In December of 2010, I was finishing a run as Ebenezer Scrooge in the play
Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge directed by Tom Kline and produced by the
Moonlight Players.
One night, after a performance, most of the cast went to the pub across the street. It was the usual post-show cast hangout due to its location and because it was the only place in town open late at night.
I was crammed into a booth in back with Tom and a few others. Tom began telling us about his plans to make a feature film out of his play
9 Months, which he had directed several years before. During the discussion, Tom said that he'd like for me to play the lead in the film. I had a lot of respect for Tom as a director from my experience on
Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge and would have taken any role if it meant working with Tom again.
And thus began our long and arduous journey with
I Love You Because.
Tom's film went into production early the next year; but, as often happens with low-budget films, the production shut down after only three days of filming. I had put a considerable amount of time into the film, and did not want that time to be wasted, so I asked Tom if he would be willing to let us take over the production. He resoundingly agreed.
Jason and I planned to start our production with a clean slate. We would have a completely new production team (me and Jason), new crew (mostly Jason) and a new cast, with the exception of myself. I would remain the male lead in our version of the film because I had already done the character work, and out of convenience.
Our first step was to adapt the play script into a film, adding a depth that was not possible due to the restrictions of the stage and putting our unique stamp on the script. We combined a few characters, and added several of our own; such as Sean, Paddy and Ian, who are original to our version of the film.
(from L. to R. Sean (Travis Johnson) Kevin (Me) Paddy (Leon Jones) Ian (
Kenny Forthun)
My character, Kevin, needed friends, and we figured why not write the roles for my friends who are also aspiring actors. There would be a real life basis for the relationship of the characters in the film, and we'd be helping them out by writing roles specifically for them, which would show off their acting talents. We never considered casting anyone else for the roles, and were delighted when all three actors accepted the roles when we offered it to them.
We also added a few other roles for actors like Brendon Rogers and Debbie Sussman, who we have worked with on other projects and wanted to work with again,
In 2013 we locked the script for production and began the audition process.
For those of you keeping track of this blog, or who follow our Facebook page
I Love You Because The Movie, you know how things have progressed from there. For those of you just joining us, be sure to subscribe to this blog and check out the archives. Or join the Facebook page by clicking on the link above.
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