Talking With Steve Young About Creating Memorable Characters

This edition of Talking With focuses on Steve Young, who recently appeared in Lionsgate’s “Sons of Summer,” and made his debut as direct-writer with the gangster short “Hells Kitchen.”

The Australian based actor hit the big screen as a junky and ex-cellmate of Temuera Morrison in the crime-thriller “Sons of Summer,” which centers around a young surfer trying to outrun his past and a hitman seeking revenge.

Steve added director and writer to his resume as well as some festival awards with the 1970’s New York mobster short film “Hells Kitchen.” He also stars in the critically acclaimed tale as a brutal enforcer for a paranoid boss.

These are only a couple of the strong characters that have showcased Steve’s talents over the years. He notably starred in the superhero fan-film “Impulse,” as the villain Eobard Thawne, a.k.a. Reverse Flash, appeared in the WWII vampire film “Blood Vessel” as a Nazi, and grabbed Auckland’s Best Actor in a Comedy award for “Things That Go Bump.”

To learn more, we are Talking With Steve Young:

Tell us about your role in “Sons of Summer”.

Steve Young: I play Greg, a low life criminal, thief, drug dealer and drug addict. I’m the ex-prison cell mate of Frank, played by Temuera Morrison. I’m helping him find information on the people he’s tracking but I end up trying to hustle him for money which doesn’t end well.

What helps you the most is bringing a character like this to life?

Steve Young: Looking and feeling the part - I lost 6kg of weight and looked like a junky, so getting into character was easy. I ate three meals a day of only egg whites and vegetables. But it took me the best part of 12 months working with a personal trainer to rebuild 6kg of muscle to regain a healthy look. Losing weight that fast ages you. Thankfully I look completely different now. Not sure I would do that again! Method is overrated.

How was it working opposite Temuera Morrison?

Steve Young: It was great. I was excited to be working with an actor of his caliber. Aside from him being a big star and me being a fan of "Star Wars," for me, it was the excitement of working with an actor of his caliber, it brings the best out in me and my performance. But once I was on set, I wasn’t nervous, it was just another day on the job. You know what you need to do, and you get focused on the tasks at hand. He was easy to get along with off set and when we were on set, we talked easily about what we needed to achieve, especially around the fight scene.

You also wrote, directed and star in your own project, “Hells Kitchen”; tell us about it?

Steve Young: Its success has been quite remarkable. We shot 17 minutes of the feature film as a short proof of concept to raise awareness prior to the feature. This was the same path taken by several filmmakers. Movies such as "Whiplash," "Saw," "District 9," and "Sin City" were all released as proof of concept in short format that extended to a feature, launching the career of many directors and several actors.

The 5-star reviews started pouring in, along with nominations at some of the world’s top 100 film festivals and a significant win at a top 50 world film festival. Even more astonishing, Amazon picked it up—a rare feat for a short-format film. Now, it's available on Apple TV, Amazon USA / UK, and Google Play. The feature film script is shaping up very nicely, it’s an exciting read, introducing us to my fictional five mob families of New York, 1978. If you enjoy "The Sopranos" and films like "Donnie Brasco" and "Carlito’s Way," then it should be an enjoyable watch.

Born in Scotland and now living in Australia, what made you want to create a 1970’s New York gangster film?

Steve Young: Half my family is from the States, mostly from New Jersey. I’ve been going in and out of the US since I was a boy, I also lived, worked, and studied in New Jersey and New York City, so I would say, aside from loving the genre and being a fan of Martin Scorsese, I have a feel for the New York way of life.

There seems to be great chemistry with the cast. What was it like directing this gang?

Steve Young: It’s the most fun I’ve had on a film set. I did the casting for the film, so I knew I had a special group of people. We got nominated a couple of times for best ensemble cast at notable festivals which I was very pleased about because my audition process was not traditional, I rotated a short list of actors through all the characters to get that synergy just right.

My strategy to make directing as easy as possible on set was to achieve the following, the first was get the casting right. By getting that right, the team will gel and look right, that’s half the battle. The second step was to brief them all prior to filming, giving them their backstories, explaining exactly what they were talking about and who they were talking about in the script to give them visual cues, give them context to the script. You can’t get it from reading it, there is so much meaning in the dialogue. We’re talking about a lot of well-known people and events from the 70s, but you’d never know it. When I explain to people who and what we are referencing, their minds are blown. Wait to you see the feature! Then came some light rehearsal and blocking (for some scenes), and finally, on the day, it was easy, very little direction, because they all knew how I wanted their parts played.

Do you have a favorite scene from the movie? And, was it also your favorite to shoot?

Steve Young: It has to be Johnny and Sleep Joes reaction after covering Irish with gasoline and lighting him on fire, scary. Shooting the boat scene out in the ocean was probably my favorite. I wasn’t acting in that scene, only directing, plus I got to spend the day with my ex-father-in-law, he was the captain sailing the boat, he’s been like a father to me, such a wonder man. That’s what life’s all about right, people and the memories you make with them.

The film has done well at festivals, any plans to do more with these characters?

Steve Young: Oh, that’s only one of the mob families you’ve been exposed to, wait to you see the feature length version, you’ll get introduced to all five families, and I can tell you now, they are some crazy characters to say the least!

Are you working on any other projects we should know about?

Steve Young: Yes, I’m collaborating with Joshua Hoareau who was the DOP, editor, and co-producer on “Hells Kitchen” on our upcoming feature film project, “Silence Falls.” It’s a psychological thriller-horror imbued with elements reminiscent of the “X-Files.” Once that’s complete, we want to do the “Hells Kitchen” feature.

Josh and I also collaborated this year on the action-adventure fan-film, “Impulse," screening on YouTube. Josh beautifully shot and directed it, and I garnered tons of audience attention playing the villainous Eobard Thawne, a.k.a. Reverse Flash. It follows Bart Allen as he crashes through time and teams up with legendary superheroes of the past as they battle Impulse's greatest foe, Inertia.

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