The M Word Episode IV
The M Word Episode IV: Interview with Bobby Calloway
I caught up with a good friend in this week’s episode. A mainstay of this blog, Bobby Calloway! Great as always to catch up with this dude as his life lately seems to be full of exciting adventures. Check out the interview below.
Q. I suppose there’s only one place to start, “Gumdrops”. Where did the idea materialize for this comedy series? And talk us through how it’s been getting this project off the ground, so to speak.
Bobby Calloway: Well the idea was inspired by two sets of girls I knew back in college. There was this trio who were always together and you rarely saw one without the other two. I randomly nicknamed them ‘The Gumdrops’ one day and it actually stuck (people would ask “are the Gumdrops coming out tonight?”) The second set was a group of friends who lived across the hall from my friends. You’ve met the girl Laura, Rebecca’s character, was based on. I loved being around them because they had this amazing energy, and it was sometimes like life was on fast-forward. I can remember one day thinking that they would make great characters in something, and I started developing the idea from that I suppose. There were more in the group than the four depicted in the series – so the others might show up as guest characters at some point.
The two boyfriends and the landlady are completely made up – though I suppose there are aspects of other people I knew in everyone. I wanted to play one of them myself – hence the not-so-subtle naming choice ‘Robbie’ – but I decided to keep myself sane by just directing and only popping up occasionally as ‘Cousin Marty’. Rebecca Rose Flynn, I knew beforehand from other No WiFi films and she was supposed to have a role in my short High & Tight but she couldn’t make the filming day. The next time we saw each other, we joked about doing something together – and I really wanted to see her in a comedy. The role of Laura was written for her, specifically to be someone a bit more exaggerated. It’s a new role for her – she’s mainly done serious dramas before – and on set I’m always encouraging her to be bigger and more over-the-top because that’s who she is. And she always delivers. The last time we had her on set, we couldn’t call cut because she was so funny we weren’t able to speak!
Kaireht’s character Sadia was written for her too – I’ve worked with her about three times at this point (we were in High & Tight and we both star in the upcoming Spears). My friend Greg said after seeing some episodes “I think she’s just playing herself there” – but I told him it’s the complete opposite. She’s a very sensible and grounded woman who just flips a switch and becomes Sadia so effortlessly. It doesn’t even feel like I’m watching her – I just see the character. Ellen who plays Lindsay I’d done two plays with and I’d actually shown her a couple of the scripts long before I asked her to come on board. In fact, her casting really had an influence on the way I wrote the character. In the first episode written, I envisioned Lindsay as a sort of dumb blonde who the other girls bully. Ellen, however, has a sweetness to her that lets you know she’s an angel, but she won’t take s*** from anyone – so Lindsay then became the sane character who gives as good as she gets. She’s an actress who always has fun stories from plays or auditions, and a few of them will work their way into the script. Ingrid who plays Roisin was someone who used to wrestle with me back in the day, and she contacted me asking for advice on getting into acting. I’ve enjoyed having her in the series so much; she always goes the extra mile to make things better. The episode I was in was so much fun because she’s so great to work with. She never missed a line, and even watching the rushes back she did so many little things that had us all howling. The others – Corey, James, and Sandi – were all good friends I wanted to give roles to.
The series has been in development since at least November. I wrote the ‘Miss Lucy’ script and sat on it for months, telling myself “yeah I might do this as a series” but last winter I finally got to work on it. We had lots of setbacks with cast members dropping out and schedule conflicts – the first episode chronologically was actually the fourth one filmed because it was that hard to get everyone available on the same day. But that’s the industry – we roll with the punches and adapt. I’m so lucky to have such a great cast and an amazing crew who are very patient with me and always help me to learn and improve. I got very humbled after we finished ‘Miss Lucy’. The day after that was a No WiFi meeting, and Anthony our sound guy singled me out saying “I just want to say that the shoot yesterday was really well-organized and there was good management of time. It’s a bit of craic.”
Q. If you won the Euro-Millions, what would be the first thing you’d buy and why?
Bobby Calloway: If I won the Euro Millions…damn, I’m so boring, I’d probably just put it away so I could live comfortably. I might take a holiday or put some of it towards financing a film project. But being an actor has taught me the value of a cent, so financial security is more attractive to me than an extravagant purchase. The money would probably slowly get spent on business items.
Q. If someone wrote a story about you, would you be considered to be the Hero or the Villain? Furthermore, in your own honest opinion given the choice which would you prefer to be?
