Interview With a Film Star: David Paulus

Trevor Wells: Thank you for this opportunity to speak with you, David! I'm so glad you reached out after coming across my review of Best Thanksgiving Ever. So, to start us off, let's go back to the beginning: what first got you into acting/filmmaking?

David Paulus: I was fascinated with the art of acting and film since my earliest memories growing up in Southfield, Michigan. One could say that films like Young Frankenstein, Star Wars and Peter Sellers’ Pink Panther series practically raised me. There was a lot of mimicry growing up...essentially acting out whatever I saw on the screen to a captive audience of family members or friends at any given time. That evolved into me being a bit of a class clown throughout my time in school.

I always had the ability to make the people around me laugh. Not just family and friends, but even strangers. With all that said, there was never a conscious notion that I would ever move to Hollywood to become an actor. But somehow, the possibility was always floating somewhere in the back of my mind that I could if not should be one. And when the stars of circumstance were aligned a couple years after college, I decided that it was now or never to explore the "could".

That’s how I ended up in New York and ultimately LA. It was always about acting for the first several years. However, when you actually become immersed in that world and begin to understand what the entertainment industry really is and how it actually works (what’s involved and what must be sacrificed besides the talent or lack thereof), it eventually becomes apparent that one needs to do more than just show up with their hand out asking for a chance. That’s what prompted me to begin writing and ultimately led to developing and creating Best Thanksgiving Ever. It didn’t happen because I planned it, it happened because it was necessary.

Trevor Wells: Awesome origin story, and I'm glad you were able to chase after your childhood dream! So, over the course of this wild career journey, what's your all-time favorite acting/filming moment (either while doing Best Thanksgiving Ever or elsewhere?) Favorite co-star you've met along your way?

David Paulus: I have had the good fortune to work on moderate and big budget films, as well as several TV productions. In each instance, the experience of being on set and seeing how the “machine” works was gratifying and special, especially the first few. It just feels official and you want more of it every time you get an opportunity. With all that said, the first day of filming BTE takes the cake.

It was 6:30 am in downtown LA at the Harold Examiner Building. This used to be a newspaper mill that was converted into soundstages for filming. A place where thousands of notable and lesser-known productions were shot over decades. I’ll never forget the feeling walking on set for the first time with my co-stars. We were called to set from a holding area on a different floor. A PA got the call and then lead us to an elevator. The emotional charge was overwhelming to the point that I was on the brink of tears. So many questions careened through my mind…mostly about if this would work the way we thought.

We walked through a tight hallway and as we approached the dining room set, it almost felt like we were astronauts walking that long walk, through corridors and bridges, eventually entering the space shuttle. I know it sounds weird, but that’s the best way I could describe it. As we got closer, I began to see the dining table and its surrounding environment covered by lighting equipment, wires all over the floor, the cameras and production staff all moving with purpose getting everything ready. It was the coolest thing I’d ever experienced in my career to that point. And when we actually began to shoot the first scene of the production, all the questions and nerves I had were put at ease because it felt like we were in fact doing something special. It all went so well. Timing was fire, the performances were great…it felt perfect.

In terms my favorite co-star, I have met so many of the biggest names on and off set. Let alone working with a titan like Tyler Perry on his film I Can Do Bad All by Myself. I got to act with Gladys Knight, who is a bit of a Detroit legend in the music world. I also got to work with Taraji P. Henson on that film. I’d worked with Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson on a Mario Van Peebles film called All Things Fall Apart. He couldn’t have been nicer. Just a good dude. I’d have to say though, Eric Roberts on BTE was pretty amazing, given that I grew up watching his various action films through the 80’s. Being around a guy who has been a part of so many amazing works throughout his career was pretty special.

An honorable mention, though, would have to go to some lesser-known actors that were large contributors to BTE. Amongst those were people like Jayden Lund who played Uncle Bruce, Tate Hanyok who played the character of Margret, and one of my absolute favorites was E.J. Callahan who played America’s Guest in the opening scene. If you only could have been there on location that day to see how much hilarious material we shot but couldn’t use from his performance. Small part, but so funny and so well done. It fills me with such joy every time I see so many of these performances in the film. They really did a fantastic job.

Trevor Wells: You've definitely worked with some talented stars! And knowing Eric Roberts from his work for Lifetime, I can share in your adoration. Speaking of, I have to ask: what was the story behind getting him on-board for the film? He definitely stands out as the most recognizable name of the cast.

David Paulus: Eric Roberts has had a vast career in Hollywood. Though he was more of an icon in the 80’s through the mid 90’s, he is still very active today with several credits on projects in development every year. In recent years, he has so many films he’s involved with that some see him as a very attainable name to attach to films of nearly any budget.

