Drew Van Acker – Spy Intervention

By: Jamie Steinberg

Q) Please tell us the premise for the film Spy Intervention.

A) It’s sort of the classic spy archetype. Corey Gage is like a young James Bond, if you will. He kind of finds himself in the middle of this crisis after falling in love with a small-town girl and settling into a small-town life. Corey can’t help but wonder if trading that life of adventure in the spy world for the life of security in suburbia was the right choice. You see as his marriage starts to unravel in a way and problems start to arise so too does a plot to sort of destroy the world. That’s when his former best friend and spy cohort (Blake Anderson) sets forth this spy intervention. And Corey is immediately is convinced that jumping back into the spy game and helping to save the world will also save his marriage. You kind of see everything start to unravel for Corey in a pretty quick way.

Q) Were you familiar with any of your costars before working with them on this movie?

A) Yeah, absolutely. I was familiar with pretty much all of them. We were pretty open to the idea of working with anybody and everybody. When we kind of narrowed it down we knew that when we had this cast it just made sense. Everybody was locked on and what made this film so special was that everybody had the same idea going into it. I think Mark [Famiglietti] and Lane [Garrison] started the initiative with what was on the page and Drew Mylrea really set the tone as far as how these characters needed to be portrayed and what world they were operating in. Poppy [Delevingne] and Blake and Brittany [Furlan], Dave Sheridan, Lane and Max [Silvestri]…Everybody kind of came with that same fire and same passion of we really loved the script and we really want to make something fun and unique and something energetic. We melded into this one cohesive unit that made it very easy and very productive to kind of get the scenes and be able to play and mold them in ways to see what works and what doesn’t.

Q) How did you come to be an Executive Producer on the film?

A) I had done a movie with these producers and we were finishing production on that. We were just thrilled with how this movie was going and they approached me with this script for Spy Intervention. They said they had this one going and asked if I would be interested at all. I read it and initially loved what was on the page. Mark and Lane did a fantastic job of setting the world and I think for me it was more about how do we do this in a really unique, really fun, stylized way that maybe you’ve never seen before when you look at the spy genre. So, I was hooked and it probably wasn’t until a month or so later that we met with Drew Mylrea. I had never met him before or see his work, but what he came up with was so unbelievable. I think he had one day to read the script and meet us the next day to tell us what he thought. He came in the room with what looked like two years’ worth of knowledge and ideas. He had storyboards and videos and ideas. I think from that moment the train had kind of left the station. So, being involved from an early stage was something that was new to me. Being able to kind of work the script and work the character and meet directors and be a part of it was a new experience, but something I hold near to my heart because it showed a different light. When you’re just an actor you kind of see just one avenue of how everything works, but as a producer you see a lot of different avenues. There are ups and downs to every production, so I’ve heard. [chuckles] So, to be there and experience that makes it all so much sweeter when you get to where we are now and see the reactions that we’re getting and the smiles on peoples’ faces. It kind of makes the juice worth the squeeze, if you will.

Q) What kind of prep went into you getting into character?

A) I talked to the director a lot about the physicality of the character and we wanted him to kind of just be in top physical shape – kind of like a world-class athlete or decathlete. At the top of his game. So, it was just preparing physically – doing a lot of cardio and running and being able to kind of feel comfortable doing those things. I had a buddy of mine who we did a lot of mountain climbing and indoor rock climbing, things that I normally don’t do just to kind of get me out of my own head and get the heart pumping and the adrenaline going. Just to feel like what it would be like in that environment. We had a lot of fun. [chuckles] We had a lot of fun just getting fit for the movie.

Q) What were some of your favorite scenes to film?

A) Oh man! I have a lot just because I look back at all the fun we had on this project. A lot of the scenes with Blake and Brittany were some of my favorite to film just because the true, honest, genuine confidence and comedy and hilarity that those two bring…I remember Poppy and I had this moment watching those two improv in a scene. Her and I looked at each other and had this moment of “this is genius.” It’s not something you get to see every day. So, watching those two was memorable because it’s so fluid for them. Especially Blake, it’s just so natural and easy. I learned a lot from just watching him. I would get caught up in scenes just watching them banter back and forth. A lot of scenes were really fun and memorable.

Q) What did you personally take away from your time working on Spy Intervention?

A) I took a lot, to be honest with you. I learned a lot, like I said, from working with these other actors of being present in the scene and also being able to play. So, not only did a I learn a lot from the actors, but I also learned a lot from the production side. Kind of rolling with the ups and downs of production and understanding that things don’t happen overnight. Seeing the patience of kind of the whole project unfolding. And being a part from the beginning, like I said before, is an experience that I’ll never forget. It’s an experience I would love to continue doing before we have a couple other movies that we’re going to set in motion that I can’t really talk about right now. Hopefully, in a week or two we’ll be able to send out some things that I am also producing. It’s something that I learned a lot from, absolutely, and it’s something that I want to continue learning as well going forward.

Q) You are a part of social media. Are you looking forward to the feedback you’ll be receiving to the movie?

A) [chuckles] I am and I am not. I say I am just because that’s the fun of it all – just to see the fan’s reactions and to see the audience and hear them talk about different scenes. To hear them say certain things made them smile and certain things made them laugh or how they can relate in any sort of way. That is, for me, the true fun of it all. At the same time, I’m not someone who gets caught up in the social media aspect of everything. I don’t spend a lot of time dwelling on fan reactions and stuff like that because I know it comes and goes. [smirks] Some will love it and some will hate it, but overall people are going to love this movie. I actually have gotten a lot of positive feedback from fans and interactions from people who have seen the trailer and seen the clips. They pre-ordered the movie already and that makes me smile. I’m smiling now even thinking about it. A couple people have reached out to me on social media directly and truly, truly (I can’t say it enough) puts a smile on my face and it warms my heart to hear people talk about anything – how they were effected by the movie or how they related in any way. I think a lot of the themes in the movie are very relatable to both men and women. To hear that is something you truly can’t put a price tag on. So, yes, I’m very excited to hear fans’ reactions, but also I’m not going to let it weigh me down in any way.

Q) Is there anything else you want to be sure we share with our readers about your time on this film?

A) I think, for me, getting the audience to understand the tone of the film, to understand that this is very much a fairytale spy world that Mylrea has kind of created and we have created. It kind of harkens back to the old Batman TV shows with models and rear projection and things like that. Yes, the effects are over the top, but the performances are not. They are very grounded and real. They are very in the moment, which kind of let us poke fun (in a way) at the spy genre while still investing in the characters in a depth and a real way. So, the tone of it is very intentional, unique and stylized and that is something we want people to understand going into it.

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who are fans and supporters of the work you do?

A) I would like to say that I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart. I appreciate the support. I appreciate the time and the effort. That’s kind of what makes it. You do all these TV shows, movies and all this work and it doesn’t hit you (to be honest with you). As an actor and producer, it doesn’t hit you until you hear a reaction from the fans or until I get pictures sent or direct messages or whatever it is – people reaching out on social media. That is when it hits you like wow, you’ve made something special. You have made something that even if it effects one in a positive way it kind of hits you like, “This is really special.” It brings you back to why you kind of got into this in the first place. So, to all the fans out there and support anything I do – “Pretty Little Liars” or whatever it might be – I appreciate it. From the bottom of my heart. We have a lot of things coming up. We have a lot of good things to announce this year. I’m smiling right now just talking about it. So, stay tuned.