Welcome And Guest Introduction

Greg Staffa 0:00

You're listening to the Staffa Corner Podcast, a Staffatarian look at entertainment and life with your host, Greg Staffa. Known in the U.S. for appearing on shows like MacGyver, Shooter, Scorpion, 24 Redemption, one of my favorite shows, Black Sails. He can be seen in the current film How to Make a Killing, which is currently out now, and David, King of Israel, which is out on Fox Nation. Sean, thanks for coming on.

Surviving Pandemic And Industry Strikes

Sean Cameron Michael 0:50

Hey Greg, how's it going, man? I think the last time we spoke was Shooter, uh, when that was uh screening in the States.

Greg Staffa 0:56

Yep, it has been a few years. What's been going on with your life?

International Sets And Accent Work

Sean Cameron Michael 1:01

I think like uh most people in the entertainment industry, you know, since the pandemic, the past, you know, five, six years has been pretty insane. Everybody's sort of trying to figure out how to make money and how to find work. Uh it's been it's been quite an adjustment for everybody. And obviously, yeah, you know, with the pandemic and then obviously, you know, actor strikes and writers' strikes and uh cruise strikes. It's uh it's been very, very challenging. But I you know, I've sort of been fortunate over the past 11 years to spend, you know, most of my time either in South Africa or back and forth to Los Angeles. So I've been able to sort of work in both territories, which has kept me alive.

Greg Staffa 1:42

And we talk about you know actors like Tom Cruise being international film stars, but you really are an international film star. I mean, you are from South Africa, but you have done American movies and television, but you've also done some more international stuff. As an international actor, is there a different perspective that you have with like the American films, or is everything blending together as more American films go national to do their filming?

Sean Cameron Michael 2:13

Yeah, you know, you know, so over the over the decades, um, South Africa has really been uh been a sort of service country, um, facilitating so many, you know, obviously commercials, uh, but certainly a lot of international TV series and movies, you know, have been shot here over the past, you know, three, four decades. So as an actor, sort of starting out in South Africa, um, initially, you know, doing theater work and musicals, and then moving over to TV presenting, and then getting into TV and film, a lot of the productions that I ended up doing were international productions. I seemed to be quite good at sort of picking up accents. So that kind of became my lane, you know, doing either British production productions or American productions. So I've been very fortunate in that sense from a young age, um, you know, really sort of figuring out like you know what my lane is.

Greg Staffa 3:06

I've gotten to know you through the years, and you're one of the nicest guys out there. I've seen your Instagram posts and stuff like that. You love cooking, you love your your you have one dog, correct?

Sean Cameron Michael 3:18

That's correct, yeah. Thank you.

Greg Staffa 3:20

Yet if you look at your IMDB, uh a lot of the shows and stuff that you've done have like die in them or you know, killer this and that. When are we gonna see you in a role where you're like the friendly neighbor next door versus the bad guy in all these things? Because the the Sean I know is not the one that I see on television. And so are you drawn to those kind of roles? The the more darker roles? Are they more challenging? How do you how do you go about choosing a role?

Sean Cameron Michael 3:52

Thanks, Greg. That that's that's very kind of you to say. It's uh it's quite funny when I when I actually sort of meet, you know, fellow actors or fans, you know, and they come up to me and they go, hi, I'm sorry to bother you. Can I just say hi? You know, I loved you in this or I loved you in that or whatever. And then they find that I'm actually quite funny and friendly and down to earth. They're always shocked. And I always say, you know, just because I play idiots and baddies and whatever, I'm not actually a psychopath in real life. I think, you know, the baddie villain roles um over the past sort of two decades. It really is, you know, when I was starting out as an actor, you know, I did a show called This Life, which and I was sort of in my twenties at the time. And that was sort of based on a really successful UK series. And so, you know, I'd been doing TV presenting, and then I was doing This Life, which was kind of Sex in the City meets the practice. And so I was playing this sort of charming heartthrob leading guy or whatever. And um, what what I found was in my 20s, obviously I was just happy to be working. But um as I sort of started, you know, getting older, um I really wanted to sort of sink my teeth into, you know, more sort of dramatic, serious, um, sort of intense characters. And it probably took me about seven or maybe even ten years to really make that transition into plain, you know, serious, intense characters. Um, so it was actually a choice. Um, I think for most actors starting out, you know, you really, you know, you don't want it to be about your six-pack or your cheekbones. You really want it to be about the craft. You really want to be taken seriously as an actor. And so it was um um it was, yeah, it was really a conscious choice to, you know, sort of take on take on more um, you know, serious dramatic roles. Um and so it was helpful sort of finding, you know, my lane or my my type um for casting directors.