As far as why we wanted him for BTE and how it came to pass, it wasn’t so much that he was the only name we could attract through our casting director, Corbin Bronson. We had other options to bring in. It was more that the character of Rod was based on a real-life friend of mine and Eric Roberts was a perfect fit for what we were looking for. So, to actually be in the position to have a talent like Eric Roberts was definitely a bit of a thrill. We wanted him and we got him!

Trevor Wells: Excellent! He was definitely a great choice and a treat to see in the film. But back to you: you mentioned how were involved with Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All by Myself. According to IMDB, it was your first ever acting role, so I'm wondering: how was that experience like?

David Paulus: I Can Do Bad wasn’t my first time on set. I had done several episodes on Days of Our Lives, which was a great opportunity to start out with. Seeing a set and how they put a production like that together that had aired for so many years before I ever got to be a part of it was pretty awesome. Having said that, I Can Do Bad was pretty damn cool from the onset. It was truly a first class experience. After meeting Mr. [Tyler] Perry in LA, he’d taken a liking to me and offered me the opportunity to play a small role in that film. I was flown to Atlanta as it was filmed at Tyler Perry Studios. It was such a powerful experience. It felt so good to finally be getting a chance to work on that level. It was kind of depressing coming back to LA, not knowing when the next job would come. In fact, it was in that gap of time when I began writing, which ultimately led to developing BTE.

Trevor Wells: Cool! I can only imagine how exciting it all was. And since you mention that experience leading into your writing BTE, let's get into the meat of things: how did your Thanksgiving comedy and debut as a writer and producer come to be?

David Paulus: Believe it or not, as the first frame of the film says, BTE is in fact based on true events. It happened on Thanksgiving in 2008. My brother was supposed to come to LA to spend the holiday with me and a couple of his friends from college. However, at the last second, he had to cancel his trip, which is certainly another movie on its own. So, I ended up entertaining his friends who (at the time) lived in California. Basically, the entire scene in the guesthouse, following dinner in the film, happened verbatim in real life. It was so ridiculous and over the top that it was emblazoned in my mind. I wasn’t writing at that point in my career. However, I did go ahead and write that scene based on the “real life” experience.

Towards the end of 2009, I’d met Marlon Wayans at a restaurant I had been working at. I’d asked him for whatever advice he’d have for an aspiring actor like myself. He basically said that to have a chance in Hollywood, I had to start writing...it’s the only way. That nobody was going to give me my shot, I’d have to create it. He went so far as to suggest around five different books to read that would help get me started. I took that advice and ran with it and as I began to understand the process and form of writing a screenplay, I slowly began to develop BTE to where it got close to being the film you would eventually find yourself reviewing.

As far as producing, I never intended to take a producer credit on the film. People kept complimenting me on what a great job I was doing producing while we were filming, which I didn’t really understand because we had a guy for that role. What I was doing was just making sure that everyone had whatever they needed to do their respective jobs to the best of their ability. I had the final say on most decisions, for better or worse, throughout the entire production. But apparently, the things that I was doing out of a sense of obligation to the production, was in fact “producing.” With all that said, what I went through in post-production (which took the better part of four years) is what prompted me to take a share of producing credit.

It was a dark and hard-fought time getting the film through post, however. I wasn’t about to let the production fall apart without having its say in the marketplace. I guess you could say that we’re playing the long game with whether the film is ultimately deemed a success or failure. The fact that most films, especially of this budget level, never see the light of day says something. For its warts, BTE did in fact make it to market and is available for people to experience, so I sleep easy at night feeling like there is an inherent success in that.

Trevor Wells: Knowing what scene you're talking about, I can't even imagine what it must've been like experiencing that for real! And AWESOME that you could get such quality advice from a comedy legend. Something that appealed to me about BTE is that it was a complete departure from the Thanksgiving-set films I had covered before it. Was that something you were going for from the start?

David Paulus: This is a great question that speaks to a larger convention involving things like clichés and plot devices in past and modern filmmaking. A criticism that you’d had and that was debated in different stages of script development was, you could just as easily take out the mention of Thanksgiving or the turkey and you’d basically have had the same film. In other words, Thanksgiving wasn’t an important element of it at all.

I don’t necessarily disagree with that notion. However, the fact is the true inspiration for the film did take place on Thanksgiving. And for that matter, as easy as it was to dismiss the Thanksgiving theme from the story, I found it just as plausible to in fact maintain it. I never really set out to make a “holiday film” as it were. And most holiday films have similar elements that cater to romantic comedy, family matters and clichés inherent within those themes--often times rated PG. I wanted to speak to the modern “friendsgiving” construct that is a very real idea.

I am one of millions that live in big cities in this country that don’t often make it to their hometowns to celebrate certain holidays as tradition would dictate. So, with that, inhibitions are down and dare I say, some weird s%$& can happen. Does that make BTE prolifically better than those other kinds of films I mentioned? Absolutely not. Does it make BTE its own artistic interpretation of a sincere comedy that speaks to a modern audience? I feel it does.