Bobby Calloway: It depends on who’s writing the story. There are a few stories where I’d definitely be the villain, but these days I do try to be the hero or scene-stealing mentor at least. I’d love to be the villain that gets redeemed, because who doesn’t love that kind of story?
Q. What does a typical day in the life of “Bobby Calloway” look like?
Bobby Calloway: I set my alarm for 7.15 but whether I actually get out of bed at that time depends on my mood. I have breakfast and check immediate emails and messages before usually going for a walk. If I have some editing to do then I tackle that at some point or record a new video. If I have a project coming up, I spend time learning lines, making sure all my dates are in order and I know where I’m going. I’m working on breaking into more voice over work, so I’m taking online classes at Gravy For The Brain – but I have been slacking off there as of late. Obviously, I’m applying for any castings I see or doing self-tapes whenever the opportunity comes up. If I have to be in the city for an audition or a shoot, I usually use that time to do some writing. If there’s a Gumdrops filming day to organize, there are a few people to check in with and plans to be made in advance too. I also have to find time to squeeze in an hour for a workout. All this in theory, but I do have my lazy days where I lose two hours reading nonsense on the internet.
Q. As a former Wrestler, what would you say drew you to it? And if given the chance would you go back and do it all over again?
Bobby Calloway: I suppose the excitement of wrestling drew me to it. Obviously, when a big action sequence is done in film, there’s multiple takes and angles and all these special effects and CGI – but with wrestling, it’s all done there in the ring. You have this intense battle that the fans are really into – and it’s all live right then and there. The performing aspect was great as well; I always loved it when you could tell a story and bring some acting into it. I probably wouldn’t go back since I’ve been out of the game four years now and I don’t really miss it. Some wrestlers have the bug and itch to get back in the ring and bump around. For me, acting and directing fulfills that creative outlet, and I’m better suited to those than I was to the ring. I’m glad to have done it and grateful to every lesson it taught me, but that ship has sailed now.
Q. What is your honest opinion on award ceremonies such as “The Oscars and The Academy Awards”, etc?
Bobby Calloway: I’m kind of neutral on award ceremonies, to be honest. Once I became aware of ‘Oscar Bait’, I stopped caring about them as much as I used to – as a lot of the time it can be less about honoring those who have made a meaningful contribution to the world of cinema and more about awarding films made to tick certain boxes regardless of quality. For me, I’m just focused on getting better at my craft and doing good work – and I won’t lose sleep if I never win an award for it. But if someone wants to give me an award or honor a film that I loved, I’ll be very pleased.
Q. If you could pick someone to narrate “The life and times of Bobby Calloway”, whom would you choose and why?
Bobby Calloway: Channing Tatum! The dude is my hero and I’d love to hear him narrate my life. He’d probably have a lot of fun reading that weird stage at age 4 when I kept looking up women’s skirts (blame my grandmother, according to Momma Calloway).
Q. Are you a music guy? If so, what is your favorite band and/or singer?
Bobby Calloway: I am a music guy but the weird thing is I don’t have bands or artists that I follow. I did as a child but these days I just listen to whichever song is stuck in my head at the moment. For example “Be Yourself” by Audioslave is my favorite song but I don’t listen to any of their other stuff. I did follow Oasis a bit in my teen years, and I have a lot of Pink songs that I love though…
Q. What advice would you give to someone thinking of becoming an actor?
Bobby Calloway: I actually posted something on Facebook a while ago on lessons I’d learned from my two years in the industry. But I always emphasize the importance of hard work and dedication. Ignore what everyone else is doing and focus on working as hard as you possibly can, and not letting rejections or setbacks get to you. The basics are important – good quality headshot, well-formatted CV, showreel that does not go past 2.30 (everyone thinks they’re the actor who can get away with a 3-minute reel). But beyond that, it’s all about working hard and being as professional as you can be. That doesn’t mean covering up your dirty laundry and projecting this artificial image of yourself to the world; it means doing your job, treating everyone with kindness and respect, and helping out others whenever you can. The rest will sort itself out.
Q. And in closing. What do you hope to accomplish by this time next year?
Bobby Calloway: I’ll have completed my first feature film Spearsso I hope to make the most out of having that to point to. The Gumdrops I plan to have shot more episodes of and some other projects I want to get greenlit. And of course, further towards achieving my voiceover dreams. I also hope to be happy and hard-working and enjoying life as I am now.
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9hTzXnwFm5KrtdC-_z9tBw
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bobby_says_hi
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bobbyiceman/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blueranger91
Episode III of “The M Word” has been brought to you by former Wrestler turned Blog-Writer & Co-Creator of ‘WrestleHero Rebelz – Shod’
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