Greg Staffa 5:53

And when you're choosing a role, and we talked about how you know you're our international actor, there is a long list of stuff that I recognize, like Scorpion or MacGyver and and stuff that has appeared in the US, but there's a counter list of stuff that's been more international that hasn't really been seen or brought to the US. When you're taking a role, are you looking at it as an international kind of scope? Are you looking for, you know, the next job? How are you kind of sorting out like this is an American role, or are you just looking for whatever's out there and and being the type of actor you are? Does that open more doors for you?

Sean Cameron Michael 6:35

I I I I I think what's sort of been you know important for me, obviously, you know, I I love to work. And and what what I've kind of been um what I've found really interesting, um, for example, in South Africa, you know, we'll have our soapies and our telenovellas, and um you'll get certain actors, you know, who just go from lead role to lead role to lead role. And and when I get to work with them, they're kind of impressed, you know, that I've you know played so many roles and worked on so many productions over the years. And um I've actually really, you know, obviously, you know, as an actor, I love working. Um, but what I love about playing supporting roles is because you know, what what I will do is, you know, I'll read the whole script, figure out where my character features in this, and how I can support those leading characters, you know, what I can give them to help them with their performance or you know, give them something to play with. So, for example, you know, my first really big production was um was 24, you know, with Kiefer Sutherland and Robert Carlisle. And and with that, you know, when I auditioned for that and got a callback and got to meet with the director John Cassar and Howard Gordon, the producer, um, you know, I when I auditioned for that and did the callback, um, I knew exactly, you know, I was playing this French UN worker, and I had a, you know, I was obviously a big fan of Kiefer and obviously of the 24 series. And so when I auditioned for that, I I really went out to be as evil and as bad and as spineless to really make this character um irritate the hell out of Kiefer so that he had had enough ammunition as the hero of the story, you know, to so we could sort of play nicely together. And um, and so that's kind of been my thing is sort of figuring out, you know, who the character is that I'm playing, what place it has in the story, and how I can enhance the story and help those lead characters. And so I think that's really been my sort of gift in that sense. And certainly playing different, being able to play different nationalities, um, you know, um, from French to German or Russian or British or South African or American, it's always been, I've always sort of been intrigued about, you know, what makes these characters tech, you know, what what is sort of the essence of them? And it's it's not, yeah, sure, it is, you know, trying to perfect that accent or that dialect. Um, but also it really is about, you know, who is this person? And so certainly when it comes to, let's say, when I played, let's say, Judson Lovinggood in the Challenge Challenger disaster with William Hurt, you know, that was it was a case of figuring out, okay, cool, you know, can I find any audio footage or any footage of Judson Lovinggood? What does he actually look like? What does he sound like? Where was he born? What is the city that he, you know, that he comes from? And all that sort of stuff sort of um defines or help me, helps me to build a a real living character um that's believable and authentic to an audience. And so that's always been my approach to every project that I take on. And I think that's how I've been fortunate to be able to sustain a career over decades.

Greg Staffa 9:52

Wow. And 24, I would say, and correct me if I'm wrong, was probably your big introduction to the US, followed by black sales. Would that be correct?

Sean Cameron Michael 10:03

Yeah, I mean, the the order of it was actually, yeah, 24, you know, when I got that job, obviously, you know, um I I I think it's I think when it actually it it was the sort of um there was a writer's strike um at that time. So I think it was between season six and seven that there was a gap. And they were worried that they might sort of, you know, Fox was worried that they might, you know, lose lose the audience or the fans of the show. And so that's why they quickly came to South Africa to shoot a movie. And um, and so in that character, yeah. I mean, the New York Times like sort of referred to my character as like one of the most spineless characters um ever created for the show. And so I th I think the the TV movie maybe you know premiered to something like 11 million viewers or something. And um, so I got quite a lot of press out of that. And then after that, I then got to do Challenger Disaster, and then I also got to do Strike Back uh with Charles Downs from Game of Thrones. Um and and then after that um came Black Sales, which was my first sort of big series regular role um, you know, that I worked on for two years. Obviously, you know, that they got to shoot in Cape Town. And that was really the sort of start of my journey um to sort of Hollywood, of you know, then getting my green card, applying for um, you know, residency, and then starting to work internationally, you know, between the states and South Africa.

Greg Staffa 11:32

Tell us a little bit about black sales, because as a viewer, that just seems, I mean, as a male viewer, that just seems like the ultimate playground that I mean you're you're living in this world that they created that I mean the sets just look amazing. What was that kind of experience like as an actor to be on a set like that with those actors and just kind of you're acting and you're doing your job, but there had to be some sort of like childhood kind of fantasy come true for you?