Trevor Wells: I can definitely see your point, especially about friendsgivings. And with current circumstances regarding COVID-19, friendsgivings are probably going to be even more of a commonality. But now that you've opened the door, let's go deeper into my BTE criticisms. As you might've seen in my review, my biggest issues had to do with the pacing (which I found uneven) and the humor (which I thought didn't always hit the mark). What's your take on that?

David Paulus: The criticisms of the pacing and some of the humor are well founded. It started out, as mentioned before, as a scene (the guest house). That evolved into a compellation of other scenes like: the dinner scene, the Sam Robertson car scene, and more which culminated in a compilation of funny “scenes”--but lacking any kind of backbone to string a coherent story arc together. So eventually, with help, we got to having more of a story arc with Kevin (Jay Seals) and his plight being the story that all this debauchery was strung together by.

I knew before we shot the film that I hadn’t exactly written the great American screenplay. However, I inherently believed that being a dialogue-driven comedy, a lot of the uneven pacing or imbalanced scene lengths would be offset by the great performances given by an otherwise exceptional cast. We really had some great performances by some lesser-known actors. And that’s what makes BTE work in my opinion. But it’s all subject to interpretation. When it comes to pacing and the questionable humor alike, there are two kinds of audiences: moviemakers and moviegoers. The formulaic pacing and story conventions that are inherent in so many older and current films can often times translate to a collective eyeroll by moviegoers because they have had it beaten into their heads that “this is what’s to be expected” in certain films… rom-com goes this way, dramady goes that way, etc.

I certainly didn’t want to follow in that tradition. It’s not that there are no clichés in BTE. However, there are such things as good clichés and bad clichés. Ultimately, what the acting side of the business has taught me is, “The audience will justify it.” And largely, that has been true. As far as the humor is concerned, it’s certainly not for everyone. There are certain things that I’m sure made you laugh that also appeal to the masses. Then, there are subtle jokes or comedic elements that I knew would only make a few people laugh. And I kept them in the film for those people. Having said all that, this is a film that gets better with every subsequent viewing. There is so much dialogue that watching it on a phone or tablet doesn’t do justice to what’s really going on there.

I wrote it, so in some respects, BTE is the comedy world according to me. I certainly don’t think I intended to have the amount of crass humor that ultimately ended up on the screen. But what I did intend to do is push the envelope and go where many (if not all modern) comedic films are afraid to go in an otherwise PC climate. Much of what’s in BTE are not foreign concepts to audiences. People know many of these crass or lower-brow elements exist, but nobody talks about them. We do, and I think that’s what delights supporters of the film to date. We went where virtually no modern comedies are willing to go. We held several test screenings through various stages of editing, and that was a big takeaway. Furthermore, even to my surprise, the film resonated rather positively with women. And I think that came from the strong female performances amidst some tough material. Without those performances, the film wouldn’t have worked at all.

Trevor Wells: I agree that the performances were very well-done, and I can recall what you mean about the female performances from BTE. They definitely served as a grounding force for all the zany chaos. But as much as I liked your performance as Brad, you probably noticed in my review that I wasn't the biggest fan of Brad himself. He had his moments, but overall, he was too much of a self-centered jerk for my liking--especially since it felt like the movie ends without him atoning for anything. What do your thoughts on Brad/what you were going for with his character?

David Paulus: I actually watched the film last night for the first time in a while. I totally respect how you received Brad as a character. It’s been a mixed bag. Some people love him, others say he’s irredeemable. I knew this was a risk going in. My argument was always that Brad is a consistent commodity in the story. He’s a very modern archetype and was designed to represent the collective bad advice most guys give friends dealing with quandaries of the heart: “You need to get drunk… you need to get laid,” etc.

Brad also represents another modern archetype. The institution of marriage has had a hard run of things in the modern construct. Divorce is through the roof, if not the majority result of most marriages today. Brad represents so many married “people” who have one life at home, and another outside of it. I certainly wasn’t intending to cross the line with Brad. However, I wanted to get him as close to it as possible because, whether we like to admit it or not, we all know that “Brads” do exist. Not necessarily the a$%hole persona, but the behavior and willingness to flirt with infidelity.

This goes back to being sincere with the audience and not inciting a stale cliché. I know the hard sell with Brad by the end of the film is what appears to happen in the car. The intention was to show Brad getting as close to the act as possible before the turn of events. Some people accept it that way and others see it as a committed act beyond the threshold. But that’s the beauty about artistic expression and perception. It doesn’t really matter what I intended, it’s whatever the audience wants it to be. Some see a cheater; others see karma at its best. All in all, as risqué as the car scene is, the point of it is to bring up a very current and sensitive social issue within a humorous context. If we could agree that Brad fits the mold of a homophobe, then seeing that event playout and how it ends is some pretty funny s%$#. That was my intention anyway.

