Ricky Schroder (RS)<\/strong>: Well, it was my daughter Cambrie\u2019s first film, and I wanted the entire family to have a great experience. That was really the driving force and the goal behind \u2018Our Wild Hearts,\u2019 as well as bringing attention to the plight of the wild mustangs in the west. They\u2019re an important, symbolic piece of American history. That\u2019s what we set out to do, and I hope we achieved it.<\/p>\n
SY: \u2018Our Wild Hearts\u2019 follows Willow, a young teenager, who pays a surprise visit to her father, Jack, a rugged cowboy who has no idea he\u2019s a father. What was the preparation process like? Did you do any particular research for the story before you began writing?<\/p>\n RS<\/strong>: My daughter and wife, Andrea and Cambrie, came to me with the concept for \u2018Our Wild Hearts.\u2019 They wrote it down and pitched it to me, and I liked it a lot right away. I sat down and wrote the first draft. As I write, of course I do research on the issues involved with wild horses.<\/p>\n But the core of the movie is the story of a father and daughter getting to know each other for the first time. One of the unexpected surprises of that is that I thought I really knew my daughter, and I thought my family really knew me. But truthfully, during the process of working together, we got to know each other in a deeper, more meaningful way.<\/p>\n My kids have known me as an actor their whole lives, but they never worked with me. So they never really understood what dad did as an actor or writer or director. I never got to see my kids or my wife in a work environment, so the production was actually very smooth. I treated them like crew or cast members, and they treated me like a director and a producer.<\/p>\n But with the editing, it was more challenging, with the music and things like that, as my wife and I have very strong opinions. Sometimes, she\u2019d want things one way, and I\u2019d want things another, so that\u2019s where we would have to be more delicate and balanced on people\u2019s feelings.<\/p>\n SY: Besides co-writing the screenplay, you also directed the film. Was it always your intention to helm the film as you were writing? Do you feel that being a writer helped you in your directorial duties on the set?<\/p>\n RS<\/strong>: Writing the script absolutely helps you produce and direct the film. As you write something, you understand how many days you\u2019ll have to shoot, and how many locations you can have, and what the budget is. So you can actually custom and tailor the script as you write it, to the practical realities of production. So I think the film very much benefited from me being the writer and the director.<\/p>\n SY: Like you mentioned, besides directing, writing and acting in the film, you also served as a producer. Do you feel that serving as a producer helped you in your creative process on the set, as a director and actor?<\/p>\n RS<\/strong>: Absolutely, although sometimes you have to put on the producer hat, and then take off the producer hat and put on the director hat. Sometimes those hats have conflicts, as the director always wants more time and budget, and the producer always wants less time and budget. When you wear both hats, you have to deal with that dynamic.<\/p>\n SY: Besides writing and directing the movie, you also starred as Jack in \u2018Our Wild Hearts.\u2019 What was the experience of also starring in the film, especially working with your daughter on the set?<\/p>\n RS<\/strong>: Well, it was a wonderful experience. I had a great time working with my entire family, and especially Cambrie. By working with her, I got to know Cambrie in ways that I didn\u2019t know. I knew she was a good student and she worked hard in school. When I saw her on set, she showed up every day prepared, knowing her lines. She was happy and kind to everyone around her, which really warmed my heart.<\/p>\n I got to know Cambrie, and the character of Jack got to know Willow, so I kind of felt like Jack, getting to know a part of my daughter that I really didn\u2019t know before. My family, like I said, has never gotten to work with me, so they got to know me in a way in which they hadn\u2019t seen me. I feel like I earned some of their respect in a way that I hadn\u2019t before.<\/p>\n SY: You shot the movie on the same ranch where \u2018Little House on the Prairie\u2019 was filmed. How was it working with the horses and on the ranch for the movie?<\/p>\n RS<\/strong>: Well, that ranch is wonderful. Unfortunately, the town of \u2018Little House\u2019 burned down in a fire years ago, but the landscape is beautiful.<\/p>\n The horses are just wonderful creatures to be around and work with. They do have certain challenges they come with; they are large and can be dangerous if they\u2019re not in the right environment. They are a prey animal, so they think everything wants to eat them. So you have to work around the horses\u2019 behavior. Sometimes horses have great days, and sometimes they don\u2019t, just like people. So you have to be prepared to have a cover set. If the horse isn\u2019t doing what you need it to be doing, you have to give it a break and come back an hour later and try again.