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- We’re very happy to have some time today with acclaimed actor and screenwriter James Shanklin; greetings and salutations, James! Before we dive down the celluloid Q&A pathway, how goes your summer of ‘23?
Thank you, so nice to be with you today! My summer is going well, thanks. I just returned from a short getaway up the coast which was very relaxing. The beach has a way of doing that for us. It is great to be back and celebrating the premiere of our wonderful dark comedy Publish or Perish.
- Major congratulations on the amazing new movie Publish Or Perish which is set to premiere this August 18 on Amazon Prime VOD! For anyone not in the know, can you tell us what Publish Or Perish is about and how your character of Richard Crawley figures into the proceedings?
Thanks, I’m happy to. Publish or Perish is a humorous dark comedy about a college professor obsessed with achieving tenure. I play the Dean of the college he comes to work for. What starts out as a normal, welcoming relationship quickly devolves into an entertaining adversarial relationship.
- Did you know as soon as Publish Or Perish entered into your professional orbit that this was a production you wanted to be a part of?
I knew right away. Tim McCracken who plays Professor Jim Bowden and whom I had worked with before in a play at the Denver Center, reached out to me with the script and said he thought it might be something I’d be interested in. Well he was right, I read it, loved it and said “I’m in.” Tim introduced me to the writer director David Liban and shortly thereafter I was onboard.
- What was your collaboration like with Publish Or Perish director David Liban? Is he what some actor’s might refer to as “an actor’s director”?
David is most definitely an actor’s director. We hit it off right away and shared many phone calls and zooms between he, Tim and I right up until filming started. David is easy to collaborate with and loves to see what an actor brings to the character.
- Speaking of collaborations, what was it like to exercise your own considerable acting chops in Publish Or Perish alongside such talented thespians as Katie Michels, Amie MacKenzie, Jenna Hawkins and Timothy McCracken?
Well, Tim and I had a blast. Having worked together before and having a friendship, it was so enjoyable to work side by side again. Katie is another friend and actor whom I’ve worked with a few years back in another film. We each live in LA and have even walked together on the picket line as SAG and the WGA work to get a fair compensation from AMPTP. Amie and Jenna along with the rest of the cast and crew of Publish or Perish were a delight to work with.
- Publish Or Perish received a SAG Waiver in order to be allowed to host a special premiere event and Fundraiser at the Fine Arts Beverly on Saturday August 19. Was it difficult during this complicated time of dual strikes to receive this Waiver?
Fortunately SAG-AFTRA is very supportive of independent films. And they were very supportive of our request. Even though the union has been so busy with protecting its members they have worked tirelessly to get independent films approved for filming and for (like in our case) premiering. I have been a proud member of SAG since the 1980’s.
- Acting-wise, who inspires you? What about screenwriters? Are there any such as David Mamet who you really admire?
Great question. There are so many talented actors who have inspired me over the years. To name a few, Robert De Niro (extraordinary in Godfather II) Morgan Freeman, Anthony Hopkins, Sidney Poitier, Tom Hardy… I could go on…
Writers who inspire me Aaron Sorkin, whom I’ve had the pleasure of working with in The Social Network and Moneyball. Quentin Tarantino, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (Howard’s End, Remains of the Day.)
- Your first credited on-screen work came in the form of a 1990 episode of Guiding Light. Any special memories of that freshman production?
Haha… that day and the few times I have worked on Soaps, it is daunting. The pace at which they work is mind boggling. When you think about it, they film an entire episode every day… one hour show… that is essentially a half a film every day. It is a machine and you better come prepared, because you normally get one take. In the 90’s I was on As the World Turns for 6 months, the hardest work I’ve ever done. One day I had 18 scenes. At the end of the 18th I was fried and before I could take a breath the entire crew had moved on, down the length of the sound stage to the next scene. I stood there alone on the set and just chuckled to myself. I’ll do Shakespeare any day of the week over a soap. I tip my hat to those guys.
- What differentiates Publish Or Perish from the Distinguished Competition on the 2023 movie scene?
I can’t speak for all of the competitors, but with Publish or Perish being an independent film, there is a passion there. Everyone involved wants to do the best work they can, because we all care about our craft. And everyone associated with P or P brought it every single day.
- Publish Or Perish really nails that ever-slippery genre known as ‘dark comedy.’ What ingredients go into making a successful dark comedy?
I’d say it is balance. Finding that balance of creating the drama and or suspense and the timing of the honest moment where the audience is able to find the humor in your situation. It is hopefully in the writing (as it is in Publish or Perish) but the actor still has to know how to find that moment of “dilemma and or absurdity.”
- Publish Or Perish has received major acclaim and recognition already, racking up nineteen film festival wins. What does that sort of validation feel like for you as one of the main players in this very special film?
It is quite humbling. To be recognized by so many for our work in this film is thrilling and quite humbling.
- At the end of the day, what do you hope movie watchers walk away with after checking out Publish Or Perish?
I hope they will have been entertained. That is what it is all about, going to the theater, watching at home… as an audience, we want a reprieve from our day and our duties. And as an actor, it is a joy to play a part in bringing that to people.
- Final – SILLY! – Question: Favorite movie about the making of movies: Living In Oblivion, The Player, Barton Fink, The Big Picture, or Swimming With Sharks?
That one has to go to Barton Fink.
