Max Adler – Saugatuck Cures

By starrymag | June 30, 2015

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

Q) Talk about the incredible reviews you have been receiving for Saugatuck Cures.

A) It’s such an original movie because it is a funny comedy. It’s a road trip comedy and everyone can laugh, but what it deals with at the center of the story is morals, family values, religion and sexuality. It’s a very unique hybrid movie that deals with sensitive issues through a comedic lens. I hope that is what people are responding to well and I’m really proud of it and that is what kind of attracted me to the movie, the script. Every couple of pages I was laughing out loud, but at the same time I was left thinking about what I would do in this situation and what would my family do. It’s a thought provoking movie that really makes you question your own morals and where your priorities lie, but there are also these wacky antics all throughout the film.

Q) How was your character, Drew Callaghan, originally described to you?

A) Drew Callaghan is basically the local town firefighter and he is gay. He is unsuccessful in finding love and romance. He has kind of given up on that aspect of his life and is full time working with his mom at the local town bed and breakfast in Saugatuck, Michigan (which is where we shot the film). His mom’s cancer returns very aggressively that it is life threatening and the only way to potentially beat it is through an experimental treatment, which nine out of ten people can’t afford. That kind of makes it almost impossible to get the treatment. So, my best friend Brett (Danny Mooney), comes up with this wacky plan to go on the road and act as reformed homosexuals that are now on the road preaching how you can be straight. It’s like conversion therapy and how many people are willing to fork over their life savings to not be gay. The plan is to take the money and put it towards a good cause to help my mom. It’s a morally ambiguous thing because everyone is doing something wrong, but for the right reasons. It’s like that line, “Everyone is the hero of their own story.”

Q) What do you think is the message of the film?

A) I think there are a lot of messages. I really don’t think there is just one, which is what I love about the film. First and foremost, yes, it deals with family values and what family really means and who is there for you. At the end of the day, who matters as opposed to what matters. But it also makes you kind of question religious beliefs versus sexuality and family dynamics and also the morals of the situation – like Robin Hood syndrome where you are taking money from certain people and giving it to others and who is right in that situation. I can’t say there is a black and white one message from it. I think everyone that watches it kind of takes something different away depending on their experiences, their family and background. I kind of want to leave it open for everyone to take something away.

Q) What can you tell us then about the Callaghans?

A) They are a dynamic bunch. They are all very strong characters. All of them are very strong willed and know what they believe in, but it’s just the very relatable situation where you all grow up in one home, there is one background and as you go through life you start to develop your own beliefs and thoughts about yourself and the way you should live life. When they come back together for the annual holiday dinner, it’s hard to just go back into the swing of things as this one big peachy keen family after living on your own for that long. You have the mother who just wants to keep the peace and have everyone be happy. If this is her last day, she wants everyone to get along. You have Drew, me, who just wants to help his mother and is there for her through everything. He is there to help her with the business and putting her first over himself. Then, you have Drew’s sister who is the very strong religious zealot of the family. She is so strong in her beliefs that she kind of disowns Drew as her brother because of his sexual orientation and also disapproves of her mother because she approves of his sexual orientation. The dynamic is half the family trying to keep peace and the other half who can’t accept peace because she is so strong in her beliefs.

Q) What did you add to the role that wasn’t originally scripted for you?

A) I guess I always bring a little bit of my own experiences and myself to the part. It was really well written and really fleshed out, but I always try to find that juxtaposition of the character and the dichotomy where he is kind of closed of and very stubborn. He’s very kind of bullish and strong willed where he refuses to change, but there is also a huge side to him that is very sensitive and easily hurt, easily offended and very vulnerable. I thought that was a really interesting guy to play. He was a real live person who kind of has a hard outer shell and nothing gets to them as long as they stay the course and stick to their guns. But, you know, at the end of the day his sister not approving of him just because of his sexuality crushes him. He is just devastated by that and tries not to show it. It’s a realistic character and I’ve known people like that in real life. It was rewarding to get to play that.

