David Banks – Half Magic

By starrymag | December 28, 2016

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

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

A) I finished a movie called 5^th of July starring Jaleel White, Gary Anthony Williams and Brent Briscoe and is directed by Camilo Vila. Working with Jaleel was an absolute honor. We all know and love him from his character Urkel in “Family Matters.” In this comedy, all he wanted to do was spread his father’s ashes in the National State Park – mayhem ensues. I’m also working on sort of a follow up to my last film that I wrote CUT! I was doing a little online research and they say the worst thing to do is Google yourself. [laughs] Some people said they loved CUT! and some people thought it wasn’t gory enough. So, this time I thought why don’t I write something a little deeper, darker and demented. That way I can cater to the horror fans and also write about something that is going on these days. Today you kind of have to do your own thing instead of waiting for the right part to come your way. I figured, if I can do my own thing in the meantime it’s great!

Q) We’ll be seeing you Heather Graham’s film Half Magic. How do you feel about the surge of female writers and directors in Hollywood?

A) It’s the perfect time for women to shine on film. If you look there is Bridesmaids, Sisters, How to be Single, Trainwreck and Bad Moms. So, they are popping up everywhere. This is the time for leading women to shine! I think that this is the right time for someone as talented as Heather to do just that. There are so many incredibly funny women out there such as Heather, Tina Fey and Melissa McCarthy. To see them dominate the screen makes perfect sense.

Q) Please tell us the premise for the film.

A) The movie revolves around three women (Angela Kinsey, Stephanie Beatriz and Heather Graham) who kind of make a pact to find better romantic partners for themselves and stop letting their insecurities keep them from getting what they want and deserve. Now, again, being the perfect time for women to dominate films is amazing!

Q) What made you want to be a part of the movie?

A) My manager called and said, “Look at the character breakdown for the role I just submitted you for. It said ‘slightly deranged, offbeat, stalker type fan.’” I said, “Dude! That’s perfect!” [laughs] I’m never the normal guy or the average neighbor next door. I went there and it was an amazing casting office. They said, “Just have fun with it. Play with it. Just give us something weird, odd and maybe clever.” I rolled with it and had fun. Obviously, she was a blast to work with. I didn’t want to butcher it since she wrote it and you never want to disrespect the writer. But I took it and ran with it doing the Woody Allen approach where it is “here is a script, stick with it, but also make it your own and have fun.” She was definitely really open to that. Seeing people work like Chris D’Elia…he killed it! Every take he did was just so funny. Before I knew it, it was eight hours and we were done! It was great and it just flew by. With that much creative energy and all of us laughing, it was probably the best shoot I’ve had to date.

Q) How hands on was Heather in directing you and guiding you?

A) That’s the cool part! She had a lot of trust in everyone that was there. They are shooting and then they also kind of step back. It was almost similar to the Eddie Murphy approach which was very much into the character and then step back and say, “I liked that. I liked where you were heading with this, but why don’t we do it this way?” Then, she’d step back into her role. It was really amazing to see. To wear multiple hats like that, I’ve always been a huge fan of. To jump back and forth from directing and acting was great. I have always been a huge fan of people who do that.

Q) Was there instant chemistry when the cast began working together?

A) It was just kind of one of those things where we were on set. The night before I had seen Michael Aronov from The Drop and he was just one of these really intense guys. He was a badass and then on this set he was this little funny sidekick. Again, I’ve always been a fan of these chameleon type of actors like him and Sam Rockwell – guys that no matter what just morph into the characters. Again, seeing someone like Chris do multiple takes just brings something fresh and new and fun in every take was also very inspiring. It was just amazing to be around all of that!

Q) What were some of your most memorable moments from filming?

A) I would say, hands down, the laughing! Between Chris’ laugh and Heather’s laugh – it just makes YOU laugh! I watched some of Chris’ standup (He does a Drake impression which is really funny). He just has this infectious laugh that he does between takes and I was like, “Wow!” It was just this uncontrollable, unstoppable laughter. He’d start laughing and then Heather would start laughing and then I’d start laughing and the producers would start laughing! Pretty much a laugh fest!

Q) What did you take away from your time working on the movie?

A) Heather wanted to write about all the stupid things she did in a relationship that inspired her to write this. I think she also said she waited long enough that she could also laugh about it. Obviously, at first a breakup is never something you laugh at, but we’ve all been through a breakup – the tragic moments and the depression. When you can look back at it, laugh at it and actually write about it I think it is great. We all have something we look back at saying, “That was a terrible relationship or breakup!” But if we can look at it and laugh at it and almost share something…I call it the “Seinfeld relatable humor.” It’s what made him such a genius because he would talk about things we have all experienced. Again, to write something like that is great.

