Monday, October 22, 2012

INTERVIEW: Steve Silverman Previews What Makes THE INN So INNteresting; Casts Crystal Chappell In Lead Role

Steve Silverman, dubbed "the junior Ryan Murphy" in our interview with Joan Van Ark, just announced Crystal Chappell as the lead in his new project, THE INN. Silverman is best known as creator and showrunner of PRETTY, the five-time Indie Soap Award winning web series that was named Best Web Series (Comedy) at this year's ceremony. We Love Soaps caught up with Silverman today to find out more about what's ahead on THE INN.

WE LOVE SOAPS TV: You're probably most famous for creating PRETTY, which has won a ton of awards and amassed an enormous cult following. What inn-spired you to start over?
STEVE SILVERMAN: Well, I don't know that I'm "starting over" - haha - I prefer "moving forward." I love PRETTY, it's been a wild, fun, awesome ride, beyond anything I could have imagined. After three seasons, it's time to try something new, branch out a bit, and most importantly for me, show an audience what other tricks I have up my sleeve.

WE LOVE SOAPS TV: The teaser-trailer released a couple weeks back is definitely spooky/scary, so tell me, just how inn-tense will this series be?
STEVE SILVERMAN: It's going to be inn-tense inn-deed. I'm a huge fan of Hitchcock films, the entire thriller/horror genre. Today's horror movies aren't scary - they're bloody. And I absolutely hate how everything has to be explained. Scary to me is the unknown. 

"The Birds" was never explained. They were just mad-ass birds, and we accepted it and went with it. If that was shot today, some jackhole would add in a nuclear reactor that the birds lay eggs in - and then they all go crazy (don't steal that - that's my next web series). So, yes, you'll see layering of many Hitchcock styles, including nods to some of my favorites like "Rebecca," "Gaslight," "Psycho" and more.

On that same note, I love horror movies from the late 70s into the 80s - where the house is evil just, well, because the house is evil, so get out, you idiots! This is the kind of thriller we have in store with THE INN.

Crystal Chappell
WE LOVE SOAPS TV: You're known for powerful, eclectic, even inn-probable casting - Martha Byrne's raucous turn in PRETTY's last season springs to mind. Take us through the different characters of THE INN, and who you've cast - and maybe even who you have your eye on for as-of-yet unfilled roles (if any)?
STEVE SILVERMAN: The lead role of "Jane" will be played by Emmy winner and VENICE and THE GROVE star/creator Crystal Chappell. I'm thrilled to work with Crystal again - she did a play reading of mine in 1994. I told Crystal, "You're a Hitchcock girl, you smolder" I hope she took it as a compliment.

My dear friend of almost 20 years, Denise Alexander, from GH, DAYS and ANOTHER WORLD, has been cast in a leading role. We've worked together so many times, onstage in my plays and in PRETTY, but this is the first script Denise read and called me and said, "I can't wait!" without any hesitation. It's going to be a lot of fun for both of them as actors - they're playing parts unlike anything they've done before - and for the audience - who's going to see them in a whole new way.

Mark Gantt, star/creator of the web series THE BANNEN WAY which featured Vanessa Marcil, has been cast in another lead role. Mark is a terrific actor who I've wanted to work with for a long time. And then, I do like I did with PRETTY - and cast a bunch of my friends, including Ray Proscia (who played a cameo part in Season 2 of PRETTY as Charles Taymag) and Chuck Sloan (who you'll recognize right away from every commercial, ever).

And a new, upcoming actor, Kyle David Pierce, who was last seen in Gotham City in this last summer's Batman movie. And finally, a young man named Stuart Allan, who presently stars in the web series JEDI CAMP. It's a great group of actors - I can't wait to get to work with them.

WE LOVE SOAPS TV: With so many series out there, what makes THE INN so inn-teresting?
STEVE SILVERMAN: The biggest thing that will make THE INN stand out is this: It's five episodes per season, three seasons total, all in one year. We're not going to make you wait: Season 1 will premiere this February, Season 2 arrives in June and Season 3 arrives in October.

We're filming all of it this December and so we'll be able to deliver it all to our audience in a way no one else is doing. THE INN's episodes will clock in around 3 minutes each - it's fast and furious. And it's fun. A fun scare, if you will.

Oh and one last thing: It's set in 1982-ish. No cell phones. No internet. This will add to the "trapped" feeling I'm hoping you'll feel when you watch it.

WE LOVE SOAPS TV: Finally, I have to ask: what inn-sider inn-formation can you give us to relay to THE INN's potential audience?
STEVE SILVERMAN: Filming begins here in LA on December 2nd, we'll then caravan up to Ojai, California to a private ranch a few days later to finish up filming. THE INN itself is a home that was built in 1908.

It's the coolest house, you step back in time when you walk through the front door. It's up in Ojai, on the ranch, where we'll all be spending the night. I'm praying there is some real ghost activity - ooooooooo! It's going to be a wild ride, so buckle up, and inn-joy...

Follow THE INN on Twitter at @THEINNSERIES and Facebook.

Kevin Mulcahy Jr. is a Harvard alum who is currently working as a staff contributor at welovesoaps.com writing theater and web series reviews as well as other in-depth features. Read all his Web Series reviews here. To contact Kevin, email [email protected].

2 comments:

  1. Sounds like a good TV series. I love the air of horror and suspense from the preview. I read that they shot it at cheap hotels central london. Very spooky in ambiance.

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  2. Well, you wouldn't expect me to watch series like this or I would be creep out in every inn or hotels I'd check in. I have a wild imagination, so thank you very much, but I will have to pass. -Bethany

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