Here at the Phoenix,
we have an inkling that we'll be speaking with South Boston-bred
filmmaker-actor Michael Yebba quite a bit over the next few years.
He's been making moves behind important scenes for about five years
now, and a lot of those moves are about to be played out at a
national level.
For now, with the
hometown premiere of his short film Bad Blood coming up this
Wednesday, we caught up with Yebba, to give him a chance to
personally introduce himself to the city he intends to illustrate on
screen for years to come. In our quick interview, we asked about his
projects past, present and future, and about his work with Boston
rapper-actor Slaine, who co-stars in Bad Blood as the brother of
Yebba's character.
Bad
Blood Premiere This Wednesday, August 10th @ Down Ultra
Lounge (184 High Street)
HERE for MORE INFO
What roles did you
play in the production of this film, and which do you consider to be
your greatest strength?
I'm the writer, director,
co-star and a producer of Bad Blood. My greatest strength was
my writing; I have the most experience [in that realm], and believe
the script will reflect that. But that's not to say my directing was
weak; you learn from missteps along the way and strengthen those
areas.
For those who are
still unfamiliar with Michael Yebba, what are some projects that
you've worked on, and/or are currently working on?
To date I've been
fortunate to have been cast in great films, both big and small. I had
a small part in The Town last year as an armored van driver in
the North End scene (Yebba was gunned down by Jeremy Renner's
character). In Brian Goodman's What Doesn't Kill You, I worked
in scenes directly with Mark Ruffalo and Ethan Hawke. I've had a few
bit parts in other films and television also, but most of those were
left on the cutting room floor.
So far writing has been
my bread and butter. Along with my writing partner Emilio Mauro, I
just completed an adaptation of Harlan Coben's New York Times
best seller "The Woods," which we are extremely excited
about. We've also [worked on] several features in various stages of
development, including Rush Back, which Zerogravity is
producing, and which is being directed by Lin Oeding. A television
show called "Borderlands" is being set up with Spike TV
(Yebba finds out in October if the pilot is ordered), and I'm working
on a very major television project which I am legally not allowed to
talk about.
What was your first
taste of showbiz, and where did you decide that you wanted to pursue
screenwriting full-time?
When I was 22-years-old I
had my first screenplay optioned, [but] the movie never got got made
and I was totally devastated. I had no clue how the business worked,
and because of this I didn't pursue a writing career again for many
years. It wasn't until my second effort 10 years later, when I wrote
The Fallen, and optioned that script, that I started thinking
I could do this. [Since then] I've been learning the business behind
filmmaking. I still haven't seen a script I've written, re-written,
or worked on hit the big screen, but I've learned to let the
producers produce, and to just keep on writing. Patience is the
number one asset in this business; I've met writers who have been in
the business making extremely good money for 20 plus years and still
haven't had a spec script made into a film.
Bad Blood,
at its core, seems to be rooted in a deep, disturbing sibling
rivalry. How much of that comes from personal experience?
My brother and I have not
had the best relationship over the years. Like in the film, we've
taken different roads in life and never really seen eye to eye. The
core of the film was definitely inspired by our relationship, yet the
other twists and plot elements are just from my demented imagination.
Slaine, who plays a
major role in this short film, is someone who you've been
collaborating with for a while. Can you give us some background into
your relationship?
Slaine has truly become
my brother. We shared a mutual friend but had never met, and I was
always looking to meet him because music is also a passion of mine,
but we never crossed paths. When I was auditioning for the Bubba role
in Gone Baby Gone, I had read in the Herald he got the
role, and initially I was pissed – not at him but the process in
general. I had gone in to read four or five times, and was confident
in my auditions – so to read in the paper that someone else landed
it was another blow top my ego.
It was that experience
that prompted me to start writing again, though, and The Fallen
was what came from that. A few months after Gone Baby Gone was
released, I had signed the first of many deals with The Fallen.
Slaine had read the script, and we spoke at a show of his at The
Middle East. Since that day it's felt like we've been friends our
whole lives. He understands me and I him, and he's been the voice of
reason for me when I've wanted to quit and move on. We've experienced
so much together over the past five or six years now that the bond we
share is very strong.
So what's next for the two of you in the movie business?
It's definitely only the
beginning. We're also writing a comedy together now, and I just
finished another screenplay for an executive from his record label –
it's for Slaine and I to star in, and hopefully I'll be given the
chance to direct it. I feel the team Slaine and I surround ourselves
with is full of extremely talented, determined individuals [who are]
up and coming in the business. It's a game of chess that we're
playing, and it's always good to have a partner with you in a game
this complex.
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