Mick Rossi explains how he made a big movie with name actors and no money
Mick Rossi has got a lot of moxie. How else do you explain writing a script, creating a starring role for yourself, packing it with stars like Vinnie Jones, Val Kilmer, Gabriel Byrne, etc. and also doing it for very little money?
Well, Rossi did just that with Played, a heist film that he co-wrote with Sean Stanek. In the film Rossi plays Ray, a man who's just finished an eight year prison sentence after getting set up. Now he's back on the streets to settle the score.
Rossi recently took time out to talk about how the whole Played experience played itself out.
How did you come up with the idea for Played?
Mick Rossi: The honest answer is I'd already written screenplays and I was very close to getting one done, doing it the standard way. Writing the script, getting some names attached, trying to raise the money... I was very close to the financing and it fell through on the 11th hour after a years work. I was really depressed and disappointed and I just wanted to do something that was containable and you didn't have to go and chase big money to do. I came up with the idea of doing Played on a very guerilla style, raw, low budget movie where we could pretty much jump into action right away.
In crafting this script did you do a lot of research into London's underworld?
Mick Rossi: Well, I used to live in London for 10 years. My father's Italian and my mother's English. I knew the London streets very well and I know a lot of shady characters there. When I go back to visit most of them are in prison and some of them are still doing what they're doing, etc. I didn't really have to research a lot. One takes a little bit of artistic license but always tries to keep it rooted in reality.
You had mentioned making Played more of a contained film, but at the same time you have a lot of name actors in the film. How did that come about?
Mick Rossi: You know what, Evan, there was a great guardian angel on my shoulder. I've known Gabriel Byrne for many years, he's probably one of my best friends. Gabriel's always been very supportive of what I've been doing over the years, or trying to do. When I told him I was going to do this and just go against the grain and just start shooting and not worry about getting big financing, he was just so great and said, "Well, I'll just jump in." Once that happened, I know all of the cast and I was very lucky because once Gabriel was in it gave it such credibility, I think it made it easier for the other actors to say Yes.
Had you always planned to play Ray in the film?
Mick Rossi: Yeah. I created a play, also, to create a vehicle for myself. It's very hard to get jobs in L.A. as a struggling actor. Really, Evan, the reality for me was if I really applied myself I'd get a couple of days on Nash Bridges or something. All the good stuff you can't get to without a really good agent. It's a Catch 22. Unless you backdoor your own vehicle. I always intended to play Ray regardless of who jumps in.
When I sat down with Val for the first time, I told him how we were going to do this, it was going to be very raw and very rock and roll and he goes, "Do I get a trailer?" And I said, "No." He goes, "What about makeup artists?" "No, we're not going to have any makeup artists." He goes, "What about wardrobe?" I said, "No." He does, "Do I get an assistant?" I said, "No." He goes, "Have you got lights?" I said, "No." He goes, "I love it, I'm in." Right then and there that told me everything about Val. He was just willing to jump in. I think people responded to the sheer ballsyness of trying to undertake this. Again, it was going against the grain of what normally they were doing in Hollywood.
One sits in a trailer for hours to come out on a big budget movie and say half a page of dialogue. We were shooting 3 to 4 a day on the fly, so I think it was very exciting and liberating for the names to go back to doing... acting.
As one of the writers on the project were you very precious that the actors say the words exactly as written? Did the subject matter of the movie call for that?
Mick Rossi: That's a great question, Evan. It was totally open. Everyone brought so much to the table and, of course, with the names we had they're bringing a wealth of experience with them. Any suggestions they had it was like free reign. The gloves were off. If you wanted to go this way we could. If you wanted to try that way... totally not precious at all. Certainly the scene with myself and Val in the car that's all improvised; Val's just spewing it out. There's a lot of stuff that didn't make the movie which is just terrific stuff too.
Also, the interrogation scene with Bruno Kirby, God bless his soul, because he's not with us any longer, that was all improvised, too. How we did that is we sat down with Bruno and said, "This is really the set up, eventually you have to let me go. This is my criminal record, this is what you've got on me." Doing it that way, for me and for Bruno, it kept it so real because it was a sense of discovery by elimination in those scenes. For me, that whole scene was alive for me.
What do you think is the biggest thing you've learned from this whole experience? The one thing you keep coming back to?
