the advanced theater students were just upperclassmen and for some reason I was in there and they all just made me laugh so much and we did so many stupid, crazy fun things. So I would honestly that would be a dream movie to write If I could uh go shoot at a school. Uh, for that period of time you should be able to.
Speaker 1:I mean whatever your alma mater is, as far as you know high school, like I'm sure those kids would be as like seniors would love to be in it.
Speaker 3:That'd be awesome and make it part of like a school project.
Speaker 1:You probably won't pay him. See, dude, there's a, there's a movie, there's a feature, right there. Right, I'm the idea guy on this show. I I come up with lots of ideas. I never follow through with a single one of them, but I come up with good stuff he's the idea, he's the talker.
Speaker 2:Hayden's the one that just pushes everybody. I'm the one that has to do everything oh that, I totally get that I got that um. But before we move on to talking about terrifier 3, last thing I kind of seen is that um now granted. Like I said, it's on imdb, so I may or may not be true, but it says that your dad was a big influence for you in acting yes, yeah I how so?
Speaker 3:so, yeah, really really honestly, kind of unique experience that I realized. I didn't realize how unique it was until, you know, even I find out how unique it is every other week. You know what I mean. But my dad really was a movie lover and he had a big influence on the movies that I watched when I was a kid. So that was Spielberg, that was George Lucas and even figuring out who Francis Ford Coppola is and stuff like that, and he always had a camera at home. So he shot my first short film with me and it was about my toys coming to life and I was five or six. You know what I mean.
Speaker 3:It was my toys for life to kill me and it was it was small soldiers yes, it was literally small soldiers and so, um, and I think what was crazy was that he's and all of this is on my youtube, like, if you go, if you scroll to the bottom enough, you'll see the war movies my dad made with me and my friends, uh, the day the toys came to life, all that stuff, um, but I I think what's crazy is that, like, they're not like throw away horrible tape recorder films.
Speaker 3:You know what I mean they're like they're actually really my dad's very talented and and uh, he's just good at what he he does with the camera and, honestly, it's grown into a relationship where we've collaborated a lot together. Like, I throw ideas at him all the time and he wants to direct and shoot, uh and uh. Even this summer I wrote a short for him. It's uh, I can't say much yet, but he directed it and I acted in it. It's called restoration and, uh, it's just doing its final lap on sound mix right now. So I'm very excited, but it was such a it's such a fun collaboration because we we motivate each other to um, self-produce as much as we can, because we just love it. Can I ask, is?
Speaker 1:it about a father and son restoring an old car.
Speaker 3:It is. It is, it must be on IMDb. Is it on there?
Speaker 2:No no.
Speaker 3:Tom, just no, oh, the car, the restoration. No way you nailed that, though I mean it's on the nose. The restoration. No way you nailed that, though I mean it's on the nose, as you would think you gave me all the clues Restoration, father and son.
Speaker 1:I'm like, yeah, it's an old car or truck or something, because that's like every dad's dream, dude it's precisely that.
Speaker 3:It's really funny. It's two friends working on an old Corvette from a barn find and I was just about to ask what kind of car it was.
Speaker 1:What's that? I was just about to ask what kind of car it was and you said Corvette. I was like that's nice, that's sleek.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's really cool. So my dad and real it's funny, I wrote it because I knew things that he would like. You know what I mean. So Mike does have a hobby of getting really cheap, old, messed up Stingray Corvettes like 76, 79. And he fixes them up as best he can and he just really loves and enjoys doing that. So here we are we have this old Corvette that looks like it still needs a paint job. It looks crazy and I'm like, great, I would buy that. This looks like it's been left in a barn. You know what I mean. So let's drive it out to a barn and we shoot this short and man. I'm very proud of it and he's very talented and we're hoping to see what you know, maybe there's festivals for it or what. But um, I'm just, I'm just honored. I mean he's been such a huge influence on my creative life I mean definitely put that short out there.
Speaker 1:Definitely put that short out there yeah, yeah, I'm very excited.
Speaker 3:We're done with the color and um and it's really getting its final sound pass right now. So I think once that turns the corner there, I'll drop a trailer and then we can get talking about it. But I'm very excited, I'm very proud of him for it. It's been cool Well good, my father-in-law.
