Patrick Cunningham’s new film Anyone Home? tells of a single mother that entertains a dangerous fantasy after she’s recruited to live in an unsold property in an empty development. Veteran character actor Jasper Cole plays the role of Walker, a desert rat living off the grid in the film.
Hard work pays off – as your filmography suggests! But I imagine it hasn’t always been beer and skittles, sir?
Jasper Cole: That’s for sure…I did all the usual survival jobs from waiting tables to cleaning houses to temp work. I lucked out shortly after I moved to LA and was doing theatre at night, I was hired as a Temporary receptionist at Ogilvy & Mather Advertising. It was great because they were very supportive of my acting career and would let me go on auditions and the comeback. I actually stayed there for 4 years. After I was cast in my first big TV pilot I was able to leave there and thank God I’ve been acting ever since.
What was your first big gig?
JC: My first big gig was a national commercial for SEIKO JEWELERS while still living in Atlanta GA. I then did my first theatre gig WILLOW SPRINGS NOW there too and it was “big” in the sense that I co-wrote it and co-starred in it with fellow Georgian, Becky Canady. In fact we moved to LA with the show in 1987 and had it produced at two different theatres in LA. It’s really what launched my whole career. I did so many great plays during those years. It’s hard to really say what’s been BIG gigs. My career has been more of a marathon with lots of small breaks along the way. I guess The studio film MACGRUBER was probably my biggest film break in 2009 as ZEKE PLESHETTE opposite Will Forte, Kristen Wiig, Ryan Phillippe and Val Kilmer.
You spent a large part of the ‘80s and ‘90s in some dynamite TV shows – like “F/X”, “La Femme Nikita”, “Party of Five” and “Married… With Children”. How much do you attribute all this TV to your success?
JC: Looking back, I wish I had taken the time to enjoy all those early jobs and years a lot more and to have been more present in the moment. It seems I was always in a hurry to get to the “next level” whatever that meant. But I think that also comes with being in our 20’s too. I would love to have enjoyed the whole journey more. TV has always been my favorite jobs. I love the steady work and schedule and getting to work with the same people each week.
You’ve also been involved in a large number of genre projects though – do you find your gravitate towards the horror genre?
JC: Ironically I was a huge Horror fan as a kid..never missed all the classics like HALLOWEEN, FRIDAY THE 13th, THE HILLS HAVE EYES etc. Once I starting really getting these ‘Bad Guy” roles I was able to work in Horror films myself and I love them too. The fans are also the absolute best and most loyal and most passionate about these films. I’ve been fortunate to appear at Comic Con in San Diego for the past 10 years and out of all my work it’s the horror films that I’ve been in that get the most support from fans. I’m so grateful to be working at all especially in the horror genre. HANSEL & GRETEL, THE PURGE : ANARCHY, ANYONE HOME?CAPTURED more recently and on TV in shows like AMERICAN HORROR STORY.
“Anyone Home” might be considered a horror movie – at least from the outset. Is Walker a character unlike any you’ve played before?
JC: WALKER was a challenging role to play in the sense that I was very “restrained’ in the part without giving too much away. I had to convey emotions through my eyes a lot and really had to feel the emotions so that they would be real on camera. The camera doesn’t lie especially when there’s not a lot of dialogue to distract the viewer. I usually play the aggressor or alpha roles and this was a chance to play someone who starts out tough and then things happen to turn the tables on him. I tried to bring a certain vulnerability to the character as well.
And how did you get involved in this one?
JC: This was one of those rare times when a wonderful casting director, Kendra Patterson actually offered me the role without an audition. I had auditioned for her for TV shows over the years and she knew my work and called my agents about WALKER.
When you’re going into an audition for a film like this, do you generally have to compete against a bunch of actors that all look the same?
JC: I’m so lucky to work with and audition with such an amazing group of fellow “bad guys’ Character actors whose work I admire and respect. It’s a really supportive bunch and most of us have known each other for years yet we welcome the new ones in each year as we get older. I never feel like we are competing with each other since our work kind of speaks for itself. Most of us have our own “look” and the longer you’ve been working you relax into a level of confidence where you know that it’s either your part or it isn’t. That only comes with age and years of paying dues I guess…otherwise known as getting old.
Could you relate to Walker?
JC: I could relate to WALKER in some ways. Feeling like an outsider at times, marginalized, struggling to survive in this crazy world. Thankfully I’ve never been as desperate to survive as he appears to be although in some ways he lives an ‘Off the grid” kind of life that many people often opt for… so maybe he had the right idea all along.
You’ve worked with a number of huge stars – and now, Kathy Baker. What did you learn from working with Kathy, who of course we all remember from “Picket Fences” and “The Right Stuff”?
JC: I love her work and always have. Sadly for me I didn’t get to have any scenes in the film with her but I watched her work and she’s a lovely lady on every level. I’ve admired her work for years and also how she’s maintained a long career and yet seems very real and grounded and down to earth. I’ve been blessed to work with so many amazing veteran actors like Sam Elliott, Bill Paxton, Anthony Lapaglia, Dee Wallace, Christian Slater to name a few and they’ve all been humble and supportive and just all about doing good work.
What was the most difficult thing about doing this film?
JC: I think back to what I alluded to earlier in that I was somewhat physically challenged in this role in a way I have never been before. It required patience and a long process of working with a great special effects genius each day before shooting. The “physical limitations” were probably the most difficult.
How do you wind doing at the end of the day – especially after doing some of the more mentally-exhausting sequences?
JC: I love to hike and work out. I try to walk at least an hour to an hour a half everyday wherever I am and get to the gym or workout at home or in the hotel at least two times a week. It’s my way of clearing my head and feeling relaxed. I also LOVE reality TV often times the more ratchet and mindless the better. That’s my true guilty pleasure and it might even involve a REAL HOUSE WIFE or two and maybe even THE VOICE, AMERICAN IDOL and beyond! lol