d3rang3d Interviews : Lee Perkins

d3rang3d's ongoing look into Live Evil continues with an interview with actor Lee Perkins.‭ ‬We wanted to know more about his character‭ ‬Officer Hicks,‭ ‬aswell as some info about the man himself,‭ ‬thankfully he was good enough to give us some of his time.‭ ‬So without further delay we present Lee Perkins of Live Evil and so many more movies we all love.....

d3rang3d : ‬What can you tell us about your character in Live Evil‭?

Lee Perkins : Not as much as I would like.‭ ‬The producer told me if I said too much,‭ ‬he would have me killed.‭ ‬L.A.‭ ‬is such a tough town‭! ‬Basically,‭ ‬I play Officer Hicks,‭ ‬a not-so-normal highway patrolman.‭

d3rang3d : ‬How much fun did you have during filming‭?

Lee Perkins : The fun meter was very high on this one.‭ ‬My fellow officer is played by Hawk Younkins,‭ ‬an ex-wrestler.‭ ‬We filmed with Tim Thomerson,‭ ‬who is about the funniest person I have ever met.‭ ‬He can do spot-on impersonations of so many people.‭ ‬Jay Woelfel,‭ ‬the director,‭ ‬runs a very relaxed set.‭

d3rang3d : ‬How much preparation was involved for your part‭?

Lee Perkins : Not much.‭ ‬I was on holiday in‭ ‬Florida with my parents when I got the call.‭ ‬So I jumped back to‭ ‬L.A.‭ ‬and started filming.‭ ‬I had played cops before,‭ ‬so it was just a matter of getting the dialogue right.

d3rang3d : ‬How physical is was your part to play‭? ‬Do you have any action scenes‭?

Lee Perkins : There is plenty of action,‭ ‬but thankfully I didn’t have to do much.‭ ‬In this one,‭ ‬I just got to sit back and watch it all happen,‭ ‬except for one bit when I go head to head with Thomerson.‭ ‬As far as physical challenges,‭ ‬the biggest was staying warm.‭ ‬We filmed up in the hills in January,‭ ‬and the gusty wind made it very cold‭ ‬--‭ ‬the kind of cold that takes a good long hot shower to get rid of.

d3rang3d : ‬What attracted you most to working in Live Evil‭?

Lee Perkins : It was a great idea:‭ ‬blood becoming unfit for vampires.‭ ‬Plus it had a great cast and the producer,‭ ‬Mark Terry,‭ ‬was from‭ ‬Florida,‭ ‬and I knew some of the same people who were already involved in the film.‭

d3rang3d : ‬You have quite a list of movies to your filmography,‭ ‬which parts did you enjoy the most‭?

Lee Perkins : It's funny how you enjoy different things at different times:‭ ‬your first job,‭ ‬your first time on a big set,‭ ‬your first time opposite a known actor.‭ ‬But these days,‭ ‬it's roles that scare me.‭ ‬And by that,‭ ‬I mean roles that when I start shooting,‭ ‬I'm not a‭ ‬100%‭ ‬sure I can give the part what it deserves.‭ ‬One that comes to mind like that was the Navy spy I played in‭ ‬The Red Machine.‭ ‬It's a period piece set in the‭ ‬1920s and‭ ‬30s,‭ ‬and I was supposed to be an expert on everything,‭ ‬including speaking Japanese.‭

d3rang3d : ‬Any interesting stories to tell,‭ ‬serious or funny,‭ ‬from your time in the entertainment industry‭?

Lee Perkins : On‭ ‬Freejack,‭ ‬I learned that it's against the rules to kill off the lead actor in the first week of shooting.‭ ‬I was playing a race car driver with Emilio Estevez,‭ ‬and he wanted to have a spin in one of the formula cars.‭ ‬I figured he knew what he was doing‭ (‬as he was also playing a driver‭)‬,‭ ‬so I asked the car owner and he said yes.‭ ‬As Emilio was getting buckled in the car,‭ ‬the wrangler came running over and started yelling at everyone‭ (‬read that as mostly me‭)‬.‭ ‬I thought,‭ "‬Hold on,‭ ‬isn't Emilio the star‭?!" ‬But it was later explained to me in a very clear and forceful way that we were to not put him in peril.‭ ‬So it became a joke:‭ ‬every time Emilio saw me,‭ ‬he asked why I hadn't been fired yet.‭ ‬But I did get back at the wrangler in front of the entire cast,‭ ‬crew and about‭ ‬100‭ ‬background players:‭ ‬I had convinced Emilio that the wrangler would come up to him and apologize.‭ ‬And as if on cue,‭ ‬he did,‭ ‬only Emilio started thumping this‭ ‬300-plus-pound guy in the chest while screaming,‭ "‬I'm the star of this film,‭ ‬don't you ever tell me what to do‭!" ‬The guy almost crapped on himself.‭ ‬Emilio is about as cool as they come.

d3rang3d : ‬Which creative artists do you really admire and why‭?

Lee Perkins : I like anyone who really challenges themselves or people's perceptions.‭ ‬I love the work of Philip Seymour Hoffman or Daniel Day-Lewis.‭ ‬They both are so unpredictable.‭ ‬Nothing thrills me more than seeing a performance and going,‭ "‬How did they do that‭?" ‬Quentin Tarantino and Rob Zombie are also guys who really like to push it way out there.‭ ‬Their choice of music to tell a story is so smart‭; ‬I love it when you think there is no way that song would fit,‭ ‬yet it really expands the film.‭ ‬And of course Joel and Ethan Coen,‭ ‬because they do it their way.

d3rang3d : ‬What's in store next for Lee Perkins‭?

Lee Perkins : Only good stuff...I hope! Next up for me is a comedy with Gary Busey called Daze. Then I go straight into a horror pic titled Psychosomatika. It's my scream-queen film (something I've always wanted to do) with Brinke Stevens and Debbie Rochon. Of course, I don't have any scenes with them (that would be too easy). Then onto a thriller called Strawberry Cliff, which shoots in LA and China, and finally a romantic comedy titled Road to Victory, with Chris Harris directing. It's my second film with him; the first one we did together, Into the Arms of Strangers, comes out on video on July 22nd, so look for it!

d3rang3d : ‬Finally here is your spot to say anything to world you want:

‭Lee Perkins : "‬Anyone got change for a five‭?"

Again we and all our readers would like to thank Lee for his time,‭ ‬be sure to check back soon for more interviews from the Live Evil cast folks.