Q) I’m sure a number of people have asked you this, but people may try to compare this role to that of you in “Glee.” Talk about their differences.

A) I definitely have gotten a lot of this. The point that I kind of like to make is that just because there are two characters that happen to both be gay it doesn’t really put them on the same playing field. They are not the same person. I kind of liken it to playing a father. If you’re playing a father, you can play fifty different kinds of fathers. If you play a cop, there are fifty different kinds of cops. There are good cops, bad cops, racist cops, hero cops, etc. Just because they are both gay, doesn’t mean they are the same guy. One guy, Dave, was in high school, closeted and not really comfortable with who he was. He, frankly, didn’t know who he was and was refusing to admit it and really dig deep. Then, you have Drew in Saugatuck Cures who is older and done with school. He’s kind of been there, done that and gone through that experience. Now, he’s out to his friends and family. He is openly gay and comfortable with who he is and is on the hunt for the right man, the proper relationship. That’s the big difference.

Q) You have great chemistry with Danny Mooney. Was there an instant connection between you two when you began working together?

A) Danny and I actually knew each other for years before this movie. Danny and I met when I was in Michigan filming Detention of the Dead and he was scouting locations because he was directing the movie Love and Honor, which is a Vietnam film I did with Liam Hemsworth and Theresa Palmer. I met with Danny while I was in Michigan. I had him come to the set of Detention of the Dead to talk about me being in Love and Honor and we hit it off immediately. Then, he cast me in that film. So, my first experience with him was me as an actor and him as a director. We just bonded and became super close friends. Then, when Saugatuck Cures was casting, Matt Ladensack (the director) and Jay Paul Derantany (the writer and producer)…Matt and I went to high school together in Arizona and we were friends there. We were buddies and he knew my work from “Glee.” He offered me the part and said there were a few guys being considered for my best friend, the role of Brett. He said, “One of them is this guy named Danny Mooney.” I was like, “No way!” I told him Danny and I knew each other for years and he had to cast him because it would be so awesome! Then, Danny got cast. It was great. It was super easy because we knew each other and we got to talk about our characters and the story for months before we showed up on set. We were next to each other in the motel in Saugatuck so we would just go home and go over our lines together every night.

Q) Talk about the truck because Drew and Brett spend a lot of their time in it during the film.

A) There is a guy in Saugatuck, named Chris, who is famous for having the truck. Everyone knows him and knows the truck. It’s this crazy scary truck! There are no doors. There are no seatbelts. The stick shift hardly works. Danny was having the toughest time driving it, but he did it! That was an adventure because there are parts of the movie where you see the truck stalling out and that wasn’t intended. It wasn’t part of the script. It was happening in real life and was too funny to leave on the cutting room floor. We were surprised no one got seriously injured or killed with that truck. It all added to the fun and we were all safe. There were scenes where the truck would be parked in an open parking lot and we’d have a few crew guys standing on the back rocking it and jumping up and down at a certain pace to make it look like we were driving. The cameras would be in the front and there was the appearance that we were driving. They would be shining flashlights across our face to look like headlights. You know, movie magic!

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

A) The whole film was memorable. It’s this cute little charming town in Michigan that I had never heard of, but is really high up on the most desirable tourist places in the nation and it has been for like a decade. It’s this boating town and this little small town where everyone kind of knows each other. They have these cute little diners, cafes and stores. It was like summer camp having the cast and crew together as this incredible bonding experience because we were all in this one motel and every night we would get together and build a bonfire and talk about our lives, the movie,  the characters and where we all came from. What I took away from it most was this incredible bond we all have after that movie. It was this cool troop that hit it off from the get-go. And all the locations we got to film at were real bed and breakfasts, on top of beautiful mountains and camp sites in the woods. It was a nice little experience to film in a place like that with people like that. It was really cool.

Q) You’ll also be returning to the show “Switched at Birth.” Where do we pick up with Tank when the season begins?

