Casey Dillard is an actor and screenwriter who has a new movie coming out, “Driven.” The film follows Dillard’s character, a driver, as she picks up a fare played by Richard Speight, Jr. The night takes a weird supernatural turn filled with evil forces and comedy. The movie was crowdfunded and already has a large excited fanbase. Dillard opened up about the movie and her experience, she shared some great things from it with NerdAlertNews.
Jadeen Mercado: Let’s dive right in. Can you tell us about yourself and how you got into acting and creating?
Casey Dillard: I’ve been acting/performing on some level as long as I can remember. I would say that I started getting “serious” with it when I started doing improv first with Laff Co, then with West of Shake Rag. I started doing movies shortly after performing with Shake Rag, where I met Glenn Payne. As I continued with that I got into a little bit of screenwriting because the best way to see characters that you want to watch onscreen is to create them.
JM: How would you describe your process of getting to know the character you’re going to play, like your character in “Driven?”
CD: “Driven” was fairly easy because Emerson was a character of my own creation, but in general I just like to get the script and work backward from that to write a backstory for a character to figure out what they’re all about. If I know where a character comes from it’s easier to figure out why they’re doing whatever they are now and how they’d do it.
JM: let’s talk more about your new film “Driven.” The trailer has us all on the edge of our seats. Tell us the story of how this cool project came to be?
CD: Glenn (Payne) and I were both feeling like it was time for a feature and we were trying to think of concepts that we could make easily and inexpensively. Glenn was the one who initially came up with the idea of an entire movie set in a car and I came up with the concept of a rideshare driver dragged into some supernatural dealings. We learned pretty quickly that making a car movie wasn’t simple and it was going to be a bigger undertaking than we expected.
JM: What was it like working on a crowdfunded project, what are the benefits of it?
CD: To be honest, crowdfunding probably wouldn’t have worked if we hadn’t had someone with an active fan base, but I think it’s a good way to make sure that you stay actively involved in your supporters. They have become a part of it so you owe them your time and attention.
JM: Also how was it working with Rich who already has a passionate fan base that has now adopted “Driven?”
CD: Working with Rich as a person was delightful. Working with him as a public figure was interesting. I’ve gotten a few odd messages, but for the most part, it’s been positive. I’ve gotten to interact with some really awesome people through Rich and “Driven” has certainly benefited from the fact that he has really passionate, supportive fans.
JM: “Driven” is starting to be shown at film festivals across the country. Where can we expect to see it next and will we see it in theaters?
CD: Seeing it in theaters will depend on its festival run. The upcoming festivals that we can announce are Oxford (happening now), the Magnolia Film Festival, and Crossroads Film Festival, and the Twitter and Facebook pages will be the first place that they’re announced.
JM: Do you have any stories from the set that you can share with us?
CD: Hmm. A lot of them have been shared already. Everyone has heard about how Rich bricked his head the first night of filming, but he actually hit his head a few times during the shoot. I do remember that Glenn wanted to try an effect that would have involved light coming from people’s mouths, but he bought lights that were roughly the size of desk lamps. I didn’t realize he thought our mouths were that big. Also, he is arguing about the size of the lights as we speak.
JM: What are you most excited for the fans to see?
CD: Rich playing a very different kind of character. My writing, maybe. Really, just the exemplary work of all the people involved.
JM: What’s one last thing you can leave us with?
CD: Thanks for your continued interest in the project! I hope it reaches a wide enough platform that everyone who has supported it has a chance to watch soon.
Be sure to follow ‘Driven’ on Twitter to stay up to date, as well as Casey Dillard on Twitter.
Written by Jadeen Mercado
Jadeen Mercado is a young, up to date lover of all things geek! She loves to pass her time singing at the top of her lungs and writing about the latest news. She’s happy to deliver the content that you are excited to read about!