An Interview with Paul J. Alessi

I don’t know how Paul J. Alessi does it.  Somehow, he manages to juggle acting, producing, playing sports and donating some time to charity events.  I recently had the pleasure of reviewing one of his films called Knuckle Draggers, and it was a given that after having seen such an amazingly well crafted film, that I’d jump at the chance to interview Paul about it as well as about some of the other great things he’s got going on in his career.

An Interview with Paul J. Alessi – By Duane L. Martin

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DLM: Ok, let’s start this off by having you introduce yourself to everyone.  Tell us a little about yourself and your background.

PJA: My name is Paul J. Alessi and I am originally from N.Y. I’ve always been a blue-collar worker; I’ve had many jobs from driving trucks to meowing lawns to security guard. Since I was young I have been into and played sports most particularly ice hockey. I played at a competitive level for many years and to this day I play when I can.  I am passionate about ice hockey, boxing and movies.

DLM: You actually got “discovered” while working a construction job.  What happened with that and had you had any interest in acting or modeling prior to that experience?

PJA: Although I was always intrigued by movies and television I never thought it was something really tangible. I was working in construction for a clothing company in Manhattan I was asked if I wouldn’t mind standing in for one of the models that didn’t show up. At first I said no but when they mentioned the pay I quickly changed my mind.

DLM: You ended up moving to Los Angeles to pursue acting full time, and ended up working with F. Gary Gray on TLC’s “Waterfalls” in 1995 playing an AIDS victim.  How did you deal with taking on such a heavy role so early in your career?  Was it intimidating at all?  How did you prepare for it?

PJA: Yes I had the good fortune to work with F. Gary Gray on the award winning TLC music video, Waterfalls. It was an eye opening and amazing experience especially since it was my first time on a set. I didn’t realize what a big deal and opportunity it was therefore I didn’t “prepare”. After Gray realized that I wasn’t joking when he said “camera left” and I looked at him like he had twelve heads, he took me under his wing and showed me the ropes. He was very patient and understanding, I look forward to the possibility of working with him in the future.

DLM: Back in 2005 you decided to get into producing.  What led you to that decision and how hard was it making that transition, adding behind the scenes producing duties to your front of camera acting roles.

PJA: It started out as putting together small things for my acting reel, then the projects started getting bigger and bigger. Overall the process of producing seemed like a natural move, there were a lot of things I had to learn on the producing side and still keep on learning to this day. I really enjoy the creative process as well as having control over the “quality” of the projects.

DLM: Moving on to the film Knuckle Draggers now, tell us how you were first introduced to the film and how it all came together.

PJA: After doing several projects together Alex and I decided it was time to do a feature film. We spoke about some ideas and story lines and Alex went to work writing. When it was finished he told me to read it with the role of Kyle in mind. When I finished reading the first draft I thought it had a lot of potential and we started working on the script together. When we felt it was complete we began putting a team together and looking for financing.

DLM: You’ve worked with Knuckle Draggers director Alex Ranarivelo in a lot of films now.  Tell us how you first came into contact with this talented director and what it’s been like working with him over the past several years.

PJA: I first met Alex through a good friend of mine, Andrew Walkinshaw. He introduced Alex and I when he heard we were both looking to do a short film. Since Alex wanted to direct and I wanted to produce and act it was a good match for both of us.

DLM: In Knuckle Draggers you play a guy who has basically analyzed the relationships between men and women and broke it down to its most basic elements, relating modern day relationships to those that existed back in the caveman days.  How did you end up in that role?  Was it written with you in mind, or did you read the script and say, “Oh yeah, I totally want to play that guy!” What really appealed to you the most about it?

PJA: Actually yes, Alex wrote the role with me in mind but if Ed Norton wanted to play the role I would have gladly stepped aside. Alex will tell you that Kyle is a combination of a few people in his life. The thing that made Kyle appealing to me is his honesty; even though at times he can be abrasive he’s just being Kyle. He is not afraid to say what he thinks.

DLM: You worked with an absolutely fabulous cast in Knuckle Draggers.  It can be really hard to assemble a good cast, but to assemble one that was as close to perfect as you guys achieved with Knuckle Draggers is quite an accomplishment.  Tell us about the casting process and about some of the great people you worked with in the film.