Sean Cameron Michael 12:03

Uh yeah, I mean absolutely, you know, the the sets that they'd built at Cape Town Film Studios, and they'd sort of signed a contract, you know, to shoot there for like five or six years, you know, all the seasons of black sales. And so, you know, just the scale and the size of the entire production. And obviously, it was the first time that Michael Bay was producing, you know, a TV show. And so, you know, getting to work with um this international team of you know, directors and writers and producers, and uh makeup and hair designers and costume designers from around the world, um, and obviously getting to work in these incredible sets and also playing such a cool role. You know, Richard Guthrie, you know, just didn't shut up. You know, he had these monologues, there's sometimes these like six, seven-page monologues that just went on forever. And it was really um very, very exciting for me, you know, just to work with some cool directors like Neil Marshall or um Alex Sakharov. And um, yeah, the scale of it was just so big and um it was very, very challenging at the same time in its own way, because you understand, you know, that there's so many, there's so many producers and you know, people working on the production that um, you know, what I looked like, what I walked like, what I sounded like, the accents, uh the performance, everything was very um, there was a lot of um sort of conversation around that. Um, they had a very clear stars at that time had a very, very clear idea of you know how the they wanted these characters in the show to be perceived. So absolutely, as an actor, it was the you know, the the the job of a lifetime. Um so it really was the big the really the big break for me.

Greg Staffa 13:47

When you do a big thing like black sales, are you able to take another step back and kind of appreciate the moments like that? Or as an actor are you so focused on your role, your performance, and stuff like that that you kind of aren't able to enjoy it till after it's over?

Streaming AI And A Shifting Industry

Sean Cameron Michael 14:05

Oh yeah, no, you're right. I mean, it's it's it is a combination of uh of actually two things. One, you know, because it's a really big production, and obviously, you know, you know, time is money, and there's very sort of little room for error. And also, you know, at the same time, I was very, you know, much aware, you know, that, you know, as as a as series regulars, you know, we'd been handpicked by Michael Bay and the team at stars. So there was a lot of um pressure um on me. And so I knew it was a you know a really big job and a really big opportunity. So I was really sort of laser focused on, you know, on prepping those pages and pages of dialogue. And I I really sort of, you know, sort of rose to the challenge of it. But absolutely, you know, when you're on the sets and uh you're doing these costume changes and putting all these different weird wigs on there, and um, and obviously walking onto those sets or walking onto you know fake beaches or being on pirate ships in, you know, in on on sort of fake dams and green screen, the the size of it was just incredible. And so, yes, you do as a little boy, you look around and you go, Oh my god, this is really big, this is really incredible. But because of those sets and because all the all those details of everything, you know, it's sort of almost sort of little acting is required. You don't have to pretend that you're on a pirate ship or you, you know, you that that world becomes very real, and then you get to play and just enjoy and have fun.

Greg Staffa 15:35

Oh no, as an actor, you I mean, you talked about surviving uh writer strikes and stuff like that. Uh right now we're in the age of streaming where everyone seems to have a streaming service. As an actor, looking at the scope of what's out there, and you know, Apple has their own series and Amazon has their own series, and you have the the major networks with their series and stuff like that. Does that open more choices? And do those more choices does it feel watered down? Do you feel like there's more opportunity for great writing out there? How do you feel like the horizon with all these streaming services, with all the networks and everything like that? How do you feel the choices are? And how do you feel that streaming has influenced positively or negatively?

How Indie Films Survive Now

Sean Cameron Michael 16:23

Uh that's a great question. And, you know, especially, you know, over the last few years, you know, with AI and um, you know, how that's affecting everything. I don't know, Greg. I mean, I'm I'm kind of old school in the sense, you know, because you know, I was, you know, I grew up in a sort of you know theatrical household, you know, where my mom was a dancer and my dad was an opera singer. I know the opera singing, opera singing thing is quite uh quite a thing right now with Timothy Chalamet's comments. But I yes, I really come from a world um of acting where you know it's it's it's this life of artistry and creation, and we're always challenged. Um and also as a freelance actor, you know, having done this for decades, you know, you know, the industry or the or the or life is always going to be challenging. And it's about how we look at it and how we rise to the challenge of it. And so for me, you know, it's always been a roller coaster. So I'm not I'm not really intimidated by AI or the streaming services or where the industry is going. Um, I'm, you know, I've I've a very sort of positive, um, sort of peaceful um outlook on life. And I sort of, you know, go with the the rhythm of the changes of everything. So I am slowly but surely getting more into my sort of writing and producing side of things. So I think at that stage I'm going to be you know more aware of the sort of the lay of the land. But just because you know things are changing so rapidly the whole time, as an actor, you know, we go where the work is, irrelevant if it's going to streaming or if it's going, you know, it's a feature going out theatrically. As actors, we really just want to work. Um, I think the big challenge is obviously, you know, for the creators and the foot for the you know the producers and the networks, I think, you know, they've um, you know, they've got a big responsibility and they have to sort of like you know, sort of figure all of that um that out. But it is it is a scary world, but at the same time, it is challenging and exciting in its own bizarre way.

