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Gary Graham: Acting and Other Flying Lessons 

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Hey folks this is Chris Staviski again from Toxic Shock TV and today I'm with the legendary actor Mr. Gary Graham. You'll recognize him from multiple episodes of Star Trek, also from the Alien Nation television show and miscellaneous television movies that have come out over the years. And as of recently he shot the movie called Siren out of Las Vegas. Today we're at the Sci-Fi Global convention down here. Mr. Gary Graham its a pleasure. Can you elaborate on your past and some of the movies you've been working on. Sure, absolutely, a little a bit on my past. Well, Siren as you mentioned, we shot in Las Vegas and it will be out in early 2006 and recently I completed my book. That I'm plugging now. "Acting and Other Flying Lessons" available at GARYGRAHAM.COM or AMAZON.COM, but if you go to my website I'll autograph it for you, so. That's a plug for GARYGRAHAM.COM. It's quite honestly the best book I've ever read. Our website Toxic Shock TV does a lot with independent filmmakers. We like to give them advice, my advise to independent filmmakers is give me the money and I'll make the movie. Hey... You know, I've got advice very similar to that. Give me the money and I'll be in your movie. Exactly, now with your book "Acting and Other Flying Lessons" can you give us a brief summary of what your book is about and how it’s different from the other acting books out there. Well, A lot of people have written books about acting, that have done precious little of it and I have done 25 years of acting for a living and I've got a lot of stories from the trenches of making movies and doing TV shows. And I give you not only the nuts and bolts about it, the acting profession, but I give advice on how to get the most mileage out of your efforts. The reason I wrote it is when I started in the business 25 years ago. I booked my first television show; I was elated and then horrified. I realized that I didn't have any clue on how to act in front of the camera. What to do, what to expect, how to conform myself on a film set. And I went to the libraries; I went to the bookstores and searched around. I saw all sorts of books on how to act, but film acting and what to do on a set, that was in precious little supply. So I actually wrote the book that I couldn't find 25 years ago, to help a newcomer shortcut a lot of the nightmares that befell me and I go into those nightmares in depth. Lurid, lucid detail in my book and its quite comical and I don't mind being the buffoon if somebody can get a little enjoyment and assistance out of it. So that’s what I did, a lot of its tongue and cheek, but it’s also a serious thing. There's a lot of sports metaphors, golf metaphors, softball metaphors, couple of fighting metaphors. We talk about guns. A lot of people, they go on a film set and they have never handled a gun in their life and suddenly they are playing an FBI agent who has to go in and clear a house and search for a perp and not get their butt blown away. So, I go into all of that. I go into stunts for camera; working abroad, how to get a job, audition techniques. What you need if your making the jump into film acting from say a community theatre or collage background, what do you need, what are the tools you need? Where do you go, what do you do, how do you do it. I go into all of that, plus I talk about celebrities. Stars that I've working with, like George C. Scott, Jack Nicholson, Tom Cruise, Ed Harris and a ton more. People that I've worked with. Had some experiences with. George C. Scott almost punched me out. Punched my lights out. How Ed Harris almost died in a bloody motorcycle accident right in front of me while the camera was rolling. And how a very, very ill Tom Cruise very nearly died and I JUST may have saved his life. You be the judge, so good stories like that. Plus a couple of keys of life answered for you’re dining and dancing pleasure thrown in. So, buy it, order it, I'll autograph it for you.

GARY GRAHAM (LEFT) ON ALIEN NATION

That's awesome. Your talking about some of your nightmares on the set. Could you give us a story about, a sneak preview, come on! Nightmares on the set, well... lets see. One time I was double booked, I was doing the Incredible Hulk and I was signed to do Hollywood Nights, that illustrious Floyd Mutrux T&A Caper. But the thing is, I was signed to do Hollywood Knights for months before the Incredible Hulk had come along. I was by the way, I played a rodie for a rock band and I actually dosed David Banters orange juice and he Hulks out while coming on Acid. How's that for a place in history. I dosed The Hulk. So anyway, we roll around to this supposed start date. That had already been postponed three times for Hollywood Nights, but it looks like my last couple of days on The Hulk are going to overlap with the supposed start date for Hollywood Nights. I didn't worry about it because it was already pushed back three times before. So it was probably going to be pushed back again, but wouldn't you know it, it comes to the last days of The Hulk filming and they didn't push it back! It was going to conflict with my first day of Hollywood Nights, my last day of Hulk, but they said we would be done by early 10 O'clock so you'll be out there early for your 3 O'clock appointment with The Hollywood Nights. Well, wouldn't you know it things got delayed. Things got hectic, hassled, harried, I was going nuts. The producer were calling me, cussing me out, telling me your costing me time, your costing me a location move and all that. So finally I begged my way out of there. I tear ass from Santa Monica to Van Nuys in about 20 minutes. They cut my hair, threw me in makeup, threw me on the set. Suddenly I'm doing this scene with Tony Danza to California Dreaming and I hadn't even seen the script yet, right? They didn't have a script, they literally. It happened this fast, they cut my hair, threw me in makeup. Put me on the set, put the sides in my hands and said. I saw the sticks come in and ROLLING. They slapped them, I said your kidding me. I'm looking at my dialog. Ok I got 4 lines. Ok, here comes the camera. I put the sides down, the camera rolls around and I'm with all of these guys who are supposed to be my best friends, who I haven't even met yet. Haven't even looked at my lines, and here comes the camera rolling and it comes around and we film the scene with three cameras rolling. They give me this yellow car, and oddly enough it ended up being one of my best scenes in the movie. Go figure! So about three weeks later I get a letter from the films producer saying that they are suing me for 20 thousand dollars for costing them a location move. But the guy shortly after went nuts, had an emotional breakdown or something. Spent some time in a facility and they dropped the lawsuit, so that’s my happy ending. I don't wish anybody ill health, but in this case, yeehaw! That's great. One of many, many sad and sorted tales of my early efforts. And that right there is one of the bits and pieces that you will get in "Acting and Other Flying Lessons" by Mr. Gary Graham. GARYGRAHAM.COM Order the book, enjoy it and live life by its lessons. This is Chris Staviski and Mr. Brian Corder with Mr. Graham, thank you. Thank You.