I had the honor of meeting Jason at the premier
of The Soulless Part One a few months ago. Jason plays one of the lead
characters in this apocalyptic film directed by Christopher Eilenstine. He
plays the part of David Peterson, father of Nicole Peterson. Nicole was played
by three different actresses over the course of the film starting with Carlee
Iannone in the opening scene, Kaylin Iannone at age 12 and finally Jennifer
Teska as Nicole age 24. Join me now as we learn more about Jason Propst.
Marie Gilbert: Jason, please tell my
readers a little bit about you.
Jason Propst: I was born in
Detroit, though moved to Florida at a very young age and lived somewhat
transiently with my mother and brother - throughout the state - until I moved
to NYC at about 17 years old. Back and forth from Florida to NYC, I
eventually moved to Italy for a couple of years, then various cities throughout
Europe, working in the fashion business.
Marie Gilbert:
You were in the fashion business?
Jason Propst: Well, one day
while I was in New York, someone from the Ford Agency stopped me and asked me
if I wanted to model. I wasn’t completely interested, but then he followed up
with would you want to go to Italy in January? Of course that sounded exciting
and so I ended up going to Italy and got involved with modeling. I went to
Milan for the first show season, did some shows and ended up staying in Milan.
Italy is incredible. Then I met some other agents and went to Germany and
Paris, just traveling Europe a little bit. It was a very exciting time in my
life.
After Europe I
moved to Martha’s Vineyard, then Vail, CO. I worked as a bartender and
carpenter and went back and forth, seasonally, several years until moving to
San Diego. After 2 years-ish in San Diego, I moved back to NYC for another
year or so, then floated around between Vail, FL, the Vineyard, Boston, NYC,
and a brief stint in Paris, some time in Huntington Beach, Los Angeles… I’m
sure I’m forgetting a few others. You get the point… restless
bones. Although I loved all the places I’ve been, they never really felt
like home. At some point I decided Vail would be my home, perhaps
triggered by the birth of my daughter, and now that I’m back here I’ve never
been happier.
I now own a
business selling/installing design conscious building products. Designing
and building have always been a passion so I’m fortunate to have found
something that encapsulates those components. Building a brand is a
special feeling. It’s your own creation, not so different from a child,
though also very, very different. It’s another type of love. So I’m
no longer working… I’m living. It’s an extraordinary sensation.
Jason Propst with actress Kaylin Iannone in The Soulless
Marie Gilbert:
No father in the picture?
Jason Propst: No father, but
I did find him when I was twenty-one for the first time, but opted not to meet
him for various reasons.
Marie Gilbert:
Are you married? How many children?
Jason Propst: I’m not
officially married but I have two kids, Jezebel and Saunder and live with my
partner, Gabrielle. Jezebel just started kindergarten and Saunders starts next
year.
Marie Gilbert: Were you always interested in
acting?
Jason Propst: I’ve always
been interesting in writing. I love developing characters and visualizing
locations and events. It’s invigorating to invent situations and put it
down on paper. I get bored very easily though and there’s always a better
story just beyond the one I begin - so finishing hasn’t been my strong
suit. However, there is a character that’s been with me for years.
Lately, she’s all I think about when I go to bed. I have hopes of sharing
her someday.
As far as acting goes, I’ve been drawn to it since my first trip to NYC.
I went to HB Studios, then from this recommended coach to that one. Every
town I went had a coach to inspire me. I went to quite a few acting
schools… several in California, several in NYC and one in NJ. It was
always a lot of fun, but I was young and insecure and auditions never went
well. I gave up acting after yet another nauseating audition in LA.
I didn’t want to feel sick to my stomach anymore. I was well into my 30s
before I felt comfortable with myself and fell back into Community Theater.
Marie Gilbert: What drew you to work in the
Soulless?
Jason Propst: I did a play
with an actor, Steve Hirsekorn, who was also filming a movie at the time.
Steve asked me if I’d like to play a short role in his film and I was
thrilled. Chris Eilenstine was filming that movie. Shortly after
that, Chris called and offered me the role of David Peterson. There
wasn’t a formal script, so I was a bit nervous going in. I wasn’t sure
who the character would be. But the opportunity to work on the craft was
exciting, a zombie film? Awesome. A father? I’m a father… what a great
tool to grow. There were many factors… and most of them thrilling.
Marie Gilbert:
Were you a zombie fan before starring in The Soulless? Did you watch a lot of
zombie movies?
Jason Propst: No, there was a
movie a while back called Body Snatchers, which I liked. It had a Rock
& Roll style to it. It wasn't exactly zombies, but a similar type of
thrill. But that was ages ago, maybe 1993... beyond that, I wasn’t into
that culture at all.
Marie Gilbert: Was it hard doing a zombie
film? If no then why and if yes...why?