Speaker 2:He restores old cars and he's got like a 1940s Ford something I can't remember what it is. And then he's got a 70s Firebird that he's restored, that he has. And then my father-in-law's father-in-law had an old I want to say it's like a 60s Ford truck that they had repainted and fixed up. So he's got all sorts of stuff. He's got like a whole extra garage just to hold the cars.
Speaker 1:Nobody in my family has that, except my mom's cousin. He has four vintage I think. They're all like 1970 or 71, plymouth Barracudas, and they're like pristine. Two of them are purple, one's like lime green, the other one's like that bright orange. And he won't let any of his kids drive them.
Speaker 2:That's amazing. Okay, so getting on to the terrifier 3. How did you land this role?
Speaker 3:man, I, uh, I've sent an audition from my management and um, and I was nervous because, uh, the the movies freaked me out. I didn't think I could stomach it. You know what I mean?
Speaker 2:They're very gory. They are.
Speaker 3:They are, and I'm even a fan of the Saw movies. So, like I'm not, I didn't think that I was like, oh you know, but chair fire gets me, and uh. So anyways, I of course I knew it would, it would be an honor, even though I don't know if I could stomach it. I knew it would be an honor to be a part of it, and so I read for it and there was about several callbacks and then eventually a zoom with Damian Leone, who directs and writes, and uh and uh with our casting director, and uh, phil falcone, and uh, it was great. And then, you know, I met alex on one of the zooms. We had a chemistry read and uh, and that was it, that was it from there. And, um, it was insane.
Speaker 3:I mean, I'm so proud of it. It's been really one of my favorite filmmaking experiences. Uh, it's such, even even on the production level, it was such a throwback to classic horror films that I love, and all the inspiration was there. It was just built all around that, and so it just felt like the closest thing I could be a part of. That felt like, well, I'm going to grind house 80s film. That's what it felt like Such a gift.
Speaker 1:I would want my death scene to just be as ridiculous as possible. I get my guts raked out of me or something with a metal rake by a clown and I'm just laying there going Choke on it.
Speaker 3:That's a great idea.
Speaker 2:That's a good idea For your death scene in this movie. You don't have to go into detail, but is it awkward filming like in a shower?
Speaker 3:Um, you know, I, of course, like you it's, you know it's like oh, I I'm about to be exposed in front of a lot of people and you know you're a little like, eh, that's's, that's odd, but you know it's filmmaking, we're making movies here. But I mean seriously, at this time we had all really gotten to know each other so well and and it doesn't make like doing like something like that, like you know, not like, not weird at all, but like, but like Alexa and I had made such good friends and we had a wonderful intimacy coordinator on set and, uh, and I learned how incredible intimacy coordinators can be on film sets, because they don't, they don't fight for the film, they fight for you. It's pretty much like film Don't make the producers and everybody brought somebody in to literally tell them like to literally stand in the way if they have to. And I think that's such an incredible position because Maria, who is our intimacy coordinator, just not that there were things that we were. There was zero pressure to make us do anything that we weren't comfortable with and we'd agreed to everything at this point, but Maria was there to just, you know, like eagle eye, watch us, make sure we're okay, make sure we're comfortable and, like I said, alexa and I we had very like, we had such a camaraderie at this point that was kind of like all right, we're in this together, let's do this thing.
Speaker 3:You know what I mean. At this point that was kind of like, all right, we're in this together, let's do this thing. You know what I mean. So it was fun, it was challenging and it was uh unique. I'd never done anything like that. Uh, it's funny to think back to it because I was wearing, like, depending on what kind of coverage they were doing, we were both wearing very strange underwear devices that were like food color.
Speaker 1:You know what I mean. I don't even know, yeah I'll be be standing there with my hand in the water going oh it's cold, that's great.
Speaker 3:Thankfully, the water was warm. That made me I was whew, oh my God, because we were in that for three days.
Speaker 2:So I was like, please be warm. Well, talking about the intimacy coordinator, we had spoke with Serena Vincent from Cabin Fever and she said that they do a very good job of making sure you go as far as you're comfortable with, but, you know, not overboard to where you know anything outside your wheelhouse that you wouldn't want to be. So it's very interesting how that goes about, especially when it's people that are, you know, just getting to know each other for this one film.
Speaker 1:That so or character, and not another teen movie who's naked the entire movie. Yeah, that too.
Speaker 2:She said that was awkward because she was kind of isolated, because that was her character the whole time.
Speaker 3:Wait, she's naked. The entire movie have you ever seen? Not Another Teen.