Trevor Wells: That definitely puts his character arc in a different light for me. I appreciate you for sharing! Though in regards to that aforementioned car scene, there's something else about that exchange you alluded to that had me on the fence on how I felt about it. While doing all that's possible to avoid spoilers, that scene (for me) toed the line between being harmlessly comedic and offensive. At least, I could easily see some viewers taking it as the latter. Any thoughts?

David Paulus: One thing I love about BTE (and what I also think that many audiences appreciate) is that we go places with some sensitive and otherwise taboo issues that a lot of scripted media wouldn’t dare go today. We indiscriminately make fun of EVERYTHING. We push the envelope on racism, misogyny, homophobia, LGBTQ+ and even religion. Many would agree that political correctness has hurt the comedy genre in today’s cinematic universe. I personally feel PC culture, while well intended, insults the collective intelligence of moviegoers and I didn’t want BTE to be hostage to that.

It’s why most people continue to rewatch movies from the past over and over again, while few (if any) current comedies are ever revisited - they are easily forgettable. A quote that I always go back to is, “Comedy celebrates the absurdity of the human condition.” I believe BTE is a testament to that idea. Is the Samantha Robertson scene uncomfortable, possibly offensive? Absolutely it is. But one thing about that scene (as well as several other instances in the film) is that it plays on modern stereotypes and ideas that are very real in today's society. And for the most part, no matter what stereotypes or “isms” we’re dealing with in the film, they all tend to come full circle by some sense of irony or even by way of karma. The intention was never to be safe; it was to be funny. More often than not, it’s what is most uncomfortable and appalling that insights the most laughter.

Trevor Wells: I definitely get what you mean about the scene having a certain morbid karma to it, as well as about your views on PC culture. Personally, I say it has its use in some instances, but in others, people go too far and take offense over things not meant to be derogatory or hurtful. Your approach to comedy kind of reminds me of Seth MacFarlane's: nothing and nobody is off-limits, and no boundaries are too controversial to be pushed or crossed. So, with BTE in the rearview mirror, do you have any upcoming projects to share with me and my readers?

David Paulus: It’s been a dormant period in terms of creating new content after BTE because it had taken so long to finish and get distributed. Having said that, I have my sights set on Best Christmas Ever. It’ll probably be a fresh take on a staple holiday film. We’ll definitely have to address the pandemic in some way...I’ll leave that up to Brad to explain, LOL. I never set out to make a comedy as R-rated as BTE. My long game has always been to one day do the kind of character work Peter Sellers did throughout his career…stuff like that. That’s where my true passion is. BTE was meant to be a springboard for a bunch of talented actors and filmmakers (including myself) to hopefully gain some footing within the entertainment industry.

It’s a strange time in America and the world abroad. Hollywood is on hold for now, but eventually, we’ll come out of this thing with a reinvented and hopefully rejuvenated filmmaking industry that allows for more new talent to get the looks they might not have been getting in the current climate.

Trevor Wells: I do hope such a change in Hollywood happens once this pandemic has been contained. And if a Best Christmas Ever comes out, I'll be sure to give it a spot on my holiday review queue! But to wrap up this interview, what advice would you have to give for others looking to break into the filmmaking or acting scene?

David Paulus: I’ve been asked this so many times, and I’ve given a couple different answers. Some of the most iconic and prolific filmmakers will tell you that you can make films anytime and anywhere you want for next to nothing in terms of cost. I would agree with that--considering the budget of BTE. In terms of moving from your hometown to LA or New York, my biggest piece of advice to anyone is: if you have access or the means to it, get an education first. If you’re in a position to go to college, do it! Because it’s not necessarily what you learn in the classroom, but rather what you learn between classes and on weekends that will give you the chance to actually pursue a career in entertainment diligently.

Understanding the fundamentals of how to balance obligations like having a job to pay for your cost of living and (at the same time) being able to diligently devote the time and energy to progress within the industry you want to work in is key. Too many times I see the other side of that equation. Prom King, Homecoming Queen thinks that because they look good or are popular in school, they must be able to act. So they make the mistake of moving to Hollywood to be a “star” and couldn’t be any less prepared for the reality of what it actually takes to have a chance. I think Dave Chappelle said it best in a recent interview: “LA is not the kind of place you go to find yourself.” So my point – Stay in school!

Trevor Wells: Classic but exceptionally delivered advice! And despite how romanticized moving to the city to find yourself seems in some movies, I'm inclined to agree with Chappelle. Thank you again for reaching out and taking the time, and I wish you nothing but the best!