Another Common Question

Inevitably, when people find out I have worked with a celebrity, 9 times out of 10, the next question is "What was ______ really like to work with?" So I"m going to answer that question with the people on the set of "The Imposter."

Kevin Max -- Kevin really surprised me, and several others by his natural acting abilities. He quickly found a rhythm and was very believable. And he did this in spite of the fact that he was stricken with the flu for most of the shooting. This movie, more than any other I've shot, put so much onto the lead actor-- there were 136 scenes and Kevin's character was in almost all of them. Usually the lead actor will have some days off from shooting. But not so for Kevin. So he had to really dig deep to bring this character to life and I think he did an exceptional job.

Jeff Deyo -- When you work with Jeff, you realize what a presence he has. I can only guess that this comes from his passion for Jesus. But he is a calming, strong force on the set. We didn't have a lot of time to talk on the set, and he would come in for a day, shoot and then fly away for a bit to whatever concert he was performing. What I remember most is that while shooting in the RV for the scene where James takes the call from Johnny wanting money, I had just gotten a call-- my wife and son were in a traffic accident. I was told it probably wasn't serious, but suddenly I was a mess and didn't know what to do. Jeff took charge for a moment and prayed. And God showed up in a real way.

Later, I've gotten to spend more time with Jeff and I truly love him like a brother. I can't wait to work with him again.

Kerry Livgren -- I was probably the most nervous meeting Kerry for the first time. He decided to drive down with his wonderful wife Vicci from Kansas and called me when he was getting close, so we could meet at a restaurant to eat dinner. Kerry is every bit the actual character of Proff-- he really didn't have to act; he just had to play himself. I loved sitting down to dinner that night and asking all the questions I'm sure he's been asked a zillion times. And maybe a few he hadn't. Questions like how COWS came to be and Dust in the Wind. As well as other people in the industry he's met and worked with (pretty sad... he says "I knew so and so" and my first thing is "Really? What are they like?").
In this picture, left to right, Dan Millican, DP Ron Gonzalez, Sound Mike Gonzalez, Kerry Livgren, Line Producer Stewart Young.

Anyway, it was a real pleasure working with these guys. And I hope you get a chance to meet them some day.