Greg Staffa 18:28

Along those kind of lines, and when we talked about the streaming and stuff, what do you feel the future is for the industry, not just Hollywood, but as an international actor? I mean, 10-15 years ago, you could make a small low-budget movie that would do, you know, okay in the theaters, but it would find life on DVD or VHS and kind of make up some of that money to kind of balance out. But now we're not seeing that kind of revenue stream anywhere because DVDs are are kind of going by the wayside. Do you think that the industry as far as voices for the smaller independent roles, independent films and stuff like that, is being diminished, or how do you see a way for those to survive?

Sean Cameron Michael 19:16

I've absolutely, you know, over the past 15 years been very much involved in the indie filmmaking side of things as an actor and also, you know, a collaborator and as a writer and as a producer. And it is very challenging. I mean, I know for example, you know, in California, you know, they're trying to sort of you know pass laws or rules to make it a little bit easier for filmmakers, for indie filmmakers, you know, if they've got a very, very low budget, they might not have to, you know, do too much paperwork or pay for permits. So I think as creatives, you know, as actors or writers or producers or as filmmakers, crew, you know, we we're going to carry on making our movies, irrelevant what the budget is, ultimately it's for us, it's the you know, it's the idea of making these projects. And the wherever that project finally lands, whether it's at a it's at a film festival, um, whether it ends up on a streamer, you know, if if we can, I think, you know, where where most um indie filmmakers are at right now is it's okay, guys, let's get together, let's make our indie movie. We're probably only going to have 10 or 12 days to shoot the thing in. We're not maybe initially all gonna get paid any money to do it, but whatever we sell this for, whether it's the tube, Netflix, or whoever, you know, whatever money we can sell this project for, we will then, you know, each get paid something, you know, percentage of. So it is challenging and it is difficult, but I mean, I don't know if, you know, for me, it it's really a case of working on those projects, making those projects, and then finding our audience. It is true that you know, the the landscape has changed. Um, you know, there's even talk that streaming is eventually going to disappear and everything is just going to be YouTube. And even with, you know, verticals now becoming, you know, the big thing, you know, around the world, that becomes challenging. I thought I think that's becomes even more challenging from a creative point of view. And even the, you know, when you hear sort of, you know, Matt Damon or Ben Affleck talk about um, you know, their last movie where they were reminded, you know, every five, 10 minutes, we know we need some sort of exposition for the audience because half the time they're gonna be on their phones anyway. So you have to keep on reminding them where the characters are at, where they're going, what their mission is. So, you know, all those sort of things become challenging. But I I don't know. I mean, I I yeah, and I'm this was sort of a long way of answering the question, but I think human beings, I think an audience, there's always going to be an audience for live theater. There's um, you know, people are gonna want that. There's always gonna be an audience for you know, live musicians, live concerts. Um, I I think if anything, theater and um live you know, music, uh musical productions or um artists. Going out and performing for audiences around the world. I think there's always going to be a need for that. And certainly for your uh maybe for your older generation, they may still want to, you know, go to a movie house, have that, you know, go with the family or friends and have some popcorn and and watch something, you know, fun on a movie screen. So I don't know, it it is a challenge, but but but I I think we're gonna be okay. I hope so.

Greg Staffa 22:25

Oh find a way. Now you mentioned before, not only do you act, uh, but you are also a writer and a producer. Uh you've done stuff like Collision, where you wrote and produced. What made you decide to get on the other end of the camera?