A) I can’t say too much because I don’t want to spoil it. It’s a bit of a surprise return. All I can say is that it is handled in a very realistic way and not in a Hollywood ending way, which I love and I admire. It’s also a different side of Tank than we have ever seen. It’s this completely different guy that is completely different than when we first met him. It’s exciting for me, as an actor, to get to play that. I think it is a very realistic way to deal  with what has happened to him.

Q) The storyline for Tank last season was very rough and intense. How were you able to get into that frame of mind?

A) It’s pretty dark stuff. There is a lot of talk between Vanessa [Marano] and I and Lizziy [Weiss] (the creator and writer) about how to handle it and what that gray area is. I think most of it was, fortunately, that we hadn’t had that experience happen to us. So, it was more kind of studying what was going on in real life and a lot of us were sharing articles and emails back and forth for weeks before filming that, doing research about what is going on in the world and just how it is a case by case basis of different relationships between the guy and girl on college campuses. There are often so many questions like did they know each other at all? Were they in a relationship? Did they just meet that night? Were they drunk? Were they stoned? How drunk were they? Were there people around? It’s hard to say it is a black and white rule because it is such a case by case thing, but you have to be very sensitive to it because it is sexual abuse, sexual assault and rape. Rape is no joke and no laughing matter. It’s a really messed up thing. I think the story that Lizzy wanted to tell, first and foremost, was kind of a story that isn’t really told (which is what interested us) was that when you hear these stories where the girl accuses the guy of rape most of the college campuses has the guy getting in trouble and expelled. The story Lizzy wanted to tell is that there is gray area of what do you think should have happened and does the punishment fit the crime? She wanted to raise questions about these guys. Obviously, if it was rape, then there is no question. Punish the hell out of them. But there are guys, to this day, that claim it was consensual and nothing happened. What if the 0.1% chance the guy didn’t do anything, what happens then? Is the rest of his life ruined because of this one night? It’s just a really hard thing to deal with, which is what we wanted to tell. There is the obvious answer and then there is a situation like this where it is gray. Even the family doesn’t really know how to deal with it and each person responds differently. There was nothing we were trying to tell or a message we were trying to deliver. It was more just about raising questions and have people think for themselves about what they would do and what they believe in that situation.

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

A) It’s exciting. It’s fun. I come from theater and there is that instant feedback. You do something and then you can hear laughter, silence, boos or applause. I think with Twitter, it’s kind of fun because as the episodes air and the storyline unfolds, you are getting an instant feedback from your reviewers, fans or critics. You can see what they are thinking as you go, which is interesting. Also, my fans have been incredibly supportive for my career and charity work. People literally fly from all over the world and different countries just to be there for my Muscular Dystrophy walks, benefits and charity fundraisers. They travel from all around the nation, too. It’s an incredible outpouring of love and support. So, the very least I could do is interact on social media and get to talk to them, get to hear what they are doing and support them back. It’s a personal gain as well. I just love talking to them. I found a few “Glee” conventions in London where I found myself sitting at tables and people from Germany, Italy and Brazil would come up to me and are interested in what I have to say. I’m boring! I want to hear about you and what is it like in Sweden and how did you get here from Brazil? It’s a cool way to meet people from all around the world because of this TV show. It’s a pretty fascinating thing.

Q) Have you been getting recognized more when you are out in public?

A) Yes, but it depends on where I am at and if I’m asking for it or not. I can do the whole hat, glasses and headphones thing and no one knows who I am. If I happen to go to Times Square for a Broadway show and I’m out and about I usually do get stopped for one show or another. Everyone is very kind sweet. They usually want a selfie or something. They are very cool about it and very sweet. I’m always flattered and very appreciative.

Q) Is there anything else you to be sure we share with your fans?

A) Saugatuck Cures comes out June 30th on all digital platforms. Thank you, personally, and Starry Constellation Magazine for all your support with my career and charity work over the years. You have helped me and donated. Thank you for that. As far as the fans go, same thing. Thank you for their support for my career, charity work and believing in me. The feeling is mutual!