Speaker 2:Movie.
Speaker 3:I haven't. Is that the?
Speaker 2:Chris Evans one. Yes, she plays a character who, literally, is naked in every scene.
Speaker 1:It's like a movie trope.
Speaker 3:Yeah, make it fun of it. Yeah, that's very funny, but man, that is, that's some confidence.
Speaker 2:Man, I felt weird about showing my butt man like you know, alright, like here we are she played a character that was naked the whole time. So she said that every time that she got off stage she just had to wear a coat to wear and then she was kind of sequestered away from everyone else because they're in clothes and she's not. So she said it was. It was kind of awkward filming because she never got to really meet and talk with all the rest of the characters they're just like naked girl that's too bad.
Speaker 3:That would be. That would be an isolating experience for sure.
Speaker 2:Oh, and but uh, you know, in your, your scene in terrifier 3, you you die in the shower and I saw where you recently posted on your instagram kind of your process of getting like the, the cast made for your, your death. How does that? What's that feeling, just like having to put all that stuff on you and wait for it to dry and all that man, it's uh, it's heavy's heavy claustrophobic.
Speaker 3:I didn't know it was claustrophobic until, like, we were doing it, but um it, um, it really starts to weigh down how many layers are getting painted on you and you saw that when you were in your video and it's like man, there's so much and uh, and I kind of had to cock my head a certain way because at this point my body would be laying on the floor and, like you know, my head back a little bit.
Speaker 3:So I did just kind of like hold this position and it was about like 45 minutes and, yeah, it was claustrophobic, I will say. I don't think my face has ever felt that exfoliated, I was glowing, I felt great, I was like, well, I noticed, when they put everything on, they basically leave you just enough to where you can breathe through your nostrils, and that's it, exactly that's it.
Speaker 1:How do you get taken out in the movie?
Speaker 3:Oh, which one? Have both of you not seen it, or one of you?
Speaker 2:I've seen your scene.
Speaker 3:I, I'm poor, I can't go to the theater you're seeing yes that's hilarious. Um what was your question? How do I get?
Speaker 1:how do you die?
Speaker 3:yeah, it's gnarly. So I'm in the shower with my girlfriend and uh, arthur clown pops up with a chainsaw and it's like psycho meets, scarface meets, something you've never seen before, because it is just gnarly and insane. But uh, it's a blast man. I mean like I lose my fingers, I my leg gets cut off, all the stuff and uh, the final blow is uh, he sticks the chainsaw up my butt and goes right up for my legs oh man, insane, it's insane.
Speaker 3:I I was so happy, um, I walked into a couple theaters where it was playing and everyone people were screaming at that scene, like screaming with laughter, with oh my God. It was great and it made me feel so honored to be a part of a viewing experience where people are reacting like that. I mean, it was just such a dream.
Speaker 1:That could be a scene like in a movie, like an actor is like watching himself like in a death seat at a theater just to see how the audience reactions. It's like. It's like, yeah, it's like they told me they're gonna like have a cloud. Is it gonna be like gonna cut off my leg with a chain? So I'm like shoving up my butt and then like cut me in half and it's like let's see how they're like. And he's just standing there going yes, yeah, everyone.
Speaker 3:Why'd they want me to dial what the come on? No, but it was funny because you know it's dark in a movie theater and I wasn't making my presence known or like being loud or anything. But there were a couple people in the rows in front of me that just happened to turn around and they looked at me because one of my scenes had just finished in the movie and I just saw their finger point like what? And then at that point I should go. They're watching the movie, you know what I mean, but they're like is that him.
Speaker 2:That's when I do that double take. Wait a minute.
Speaker 1:He's on the screen. How can he be behind me too? How can?
Speaker 3:he be there what. What is that that's funny Is? Is there anything you're?
Speaker 1:working on right now you can reveal that's coming along.
Speaker 3:I, you know, I'd say like around Christmas time it's a very slow season, but I was, very fortunately, a part of a pretty cool TV show happening here in the Southeast and I'm not in it a lot, but I, you know, I was very happy to have my portion of screen time. So, uh, I just wrapped that. So I'm kind of taking it easy for christmas and we'll kind of see what's happening coming up next year. But, uh, I think it'll be a pretty cool show and I'm just happy to be involved, how you know, in any way, like I was. It'll be fun. I can't say much now but it'll be really cool. Other than that, I'm waiting for some stuff to come out. It's just a little bit of a waiting period to see when there's going to be a release date or when this film happens or what, trying to figure out what the next one is until in the meantime.
