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Chloe: Hi Roger, it’s so great to get a chance to chat with you about your new project Rebirth, for those of our audience who may not know can tell us a little bit about the film and what inspired you to make it?

Roger: Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with me, Chloe! My film Rebirth is a retelling of George A Romero’s iconic Night of the Living Dead but set against today’s heated social climate. Romero’s film was not only a landmark horror film but a groundbreaking social commentary as well! I wanted to really focus on that element of the film and honor what made the first film so monumental.

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Chloe: For this project, you not only played the lead role of “Adam” but you also wrote and directed the film, how was the experience for you balancing all three of those roles, and what do you think was the biggest challenge and biggest victory as a creative?

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Roger: To tell you the truth Chloe, it was stressful as all hell! This being my directorial debut and all, I dove into this headfirst and I just became overly excited about the whole thing. I’ve seen a lot of sets operate in my time and you feel you’re capable of making something really great based on those experiences alone. I really just think my creative passion underestimated the amount of physical and emotional energy running a film set can require. But those early learning curves are truly what define your future as a filmmaker. You can continue making the same mistake over and over, project after project, set after set, or you can take that experience and the knowledge you’ve acquired from it and learn from it and strive to not make those same mistakes again. The gift in the problem, if you will. This experience left me with some really great gifts.

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Chloe: Roger, as an avid horror film and thriller film viewer and fan what was an important goal or aspect you wanted to make sure to get right and capture?

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Roger: I really wanted this film to feel respectful of the source material, both in how we were directly inspired by it as well as in how we strived to differentiate ourselves from it. We certainly take heavy inspiration from the original film, but we took a lot of liberties to ensure our product felt fresh, relevant, and unique.

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Chloe: Something that was interesting about the cinematography of Rebirth was the stylistic choices made in terms of set design, location, and shooting styles that gave it a very unique look. What were your inspirations for how you wanted the world in the film to be portrayed and did you pull inspiration from any other Classic Horror films?

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Roger: I really wanted the film to feel like it existed within its own alternate era. Almost preserved in time, if you will. There’s a hodgepodge of 1960s and 70s era vehicles and technology and so forth, but there’s also a very modern element with some of the technology you see and certain fashion elements incorporated. This allowed for us to recreate that great, vintage vibe that gives it a similar tone to the original film. That was very intentional. Films such as Suspiria, The Shining, Messiah of Evil, and Demons all had an influence on the final product.

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Chloe: Roger, you are no stranger to the film worlds of Horror, Crime, and Thrillers with roles in films such as The Curse of Lilith Ratchet, Viscera, The Sluagh Awakens, and now Rebirth. What do you think it is that first attracts you to a script or a role and what has been the most surprising thing you’ve learned or experienced as an actor taking on these grittier, supernatural, and action-packed roles?

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Roger: I mostly just look for characters that are going to challenge my abilities as an actor. I never want to become complacent in this career, so I always jump at a chance to play something out of the norm for me. If a part scares me or makes me nervous, I’m likely going to take it. It’s all about pushing my own boundaries and enhancing my skills as a performer.

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Chloe: Besides, being an Actor/Director/Writer you are also a Podcast Host of the show Dark Night of the Podcast which you co-host with Director, Troy Escamilla, how did that Podcast first get started and what is your goal with the show as it pertains to the Film Industry and Indie Film Community?

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Roger: Troy and I met years ago over social media. We were two gay filmmakers who shared an intense passion for horror and that sparked what has become a really solid friendship. He came up to Cleveland one year to celebrate pride with me which led to my being cast in his film Teacher Shortage. It’s really just been one great experience after another for us, so we decided to take that positive energy and run with it. That’s how Dark Night of the Podcast was born. It’s honestly just an excuse for us to ramble about our favorite films for hours on end.

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