Joey Pollari stars in the movie Profile of A Killer as a serial killer. My Filmviews interviewed him about his epxeriences in making the movie.
How did you get involved in Profile of Killer?
I had a chance to audition for the role after hearing about it through my manager. I had read the script, was enthralled with the material, and knew I wanted to put my best foot forward. So I met with Caspian Tredwell-Owen, our director, and read with Gabe Angieri. I got called back for two more auditions, and then found out I had booked the role.
What did you do to prepare for the role? It is very different from your previous roles?
In preparation, I read up on anything I could get my hands on. I started with books of psychology on serial killers, but then found the scope was so broad that I wanted to find specifics. So I read some accounts of Columbine and histories of the teenagers who had done that, as well as any other teenagers who committed murders. I was searching for their habits, their interests, what people said they were like day-to-day. Anything to ground the performance in reality. The role is a complete 180 from others I’ve had… Up to that point, I had done a lot of comedy. This was an opportunity to unearth something different.
Were there any movie characters which inspired you to play the role a specific way?
At first, I looked to famous performances. Anthony Hopkins in “Silence of the Lambs,” Anthony Perkins in “Psycho,” old films like ‘Peeping Tom’… but what I learned from their performances is hard to translate to a teenager. An adult doing these things is in completely different context. But the even-keel chill of their work is what I tried to keep with me.
What was the most challenging about making Profile of a Killer?
The biggest challenge was coming home. You inhabit a skin like that and you want to be able to leave it at work, but the weight of it stays with you. To make sure none of that comes home was a difficulty, but arriving back to family and laughter was great to keep those worlds separate.
Do you have any interesting anecdotes about the making of the movie?
We were shooting in the middle of a Minnesota winter, which, if you’ve had the pleasure of experiencing, you know is a brutal litmus test. We all tried to keep warm, but Gabe had the unfortunate position of never wearing a coat, hat, or gloves in the movie once he’s in David’s hands. So while we’re at least slightly warm, Gabe is shivering in the cold, crawling through the snow on his hands and knees.. And I remember we were waiting inside to go back out and shoot in the snow. A production assistant called us to set, and I bounded up, ready to go. Gabe slowly rises, and says with a huge sigh. “It’s like Tigger and Eeyore.” He never complained. He was the biggest trooper of us all.
What are some future projects from you people can look forward to?
I just shot a movie over in Malaysia called “Eden,” a drama which should be releasing sometime next year. And I worked a couple episodes on a new George Lopez sitcom for FX called “Saint George.” Both wonderful experiences — I’m excited for people to see them.