Interview: Brad Raider (Pt. 2)
If you read Pt. 1 of my interview with actor/director/producer/writer Brad Raider, then you know that I vowed to have Pt. 2 live on the site sooner than later, and it’s nice to be able to say that I’m a man of my word, at least in this case. In this conclusion to our conversation, we talk about his theater work with Red Dog Squadron, he answers my stock question about his favorite project that didn’t get the love he thought it deserved, and after that leads into a conversation about a damned-near-impossible-to-find TV movie called Spring Break Lawyer, we close with an update on what’s next for the esteemed Mr. Raider.
Read on, and enjoy!
You and James Roday Rodriguez... Do you still have the theater company together?
Yeah, we started a theater company called Red Dog Squadron. We've always been a homeless theater company, one without an actual space, although there was a brief moment when James and our good friend Matt Shakman, who now is artistic director of the Geffen and an amazing director in his own right... He directed all the [episodes of] WandaVision and he's doing the new Star Trek [movie]. Matt and James purchased the old El Centro Theater, where we had done a play a number of years ago, and we were going to share that space: Matt's old company, Black Dahlia, and Red Dog Squadron. But it became a little unwieldy and difficult for them to hold onto, in terms of the renovations and the cost. So that was the only time we really flirted with having a space.
But fortunately there are enough spaces in L.A. for companies to rent. That being said, our last production was in 2018...and we were never that prolific anyway, only because both of us have really been focusing on film and TV work. And even before the pandemic, we kind of said, "All right, let's kind of give this a break, and we'll produce again when we're really compelled to do something." Which I think we will at some point. But producing theater is no joke. You do it for the love of the game, and it takes a lot of time. James is, of course, busy with A Million Little Things and probably another Psych movie soon, and he's also directing episodic stuff. He and I have another project for TV that we've been developing, but I'm sure we'll produce a play at some point before we're old and gray. [Laughs.]
You can chalk this up to the "Small World" principle, but I effectively held a Grand Delusion reunion [a 2007 production by Red Dog Squadron] on the first episode of my new video feature, "Just a Couple of Characters," where I teamed Kurt Fuller and Xander Berkeley for a joint interview.
[Photo courtesy of Red Dog Squadron]
Oh, wow! Now, tell me about that.
Well, I've only done four episodes so far, but it's me talking with two character actors at the same time...or more often than not, they talk and I manage to sneak in a few questions here and there.
That's great. What a great idea!
It's on YouTube. I'll shoot you the link to the playlist.
Please do! So those guys have already done an episode?
Yeah, Kurt and Xander did the first one, and then it was Stephen Tobolowsky and Jim Beaver; Jim Piddock and Michael Hitchcock; and Joel Murray and Neil Flynn.
Amazing. Well, Hitchcock and I also go way back, because of course he was in Greener Mountains with me and Lee [Shallat Chemel]. And Kurt and I had actually done a few plays together. He's kind of our go-to—and has been our go-to—in Red Dog Squadron anytime we just need a funny guy who's a little bit older than us. [Laughs.] But he's amazing. And he also makes an appearance in this little sizzle reel that James and I produced, this project called Spirit Animal that James and I are developing. So I just went over to Kurt's house and we shot a little something, and he was very off-the-cuff and funny. This is a sketch series that we have in development, and we kind of got a lot of our well-known friends to give a five-second testimonial about the main character that's featured in Spirit Animal. I think that's all I can say about it, because we're still trying to pitch it around and make some headway. But those guys were really fun to work with on Grand Delusion, which was a difficult production. But Xander and Kurt were both incredible.
I've also become acquaintances with another of that play's stars, Timothy Omundson. I've done Random Roles interviews with all three of those guys.
Oh, great! I love Tim. He and I, of course, have done theater together, but we also worked together in the one episode of Psych I did. Actually, we were also both in a movie called 25 Hill, but we didn't actually have any scenes together. But he's just a great human being.
I know I've kept you for a fair while, but I wanted to ask one of my obligatory questions for everyone: excluding Kensho, what would you say is your favorite project you've worked on over the years that didn't get the love you thought it deserved?
Excluding Kensho, eh? [Laughs.]
Excluding Kensho. I had to give you that caveat.