Sean Cameron Michael 22:40

I I had been writing for television, uh, mainly sort of, you know, um in my twenties. I was actually writing for um for TV. And it was more so, you know, children's educational programs and stuff. And I'd written a couple of you know, corporate videos and stuff. And then I I'd actually met up with a with a director in Los Angeles, and he had mentioned that uh, you know, there was a feature film that he wanted to shoot in South Africa. And I then sort of came on board um to sort of help co-write the screenplay for that, you know, being South African and it being a story, you know, a South African story that he was wanting to tell. And then obviously, as a writer, you know, then became an executive producer on that production. Ultimately, as uh as things work out in the universe, I eventually, by the time we actually got to make that movie, I was already working on an Afrikaans um South African local TV series. So I wasn't actually available to play the lead role in the movie that I'd help write, um, which was ridiculous. But that you know, that's just how things work. So yeah, I'm I I'd I'd always loved writing, and it's it's it's one of those interesting things. You know, as an actor, when you've you know read a thousand scripts and you know worked on you know stacks of productions, you you you're automatically you know telling stories in your head, trying to figure out what makes a good, what makes a good story, what makes a good movie or a good TV series. You know, you're really trying to figure out all these characters and you know, you're trying to, as an actor, figure out, you know, what is the motivation for all these characters, you know, what's authentic, what's real, what doesn't make sense, you know, what works, what doesn't work. And so writing has always been there. And, you know, over the years, um, especially over the past seven years, you know, I've I've written quite a couple of screenplays. Um, it's really only the over the past two years that I'm now, you know, heavily focused on these screenplays that I want to produce, um, possibly as co-productions uh between maybe South Africa, the UK, and the USA. And so it really is about collaborating with, you know, with indie filmmakers, producers, and sort of seeing, you know, where the landscape is at um over the course of the next sort of two, three years and where we can potentially take these projects. I think it's also a case of, you know, when work, when there isn't a lot of work, it's kind of one of those things where you kind of need to go out and make your own work, you know, do your own stuff and sort of take control of one's career. And so I think it's a combination of all those things.

Greg Staffa 25:02

We've talked about how you've done, you know, American stuff, you've done international stuff. Is there anything out there that you've done that may not have found because now that we live in the streaming world, it's a lot easier to find stuff you know, Netflix is has Netflix, I think, does a wonderful job at presenting things that most Americans might not never have heard of had it not been for Netflix. Is there something out there that you've done that you wish more Americans could get a glimpse of overwatch that now might be an easier time to find something like that out there?

Sean Cameron Michael 25:39

Yeah, it's it's it's very true what you're saying. You know, when you you know, when you switch on Netflix and you have a look and they sort of recommend, okay, you know, these are the top 10 TV series or these are the top 10 movies, you know, what you might see on you uh in America when you switch to Netflix and what I see in South Africa or what somebody might see in the UK, we're all being presented with uh, you know, with with with different shows. You know, the algorithms are specific to whatever you know you like or don't like. You know, so if I like, let's say, art house films and I don't mind subtitles, um, then I might be um you know directed via the uh the via the algorithm to um I'd be more open to watching something that's French or um South African or um German or whatever. So but there's a lot. There is so much content out there. It's it's it it really is sort of overwhelming, you know, when you go into whether it be Amazon Prime or um or Netflix, you know, there's just so much content out there. And I mean there are there is absolutely you know some indie films and some series that I've done that you know hasn't you know that had some traction, let's say, in South Africa or at some film festivals, but certainly would never really come up in the algorithm of somebody, let's say, sitting in the States. I mean, the one thing is a is uh is a TV series um that we did for Netflix uh called Ludic, where it was myself and Arnold Fossler. Um sort of he was the hero and I was the sort of main antagonist. And that was shot in South Africa and it was like a really, really fun action um sort of Ray Donovan type um TV series. And yeah, so I mean that went out on Netflix and did pretty okay in South Africa and maybe in one or two other countries around the world. But I I don't think it really landed in that sense to for an American audience because it was, let's say, South African, or because a lot of the dialogue was, let's say half the dialogue was Afrikaans, so essentially a foreign language. And also, you know, a lot of a lot of that um dialogue had been dubbed. And like in the case of Ludic, um, I wasn't available to actually dub my own voice. Even though my character was Irish, they wanted uh they thought that my Irish accent uh you know might be too weird for an international audience, whatever. So even that had to be dubbed into something that was more plain or more American or whatever. So yeah, something like Ludic, you know, if you do a search on it, you'll you will find on a Netflix. But you know, ideally, what you know, I would say, you know, try and watch it in its original language with subtitles, but that that's a bit of a, you know, that's a bit of a big ask for an audience. So yeah, so Ludic is something, you know, that I did. And then there's other indie movies like Broken Darkness Um and The Last Victims, uh, which I think were on Amazon Prime at one point. So, you know, th those are two other projects that I've done. But yeah, it's uh you know, as I said, there's just so much content out there, and um I can understand why audiences you know might not get to see stuff that um you know that we've let's say worked so hard on.

Greg Staffa 28:44

As Americans, I think it's safe to say that we kind of live in our own bubble. It's easy to look inward and look at films that are successful based on how they do in the US, you know, the dollar amount in the US, and we kind of forget that there's a whole another world out there. When you do a project that is international but doesn't quite hit the US market, what are kind of your barometers for success?