<\/p>\n SY: ARC Entertainment is distributing \u2018Our Wild Hearts\u2019 on VOD and DVD. With many independent and smaller films being released on VOD, as opposed to having a big theatrical release, are you a fan of the medium? Do you think home release is the future of smaller films?<\/p>\n RS<\/strong>: Absolutely. There are so many great quality projects that just never make it to the big screen. Now you can sit in your house and order films on your TV or laptop. Filmmakers and documentary filmmakers and short filmmakers can get their material seen. So it\u2019s a wonderful opportunity to get films to the consumer and audience. RS<\/strong>: It was wonderful. They\u2019re great partners and people there. They supported and promoted the film. I\u2019d like to work with them again. Who knows, maybe we can even work on a sequel for \u2018Our Wild Hearts.\u2019<\/p>\n SY: How did audiences react and respond to the film after it premiered? Did you receive any feedback from audiences?<\/p>\n RS<\/strong>: Oh, absolutely. The movie was the second-highest rated Hallmark Movie Channel film ever, so we were very proud of that fact. I heard from a lot of people that it\u2019s a great family and action adventure film, and it had beautiful scenery and great performances. So the feedback has been incredibly positive.<\/p>\n SY: You previously have written and directed several movies, including \u2018Hellhounds\u2019 and \u2018Black Cloud.\u2019 How was working on \u2018Our Wild Hearts\u2019 similar to, and different from, your previous writing and directorial efforts? What lessons did you bring to this movie that you learned from your earlier films?<\/p>\n RS<\/strong>: Every time you get behind the camera and call action and work as a director, you learn things. One of the things I learned a lot is time management. Time is your biggest obstacle and adversary you face when you\u2019re making a film. I think I\u2019ve gotten more efficient. When you realize that you\u2019ve got what you need from a scene or shot, it\u2019s time to move on. Don\u2019t waste time.<\/p>\n \u2018Our Wild Hearts\u2019 is similar to the first movie I wrote and directed, \u2018Black Cloud,\u2019 in the sense that they\u2019re both set in the west, and they both involve wild horses. They both have beautiful scenery and real characters who are relatable and likeable.<\/p>\n Every time you do a project, you learn more and more about how you can communicate better with your cast, and how you can lead by example, and how to get the best out of your entire crew. So it\u2019s constant learning, so that\u2019s why I wanted to write, direct and produce; I\u2019ve been an actor since I was seven-years-old. But I wanted a new challenge and frontier and adventure.<\/p>\n Projects like \u2018Our Wild Hearts\u2019 and \u2018Black Cloud,\u2019 and most recently, \u2018Starting Strong,\u2019 the army reality show I executive produced for the U.S. Army that\u2019s on FOX right now, and the Army\u2019s YouTube channel, give me opportunities to try new things. They also allowed me to challenge myself and my family in new ways.<\/p>\n SY: Speaking of the reality show, you made a name for yourself as an actor throughout your life by appearing on such series as \u2018Silver Spoons\u2019 and \u2018NYPD Blue.\u2019 What is it about television that you enjoy so much?<\/p>\n RS<\/strong>: I love performing and being on set. I grew up there, and that\u2019s where I feel most comfortable. I like series because you get to dig in with a character. You get to live in that character\u2019s shoes for several years or more, and you can really do some great work on television. Some of the best of my career, I believe, has been on \u2018NYPD Blue,\u2019 and I\u2019m very proud of it. I like good writing, and whatever format it is, whether it\u2019s comedy or drama, I just like it.<\/p>\n SY: Do you have any upcoming projects lined up, whether acting, directing, writing or producing, that you can discuss?<\/p>\n RS<\/strong>: I\u2019m developing a couple things and some screenplays, but nothing is lined up. That\u2019s one of the joys of being in this business; you never know what\u2019s next. You can make plans all you want, but things come out of left field. You just take opportunities as they come. You can plan all you want, but it doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s going to happen.<\/p>\n Written by: Karen Benardello<\/a><\/p>\n
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\nSY: The film premiered on Saturday, March 9 as a Hallmark Movie Channel Original Movie. How did your relationship with Hallmark come about-how did you decide to air the movie on the network?<\/p>\n
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