Chris Pardal

I was fortunate enough to get a chance to interview Mr. Chris Pardal, who is starring in the new Corey Feldman film Corbin Nash coming out on April 20th.  I can't help but say Chris seems like a really cool, down to earth kind of guy.  It was such a pleasure to have this opportunity for this interview and I can't wait to check out the new movie, Corbin Nash! 

Here's the entertaining interview in its entirety:


Q: What attracted you to pursue a career in acting?
 
Chris: Fame, Fortune, Attention. All the wrong things. It isn't until later when I was taught that it’s about what I’m going to give back to people.
 
Q: Of all the roles you’ve played in the past, which is your favorite?  Why?
 
Chris: Frank Sullivan from Corbin Nash. I like him. He’s a guy that I’d hang out with and want to be partners with if I was a cop.
 
Q: Tell me what you are currently working on now (or next)?
 
Chris: I’m working on a feature about the Tampa Bay rave scene in the late 90s. I lived in Saint Pete, Florida at the time and was in that scene. It was vibrant and electric from everything from the lights, the music and the outfits; but underneath it was drugs, death and pain. It was the candy-coated rot of despair.
 
Q: What was your first role as an actor?  When was that?
 
Chris: When I lied to everyone in 5th grade about changing the grade on my report card and had everyone convinced that it was a substitute teacher that had done it.  It caused a lot of chaos.
 
If you’re meaning a part in a play, then it would be playing Lawrence Oberman in David Mamet’s “The Water Engine” in 1995. It was at Saint Petersburg College, and we went to a couple of theater competitions with it and I won a couple of awards. I didn’t really appreciate at the time what an amazing experience that was.
 
Q: What sort of roles to you plan to seek out in the future?
 
Chris: An antihero. The idea of dichotomy within one character really, really interests me. Someone that is looked at as terrible but the audience can’t help but to root for him or at least understand his point of view. Tony Soprano, Walter White or Al Simmons, otherwise known as Spawn.
 
Q: Tell me about your latest film, Corbin Nash.
 
Chris: Badass cops, underground fight clubs to the death, sexy strippers, scary vampires and tons of blood wrapped up in a great story.
 
Q: What makes this film unique and a must-see feature?
 
Chris: With vampire stories, I think it’s hard to be original because there are specific rules that you have to follow in every universe - but Corbin Nash is definitely original. The legendary actors in this were all so incredible. Dean is a mega-superstar in the making and his brother, Ben Jagger, is a very gifted director. I do have to say that Corey Feldman as Queeny is enough to want to see this movie. He was pretty dope.
 
Q: Tell me a little bit about the character, Frank Sullivan, that you play in this film?
 
Chris: He’s Corbin’s partner on the streets of LA and he looks out for him. He’s badass, but still caring and willing to get his hands a little dirty if he has to. Frank is also very handsome.
 
Q: What did you enjoy about playing this character?  What presented a struggle to you?
 
Chris: I like Frank. If he were in real life, he would be the kind of guy who you meet at a convenience store at 3AM and talk to for hours about politics, life and conspiracy theories.
 
The struggle for me was to make sure that I was prepared, relaxed and ready to go. When you have a movie such as this with so many experienced actors, you don’t want to be the problem or the guy who slows things down.

I have a lot of respect for Ben, Dean and Carmen and when I met them, I knew that this was a project that means so much to them. I play Dean’s partner in Corbin Nash and I wanted him to feel that I was there for him when the camera wasn’t rolling.

Ben and Dean (Jagger) used to dig ditches to raise money for this film; when Richard Wagner, the producer, first came to LA, he lived in his van and eventually would be the executive producer of Corbin Nash - and he’s an actor in it too! Carmen Aiello and I both started our careers out here together and he cast me in one of my first projects and he brought me in for ‘Corbin Nash’ and he was so passionate about the project that he became a producer on it.

I knew that I was coming into a passion project that meant a lot to a lot of people; people who have sacrificed a lot in order to make this incredible movie. I knew I had to be on top of my game and my passion had to be up to their level - which wasn’t hard to want to strive for after being around this cast and crew.
 
Q: Without giving anything important away, what is your favorite line of dialogue from the film?
 
Chris: “Yo, Adrian, I did it!”
 
Just kidding.
 
“I’m gonna shoot this asshole.”
 