Q) You are such a warm, friendly guy with an upbeat personality. What draws you to darker roles?

A) I don’t know! [laughs] I’ve always been fascinated like when you see people like Vince Vaughn, Robin Williams or Ben Stiller or Jim Carrey do something that is unlike them it is so fascinating. For e, it has always been more rewarding to do the darker material. Some of the stuff is harder to walk away from, but it is just a little bit more rewarding to step away from something like that and go, “How dark can I get without being totally twisted?” [laughs] We are in LA and there is so much to pull from. People are like, “David, where do you pull your material from?” I say, “Dude! Just walk around Hollywood Boulevard for an hour. You’ll have plenty.” There are so many oddballs out here. There is so much to pull from here if you ever need to be that character.

Q) You’re a writer, producer and actor. Is there anything else you would like to try your hand at?

A) I think that’s enough! I actually moved out here originally to go to MI – Musicians Institute. My parents at the time wanting me to move from Northern California to Southern California. They said, “If you make the move out here right out of high school pay for MI. You can get your drums going.” I thought it would be great. I had this crazy long hair and was into all these metal bands. That was kind of my thing. Unfortunately, right after we moved out here in the 80’s era took a nosedive into the whole 90’s grunge scene – depression thing and I didn’t want to do that. I stopped doing it for a while. Now, thank goodness, the 80’s have kind of come back and that whole metal scene is a big thing now. So, I’m now kind of getting back into the band thing. It’s amazing after a nice hour show the way you feel. It’s just a beautiful thing!

Q) You have been in over one hundred television commercials. Do you frequently get recognized for all the work you have done?

A) I think the nice thing about a thirty second commercial is there really isn’t enough time for the viewer to love or hate you, let alone recognize you. We just sort of drift by, sell you a car, tell you how great milk is or sneak into your subconscious and make you say, “That’s right. I do need a new phone service.” [laughs\ Besides, my attention span is all of about thirty seconds so it is perfect for me.

Q) You are a part of social media. Why is that such an important way for you to interact with your fans?

A) I learned this because I walked in on my friend’s manager who was pitching his client. He said, “Please consider my client because they have ‘X’ amount of Twitter followers.” I think when you do a film it doesn’t stop there. It actually just begins for the actor because now it is up to them to kind of take it away (hold the baton) and lead it to the next phase because you have got to then push the film, talk about it and then be a marketing partner to really hype it up. When I meet someone, now I say, “Let’s follow each other on Twitter.” If I’m on set, I’ll follow the director, producer and the people I have worked with. Some people say, “That’s not really my thing,” or “I’m not that really good at it.” Well, you need to be good at it. You need to have someone help you with that because it is so crucial these days because it is a way to really keep in touch with people you have worked with and fans. I’ve reached out and met some really amazing people from that. It’s great! You never know who you are going to meet and from what part the world! It’s funny because we were trying to find someone to do the trailer for CUT! I was looking on YouTube for trailers and I found this amazing kid. He was nineteen years old and put together these incredible trailers. I added him on Twitter and he followed me back. I private messaged him to say, “I’d love for you to do a trailer for us. What would it take?” He wrote back that he’d love to do it. It turns out he lives in the UK. We have become such great friends and talk almost every day via WhatsApp. Every time I have new footage or films I send him all the clips and he takes it away. It’s great! It also helps that I’m a huge fan of his work and am thrilled to see all the new projects he is a part of. It’s one of those things these days where just showing up and doing the work is not enough. You need to go full throttle.

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

A) I would say thank you! It’s a huge blessing. I think of myself as a humble sort of guy. I blame my mom and my stepdad. They are so loving, kind and caring. When I visit them on the weekends it really is my escape. It is time to shutdown and get back to family.

I also think you should really appreciate what comes your way. Even the auditions and opportunities, I may not get, I’m just very thankful for the experience. I thank God for bringing it to my path. I told my manager, “Every audition is like playing the lottery. You never know what you are going to get.” I could get a free ticket, get $100 or a big win. We are scratching away every day! There are always certain things that an actor may really want, but letting it go is crucial. For example, I really wanted The Three Stooges movie. I was in my room for a week just studying every move that Moe made. I dove into it and the hair was there and the quirky antics were there and the shuffling was there. I had to live, breathe and eat this guy. I went in the room and I thought I nailed it! Then, you wait by the phone…and you wait by the phone. When you don’t hear anything, it is like “Damn it! I guess I didn’t get that one.” [laughs] So, it can be heartbreaking, but it also can be humbling. It really is all about making a new fan in the room, whether you are getting this part or not.