Filmmaker / Actor Chad Darnell: "The Spotlight Nearly Killed Him"

Show Notes

Dennis sits down in a Studio City Airbnb with filmmaker / actor / casting director Chad Darnell the day after Chad wrapped directing a film that he also wrote called The Undertaker's Wife. Chad talks about his inspiration for the film and his experience directing it and why Parasite got him excited to shoot it. He also talks about his longtime passion project, a biopic about the life and death of the bad boy of 90's porn Joey Stefano. He talks about all the moments of serendipity that kept coaxing him to continue developing it, interviewing a lot of the real life people who knew Joey like ChiChi LaRue and Sharon Kane and what it is about Joey's story that hooked him. He also discusses the challenge of finding an actor to play Joey, the mystery surrounding the red shirt Joey died in, the Madonna connection and why he can't seem to let the project go. Chad also talks about his work as an actor and casting director, what caused him to leave L.A. and move back to Atlanta. Other topics include: the magic of Magic Mike XXL, working in casting on the Halle Berry film Catwoman, playing David O. Selznick in a play in Atlanta while doing pre-production for his film in LA, his dream gig, his bout with cancer, Night of the Living Dead and that time he got called out by Channing Tatum.  https://www.facebook.com/watch/joeystefanofilm/