Summer Glau

Hello. "Mammoth" will air April 22th. What can you tell us about this movie?

 It’s a present day monster feature about a giant Mammoth that’s inadvertently brought back to life and terrorizes a small town. It stars Tom Skerritt (Top Gun, Picket Fences), Vincent Ventresca (The Invisible Man series), and of course, Summer Glau (no introduction required.)

The main plot seems similar to "Godzilla", "Jurassic Park: Lost World" and "King Kong"? Will this movie be more comedy?

 I think your assessment of Mammoth is pretty close, but I don’t think it will be more comedy than those films. Mammoth, like Lost World and Kong, works well because the comedic elements are truly funny and the action scenes make you jump. In other words, the comedy makes you relax, and the more you relax, the higher you will jump (hopefully spilling your popcorn on the person next to you.)

What are the tasks of a producer in making a movie?

 The producers are the shepherds, but instead of sheep, it’s more like herding cats. With Mammoth, the producers, Richard D. Titus, Tavin Marin Titus and myself (www.Plinyminor.com), along with director Tim Cox, literally managed every aspect of the project, from the first inception of the idea, to developing the story and writing the script, to financing the film, pre-production, filming, all post-production (music, visual effects, etc.), marketing (Cannes, etc.), and ultimately it’s distribution out into the world. It’s one of the few jobs that allow you to utilize both sides of your brain: the creative and the business. We find it very satisfying, others find it nightmarish.

Where have you seen Summer Glau before and did you get the idea to cast her and why was she cast?

 Our executive, Bill, was actually the first person to spot Summer. We were just starting to put together our list of actors for the role of Frank’s (Vincent Ventresca) daughter, Jack, and while there were many very talented ladies on that list, there was a certain quality that Jack’s character required that we couldn’t seem to find in anybody, and it’s not something that could be faked. One day we got a frantic call from Bill telling us not to make a decision until we track down an actor he just saw the night before on an episode of "The 4400". He said she stole the entire show.

Usually she plays "a bit weird" characters like River Tam and her part in "The 4400". Her role in "Mammoth" sounds different.

 It is different and I think that’s what made the role attractive not only to us as filmmakers but to Summer as an actor. What we wanted in Jack was a normal, everyday teenage girl, but with just a small trace of that quality that you described as "a bit weird." We wanted Jack to be a girl with an old soul. Not depressed, not gloomy, but certainly a small trace of a darker side. We watched everything of hers we could get our hands on and knew immediately she was our Jack. There was never a second thought.

How was it to work with Summer?

 Summer made our jobs very easy. As an actor: she’s an absolute professional, she shows up to set on time and prepared; she’ll give you what you want, but is not afraid to push the character as well. As a person: she’s a little shy at first but warms up quickly, she’s funny, super smart, and likes to have fun on set.

Can we see the movie in Europe too? Was it sold to any network here?

 Mammoth is in the process of being sold worldwide, but we do not have the station or air dates as of yet. We literally just finished the film.

On a "Firefly" Board, I read that emails to BBC (sue.deeks@bbc.co.uk) would help selling it to the UK?

 HA! I’d like to say that I’m surprised, but a few months ago a rumor got started that Mammoth was not going to air in the UK and a bunch of Firefly fans launched an email campaign to Sci Fi Channel in the UK, which I found out about after the fact. We would never stand in the way of passionate fans, but I do feel sorry for Ms. Deek’s inbox, that’s for sure. These same fans turned Firefly into Serenity. Usually only a few people speak for the masses, but when the masses speak, networks listen.

Are there any "Firefly" characters or actors you would like to work with?

 Nathan was great in Slither, which I saw on opening weekend and really enjoyed it (there are some similarities between both films’ opening scenes, which I thought was cool — they obviously had a much bigger budget than we did.) We tried to get Gina for Mammoth, but she already had another film going at the same time. The whole cast rocks and we would work with any of them in a heartbeat. Mingo and Fanty are actually very good friends of ours as well (shout-out!) We’re doing 5 more films this year, so maybe...

What can you tell us about your upcoming projects? Maybe "Mammoth II"?

 We are doing 5 movies over the next year, which are going to film in Eastern Europe. We have not started casting yet. The stories are great and they all have really cool creatures that haven’t been seen before. We’re very excited. We had a great time making Mammoth and are certainly open to doing a sequel. Maybe we should give Ms. Deeks a break and have everybody email you instead?!