Jason Propst: Zombie films
are amazing b/c there is a large demographic of incredible people enveloped in
this culture. They bring things to the table that other genres of movies
could never dream of obtaining. For example, if Chris posted a call for
zombies, he could have a dozen to fifty show up – half of them in full gear; waiting
for makeup at 8am in 25 degree weather. Try that with a romantic comedy
and you’ll be standing in the cold, with only your best friends – if they had
the time for you. And this culture doesn’t stop at “cut.” They take
it home with them, they go to shows, create zombie dolls… it’s truly unique to
horror.
All that being
said, I’m not sure I would say it was hard, specific to a zombie film.
Characters have definitely come easier to me than David Peterson. But it
was more about raising a daughter in an apocalyptic world, than about
zombies. In that sense it was challenging. The zombies were just
color.
Marie Gilbert:
Now that you’ve been in an Independent zombie movie that’s going places, are
you now looking at other zombie movies and shows differently?
Jason
Propst: Yes,
quite a bit. Well like I said, I really didn’t have any experiences with zombie
films, but lately I’ve started watching “The Walking Dead” through Netflix.
I’ve heard a lot about the show while I was filming this movie and I thought it
would be interesting to watch... and it is. It’s a bit addicting and I love the
show.
Marie
Gilbert: Oh yeah. I write the weekly recap of “The Walking Dead” for Biff Bam
Pop and yes, it’s addicting.
Jason
Propst:
Yep and beyond that I’ve watched World War Z when it came out. The similarity
within The Soulless and “The Walking Dead” is the drama involved. The fact that
there is drama involved gives it that addictive tone, whereas with movies like
World War Z, it’s almost exclusively about the adventure.
Marie
Gilbert: With the zombies in World War Z, you don’t identify with them like in
The Soulless.
Jason
Propst: Right.
Marie Gilbert: What was it like to work for
Director Chris Eilenstein?
Jason Propst: Chris has something that I’ve seen in very few people;
the tenacity to push forward regardless of the obstacles. That is
something I strongly admire about him. He had this vision (albeit an
amorphous vision at times, which is why we now have a trilogy on our hands) to
communicate.
And his drive to lay this vision on film was strong enough
to push his family, his actors, his crew and producers to over a year of
work. I, myself, had committed to quitting several times because it was
taking a tremendous amount of time; way longer than anticipated (another reason
we now have a trilogy on our hands). In the end, one of the factors that
kept me going was his tenacity and will to succeed and, of course, the story.
Marie Gilbert: You had to work with three
different actresses who played the part of Nicole Peterson, I’m not sure of
Kaylin’s little sister’s name, but you worked with her, Kaylin Iannone and
Jennifer Teska. Was it hard to adjust to their different acting styles?
Jason Propst: My first scene
was with Kaylin. We never even spoke. We were thrust into this ice
cream scene on Z Day and I had no idea how to relate to her. It was
completely awkward for me. It took a while to get comfortable with
her. I couldn’t say exactly when it happened, but our relationship
eventually developed into a boisterous friendship. So unruly, in fact,
that at times I longed for the good old days when it was just awkward. So
riotous, actually, that I had to move almost 2000 miles away to retain my
sanity. And now that it’s getting drudged up again I may need to call my
therapist. I love her.
Jennifer.
So easy to relate to and work with her. From the first scene I realized
that she was going to make it much easier for me. Although I have yet to
see that scene, it created the type of father-daughter relationship we would
have throughout the film; the bond that we would share, in spite of the
characters we stumbled across; and the way we related to the rest of the cast
and crew. There was no adjustment… it was immediate chemistry.
Carlee and I
only had a few scenes together. The only adjustment I had to make was to
rise to her level of commitment. She was incredible and brought me to
tears on our first scene (I think it was our first scene) together. Then,
in the park scene it was easy to think of her as my daughter. She was so
adorable. Although, in the last few days of our association I recall a
little Kaylin coming out in her and I fear for people. Seriously… 2 of
them?!! Forget zombies. There are Iannones out there! I
love them.
Marie Gilbert: If this film is picked up by a
Network, would you be willing to travel to the filming location, especially if
it’s a hit?
Jason Propst: There’s a whole lot of ambiguity in that question given
the sacrifices I’ve made to get where I am now. Certainly if everything
fit I would love to work with everyone again and would welcome the opportunity
to hone in on David Peterson with even more depth and insight. I’ve made
a lot of commitments here and I so love it. It would be tough.
Marie Gilbert: Did you do MacGuffin before or
after The Soulless?
Jason Propst: I did it before The
Soulless. I was in Community Theatre ever since we came back to the East
coast and I was doing a play with the writer/director of MacGuffin, Steve
Hirsekorn. He had seen one of the earlier plays that I did and we talked about
a mutual collaboration early on and I can’t remember if MacGuffin was before or
after the play we did, but inevitably I did do a scene in the movie. It was fun. The
girl playing opposite of me was Rebeca Spiro and I actually pulled her into a
little short film that some friends of mine were doing later on. So yes, there
is a community. It’s a circle.