Landing How To Make A Killing

Sean Cameron Michael 29:15

That's that's also a great question. You're really good at this, Greg. My my barometer for success is being able to work and make a living as an actor and to, you know, to to get to do what I love. Um the fact that I've been able to do that professionally, you know, since my teens, I, you know, that that is my barometer of success. You know, my my job, you know, is acting. It's it's what I love, and it's getting to work with you know other cool actors and directors and producers and and make projects and and bring characters to life. But ultimately, you know, how those projects are edited, how they if they find an audience or don't find an audience, unfortunately, I I've I don't you know I have no control over that. And so I can't really put you know too much energy into that. I mean, another show that I did was something called Blood Drive that I was very, very excited about, you know, um, and that went out on you know the sci-fi network. And unfortunately, once again, you know, it it didn't really um it found it had its sort of own fan um fan base, um, but it was it wasn't highly publicized. Um, you know, there wasn't a lot of press um for Blood Drive out there. I do I do think James Roland and the producers are trying to, you know, sort of get the rights back to try and get it back onto, you know, or try and get it onto like Netflix or another streamer. Uh, but Blood Drive is something that I'm very, very excited, that you know, that was very excited to do a couple of years ago. Because it's a really, a really sort of fun, um, over-the-top crazy um post-apocalyptic, very sort of Quentin Tarantino crazy um series in a sense. But yeah, you know, I I can, you know, I my barometer for happiness or success is just getting to work. But ultimately, where where it goes, how it's perceived by an audience, you know, I've I have very little control over those things. So I can't put too much energy into it. That said, at the same time, obviously, if something you know is successful and it resonates with certain audiences, then that's amazing. You know, for uh a good example of that is something like The Mummy. So in the Mummy, you know, Tom Cruise, Russell Crowe, they were doing reshoots in LA, and I got to um play the part of an archaeologist. You know, my agent um at the time picked up the phone to me and said, Look, there's this Tom Cruise Tom Cruise Russell Crowe movie, a remake of The Mummy. Would you like to play the archaeologist? It's only like one day's work. Um, no, you're not gonna get to meet Tom and Russell, but you're gonna get to work in a Tom Cruise movie. And I was like, oh my God, uh, yeah. Are you kidding me? Of course. And um, you know, even something like The Mummy, which wasn't necessarily, you know, critically well received, you know, um, but you know, it's um it made something like you know, half a billion dollars at the global box office. So, you know, that that was successful. And for me, it was just the idea of you know working on a big movie with A-listers, you know. So that that you know, that's that's cool for me. And it's the same now with um, you know, with how to make a killing, you know, getting to work on that.

Greg Staffa 32:25

Yep, let's get to that. How to make a killing, currently out right now. Tell us a little bit about how you got involved in that and what made you decide to take that role.

Sean Cameron Michael 32:34

Yeah, I mean, my agent um gave me a call about this movie shooting in South Africa that was being made by um Studio Canal in 824, and that um John Patton Ford was directing um uh on a screenplayer that he had written. And um obviously I, well, I knew of John Patton Ford because of Emily the Criminal Criminal, which I had loved. And then I also heard obviously, you know, that Glenn Powell and Ed Harris and Margaret Qually and Jessica Henrick who were attached to this movie. And I was like, um, okay, uh, yeah, I want to audition. I'm very excited. You know, I I thought, my, you know, my goodness, you know, um, it's it's so exciting, you know, as an actor, you you always wonder, you know, am I ever going to get to work in an A24 movie? Am I ever ever going to get to work with certain legends in the industry? And so, yeah, with um How to Make a Killing, at that time the movie was called Huntington. It was based on a screenplayer that uh John Patton Ford had written, you know, 10 years ago, and was now finally getting the opportunity to you know bring this movie to life. And so I auditioned from the movie for the part of The Butler. And it was um initiated, um, you know, the it was just like you know, two short audition scenes, and it was quite a small role. Um, and um, and then I got a call from my from my agent, and she said, Look, a new um draft of the screenplay has come out, and the butler's still there, but it doesn't have any dialogue. How do you feel about this? And I was like, Well, it's an A24 movie and it's Ed Harris, you know, my God. Um, obviously, you know, I I really, you know, want to do it. And then she and then she said to me, Um, look, um, the director would like to jump in a call with you. You know, would you be open to that? I was like, sure. And so, yeah, John called me and said to me, Look, Sean, you know, this character, the butler, he is, you know, he is sort of like, you know, part of the fabric of the whole storyline, you know, which spans decades. And, you know, we um he sort of joins the different timelines um of the movie together. Um, you know, he's the butler at the mansion, the Redfella Mansion, you know, with Ed Harris. And but we first meet him in the beginning of the movie with Glen Powell's mother, who, you know, falls pregnant. And so that's when we first meet the butler. And then later on, a young version of Glenn Powell comes to the mansion and then meets my character, who's sort of in his 30s. And then later on in the story, when Glenn Powell then returns to this mansion, now 20 years later or 30 years later, there I am. The butler's still there, you know. And yeah, the and then also then later on in the movie, you know, you also um find out that once again the butler's now um now working for Margaret Qually's character. So, you know, John just explained to me that the character was pivotal to the story to sort of you know link all those different timelines together. So for the audience, that would help the audience understand, you know, the the the layout of the of the whole structure.