PJA: Wow you hit the nail right on the head! Thanks for the compliment. The casting process was not easy because we all had to agree and who plays who. We were fortunate to have a lot of talented actors read for Knuckle Draggers and so it was more about placing the right actor in the right role. Finding the right “Ethan” was probably the most challenging; he had to look like me and his accent had to be similar to mine so we could pass for brothers. He also had to be the “opposite” of Kyle in many ways or it wouldn’t work. When Ross McCall came in to read we new it was the right move. Before he was even finished we new he was the perfect Ethan.

DLM: What were some of the high points of the production for you, and did you have any nightmare days where nothing seemed to go right?

PJA: Some of the high points of this indie film were getting all the shots we needed in a 12-hour day. When you are on a tight schedule with a tight budget every minute counts. I didn’t think we had any true “nightmares”, I mean you can plan everything to a tee but that doesn’t mean it will run like a well oiled machine. Especially when it comes to location shots, unfortunately we have no control over the weather. One instance was the scene at Mateo’s mansion and the wedding scene. When we scouted that location we new we wanted to get a nice clear wide shot of the city skyline. Well the night we were shooting it was completely over cast and foggy. We even tried to go back and get a pick up shot but like I said we can’t control the weather.

DLM: The other film that’s in post right now is Au Pair, Kansas.  You play an investigator in that one.  What’s the film about and what’s your character’s involvement with the story.

PJA: This film is another romantic comedy about a widowed mother (Traci Lords) with two boys who hire an Au Pair from Norway to be the male role model in the family. I co-produced this film and play an investor that is hired to follow the Au Pair.

DLM: You’ve been involved with award winning films, and you’ve recently won some awards for your acting.  Tell us what films you’ve been in that have won awards and what awards you’ve won personally for your work in them.

PJA: Morphin(e) was a great project and I received a “Best Actor” award at the International Film Festival for Ya’ll North Texas. A Guy Named Murphy and Ten ‘til Noon won several awards during it’s festival run. Knuckle Draggers has taken home five awards in our first three festivals. We got “Best Close-Up” and I was honored with “Outstanding Feature by a new Filmmaker” at the DelRey Beach Fest. Knuckle Draggers also won Best Editing and second Best Feature and I received Best Actor at the ReelheART International Film Fest in Canada.

DLM: So what’s next for you?  Do you have any new films that are in the planning stages right now that you can tell us about?

PJA: There are several things in development right now and one feature film is slated to start pre-production in the fall.  I’ll keep you posted as they get closer.

DLM: Just to end this on a personal note, you’ve been involved with a lot of charities.  Tell us about some of the things you’ve done to help these various charities and how our readers can get involved and help out as well.

PJA: I have been involved with many charity events over the years but one that I help out with every year is Maryvale Angels. This is an organization under the umbrella of the Maryvale Orphanage, a halfway house for girls ages 6-18 in East Los Angeles. Every Christmas we raise money so that the 86 girls living at Maryvale have a celebration during the holidays. We organize a fun night out with a “casino night” fundraiser and with those donations we are able to throw an amazing holiday for them! Thanks to all of the donations we are able to get each girl the three specific items they write down on their wish list.  If you would like to donate or get involved with Maryvale please visit www.maryvaleangels.com

DLM: Is there anything else you’d like to mention before we wrap this up?

PJA: Just want to thank everyone for their support! Also Knuckle Draggers will have it’s LA premiere at the Laemmle Sunset 5 August 12th, 2009 at 7:30. We are a special feature screening at the HollyShorts Film Festival. A lot of our cast will be attending and tickets are on sale now. For more information check out my website at www.pauljalessi.com.
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Photo Credits:

Photo #1: Actor/Producer Paul J. Alessi attends Li Cari fashion show at the Cabana Club, Hollywood, CA.
Photo Credit: Nicholas Ng Copyright 2008 Aperture Photography

Photo #2: Paul J. Alessi, Ross McCall and Danielle Nicolet at the Newport Beach Film Fest- 2009-Knuckle Draggers Premiere
Photo Credit: Byron Purvis/AdMedia

Photo #3: Paul J. Alessi Newport Beach Film Fest- 2009-Knuckle Draggers Premiere
Photo Credit: Byron Purvis/AdMedia