Speaker 1:Is there any businesses shorts, any stuff you're working on you want to plug for our listeners?
Speaker 3:Man, if you want to just keep posted with me on Instagram, mason McCarty, my production company is the Day Productions. Our Instagram for that is TheDayFilmsCo C-O. You can keep posted with whatever me and my pals are making here. We are working on some fun stuff coming up. We're pushing ourselves and we're taking some leaps that we have yet to have done before. We're excited and we'll see how that pays off and goes forward, but 2025 will be a good year. We know that for sure. We're going to try some stuff.
Speaker 2:Well, one thing we typically ask everybody at least once is has there been anybody that you've been on set with or anything that's kind of left you starstruck at any moment from somebody that you look up to or anything like that?
Speaker 3:Ooh, ooh. That is such a good question. Let me do some thinking for one second, because the answer is yes. Oh man, you know, honestly, I feel really blessed that there's been several. I feel really blessed that there's been several, several opportunities to uh work with people that I have been familiar with, their work, you know, and uh, I'd say, like in a set experience, stranger Things was a really awesome time because it was a lot of the principal cast filming there with me that day. So it was just a dream to just kind of hang out with them and get to know them.
Speaker 3:And it's funny, a little bit, earlier this year I just happened to run into Maya Hawk at a movie theater and she recognized me and it was really nice and and I just respect her so much as an artist, um, as an actor, it's just like it was. That was just a really cool experience for me because she's always been very inspiring to me with her music and her creativity and even how she works with her dad. I feel like that I relate to uh with my father and um, creatively and I just yeah, so I felt like she's really left an impression on me and she's I really respect her and her work. And then, other than that, let me think of somebody else that's been fun. I I mean, um, oh man, like I said, there's just been, there's been a lot of opportunities for fun stuff like this.
Speaker 3:I mean, I got to work with Shane West. He was big in the 2000s, he was in several awesome movies A Walk to Remember. I worked with him Just a cool guy, you know and I just loved hearing his stories. Just loved hearing his stories. Uh, jonathan sheck was another guy I got to work with on a show called blue ridge and he plays a cop on there and, uh, I remember there was a scene that we kind of improvised the ending to, but it was very unspoken, it just kind of happened. But, like, whatever I threw at him, he picked up and he threw back at me and I threw back at him and it just worked and it was. And once they called cut him and I just looked at each other, we were like and that's what that's what acting is about, and we were like wow and we just it was very nerdy acting moment.
Speaker 3:But I really cherish that memory of him and I playing, you know, off script, just going for it, you know, and uh, so uh, jonathan sheck, he's amazing, he was was in Tom Hanks' that Thing. You Do that movie with the Beatles-type band. So anyways, he's in the Doom generation. He's had a really cool career. But anyway, man, yeah, I feel so blessed. I mean even David Howard Thornton and Lauren Lavera and Elliot Fulham, I mean they're such awesome artists that I respect. And so Terrifier 3 was just a joyful experience creatively. It was just so fun and inviting. They're all just top of their game and just horror legends and icons. It's not going to stop here, so I know that for them, but it's very exciting.
Speaker 3:I feel so blessed for that stuff.
Speaker 1:I haven't met a single famous person in person ever. I haven't met anybody, like you know, super famous like ever in person and it would always be like someone will go like somewhere the day after and it's like Shaq is there and I'm like alright hey, it's coming.
Speaker 1:It's coming someday well then I'll meet all of them at once and I'll be like, oh my god. And then I'll probably like pass out and fart yep, yep, I've been there. I really want to just take a second to say thank you for being on our little show and talking to me and Mitch oh my god.
Speaker 3:Well, thank you guys for having me. I seriously enjoy this stuff and I like talking to fellow movie lovers and getting into it.
Speaker 1:Thank you for having me we could do a whole episode just about John Carpenter movies. Thomas call me and I think we should next Halloween as it comes up. This way we can put it in the spooky season.
Speaker 3:I love.
Speaker 1:It sounds great to me well, thank you for listening to this episode of Entertain. This, I'm Tom, I'm Mitch, and we'll catch you on the Put it in the spooky season. I love. It Sounds great to me. Well, thank you for listening to this episode of Entertain. This, I'm Tom, I'm Mitch, and we'll catch you on you next time.
