Actors / Interviews

From ‘A Parent’s Worst Nightmare,’ Tevis Marcum

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TevisMarcumandcastfromParentsworst

Did you catch the Red Carpet Premiere of the Joel Reisig feature, “A Parent’s Worst Nightmare” on Friday?  It appeared at the Emagine Novi and played to a sold-out house.

Perhaps you recognized a  SAG-AFTRA actor that played as Dean Caine’s partner Tex. Together they appeared as private bounty hunters.  This character actor has appeared in some 40 different movies, and has traveled the continental United States,  from Michigan to Louisiana to do so.

Normally appearing as a heavy and more normally a character who is killed in the course of the movie, he has worked with actors Robert De Niro, Milla Jovovich,  Nicolas Cage, Brian Dennehy, Sylvester Stallone, Dean Cain, Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, and other actors, under the direction of directors such as Joel Reisig, Lance Kawas, Tommy Brunswick, John Curran, Tom Hines, Dennis Janiske, Michael Justice, Mikael Håfström, Paul Schrader, and Robert Butler.

This role in “A Parent’s Worst Nightmare”  seemed to be a departure for him.

His name is Tevis Marcum.

Born in Ann Arbor, Michigan,  Tevis studied radio/television at the Specs School of Broadcast Arts.   He has worked as a bass player, actor, stunt man, and voice-over artist,

Meet Tevis Marcum.

TevisMarcumwithDeanCaine

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Tell me about your role in this movie, Tevis. Is it typical of other roles in which you’ve appeared, or different?
Well it’s different in the fact that I play a good guy. I do seem to be cast as the bad guy more often than not… lol..and I seem to die a lot.. hahaha… but this time I’m one of the good guys.  I played Dean Cain’s right-hand man. My character’s name is Tex. Our backstory is we were in the military together and now I work with him
We’re like private bounty hunters, the movie opens with our team rescuing a dog for a rich guy whose dog was stolen, and he pays us to find it then we end up searching for the missing girl that we find has been a “taken” .. for some kind of human trafficking it was one of those gigs where I actually learned a lot about the sad situation, as well at the same time it was so much fun to work and learn from Dean Cain
Interesting. Did you find this a particularly challenging role?  I understand that it is important for an actor to be challenged in the roles in which they appear.
Well a lot of this stuff that we filmed it was in some not-so-great locations making it a challenge on its own , for me personally I think the only challenge was remembering some of my gun etiquette and the cold of course lol..I’m usually so focused on what I have to do I can’t say I consider it a in any way a bad thing,  but I imagine my “challenge” is paying attention to the subtle changes and blocking that is done. I guess I’m too busy trying to execute my performance the way the directors would like and listening to their notes, and in that it can be a challenge but it’s the fun kind of challenge I like about the profession
How long have you been engaged in this profession?
When I started I gave myself five years to get a agent get paid and be able to join the SAG Union, because I was at a point in my life that i needed to know what direction I was going to go into after radio,.. I was lucky enough to accomplish that in three years. I think it helped, because thanks to the tax incentives here in Michigan, there was a lot to do, that was 2006ish.  I think so.  I’ve been doing this more than 10 years now.
I’ve never had any illusions of fame and fortune.  I just wanted to be able to try and make a living at it
To that end, have you been successful?   Can you say that you have, or are making as much money as you did in radio?
But like anything there’s ebbs and flows probably more so in movies than in radio.  So,  sometimes residuals can be decent a lot of times they can be laughable. Like why did they bother to send it to me… hahaha!  I love my journey and I wouldn’t change anything in the world

Even though it’s not as easy as when we had the tax incentives I enjoy traveling around the country to the different states and filming and I can’t imagine doing anything else.

In the last ten years that you have been engaged in this industry, can you point to three of your favorite roles and tell me why these were your favorites?  And where were these roles filmed?

