5 Questions with Mike Breen
A spot-on parody of overtrained (though otherwise oblivious) actors, “Rehearsal is Cancelled” finds two performers diving deep into their craft. We asked director Mike Breen how the project began, working with his actors, and a recent film he’s loved…
1) Can you talk briefly about your background, and how you first got interested in film/video making?
I was doing a lot of live comedy around New York a few years ago and the bits I was writing were becoming more and more visual and I thought they’d work better filmed. I ended up getting a camera and shooting shorts and sketches with my friends. At the beginning they were all terrible and I didn’t release the first ten or so I shot. Eventually I made some that were less terrible.
2) What was the genesis of this project and how did you get the ball rolling initially? I’d love to hear how you met your actors, and what the process was to develop this piece with them. Brilliant performances.
Hayley and Chris are amazing. I was out visiting Hayley in LA when I saw them do a version of Rehearsal is Cancelled as a ten-minute play. We met once to discuss how to pare it down and once for a rehearsal. On the day of the shoot it was just the three of us. We were really tight on time, I think we had two hours to shoot. I felt like the more moving the parts, the harder it would be to get it done. And working in an empty room like that is hard to do as an actor, especially with comedy. You’re out there making jokes on camera to silence. Then you’ve gotta do it again and again. And I’ll give brief praise in-between takes but then I’m giving notes or setting up my next shot. I don’t think I’d put anybody else in that situation but they’re so good I didn’t really worry about it.
3) I’d love to see more of these characters. Was there ever any consideration for more scenes or fleshing out their world / what are their lives like? What's another setting or situation you’d love to see them interact in?
In Rehearsal is Cancelled they briefly talk about the audition process. I’d love to see how that would play out. I worry about adding another character to the mix to straight man. Part of what makes these people so fun is that they exist on the cusp of delusion without anybody keeping them in check.
4) What’s a film you’ve seen recently, new or old, that you really loved and why?
I just saw Roar for the first time with some friends a couple weeks ago. It’s two hours of Tippi Hedren and Melanie Griffith fighting actual lions and tigers and there is some sort of plot I’m told. It was so boring and exciting and confusing. Apparently over one hundred crew members were injured on set from big cat attacks. I’m amazed they even finished it….Roar feels like a cool-guy answer. You should know the other three movies we watched that weekend were all Harry Potter movies.
Bonus Question) What’s next for you?
I’m currently doing a play I wrote with my friend Dave Rafailedes called Cellino v. Barnes (Hayley is directing) about the breakup of the injury attorneys on half the billboards in New York. We just did The Bell House this past Saturday. That show’s going to have a run in New York for a bit. Chris, Hayley and I will be working on some other projects soon too.
Contact Info:
Website: http://mikebbreen.com
IG: @mikebbreen.