Colin Cunningham – Blood Drive

By starrymag | June 21, 2017

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

Q) What are the recent projects that you are working on?

 

A) At present I’m playing tenor sax with my band WHAT-THE-FUNK! Every Wednesday night at Freddy’s Bar in Brooklyn we host weekly “Blood Drive” viewing parties. It’s a blast. We all watch the show, have a laugh and then play some great funky soul music. It’s a lot of fun.

 

Q) Please tell us the premise for “Blood Drive” and about your character Julian Slink.

 

A) “Blood Drive” is basically about a talking dog that finds an amulet that allows him to time travel. Well, that’s what I first suggested to (“Blood Drive” Creator) James Roland anyway. But James said that the idea was stupid and that nobody would believe it. So, instead James made it about a cross country death race with cars that eat people. As for the character of Julian Slink, he’s there to make sure no one runs out of “fuel.”

 

Q) Was there anything you added to the role that wasn’t originally scripted for you?

 

A) That might be more of a question for Mr. Roland. He’s the one who really created Slink. But when you sprinkle the genius of Danielle Knox (Wardrobe) and Kerri Skelton (Makeup) to the mix, I couldn’t lose. It was amazing.

 

Q) What have you found challenging about your portrayal?

 

A) Julian Slink is hands down the single greatest and most complex character I’ve ever played. James Roland and David Straiton created something that, on the surface may look like a silly romp through the Grindhouse genre, but if you look closer you’ll see what it really is – an indictment against everything it appears to “celebrate.” The desensitizing of society. It’s voracious appetite for sex and violence and the global corporate fist that feeds it to you. As for the character of Slink? Let’s just say it was something that kept me up at night.

 

1. Q) Is there much room to improvise at all with the character?

 

A) Tons of room, but I rarely took it. Actors are often paid to dignify bad writing; scripts better served at the bottom of a birdcage. But John Hlavin and the exceptional team of writers handed out bars of gold every day. Slink also has some epic monologues. I spent entire weeks breaking them down, working and re-working them trying to unlock them. That and it was also SO nice to work on a show that wasn’t constantly in “re-write.” Pages weren’t thrown at you the night before. Or worse, the morning of.

 

Q) Talk about the timing and process for getting into character, including hair/makeup/wardrobe.

 

A) “Blood Drive” was like doing Summer Stock in an iron lung. The small budget and almost no time to rehearse. “One/two take” shots, etc. It was challenging to say the least. Having Danielle Knox (Wardrobe) and Kerry Skelton (Makeup) to help create Julian Slink was a godsend. We got the “time” down to about an hour in Makeup/Wardrobe.

 

Q) How do you shake off Slink at the end of a day of filming?

 

A) I was at a diner one morning having breakfast and I caught myself “ordering” like Slink. My voice just totally pitched up, “I’d like my eggs over EASY!!” It was then I thought, “Okay… knock this shit off or you are going to go nuts.”

 

Q) What have been some of your most memorable moments from filming Blood Drive?

 

A) So hard to pick just one. It was like being in the front row of a Barnum and Bailey circus.

 

Q) Blood Drive is airing on the Syfy network. What makes it such a perfect fit for the series?

 

A) Syfy should definitely be commended. (Or is it condemned?) [laughs] But I will say that I’ve never seen so many talented people given so much “free reign” to create. To contribute on levels rarely encouraged. I’d get notes from the Props Master (and they were brilliant!) And being six thousand miles away from Hollywood certainly didn’t hurt. [smile] But the process continued into post production and well into marketing. Just brilliant. Basically, we were all untethered, but totally united.

 

Q) We last saw you on the incredible series “Falling Skies.” What did you take away from your experiences on the show?

 

A) The professionalism and personal character of Noah Wyle. He’s one of the most generous actors I’ve ever worked with. The character of John Pope became a bit of a breakout character on that show and a lesser “star” in spite might have thrown an elbow to my gut. Noah Wyle is one of the best I’ve ever worked with.

 

Q) Were you happy with the finale of “Falling Skies?”

 

A) Was anyone? [smile]

 

Q) You are a part of social media do you enjoy the instant fan feedback you receive to your work?

 

A) It’s rare that I take pictures of food, but the fans are great. I love them. I’m a fan myself. But you can’t take any of it seriously. It’s the same with critics. The best advice I ever got was, “Colin, someone’s gonna tell you that they loved it. And someone else is going to tell you it was shit. And odds are, they’re both lying.”

 

Q) You are an actor and a musician. Is there anything else you would like to try your hand at doing in the entertainment business?

 

A) Playing the Swinette on stage at The Lincoln Center.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

 

A) Alan Ritchson is really 4 ft. tall and looks like Danny DeVito.