Lol… that would be tough to do as I have been fortunate enough to work in movies with Robert De Niro, Milla Jovovich Nicolas Cage, Brian Dennehy, Sylvester Stallone, Dean Cain etc…the list goes on. And that’s the part of my journey that is the “richest” …those are my memories and having that, I’ll never forget those times!… But “Escape Plan” where I did really nothing but background stunt fighting and it’s uncredited I get a lot of notoriety for,  People seem to see it alot because they play it on TV all the time. That was filmed when I was living in New Orleans, I spent 16 days on that set and was fortunate enough to  have the opportunity where Arnold Schwarzenegger came up to me while I was sitting by myself on a picnic table. He asked if he could sit down.  Of course I said,  “yes!” and then for the next 20-25 minutes proceeded to have a great conversation with the man. I could not believe it. So that’s obviously a big highlight.

New Orleans is where I also filmed the two episodes of “Treme.” That was on HBO. “Dog Eat Dog” with Nicolas Cage and Willem Dafoe was so exciting just to be talking back and forth as we were blocking our scenes as we had known each other forever. Both were very kind to me!! I had to get my hair cut and head shaved bald lol.. but that was also humbling because I had seven lines dialogue with Nicholas cut down to a a grunt in the groan.  Hahaha!!  Still one of my favorite gigs that one was filmed in Cleveland.

But I’d have to say the one that stands out the most to me is one that was filmed near Flint here in Michigan called “Alleged”  The director Tom Hines knew my mom was sick and invited her to see my last day of filming as I had done a few weeks on the project, but that man the Director Tom Hines invited my mother on set not really even knowing her just so she could watch me, her son, film his last scene for the movie.  It absolutely made her day and she was so proud of me. She died few years later but that event and the way he was to me stands out as a highlight. You know what i mean? ..nothing to do with anything but just showing good human compassion! So that definitely sticks out as one of my favorite gigs>

“Boyne Falls” is available on Amazon Prime and here’s another one of Michigan’s local boys Steve Kopera and Mike Lopera along with Axle Harney put this together.  Steve also made “Starlight and Superfish” another one of my favorite gigs I worked on.
It was definitely a fun gig, they put the actors up in this beautiful home on the water for about a month while we filmed.  I had a blast but I will say after the scenes where I go trudging through that water I could barely walk the next day. I have a bad right knee and ankle do you know a million different things. Suffice it to say other than that it was one of the best times I ever had good people Steve, Mike and Axle.
I think westerns are making a reemergence.  And heavies always seem to be in demand.
Yeah, I think a good old spaghetti western with the technology we have today would be pretty cool.  I think I can pull off a heavy… Hahaha! I got to play a heavy in “Love Immortal” that Robert Butler film and that was a fun gig it was fun to play that kind of guy
Were you in that? I did a write up on that. And another before it premiered in Vegas.  Tell me about your part in this movie.  How did you like working with Rob?
Yeah, the movie is about two women vampires and it’s told in three chapters all involving their economic and living situations ending with the third chapter of which I play one of the heavies who controls a lot of everything in a time where resources are at a minimum.  I play the part of the “mayor” and I run the town, and in the chapter I’m in I have people coming to me begging for help and resources. Rather than do that I decide to make them fight for it with the winner taking all… but when I find out one of these female vampires has a very rare coin and possibly more I attempt to retrieve those coins.. with not the best results!.. hahaha! Of course I guess that would be a spoiler, huh?… see, I die again. … Maybe we shouldn’t tell people that part. Hahaha… working with Rob has an absolute pleasure.  He took a lot of care and times the actors and cast and crew awesome set to work on definitely