Mick Rossi: (Laughs) How lucky I was! Just to get one of those names, I would have been blessed. You know what it tells me, Evan? It tells me that with belief and a great deal of tenacity and passion and faith, you can get it done. I think it's inspirational to anybody who wants to go out and pick up a camera and just start doing it on the streets. It tells me if I can do it once I can do it again. That's really what it tells me. It was very hard, a lot of blood sweat and tears at times. Scheduling the big names was a minor miracle getting them all in the same place at the same time, because all of their schedules were so busy. All of that aside I think it tells me that with extreme belief and tenacity, I think everyone has a shot.
What are you working on next?
Mick Rossi: I'm going to be a doing a movie with Val Kilmer called, I didn't write this but I'm in it, Cannes Job. It's about an out of work writer in Cannes, Val is gonna play that role. I play a sleazy producer who has warrants out for his arrest and he's still trying to finance movies. The next one I'm doing, which is a similar animal to Played, is a heist movie set in Toronto on New Years Eve.
Played is currently available on DVD from Lionsgate Home Entertainment.
Comments (6)
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Harout Harman
KEWWL!
4 years agoby @micetro9345Flag
Mushy
Mick Rossi was very nice when we did the interview.
I cannot comment otherwise.
-MASH
4 years agoby @mushyFlag
Irish101
Hey noelle- for someone who hasnt seen this guy sean in a year, you seem to know alotta detailed stuff about the whole process...its like youve been possessed..and he's talking through you? wow. Cool trick. Teach it to your agent. Played rocked- best gangster flick to come out of london/hollywood in years. Hands Down. Big ups to Rossi and Gabriel.
4 years agoby @irish101Flag
betty1221
The guardian angel on Mick Rossi's shoulder is named Sean Stanek. Sean can making anything out of nothing and make it look good. I think Mick owes him some thanks!!!
4 years agoby @betty1221Flag
Brian
Ha. Wow.
5 years agoby @brianFlag
noelle_argen
I JUST CAN'T STAND BY AND NOT SAY ANYTHING!!!
I know Sean Stanek, the director of Played very well although we haven't seen each other in a year I spoke to him a few months back... But hell! I was there the night he came up with the idea for Played! Not to take anything away from Mick Rossi, he does have a few friends that he's leeched onto who showed up and they happen to be actors with names but COME ON!!!??? To take credit for coming up with the idea when he knows full well it's Sean story as well as his guerilla style of film making!!! It is the typical Hollywood sc*mbag move!!! It totally creeped me out to read the interview, what a little sh*t! I hope Sean sees this but I know he won't say anything about this because he's just put the movie out of his mind; he got so f*cked on it. This guy did everything and I mean everything, no crew, hanging lamps and art on the walls and put his soul into it, his money and this guy Mick, who I've met once, he tried to pick me up the little runt, did just about everything to gain control over something he didn't even want to do in the first place! Sean told me he had to talk Mick into doing this project. This blows my mind!! I was there!!! I helped out one day and it was clear to me that Mick doesn't even know how to turn on a camera! Literally...doesn't know anything about film making. Sean was the driving force as the film maker to get this thing done, plain and simple. There is so much people don't know and they probably never will because Sean won't say anything. I wish he would but he's just being way too kind. It's killing me because I know the truth. Sean's got some great stories, stuff that should be in a book about what these morons did! Indie Horror Story for a Director 101 type of thing. Some of the funniest sh*t, but they are his stories to tell so I won't go there. Sean didn't even want to do the commentary on the film because he feels they really messed it up. I haven't seen it yet and probably won't just because I know that Sean didn't get to finish it the way it should have been done. It was supposed to be an experimental film and not marketed with all the stars on the box but a suprise when they came on screen. He never wanted it to be pushed as a mainstream film because it wasn't intended to be that way. We had that discussion many times. Anyway, I stand by my friend and will stick up for him. You ask anyone that knows and has worked with Sean, he's a great, talented f*cking guy who doesn't deserve this petty crap. F*ck it, I'll fight his battles from the wings! I'm sorry I'm not being much of a lady here but I'm angry! I have to say I'm glad I'm not in the business because there are pond sc*m kiss ass parasites like Mick Rossi out there!! The only moxie he has is to f*ck friends over to get ahead. Try telling the truth it will set you free!! Whatever it takes to MAKE IT in HOLLYWOOD!!! Way to rack up the KARMA points!!! You go sc*mbag!!! Yuck!
5 years agoby @noelle-argenFlag