Summer is a great time for action comedies! When I first saw this trailer earlier this year, I thought this is a crazy mash-up of Men In Black (but with dead people) meets Ghostbusters… with The Dude and Green Lantern, no less.
After Detective Nick Walker (Ryan Reynolds) is killed by accident, he is recruited into the Rest In Peace Department (R.I.P.D.) and partnered with veteran officer Roy Pulsipher (Jeff Bridges). The R.I.P.D. is an organization of dead police officers tasked with protecting the living from arrogant, malevolent, bloodthirsty evil spirits who refuse to move into the afterlife
Apparently the story is based on a comic book by Peter M. Lenkov. The movie’s directed by Robert Schwentke who apparently passed on directing the sequel of another action comedy RED, and also stars Kevin Bacon and Mary-Louise Parker. Interestingly, both Reynolds and Parker have two movies coming up in the same weekend, Reynolds lends his voice in the animated feature Turbo and Parker is also in RED 2 (review coming soon).
Check out the latest trailer…
… and featurette w/ the cast:
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Today we’ve got a special guest on this post…
Tim Jacobs, a stage actor who worked as extra on the film – check out his profile on IMDb. Thanks to my friend Ashley (aka Tim’s girlfriend) for introducing us. Tim played one of the evil souls (deados) share some of his experience on the set. Check out our interview below:
1. Tell us what your role is in R.I.P.D and how you ended up getting involved with this project
R.I.P.D. is about of evil souls (deados) that escaped judgement and are hiding out on earth. The R.I.P.D. (Rest In Peace Department) is in charge of finding and arresting these offending souls. In the movie, I was one of the Deados that worked closely with Hayes (Kevin Bacon) to bring about the end of the world as we know it.
The casting process for this movie was unlike any audition I’d done before. Boston Casting, an incredible casting agency in (you guessed it) Boston contacted me about the audition. They were looking for a very specific type of person. They had to be over 6 feet tall and physically fit. The auditions themselves were incredible! You know you’re going to have fun when they don’t give you specifics, but tell you to wear “clothes you can move in.” The actual audition consisted of push-ups, pull-ups, jumping rope, box jumps, and various other physical activities including showing off some stage combat skills. Things went well and they picked a small group of us that day.
2. Did you get to work with any of the main cast?
The part of the story that I’m a part of is kind of the climax of the movie. It takes place on the roof of a building that was meticulously replicated in a giant warehouse. The set was entirely surrounded by green screen. It felt like we were in a giant green circus tent. The actual set was the exact size of the building it was modeled after, and with all the people on it, you could find yourself next to any number of cast members.
We worked mostly with the main cast (although the stand ins were used from time to time) but we were instructed to maintain professionalism and not get all googly eyed when they walked by. They were all very nice. Jeff Bridges seemed to be one of the nicest guys around, Ryan Reynolds was very focused on the work, and Kevin Bacon was hilarious! We were with them for a good portion of our shoot and we did chat in between takes or sitting outside.
3. What’s a day on the set like? I learned that you have to wear a certain costume to play one of the dead monsters (Deado)?
I maintain relationships with several of them on Facebook even now. Once the call comes though, we would have to quickly move into position as they set up the shot. When you are actually on set, everything moves very quickly and you always have to be aware of the people, cameras, and your Assistant Director.
Everyone was wicked nice though. The director (Robert Schwentke) was very good at letting the actors know what he wanted and how to better achieve it. The entire crew would help you out and answer any questions you had about anything. It was a wonderful work environment because everyone seemed to be on the same page.
The costume I wore was not much more than somewhat formal street clothes. But on certain CGI shots, we got to wear the “grey suits” (see below). These icons of the fashion world were made of a nice stretchy material and had the one size fits most feel to them. Luckily we didn’t have to wear these very often.
4. I understand you’ve done a lot of stage work in various Shakespearean plays? Tell us what project you’re working on right now.
The Director (Dan Beaulieu) has taken this show and spun it around much like a DJ remixes a song. In fact, we refer to the show as #Ahranjay (R+J) the remix. The show is a lot more intense and interesting than most of the productions of Romeo and Juliet that I have seen. It features Dubstep and live music as the heartbeat and driving force of the action. Among other things, we will be live tweeting during the shows, and finding all sorts of fun ways to interact with the audience. You can find more information on the show at prescottpark.org or find Seven Stages Shakespeare Company on Facebook. If you are in the area, it is definitely worth the $5 donation. Also, it is outdoors so there’s that.
5. What’s next for you? More stage work or are you looking to venture out into TV or films?
There is nothing like live theatre. There are no second takes when you are onstage in front of hundreds of people. What you do is what you get. The adrenaline (butterflies) I get during a live show can’t be compared with being on a movie set. But movies have their own fun. You don’t get the instant feedback like in theater, but instead there is a long wait to see your art. It is truly a lot of fun, even as an extra, to be part of a movie. I will keep auditioning for all sorts of performing arts, and whoever wants to work with me ultimately decides the steerage of my course.
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Thanks again Tim for the interview! Check out Tim on Facebook.
Hope you enjoy the interview. Thoughts on this post, well let’s hear it!
FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG 
Not a huge Ryan Reynolds fan but I am now a huge Tim Jacobs fan! Well done guys, this was an excellent piece.
Thanks Chris! Yeah I wish Tim had been the lead instead of Reynolds 😀
Wow, fantastic interview and a great read. Really enjoyed it. As for R.I.P.D., I was never that crazy about the comic series. And honestly the trailers haven’t won me over to the movie. It’s not on my anticipated list but I definitely plan on checking it out.
Thanks Keith! It’s great to hear what it’s like being an extra and sounds like he had a blast being able to hang out w/ the cast, too.
Are you gonna see it this weekend?