That  one in the middle is from a parent’s worst nightmare the other two are from love a mortal
There’s a nice shot in “Love Immortal” during the fight scene and of course that’s the “Escape Plan.”
Couple weeks ago I got to work with this guy Udo Keir   What a great guy he is!   That movie will be called “Swan Song”.  That comes out in 2020.  I play the crusty cab driver
Wow, he has been in 265 credited movies and I can honestly say I have never heard of him.
You know, that’s funny…quick story. When I got there I introduced myself and said,” Hi! How are you?  I’m guessing you’re one of the actors in the movie. .. Lmao..He looked at me like,” fella, I am the star of this movie!” I laughed so hard but it was during the Heat wave we had in Cleveland. So, the waiting station for us was literally a cooler of a store. It felt so good, I had no idea who he was either.  I love movies. I’ve seen a lot of movies, but I’ve also never seen a lot of stuff. I’m not a fan of a lot of things that a lot of people are. Sometimes it’s funny that way.  I mean for me, after that hairy guy Chewbacca or whatever his name is starts communicating with Harrison Ford, right then I said,” I’m out.” I have never watched another “Star Wars” again hahaha!  I guess I’m fickle.
It was really only when I got home and told friends about the gig I had just done and who is there they’re like dude you know he was in “Armageddon” and “Blade” on and on. I’m like “yeah, sorry no clue.”
I think my greatest acting performances come from not being a fanboy when I’ve had the opportunities to work alongside some of the people I have Tom Berenger, Nicolas Cage, Willem Dafoe, Milla Jovovich,  I think that’s my greatest acting it’s just not getting all fanboy on them

I have been very lucky and fortunate in that area that while I may never make the big time I’ve got great memories I’m working alongside some of the most well-known people but every time I managed to keep myself together hahaha.

I can say I have never been a “fanboy.” I am completely mystified about these people who get “geeked out” on “Lord of the Rings,”” Avatar,”” Star Trek,”” The Walking Dead,”” Game of Thrones”….

It’s weird. I don’t think I am either, but when I meet someone I go,” wow this is so surreal!” I think to myself, but I don’t usually have time to watch things as I’m busy doing my own thing having been a musician and actor.  I’m doing things. I’m not sitting around watching movies and TV.  In fact,  of those that you mentioned the only thing I’ve even seen is “The Walking Dead,” and that’s because the wife likes to watch it.  When football season’s over I watch it with her.  However as I get older I am finding more and more time to watch. Hahaha!

What was the first thing you learned as an actor while set?

Heck,  I remember the first thing I learned was “don’t ask for autographs and pictures. Just be a professional.  I try to remain that way at all times when I’m on set if I’m fortunate enough to work alongside someone who most would call quote-unquote a celebrity
That’s an interesting point.  I wonder how many (particularly indie) actors could work along big names without “geeking out.” or becoming star struck.
I think the ones worth their salt would.  No question about it. When I first start it it was surreal now you’re going,” okay cool! I got a decent payday!  So,  it’s all relative. I suppose once you get some experience under your belt that changes like anything else and we definitely have actors here who had only would not geek out would definitely hold their own   Erika Hoveland, Aphrodite Nicolovski, definitely Jimmy Doom….so many.
Yes, and you have worked with them all.
And I saw some of the greatest acting chops I ever saw. Aphrodite one-time cried 11 times in a row real tears coming down her face. I asked “how did you do that?” I was absolutely amazed by it.  Rebecca Anderson was in one of the first movies I ever made called “Family Justice.” She’s now a regular on some kids show called “Henry Danger” on Nickelodeon making movies basically made it, if you want to look at it that way, and when she was like 4 or 5 years old I worked with her.  The way she could separate was unbelievable.  I remember being worried that I was scaring her because I was being so mean. I asked her,” you do know I’m just pretending.” She looked at me like , “oh yeah!” and continue to play with your doll absolutely no problem and yet she would turn on the tears minute later actresses and actors like that really impress me and I try to learn from them

 

I may be partial, but I think Michigan can boast to have some of the best actors, directors, and film people in general.

I wouldn’t throw myself on the sward saying otherwise I totally agree I mean I can name a bunch of people around here who are just absolutely outstanding actors, directors,  producers.  People get things done.  Harley Wallen I have yet to be lucky enough to work with him,  but you can just see this is a man that gets things done.  Same with people like Joel Paul Paul Reisig,  as well Robert Butler.  I think our acting community is just as full of talent as Michigan is full of great music and people who came from here out there making music

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Tevis Marcum’s IMDb page

 

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