Marie Gilbert: Are you doing any acting in
Colorado?
Jason Propst: Vail is a ski
resort but there is a theatre that I contacted when I moved here, the Vail
Valley Theater Company. I just missed auditions for Chicago, which is
probably for the best since my singing voice really only shines in the shower
and the occasional karaoke bar. I can audition when the next show comes
up, but it’s only one and it’s not like New York or New Jersey where they are
everywhere and you can just call up anytime you want...so there are limited
opportunities as far as that goes. I have aspirations to act, but no
time. There is just too much going on in Vail in the summer… rafting,
hiking, wakeboarding, SUPing, biking, skating… on and on. The kids are so
happy and I’m so exhausted.
Marie Gilbert: What are your feelings about
Independent Films?
Jason Propst: I love
independent films. I generally prefer them because I love watching
talented people I’ve never seen (or have seen very little). There are so
many gifted actors, directors, writers, etc. and the more I experience, the
better my life… in acting, writing, creating, or what have you… also it’s important
to support independents if only to embolden those would-be creators to go for
it. I like a good blockbuster as much as the next guy… but I feel special
when I’m watching an independent. I feel like I’m a part of something
that the masses are not. Independents make me feel ever-so-slightly more
unique… don’t ask me why that matters… conditioning perhaps… but that’s the
effect.
Marie Gilbert:
You mentioned earlier that you were interested in writing. Could you tell us
about the story you’re working on?
Jason Propst: The story that
I’m working on is science fiction with a strong helping of drama and
existentialism. It's another world entirely. Architecture is different,
transportation is different... even varying degrees of gravity, which changes
innovation and technology, as well as politics, mentality, strengths and
weaknesses... virtually everything is affected. That is why it's been
such a mainstay in my creative warehouse. I can change anything.
Then I learn to recognize how those changes affect everything else. It's
a barrage of epiphanies and excitement. I have a few chapters written,
but they are incessantly changing. I took a Creative Writing Class to
help me extrapolate the main character and develop her more in the story.
Positive feedback makes it even more exciting.
Marie Gilbert:
Do you have a title for the book, yet?
Jason Propst: The working
title is “The La La Room. It delves into a father-daughter relationship
much like The Soulless, but there is also a son… and they may not be entirely
related. I guess you’ll have to wait and see. That is to say, I’ll
have to wait and see.
Marie Gilbert:
That is so great and I’m wishing you luck as a writer and if you ever want me
to read it for my point of view, let me know. Are you thinking of joining a
writer’s group in Colorado?
Jason Propst: Well, you know
I just started a business out here and we haven’t actually opened yet. We’re
getting a lot of our products from Italy, so things take a while to get to the
showroom and it’s a work in progress designing the showroom and that’s taking
up most of my time.
But, that is a
great idea and I will probably join soon.
Marie Gilbert:
Because then you won’t feel isolated in your writing and I felt that joining a
writers’ group was the best thing I ever did.
Jason Propst: Yeah and it
motivates you to prepare something for the group as well. It gives you
deadlines. That helps me quite a bit.
Marie Gilbert:
Tell me more about your business?
Jason Propst: My
partner and I sell design conscious building products. We sell Italian
kitchens, doors, floors, appliances, windows, hand-crafted carpet – almost
everything one needs to finish a home or space. Our floors are from Norway,
German carpet, Italian windows and cabinets… modular homes from Finland,
etc. We aim to find the products that have value and aren’t offered
anywhere else.
Marie Gilbert:
You’re products are different?
Jason Propst: Yes, our
kitchens for example… there is one other company in the U.S. that provides
these kitchens - located in Miami. And, with our doors, the only other
company that provides these doors is located in New York. So, we source
these amazing products, get exclusivity in our market and the products sell
themselves. The Vail market is high-end… but we’ve noticed that people
aren’t looking for brands as much as value. Our products are the best in the
world, but many aren’t established brands yet. Therein lies the
value.
Marie Gilbert:
That’s awesome and I wish you the best of luck.
Jason Propst: Yes it’s
going tremendous even before we’ve opened up our doors. It’s just a rocket
ship.
Marie Gilbert:
Do you have a Web page that I can share with our readers?
Marie Gilbert:
I’ll share the link so people in your area will read this. Whenever I’ve seen
cabinets, floors and buildings from Europe, I just feel that they’re made
better. There is no
wasted space.
Jason Propst: They are
miles ahead of us as far as design goes and as far as craftsmanship goes, when
you touch and feel it, it’s just worlds apart. We do offer domestic cabinets
and commodity products so people can see the difference.
Marie Gilbert:
I’m so excited for you, Jason, and I’m wishing you the best with your business
and your writing.
Jason Propst: Thanks
Marie. I wish you all the best as well.
