Actor, graphic artist and longtime friend, Eric Sapp is one of Jim Dwyer
and Todd Verow's favorite collaborators. Featured in nearly every one of 
Todd Verow's features, beginning with his first, FRISK, Mr. Sapp morphs
from movie to movie with chameleon agility. His role as the timid, 
well-meaning, pill-popping antique collector in Little Shots of Happiness
consistently brings massive giggle waves through audiences.

           

Bangor Films Producer-Writer Jim Dwyer 

Interviews Verow Superstar Eric Sapp!

 

 

Jim Dwyer: What was your first acting job with Todd Verow? 



Eric Sapp: My first role for Todd was Samson in Frisk. I received a telephone call 

asking me if I would like to appear in the film and I borrowed money from my 

friends to fly to San Francisco to appear in what would be the beginning of a 

long working career with Todd.



Jim Dwyer: What drew you to work with him? 



Eric Sapp: It's funny, I had seen his shorts - they were unlike anything I 

had seen before. Then there was the fact that I hadn't seen either you or 

Todd in what at the time seemed like forever, so everything pointed in 

the way of 'Go west' and throw fear to the side. At the time, I was making 

very little money and was a bit over cautious of making such a big decision. 

Everything seemed right and I have never regretted the decision.



Jim Dwyer: How does he work with you? Are there any special things that 

he does to get you in the acting mood?



Eric Sapp:It is a little different on each movie we have done. For Little Shots 

of Happiness, he would give me key emotions to focus on such as 'You're 

concerned' and then we would film. If someone isn't getting into the scene, 

he'll add a bit more guidance and then continue to film. For Shucking the Curve, 

I had no idea of what the character was like. I was standing in costume in 

the hallway of this building with Todd and he asked me if I knew what I was 

going to do. I confessed that I didn't understand someone who was extroverted 

like Ling-Ling was, so he made a couple of hand motions and walked down the 

hallway saying 'Something like this.' and the character was born. 



Mostly, he tries to keep his direction at a minimum when we're ready to film 

the scene unless he sees something he wants to try or the scene goes somewhere 

other than he expected but he's excited by it. I think mostly he screens his actors 

pretty well and understands where he can take them and where they may take him. 



Jim Dwyer: What is one of the best things about the way Bangor Films works 

for you as an actor? 



Eric Sapp:I like that the movie is shot in order that we're not stuck in a room 

for twelve hours trying to shoot one scene and then a scene that comes up 

four years into the story and I am suppose to sound one way in one scene 

and another way in another scene - a sort of emotional jumping jacks. I 

remember on Frisk, which had a huge crew standing around 'quiet on the set' 

and the whole thing was shot backwards - I see the guy who hit me and 

then later in the day - oh, now I get hit. It was a little strange, whereas 

in Deja Vu, we shot the wedding scene before any other scenes so there 

was a beginning, a middle and end for me to work with. I like too that 

he allows you to go where you feel your character might go - he'll reel 

you in if you are completely off the mark, but he also is not against 

listening to what you are saying. There have been times that we have 

gone completely off the mark and reworked a scene just by something 

that happens naturally - an accident - which makes the production feel 

that much more human, characters grow naturally just like stories - it's 

bound to happen at some point that the character goes astray much like

in real life.



Jim Dwyer:How are your performances affected by such a small crew?



Eric Sapp: When we worked with a large crew on Frisk, I tried to block 

out everyone in the room and only focus on what Todd was saying, but 

it was distracting. But the process is a little different for me than some 

of the people we have worked with however. Todd says 'action' and I 

am not there anymore. Each take takes me further into the character. 

With such a small 'crew' if we're in the street and someone reacts to me, 

I am in character and as that person, the reaction is natural. Try getting

that on a Hollywood set. 



Jim Dwyer: Have you ever felt uncomfortable or at a loss for words when 

improv-ing the way Todd does?



Eric Sapp: I think the only thing that made me feel a little uncomfortable 

going into it was the Howie scene where I had to be in the water dead. 

I HATE water. I have the most unnatural fear of large bodies of water 

and what lurks beneath them. I stepped into the water and couldn't 

see my feet at all and started trembling immediately! I think that 

every part of a character is a little foreign. Some ways that Todd 

has countered that with me, especially, is to take me off guard. 

He'll catch you in the moment and then surprise you with something 

about your character - something you might not find yourself doing in your own

life. Deja Vu comes to mind again. I was a little nervous about the sex scene, 

but it was a natural progression for the character so I was prepared and 

comfortable with the idea. It was a surprise to me however that the scene 

would turn explosive. The scene ended up being one of the most psychological 

scenes in the movie, one of the hardest scenes for me to watch to this day. I 

think there is great success in that - to lose yourself so far into a character 

that you cannot see yourself on the screen. I have never been concerned 

about 'image' when dealing with a character - to me if there is something 

disturbing or strange about a character, its just a bigger thrill to play them. 

If someone is foolish enough to think I am like that in real life, then I 

guess I did my job. 



Jim Dwyer: Does it surprise you when you find yourself in TIME magazine 

with the Bangor Films scene doing something you love?



Eric Sapp: I find it humbling actually. I still have a hard time looking at 

the magazine. I remember bringing it to work to get it framed (you're only 

in Time magazine for the first time once) and people at work were saying 

what a cool photo and then they would ask what magazine. I found myself 

whispering 'Time' and they would get more emotional than I would. I have 

removed myself from it to a degree keeping things in priority. Yes, it's nice 

to be recognized by such a prestigious magazine, however, I am interested 

in the work only, to constantly create and express a new side of myself; 

to work with the people I love dearly. Its almost ironic to be recognized 

for doing what you love. Someone recognized me, from the photo, in the 

street the day after it was out and I turned beat red and said something 

blithering. It only made the article seem a little too real to me. Potentially 

every household in the world could possibly see what we do, and that is 

just humbling.



Jim Dwyer: What has been the constant in all the Verow films you've done?



Eric Sapp: Todd's enthusiasm and focus for each project and his complete 

respect of each person he's worked with. 



Jim Dwyer: What has changed, if anything?



Eric Sapp: I see the change mostly in me. I learn from each project and 

I find that as each movie completes, I find further inner calm. Its somewhat 

addictive. Each character is like opening a can with no label, but somehow it 

ends up helping me grow as a person. 



Jim Dwyer: Sometimes these characters are like twisted versions of you, do 

you feel like you're typecast? 



Eric Sapp: At first, I thought he might be typecasting me, I thought 

'Jesus, everyone I play is a freak.' Then I realized everyone is a freak. 

No matter how 'normal' someone claims to be - there is always something 

very freaky about them. It's just a matter of when you are observing them. 



 

Click here and here for Real Audio of Eric discussing his roles in numerous 
Bangor Films productions.