Greg Staffa 35:42

It's not always about the dialogue, but sometimes just the presence can be an important role in and of itself.

Sean Cameron Michael 35:49

Absolutely. And then, you know, get into you know, get into, you know, you know, booking the job and and getting to work on it for a couple of weeks. And uh, you know, the the sort of redfellow mansion, um, which was based on a um, you know, a mansion um, I think in New York somewhere, they'd actually, you know, built the exterior, the facade of that mansion on it. They'd built the set for a couple of weeks um in Cape Town, in Stalambosch, and uh they would be shooting there like for one night, and um, you know, for exterior shots of this mansion. And um when I when I arrived on set, and it was just it, it was it was absolutely mind-boggling. Um, you know, there was rain machines, there was all these lighting rigs, and I was standing with Glenn Powell and John Patton Ford, and we were standing and looking at the set. And I sort of turned to John and I said to him, Did you ever imagine 10 years ago when you had written the screenplay that, you know, a decade later you would be standing in Cape Town, you know, and actually making the movie. And he was like, uh, no. Um it was it was really um very, very um exciting. And then obviously then getting to work um, you know, directly with with Glenn Powell and with Ed Harris, you know, that there's one wonderful sort of anecdotes of, you know, where the the director's blocking a scene with Glenn and with Ed and myself, and I'm sort of, you know, serving them dinner and pouring them wine. And Ed Harris turns to me and he goes, and this is sort of in the blocking in a rehearsal. Ed turns to me and he goes, Thank you, Charles. Your name is now Charles. You know, we've uh you've been my butler for 20 years. We have history. And sort of the director John sort of turns to me and goes, Okay, cool, your character's now Charles. You know, so there's this beautiful moments um, you know, like that. And it really, you know, as I'd said before, you know, it's the making of the movie. It's those experiences, it's those experiences of working on these sets, working with these, with these wonderful actors and these really, really passionate um, you know, team um of um, you know, things like you know, makeup artists who haven't to age me from you know 30s to late 50s, and uh production teams and set builders and crew and the just you know the hundreds of people you know involved in actually bringing something to life is is just you know such an incredible um experience. And I I you know hashtag blessed.

David King Of Israel And What’s Next

Greg Staffa 38:26

That I was an extra for a month on a film, and just hearing you talking about the the behind the scenes stuff, Hollywood and filmmaking is such a magical thing that I think a lot of us have kind of forgotten about. To be able to step back and watch how a film is put together and how all of it comes together from the lighting to the to the directing and the actors is uh a magical thing to be a part of, and just hearing you talking about that and learning you know the butler's name and how that came about is just I think something that that's why I like doing these podcasts is because you get a little insight into that and it just really shows the highlight of the the film industry and the magic that it has. Wrapping things things up, the other thing you have going on is David King of Israel. Uh tell us a little bit about that and what brought you to that.

Sean Cameron Michael 39:22

Yeah, um I I uh I I met the director David L. Cunningham, and you know, I I met him, I'd auditioned um for how um for David King of Israel, and um he said to me, Look, you know, it's a miniseries. Um I want you to play Commander Abner, who is King Saul's sort of right-hand man. Um he's not um uh such a big featured character in the in the in season one, but certainly becomes you know a much um larger character in season two, um, if we get to make that. And um so yeah, you know, I I'd done things, you know, um sort of period pieces like Black Sails, and then I'd also done something before for I think um it was ABC, you know, I'd I'd done something called Kings and Prophets. And so um I sort of understood that world really well. And and so when it came to David King of Israel, absolutely, I was I was very excited. Um, there was also shooting in Cape Town um on locations all over Cape Town. So I got to work on that, you know, for a couple of weeks. And that um, yeah, it was a really, really cool experience. And uh now that it's out on Fox Nation, yeah, you know, we apparently it's been you know really well received by you know by Fox. They're really, really happy with the show. There's maybe talks of a season two, which would be very exciting if that happens. So yeah, it was really, you know, cool working once again with so many, you know, so many hundreds of you know, um, cast and crew and people coming together to you know to make something that they really believed in and that they were passionate about.