Probably not this weekend. I’m just not really pumped for it. Definitely before it leaves theaters.
Ah I see. I’m actually seeing Pac Rim again at IMAX 3D tomorrow, the real IMAX as the screening was at the faux IMAX 🙂
I like Reynolds,but this doesn’t really excite me. And i wish Tim good luck on whatever he pursues 🙂
Interesting that Reynolds is in TURBO too, I don’t know if either of them will do well or not.
What cool friends you have! Very interesting and I’ve been wondering about this film. Looking forward to it, now!
Glad to hear Cindy! I hope next time Tim gets another movie gig, his face won’t be hidden 🙂
Reblogged this on fireford.
Great interview Ruth and here’s hoping that we see more of Tim in coming future. The film itself sounds like something I could get right into. I’m a big fan of Bridges, as you know!
Thanks Mark! Curious to hear what you think of RIPD, lots of competition this weekend. Bridges looks like he’s having fun doing comedies!
Fascinating interview! I always love behind-the-scene glimpses. Thanks, Tim, for sharing with our beloved blogger Flixy on Flixchatter ;-D Good luck with your career.
Hi Becky! Yeah I love behind-the-scene stuff too, so big thanks to Tim and Ashley for this.
From the snippets Tim told me about his choreography on set, I’m really excited to see how this all comes together. Thanks again, Ruth!!
Hello Ashley! Welcome to FlixChatter 😀 Thanks a lot for setting this up and introducing me to Tim. Glad he had a good time making this. Here’s to more movie/tv gigs for him in the future!
Hi, Ruth:
Great cririque and add ons!
I’ve been a Jeff Bridges fan since ‘The Last Picture Show’. And this looks like it’s his film. With a first class sidekick in Ryan Reynolds.
‘RIPD’ has intrigued since the first trailers I saw months ago. Lots of fun for all involved.
Hello Jack! Always nice to see you stop by man. It’s great to see Mr. Bridges continue to mix things up, there’s certainly ‘life after 60’ in Hollywood as there are a ton of ‘seasoned’ actors competing at the box office today, what with at least four of the cast are well over 60, but still awesome. They seem to be having tons of fun!
And if its okay to have Tim’s mom’s comment “He ate like a king during the filming on those cold wintery days. Lobster, steak, and everything a guy could want for meals.”
Well hello Tim’s mom! 😀 Yeah that’s what Ashley told me. Well he deserved it, I’m sure the extras worked very hard on set.
Great and thoroughly fun interview. Kudos to you both 😀
Thanks Michael! That means a lot coming from you.
Hi Ruth, really cool interview here! Nice work!
Thanks for reading Eric!
Very cool interview Ruth, it always nice to learn more about the behind the scenes movie making process. It will make me more prepared when I finally get to make $150mil action picture. 🙂 Good luck to Tim, pretty sure we’ll see more of him down the road, big or small screen.
As for RIPD, I have no desire to see it. Looks like basically a carbon copy of MIB. Yet another big budget film that will tank at the box office, Ryan Reynolds is like Colin Farrell now, any big film he starred in, they all tanked. I don’t remember the last time Hollywood have so much big films tanked in theater in the summer time. Funny thing is we’ll see more sequels since all the big films this summer were sequels/prequel, Iron Man 3, Fast 6, Despicable Me 2, Star Trek 2 and Monster University.
Yeah, I always love behind-the-scenes tidbits, I wish I could be an extra one day in a movie I’m looking forward to 😀
I don’t care for Ryan Reynolds as an actor either. Yeah, so many big-budget movies tank this Summer, how many times does it take before Tinseltown learns about filmmaking efficiency or just basic economy?? [shrug]
Really great interview Ruth, sounds like a cool guy. I hadn’t really given much thought to the film, it had kinda passed me by up until now but I’m quite intrigued now.
Thanks Chris! Yes he is indeed. Appreciate you reading this man.
I like anyone called Tim 😀
Ahah, can’t say I’m surprised 😀
Reblogged this on solomonandre.
I saw the movie tonight, and was delightfully surprised. It was not like :”Men in Black” at all. It was more like being 14 and reading your favorite action comic book on a lazy summer day! Funny, stupid looking deados. Not at all terrorizing, just funny stupid looking. Lots of terrific computer animation, clever, and fun comedy lines by Jeff Bridges. Some sweet love scenes between innocent characters. Enough action. Just enough story to keep it interesting, and a lot of fun. Go see it everyone, for some light entertainment that is suitable for most younger kids (8-12).
Very cool interview! What an interesting audition process. Nice. Always cool to be a part of a film.
Thanks T!! I figure u’d enjoy this n relate since u were in The Avengers! I enjoyed reading about ur experience on the set as well man.
Interesting interview, Ruth. I was going to pass on this film, but I might actually give it a look now. 🙂
Great interviw, Ruth! Very interesting to hear from an extra. #Ahranjay sounds fantastic!
Before the release of R.I.P.D. I felt as though it was getting a bad rap when it came to comparisons between Men In Black . I felt it was unfair and a bit of a stretch. After watching the film, I still feel that it’s a bit of a stretch, however, sorely lacks in the charm, charisma, comedy, and action in the 1997 comic book movie. With Ryan Reynolds and Jeff “The Dude” Bridges starring, R.I.P.D. could’ve made for a summer delight action-comedy, but it fails to keep it’s audience interested. This could’ve been a new franchise where every few years fans could get together to witness their favorite dead cops take down deados but I doubt a sequel will ever get lifted off the ground.
Even though i still have a soft spot for Reynolds, i have no interest in this. The trailers never really caught my attention,and the dismal reviews have destroyed any curiosity i might have had for this one
I hear ya Julian, though I don’t share your soft spot on Reynolds 🙂