[Takes a deep breath and then exhales.] Hmmm... You know, I guess you hope that all the projects you do resonate with somebody and, really, every project that I've been involved with - and I know that I'm not the rule here, because there's just so much content and people have so much choice, really - they've all been enjoyed and appreciated by some. And, really, I think all creatives would say that most of their work is just not on people's radar. There are, of course, exceptions, but...I know I'm kind of dancing around this question, Will. I know you're probably looking for something.
No, no, it's all right. The answer I get is the answer I get.
Well, even with Kensho, being at some of the screenings we had at some of the festivals, like in my sister's hometown of Bellingham or the Rubin Museum, there are conversations that I've had that resonated and stuck with me. Or even cold emails that I've gotten from people across the country who stumbled upon the film. And other movies as well that I've done that are not very well known at all. And to be honest, one exchange like that, where someone says, "You know, this really meant a lot to me," or, "I really enjoyed this, this really made me laugh, this really made me cry, it made me think about my sister..." Which is something that someone said to me after Bellingham. That really makes it all worth it. So I'm of course tempted to kind of pick one of these projects and say, "Gosh, not enough people saw it," but...that one person that expresses their gratitude or their appreciation ultimately is enough at the end of the day. Although it would be nice... [Starts to laugh.] ...to make something that a lot of people see all at once!
I can imagine it would.
Yeah! But, look, there are more of us working-class actors and artists who just keep making stuff, and we certainly hope that it sticks. But more often than not, it does not.
Where does Spring Break Lawyer fall into this realm?
Oh, Spring Break Lawyer! I'm surprised you didn't ask sooner! [Laughs.] Gosh... You know, Spring Break Lawyer happened not too long after The Trouble with Normal, and that—in some ways even more than Trouble—was such a dream come true. Because, really, I've always felt like making movies is my purpose. And, of course, that includes television, and there's some incredible TV being made, and of course there's now a very fine line between the premier TV and film and what's streaming and what's in theaters, and it's all incredible work that's being done. But Spring Break Lawyer was my first movie. It was my first feature. And I was the first name on the call sheet, which was such a thrill. It was, like, I was carrying this movie...for better or worse!
It was a TV movie. It wasn't ever going to get a theatrical release. But, you know, it was 90 minutes long, and I was there every day. And, again, I really lucked out with my collaborators: Alan Cohn, who directed, and Adam "Tex" Davis, who I've remained close with, he wrote the screenplay, and of course he wrote Just Friends and several other terrific movies. I just remember on set we would really just make each other laugh, and we were kind of rewriting punchlines and just so collaborative. That was such an amazing experience. And short of Spring Break Lawyer 2, I've always felt like Tex and I were going to make something else together, and I hope that we do. We've talked over the years about different projects and different ideas. But that cast, too, is kind of a who's-who, including Busy Phillips and Sean Murray, two people who've consistently worked since then, which I'm really happy to see.
It's also got Adrienne Barbeau and Gary Grubbs. Now there's a character actor...
Yeah! Playing the evil Senator Clagston, trying to shut down Spring Break!
Damn him!
[Laughs.] He's so funny.
So I guess the big closing question for you is this: what does the future hold? What do you have on the horizon?
Well, thanks for asking! You know, I'm developing a couple of projects, one of which I mentioned, the one with James that's this very irreverent and subversive sketch show. I've got an animated series based on a comic book that I optioned.
I saw that one on your webpage: Adam Infinitum.
Yeah, I'm trying to get that one off the ground as well. And then my buddies from Greener Mountains, Hector Hill and Adam Selkowitz, and I are in cahoots again. Hector wrote a terrific young-adult thriller called Lost One Standing, and we have partnered with a feature and television producer who has a show on the air now and is very prolific, and she is very excited about the book and has it out to financiers and studios at the moment, probably for a feature. But it could go the television route as well. So I'm always trying to stay creative and busy, one foot in the game of auditioning and hoping for yesses from people, but—especially after Kensho—knowing as well that creating my own opportunities and having the ability to step outside at any time any make something.
For instance, a couple of months ago, I shot a short with a terrific actress named Sarah Traisman as well as with my Kensho cinematographer David Rodriguez. It's a very silly but timely sketch that we shot in the woods with virtually no budget, and it's in post-production now, and I think I'm just going to release it to the world on the internet soon. We were able to make that for nothing, and it was very fulfilling just to be able to go out and shoot, especially after so long not shooting anything during the pandemic. So look out for that...and I'll of course let you know when that's ready!
