Shooting Jake Busey.

If someone asked me “How did you get Jake Busey to be in your movie?” I’d tell that person a tale that involved police dogs, golf and a good script. 

My brother, Jason Stephens, is a sheriff’s deputy in Southern California and has made a few movies himself. Jason met Jake Busey some years ago through law enforcement connections.  Jake is a regular participant in a celebrity golf tournament; the money raised goes toward the purchase of Ventura County police dogs.  Jake's an talented actor, but also plays bass for the rock band “Sons of the of Lawless."  When we decided to cast for the role of Richard Allin we wanted approach talented actors with a musical background.  Jake combination of music and talent seemed to fit the role perfectly.

During pre-production, my brother watched Jake’s band play at the Viper Room in Hollywood and reintroduced himself since it had been a few years since their last exchange.  Jason returned from the nightclub and told me how much of a down to earth, and easy-going guy Jake was.  Personality was a factor in casting as we knew the shoot would be demanding for all our actors.  We didn’t want any Princess walking off the set because it was freezing cold outside or they were being bitten by bugs.  We also knew it would take a really cool guy who would do the job for the money we offered.

We sent Jake a script.  He read through it and told Jason he thought it was good, and that the character of Richard Allin was one he would like to portray. 

We were able to speak on the phone, and his demeanor was pleasant and welcome.  

We spoke briefly about the character of Richard, and I gave away just enough information to give Jake some back story.  I tried not to overwhelm Jake with information regarding his character because I wanted him to keep with the character on the page, meaning, anyone we cast as Richard would have a different interpretation of the character and I was anxious to see Jake’s.  If he went far off my original vision, I would certainly work with him to get it back on track. 

I had gotten his costume sizes and knew he was going to be tall, but that didn’t prepare me for when I met a guy who has killed giant bugs from outer-space face to face.

Jake shot for three days in Los Angeles before leaving the country; he returned for the last weekend of production.  In those few days, I came to admire him as a true professional. Jake worked certain scenes beyond the level that I wrote them.  I provided a good base of a character, and Jake shaped that base into a person with multiple levels. Watching Richard come to life on camera was the biggest surprise I had making this movie.  

On the set Jake approached me about specific lines of dialogue that if delivered incorrectly would have changed interpretation of such words.  I spent a short time with Jake going over my feelings about how these some situations can exist in your mind, which can make then even more painful in to you rather than if you were aware of their existence.

I don’t want to spoil the movie, but I will say that the impact that Jake Busey made is one that audiences will remember after the credits have rolled.