Sam Lerner – Project Almanac

By: Lisa Steinberg

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

A) I have been working on “The Goldbergs.” I started doing one episode and that turned into seven! I’ve been reoccurring on that show as Barry’s friend. It’s a complete blast and I love it there. There are such good writers and producers. The creator of the show, Adam Goldberg, is such a smart and funny guy.

Q) Please tell us the premise for Project Almanac and about your character.

A) Project Almanac is a story about five high school kids who end up for the school Science Fair building a time machine. They end up having fun with it and they do what all kid would do with it – win the lottery, buy cool cars and going to Lollapalooza. Once they start changing time, they realize there are a lot of repercussions. It effects a lot of people’s lives! They have to figure out how to fix that. My character, Quinn Goldberg, is the best friend of the lead named David (Jonny Weston). Quinn is a fun guy who is crazy and when they build the time machine he is the one that encourages them to win the lottery. He is just a really funny, fun kind of wildcard friend. It was an absolute blast to play!

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

A) I was excited about it from the start – from the moment I got an email saying, “You have an audition for a Michael Bay produced movie for Paramount Pictures.” I was instantly hooked! It was one really secretive scripts where you had to sign a nondisclosure agreement just to get the script! That was really exciting. When something has that much about it and is that secretive, you know it is a cool project! Once I read it, I was just so excited about it. I thought the role was so funny and that I was perfect for it. So, the moment I even got the appointment I was stoked and excited about the part.

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

A) The director and writers were very cool with improv. So, I was able to bring my spin on everything. I brought a lot of myself to the role as well. The script was written so well and funny. The actual jokes were so funny, but I did help with my own little spin on it. When I went to see the movie with some of my friends, they said, “I did not even think you were acting!” It was so funny and such a compliment from my friends. I thought it was cool that I got to improvise some things and put my own spin on it.

Q) What was it like working with director Dean Israelite?

A) He was great! He is a first time director, which is so awesome they trusted him with a project like this. It’s such a big movie. He is such a fantastic director. I feel like he had so much to worry about with the footage and the scientific aspect to it. He had to balance the acting with the technicality of it. He was such an actor’s director at the same time. He was so there for the cast and I’m sure the other cast members would agree that he was always there for us. He gave us as much time as we needed to prepare and he was always helping us get the emotion out of it that he needed to get. It was so cool for a first time director that he had that much experience and knew exactly what to do, especially working with a young cast. It must have been hard for him. He gave artistic advice along the way and was just so fantastic. He was completely professional and he is going to have a huge career!

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

A) It was so much fun! We got to shoot at Lollapalooza, which was crazy! We’re all not really known actors (yet hopefully) so no one really knew who we were. So we were running around with a camera and filming, but people just guessed we were shooting some reality show or something. We felt so cool to be at Lollapalooza with these all access passes. We were acting in front of all of these people! We got to go on stage and also sit in the VIP section for the Imagine Dragons! It was such a cool experience! I had so much fun that day at Lollapalooza. Acting and getting to shoot a movie, doing what I love, at a music festival was such an awesome experience! It was not work whatsoever.

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

A) This was such a rewarding experience for me. Doing a big budget movie is something I’ve never done before. Working for these great people involved with the movie, I feel like I grew a lot as an actor because there was a lot of improv. That is something I get nervous with, but now I feel a lot more comfortable. I took away a great experience. Whether or not we get a sequel, we had so much fun shooting this movie. It was such a blessing and a unique experience for us. We are just grateful there were such wonderful people involved. I made some awesome friends and met some very talented people.

Q) The film has been quite buzzed about. Did you expect such a great response from the media?

A) I have always been so confident in the movie and so proud of it that I really think that, especially for teenagers, it’s a really relatable film. It’s such a real, grounded take on time travel. So, I always had faith in it. I knew people would enjoy it, but it was just a question of getting it out there. We got delayed for about a year, but then the marketing was fantastic! They put it all over Snapchat and Instagram. It was perfect for our younger demographic. I knew people would love it! My favorite part of it (and also the other cast members’ because we talked about it) was that on Twitter we could see how many people were saying they loved Project Almanac. Some people were saying, “It’s the greatest movie I’ve ever seen!” It’s such an honor that we feel that about the movie. So, when people react that way it is the ultimate blessing.

Q) Have you been enjoying the instant fan feedback you have been receiving?

A) Yeah! It’s great having all these people and that they thought it was funny. It’s amazing! I’ve been working for a while, but I never had this opportunity with this kind of a job where people can really seek me out and comment on my performance. So, it’s really such an honor for me and it’s fresh for me to really find out.

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

A) Thank you! It’s fresh and it is new to me so I’m still trying to get used to it. Someone came up to me recently and said, “You’re in Project Almanac, right?” I said, “Yeah,” and they were like, “I’ve seen the trailer everywhere! I want to see it so badly!” This is my first time being recognized in public for something and it has just been great that people have commented on it. It’s just been great that people have enjoyed it and I am glad that I can bring some light into people’s lives it seems. It’s a great place to be and I’m really honored to be there. I would say thank you!