‘Daughter’ Interview: Casper Van Dien Talks New Thriller

(L to R) Elyse Dinh as Mother, Casper Van Dien as Father, Vivien Ngô as Sister, and Ian Alexander as Brother within the thriller movie, ‘Daughter,’ a Dark Star Pictures launch. Photo courtesy of Dark Star Pictures.

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Moviefone: To start with, when you’re making a movie as intense as ‘Daughter,’ what’s the temper like on set? Is it enjoyable or emotionally draining?

Casper Van Dien: I feel I at all times have enjoyable when I’m on a set as a result of I’m really attending to do what I like. So I really feel grateful, and I get to do interviews like this. I do not know what I might do if I wasn’t an actor or within the leisure trade like us. We’re a sick set of people as a result of we now have the weirdest schedules and the issues that we do, however we get so excited speaking about motion pictures, and making motion pictures. I do know you perceive this as a result of that is what you are doing too, so to get on set is insane.

This film, nonetheless, why it was so intense was that it was all shot on movie, and even the digital camera that they used was an previous digital camera from the ’70s. They even used the previous Polaroids. So, I used to be so thrilled as a result of we have been doing that, however even with that you simply make errors.

Because there’s sooner or later when director Corey Deshon got here to me and he goes, “Casper, you remember that three-page monologue you had?” I stated, “Yeah. The one I shot four days ago?” He goes, “Yeah. It didn’t work.” I stated, “The footage didn’t work?” He says, “No.” So we needed to reshoot it. I stated, “When are we reshooting?” He answered, “In 15 minutes.” So, as an actor you memorize all these items, and it was largely me speaking in that scene, however then we needed to reshoot it. But the entire crew, all people was so excited. It was largely a Vietnamese forged and folks of shade. So, it was only a very enthusiastic and enjoyable place to work.

MF: Can you discuss your first response to the screenplay and your strategy to taking part in Father?

CVD: It was fascinating. I went into this, even the way in which I used to be combing my hair in it, I would go away my home that manner, and my spouse and daughters have been like, “It’s just creeping us out the way you are. Just the way you look and the way you walk.” I used to be simply getting in my headspace. It’s not like I used to be some methodology actor, I’m not. I’m an insane actor, so I simply do no matter it takes to make it work for me.

I used to be on this place, and it simply felt proper, the whole lot I did with ‘Daughter.’ The manner Corey Deshon writes, he is so inventive and so clever, and his thoughts’s at all times considering. I might ask him a query. He would pause and give it some thought and say, “I’m going to get back to you.” And he’d go and give it some thought, and he’d come again, “This is why that would work,” or, “This is why that wouldn’t work.”

He was simply such an fascinating director. He had put a lot thought and energy into it, as any good director ought to, however it was fascinating to look at him. Then his explanations, he by no means needed to reply me with out actually having a stable reply, which I assumed was fascinating, and an fascinating character research for me as properly. I discovered him very fascinating. I discovered the entire forged fascinating.

(L to R) Ian Alexander as Brother and Vivien Ngô as Sister within the thriller movie, ‘Daughter,’ a Dark Star Pictures launch. Photo courtesy of Dark Star Pictures.

MF: Can you discuss concerning the emotional warfare that Father makes use of on his household and particularly Daughter to regulate them?

CVD: Yeah, he is fairly intimidating. The character in there, I feel he is simply any person who’s so set in his methods and he is aware of that if he does this, all people’s going to be all proper and the whole lot’s going to be fantastic. If it does not go the way in which he is deliberate, then it is all to going to Hell in a handbasket. As that character, I needed to justify his actions, and it was all for my son and the way particular he was.

MF: What was it like for you working with the remainder of the forged?

CVD: They have been all wonderful actors to work with. Ian was so unbelievable and so centered on it. Vivien was so into her character, and Elyse performed a beautiful spouse in it. I simply cherished all their nuances. Also Megan, who was the primary Daughter who I used to be very brutal with, it was simply fascinating to see all people. I bought alongside nice with all people in actual time. The wardrobe, and the whole lot they arrange was very nice. I favored all of the ideas Corey had for all of the stuff, the whole lot simply appeared previous and misplaced. So you are not fairly positive what time interval it’s, what’s occurring or the place it is at. I favored that.