Q: What was it like working with Corey Feldman?
 
Chris: Surreal at first. This is the guy from Lost Boys, Stand by Me, Gremlins, Friday the 13th, License to Drive, Dream a Little Dream, Meatballs, the voices of Donatello and Copper (The Fox and the Hound). Basically every movie we all watched growing up. He was in character all the time and it was fantastic watching him work. He’s extremely professional and an exceptional actor. I remember thinking, “Oh yeah, he’s been doing this for 40 years!”
 
Q: If you could play any other character in this film, who would it be?
 
Chris: I love Frank but if I HAD to choose, I would wish for the writing team (Ben, Dean & Christopher P. Taylor) to write me in as a vampire… or maybe they did.
 
Q: Who in the film industry do you admire?
 
Chris: Daniel Day Lewis, Gary Oldman, Denzel Washington, Ryan Coogler, and the list goes on.
 
Q: Where do you draw inspiration from?  What people have inspired your career the most?
 
Chris: Writers and teachers. Acting is a craft and the best teachers carry on a long tradition of teaching acting as a craft with technique. So many teachers have inspired me. From Mr Sopneski in 6th grade letting me write and direct puppet shows, Mrs. Newberry in high school making me join the drama department because I disrupted class, Dr. Sybil Johnson trying to teach me how to handle my life offstage; to Robyn Cohen, Larry Moss and Howard Fine; he’s really taking my craft to the next level.  The best teachers are also fans of writers and want actors to love writers as well. My favorite writers are John Patrick Shanley, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Martin McDonagh, Quentin Tarantino, Jason Milligan, the list goes on. The writers of The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, Boardwalk, This Is Us are fantastic.  
 
Q: What do you do when you are not working/acting?
 
Chris: Ride my motorcycle, ride roller coasters, shoot guns, build and play with RC cars and helicopters, dance, write and anything spontaneous.
 
Q: If you could choose any role at all in any film (past, present or future), what role would you want to play next?
 
Chris: Shy J. Tampa Bay’s biggest ecstasy dealer in the movie “Rave”...
...oh wait, that’s my movie I am working on at the moment!
 
Q: Did you enjoy making the film Corbin Nash?
 
Chris: No hated it. Of course I loved it! On the set, it was like family. When you’re in a movie and everyone's just so happy to be there, that’s a real gift because it’s not necessary to make a great movie. There’s was no drama or complaining at all, everyone was just there to make an awesome movie.
 
Q: Who was your favorite cast mate?
 
Chris: Dean. What a great guy.
 
Q: What is something that you know now that you wish you knew when you first started acting?
 
Chris: OH MY GOSH YES. I wish I knew the craft early on. I'm learning so much with Howard Fine now that I look back and wish I could play everything again. I'm always growing though. If I don't feel the same way in 5 years then I'm doing something wrong. I also would've liked to know that the reason to be an actor is to offer catharsis and emotional expression to people who may need it. In the beginning, I believe that people get into acting for selfish reasons but then realize (hopefully) that we should do it for selfless reasons.
 
Q: Do you have any questions for me?
 
Chris: What are your favorite horror movies? Mine are The Shining, Halloween II (The original), Shocker and the Nightmare on Elm Street series.

Me:  My favorite horror movies would have to include the Nightmare on Elm Street series, Psycho, Halloween, Strangeland, The Shining, IT and Misery and The Hitcher just to name a few right off the top of my head.
 
Q: Is there anything you would like to promote or add?
Chris:                                            
Chris: Yes. Come to my Facebook page. www.facebook.com/chrispardalactor
I’m always updating what’s going on and I’m always positive. It’s fun and I interact with everyone as much as I can and it’s really me. My followers are friends of mine, some as long as 30 years, my family and my colleagues. Sometimes I’m talking about Portuguese recipes with my dad or other actors about acting stuff. Politics is at a minimum. I like it to be positive and light as much as possible. Right now I have the time to interact with people, so I do. I don’t feel the need to speak about myself in the 3rd person on social media.

You can find Chris and his content at the link below.  Go check him out!!!
 
www.facebook.com/chrispardalactor
https://twitter.com/ChrisPardal
https://www.instagram.com/chrispardal/

My website is www.chrispardal.com and it’s being completely rebuilt but come by and check it out!

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