Rudolf Martin stars in 'Three Holes, Two Brads, and a Smoking Gun', which tells the story of an ex-Hollywood screenwriter who moves to New York to teach, and must do a battle of 'minds' with one of his very own screenwriter students.
Starring in movies such as 2001 Blockbuster 'Swordfish' with John Travolta and hit TV series '24', 'NCIS' and 'Dexter', Rudolf has had a successful career that many upcoming actors would admire. Originally from Germany, Rudolf moved to the US after living in France and Italy, and his first professional acting gig in 'The Dutch Master', was nominated at the 1994 Academy Awards.
Find out how Martin got involved in 'Three Holes, Two Brads, and a Smoking Gun' and get an insight into his acting techniques:
Iain: How did you get involved with the film and what did you like about the script?
Rudolf: I was contacted when the film was already shooting by my friend Scott Fivelson, the writer of the film. I am familiar with Scott's writing and liked the script right away. The story is simple but has an element of the absurd and abstract which allows you to see the action and dialogue on a more allegorical level if you choose to do that. But he doesn't lay it on too thick but rather subversively so you can still enjoy the simple story at face value without getting into any possible symbolism.
Iain: Are there any interesting anecdotes from the shoot you can reveal, such as your experience working with the cast and director Hilarion Banks?
Rudolf: It was really all about the glamour and luxury of low budget independent filmmaking. We spent an entire cold and windy winter night shooting on a pedestrian overpass above the Long Island Railroad and underneath the Brooklyn Queens Expressway. Hilarion Banks had his hands full trying to make it work. one of the lights broke and some equipment dropped onto the railroad tracks. We had a 3am lunch in a 24 hour diner. For the actors it was important to stay warm enough to still be able to speak.
Iain: What was your approach to your character, and do you have any particular method when it comes to acting as a whole?
Check out Rudolf Martin on IMDB
Rudolf: In general my approach is very cerebral in the preparation and by the time i'm on set it's quite the opposite. I throw my preparation out the window and trust that some of it sticks and just rely on my instincts. In this case it started with a long phone conversation with Scott Fivelson, going through a long 8 page scene moment by moment. I think Scott ended up tweaking the action and dialogue a little based on our conversation. After that I just tried to put it in perspective with the main arc. The film takes the lead character, played by Zuher Khan, through a long journey and it was important to make choices that work for his character. In this case I decided that ridicule and humiliation would work best for Zuher's character.
Iain: What would be your advice to upcoming actors who want to break into Hollywood movies?
Rudolf: Haha, pray a lot. and stay busy working on little films that are creatively exciting.
Iain: Do you have any projects in the pipeline you can reveal?
Rudolf: I'm very excited about a film called "Pig" (www.thepigpicture.com) in which I play the lead role. It started playing festivals last year, has gotten great reviews and won a few awards already. "Pig" is ending its festival run this summer and I have high hopes that more people will see it and love it once it gets distribution.