The ambiguity of all of it, the whole lot being so you possibly can’t fairly place it, even my truck. It was simply enjoyable. Every side of it was so fascinating for me. There was a second the place I might discuss to Corey and I might see the way in which he wrote. Some of them are quotes from the Bible and completely different writings and teachings, and I assumed that was good as a result of I researched a few of that. I studied a few of them and I used to be like, “Oh, this is interesting it came from this.” So, I’d ask him questions on it. He’s only a wealth of data, and I favored the place he was going with the whole lot.

Then simply to play that character was, my spouse and daughters have been all pleased after I was not being him, as a result of I actually went to set with my hair and the whole lot set in that mode. I used to be identical to, “I’m going to set,” and I got here dwelling like that. I did not go off and say, “Okay, let me go do something else.” I did not put on a lot make-up. I simply had my beard, my bizarre half in my hair and the dialogue.

The dialogue was a lot. I simply needed to personal all of the dialogue. I needed it to be one thing that may come out, in order that’s why I might rehearse it, in order that it felt prefer it was precisely the way in which Corey wrote it. I simply thought he was so odd and completely different, and studying it, I used to be like, “What is he doing? Why is he doing that? Why is he preaching like this?” It was enjoyable to play all these locations and beats.

(L to R) Vivien Ngô as Sister, director Corey Deshon and Casper Van Dien as Father behind the scenes of the thriller movie, ‘Daughter,’ a Dark Star Pictures launch. Photo courtesy of Dark Star Pictures.

MF: Your character has some lengthy, very intense monologues. Can you discuss concerning the challenges of filming these scenes?

CVD: Well, I feel I’ve a bonus. I’m severely dyslexic. Now, I nonetheless have a tough time studying, as a result of I’m extraordinarily dyslexic, however it has grow to be one thing that has grow to be a superpower for me in a manner. It’s one thing I’m actually good at, memorizing scripts and studying dialogue, and over time I feel that is simply come from expertise and frequently doing it and coaching my mind that manner, as a result of it is not one thing you are able to do. I write issues out, I work on them, and I am going over various things. I actually rehearse it, as a result of within the previous days we used to rehearse. Now typically some actors, a few of the youthful ones right now, nothing in opposition to them, however they’re like, “I don’t want to rehearse because I want it to be fresh.”

The nice administrators again within the day, they used to rehearse for months beforehand. Then it turned weeks however we nonetheless had that on the large units, and we’re not afforded that luxurious so usually anymore. But I nonetheless attempt to take as a lot as I can. I attempt to try this course of in order that I’m engaged on it myself, and after I are available, if the opposite actors wish to work, I’m so enthusiastic about it. Because I really feel like if you happen to rehearse it, then something that occurs, the magic could be a nuance and it could simply come out and move simple. It appears to come back simpler that manner. If you follow and rehearse, then by the point you get in, the whole lot flows higher. I feel that is the identical in sports activities too.

MF: Finally, are you able to discuss concerning the legacy of ‘Starship Troopers?’ People are nonetheless speaking about that film over 25 years later, so what does it imply for you personally to be part of that venture?

CVD: I like ‘Starship Troopers.’ I like being part of it, I like that we simply had the twenty fifth anniversary of it, and I cherished working with director Paul Verhoeven. I feel that it was mind-boggling to me again within the day after I was 27, however when it got here out, a few of the press and a few of the publicity missed it. I feel a few of the individuals missed it as a result of they have been publicizing it extra like a killing bug film somewhat than what it actually was, a reverse propaganda struggle film, principally. That’s the genius of Verhoeven and Ed Neumeier, and I like them. But even when Robert Rodriguez had me in ‘Alita: Battle Angel’ taking part in Amok, he was like, “You’re Old Man Rico in this.” I stated, “All right, I love it.”

(L to R) Jake Busey, Michael Ironside, Casper Van Dien, and Dina Meyer in director Paul Verhoeven’s ‘Starship Troopers.’

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‘Daughter’ shall be launched in choose theaters on February, tenth from Thirteenth Floor Pictures and OneWorld Entertainment, and shall be launched in each English and Vietnamese.