Greg Staffa 40:54

And is there anything else that you can tease coming up that you're in that you're able to talk about?

Cooking Favorites And Identity In The Mirror

Sean Cameron Michael 41:00

Yeah. Okay, well, there's one movie that I can't talk about, uh, but it's also an indie movie um that was uh an American indie movie that we shot in Cape Town about a year ago or nine months ago, which is in sort of um post-production at the moment. So that will hopefully hit festivals um in the States later this year. And then the other one is a South African indie movie that the trailer's gonna be dropping probably in the next two weeks. That will probably also do a festival run. Uh, that one's called This Is How the World Ends, which I think is quite uh quite appropriate considering what's happening in the world right now. I've sort of seen snippets of it thus far, and it really looks amazing. It's uh directed by Rob DeSantos, who I'd worked with on a short film called A Moment, and um um he's really, really a very, very exciting, you know, indie filmmaker. So yeah, this is how the world ends. Yeah, the trailer will drop in the next two weeks or so. Um, so yeah, I'm very I'm very excited about that one. It's gonna be quite a visionary sort of uh just from the look of it, it's gonna be a very dreamy, exciting visual audio, crazy ride.

Greg Staffa 42:16

Well, we'll look for that trailer. Wrapping things up, and again I appreciate you coming on. Just have two quick questions for you. For a while you were a club, and your food stuff that you've made and posted on various social media is amazing. If you could only make one meal for the rest of your life, what would be your go-to meal?

Sean Cameron Michael 42:38

My go-to meal? I'm I'm actually kind of boring in that sense.

Greg Staffa 42:43

I've seen your food, and the food that you make and stuff like that is not here's another burger that I'm eating, it's you make some exclusive stuff.

Sean Cameron Michael 42:52

Oh, thanks, thanks, man. Yeah, I mean, I really do. Um uh many years ago, I was actually a chef for a few years, and so that's when I sort of learned to cook. And it was always it was uh it was a sort of a career path that I contemplated for a second actually going into. But when I realized the amount of hard work and you know, giving your life to that, and you know, not really it not really being a very financial, you know, career to go into, it's it's something that I that I haven't really pursued. I have thought about maybe doing my own YouTube channel of sort of doing my own home cooked meals. But to answer your question, um I actually like I actually like making things like burritos and you know stuff like that. You know, I I like um I like sort of coordinating, it's it's sort of exciting for me making you know, lasagnas or burritos where you're you know doing sort of stir fries and you've got all your you know your lettuce and your tomatoes and your your chilies and your um you know and and combining and creating these these things. So yeah, I mean beef lasagnas or chicken lasagnas, um, burritos, uh what else? Um yeah, but those are sort of my go tos that that I love playing with.

Greg Staffa 44:00

I certainly want some lasagna. Final question. Uh, when we talk about you, we often associate the things that you've done. It's Sean Michael Cameron from Scorpion or 24 Redemption, it's Sean Cameron Michael from Black Sales, it's Sean and Michael Cameron from this and that. But when you wake up in the morning, you go into the bathroom, you splash a little water on your face and look in the mirror for the first time each day. Who is it that you see?

Sean Cameron Michael 44:29

Who uh once again, another great question. I I look in the mirror and I actually see myself as a sort of survivor. Um I see myself as somebody who's who's happy, who's at peace with himself, who knows who he is as an actor, but also as a person. Um I very much, I know this sounds like very, you know, sort of issue, but um, you know, I very much come from a place of you know peace and friendship and love. And and I try to, you know, embrace everything that is beautiful about life. So I love, you know, I love spending time with my dog, you know, out at, you know, walking in eco parks or out in the forest or on the beach. Um I I try to sort of see, you know, the beauty everywhere, whether it be butterflies or birds or um the you know, walking along, you know, streams. I uh I'm really, you know, I'm really about family and close friends and about connection. And that that's kind of the world that I I live in. And acting and writing is something that I that I do for fun as a career. But that's really who I am as a person.

Greg Staffa 45:44

Nice. Well, Sean, thank you so much for coming on. I hope to talk to you sooner rather than later, uh, because it's been a few years since we last talked. But glad to hear that you're doing well and looking forward to seeing all the projects that you're working on. And thank you so much for coming on.

Sean Cameron Michael 46:00

You're very welcome. Thank you so much, Greg. And uh let's uh let's chat again when I have some more updates. Looking forward to it.