WOLVES OF SAVIN HILL: A Chat With David Cooley

25th September 2014

The Wolves of Savin Hill, director John Beaton Hill’s sweat-inducing crime thriller about friends divided by a jaw-dropping tragedy, premieres in San Diego this week. We caught up with star David Cooley as he prepares to watch himself on screen (or watch geese fuck, possibly) this week.

Having now played a really dark character on film, did you have trouble finding that in yourself?

No, I helped John Hill create him. We spent hours discussing who he was and what drove him. I have that in me and just dug in to find it and bring it to the screen.

Did director John Hill require you to do any research into that world?

I have some of those experiences so I brought my own truth to who he was. I let the words he wrote and my own intentions drive me. Between the two I think we found a pretty great dark and torured character to life.

If you had to pitch the film – what two films would you say it’s most comparable to?

We were inspired by many films but to compare this to two films…. I honestly don’t know. It’s dark and gritty like a Casavetes picture and it isn’t in a rush to get to the end like a European film. God, that’s a great question. That’s one for John Hill. If he were next to me he’d suggest a few and I am sure I would see the similarities but at the moment I’m at a loss, sorry.

On indie films, actors generally have to wear multiple hats – what kind of extra tasks did you do on Wolf of Savin Hill?

As one of the producers I helped find the cast and locations. I helped fund the project and when I wasn’t on camera I was around to keep the cast in the positive spirit to move forward and keep the energy and excitement up.

Was the budget a hindrance at all? Did you – as an actor – find it limiting at times?

Only because I was helping fund it, so yeah it was limiting. But with an amazing cast of people all together for the same purpose, to make a great picture, it was just another bump in the road.

Do you find it easy to watch yourself on screen? Are you critical?

That’s a joke right?! I’d rather watch geese fuck than watch myself on camera. It’s not so much that I am critical, because I did my work and I know how it is going to turn out. My uncomfortability is if anyone else sees that!

Since completing the movie, what have you been up to?

I am one of the producers on the film so I have been killing myself along with John Hill and Sean Ireland the other producers to try to get this film the exposure it deserves.

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