How do you approach the role of Nora once you’re cast? In his interview response, Ryan said that in the role of Nora, they wanted an actress to take us on a rollercoaster ride, I’m curious about your research process in getting into this role

The research process for the role of Nora really was a personal one rather than external. Aside from learning about alcohol addiction (she has a moderate drinking problem), I really had to dig up personal demons to access an understanding of Nora. Heartbreak, emotional damage, trust issues, rebellion and insecurity, are all part of what makes Nora complex yet universal. I took experiences in my own life and applied those to the work in order to empathize with Nora, who is unpredictable and moody, yet incredibly loving and vulnerable. She is also full of life and fun and spontaneous, so that was a blast letting loose there. Essentially you find a connection to the character, break down the scenes and on the day let it all go and have fun in the moment.
I presume you did your own singing in the film? Are you a musical person, and does that aspect of the role draw you into this project?

I did my own singing yes, and wrote the song “Hindenburg” in the film with Ryan Lacen. Ryan had the lyrics already written in the script, so I pulled a few of those for the chorus and then added my own in the verses and wrote the music. Ryan was very generous to allow me into the creative process. I love music, have sang since I was a little kid and it was a massive draw for me and a big part of why I took the role.

What’s it like working with Colin O’Donoghue, who has a music background being that he was in a band? Did you have a lot of rehearsal together prior to (or during) filming?

Colin is one of the most generous actors. He is a leader on set and very humble. It was wonderful working with him. As for music rehearsal, we didn’t rehearse much at all. Sang the songs a few times, and recorded them and that was it. We did jam a lot on set, which was a blast, there was always a guitar or ukulele on stand by and we would make up songs between takes. For scene work, Colin and I ran lines the night before and rehearsed quite a bit on set.

Lastly, what’s your favorite moments filming The Dust Storm? Please share a tidbit (or two) from the set that you find memorable.

Hard to narrow that one down. The whole experience was an absolute blast. An amazing team of people to work with. But if I haaave to I would say lip syncing and dancing to “Hows it Gonna Be” by Third Eye Blind (performed by I believe Red Wine Hangover?? Confirm with Ryan), singing a ukulele duet with Colin, and screaming our lungs out on top of the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge during an argument scene and scaring random people walking by haha!

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Interview with Ryan Lacen

How did you come aboard this project?

After years of studying under great directors like Kevin Smith, Michel Gondry, Harold Ramis and Paul Haggis I was ready to step away from helping others to tell their stories to focus on my own. I had written several scripts before but “The Dust Storm” deeply resonated with me as well as with my filmmaking partner Anthony Baldino. We had just finished a slew of producing projects together when we decided that our focus would be on bringing  “The Dust Storm” to life.

How long ago did you write the screenplay?

The script was complete about three years ago. The first draft was more bare bones, just an intimate view of a questionable relationship. The music aspect was added in the next draft to not only give the protagonist a little more depth but to also expand upon my obsession with music and the struggles of an artist.

What’s the inspiration of the story?

Over the years, I’ve been involved with many different people that have left a lingering impact on my life. The script was birthed upon the feelings of being in and out of love with someone as well as knowing whether to let someone go or to hold on tight.

What’s the biggest challenge of bringing your script to life in a feature?

I think most independent filmmakers will tell you the hardest part about getting your script made is… money. After years of producing films with Anthony, we definitely learned that creating art is not cheap. With it being my own personal story it made it even more crucial for us to do justice to the script. So we labored for several years to acquire a budget that would allow us the opportunity to bring the story of Brennan and Nora to life.

How’s your writing background help you as a filmmaker?

Being a writer helped me to be able to adapt quicker on the fly. There were several locations in the script that became unattainable in principal photography, so I quickly had to rework the words to make it fit the new world. Also, there are two scenes in particular that weren’t in the original draft that I created as we began to film because it felt fitting for the cast, story and environment.

In terms of casting how did you come to cast Colin and Kristen? Did they audition for the roles?

We had an exceptional casting director named Jessica Sherman (who is currently a casting director on the great Bates Motel and The Strain) who believed in the script and really put it out there. We had a myriad of amazing talent that came in to audition for the film – which we were very fortunate to get for an Indie with a very shoe-string budget.

For Nora we needed an actress to take us on a rollercoaster ride. She does some questionable things in the film and we need the audience to not only understand her but to root for her. Kristen Gutoskie came in for the audition and for the first time in my career –  I absolutely knew she was it. Casting was done! She was so brave but also fragile, honest and just – special. All of us in the casting session instantly just fell in love.

Colin O’Donoghue we had known for his work in The Rite (starring opposite Anthony Hopkins) and Once Upon a Time. Jessica Sherman arranged for us to meet him at a coffee shop in LA to discuss the project. He had such strong convictions about where he saw the character of Brennan, a lot of it was a tad bit darker and more brooding that we had originally envisioned, but Colin sold us on his take of where this musician was, this guy who had been “rocked” by this girl years previously.

The next step was to put him and Kristen in a room to see how their chemistry would be together. The first introduction in the room was polite and rather quiet between the pair but the second we called “action” they jump started our heart-beat and this chemistry was ignited. By the time the scene was done, we knew – we had a movie!

Did you specifically want actors that could sing?

Yes, which made the casting process a little bit tougher but also very enjoyable. The hard part was finding amazing actors who were also talented musicians. The nice part was for every audition we also got to hear a small mini concert. Each actor would finish his or her scene then -whip out their guitar – and perform a straight up acoustic show in the middle of the audition space.

Kristen’s voice is like nothing we’ve ever heard. She has such a soulful and unique sound, we were blown away.

Colin spent years touring with the band The Enemies so we were familiar with his guitar work – which is incredible – but we hadn’t had the opportunity to hear him sing. Jessica sent us a couple raw samples to give us an idea, but it was when he sat down to play one of the songs that our music supervisor Kat Meoz wrote for the film that we were hooked! His voice was soft but also complicated and a bit tortured.

How long was the filmmaking process?

Anthony and myself went down to Tennessee where our producer Justin Mickelson was finishing up work on the hit TV show “Nashville”. We had spent several months in pre-production in LA but it was the last month in Nashville that everything really came together. Instead of the out of town crew staying in hotels, we rented a large two story house and lived there with our production team, 1st AD, editor, music supervisor and costume designer. It was almost like being back in the college dorms but instead of late night keg parties, ours consisted of all night location scouting, production meetings, rehearsals and music sessions for songs in the film. 

The film was shot in a quick 12 day shoot and for anyone who has ever worked on a film will attest, that it is incredibly fast. There wasn’t much room for error so all of the actors had to come 100 percent prepared with 8 pages of dialogue each day, which they did. We rarely had to do a second take for dialogue flubs.

There also wasn’t room for much improv in the film… except in the case of Jim O’Heir (of TV’s Park and Recreation). He is such a fascinating actor to watch as he brings something entirely different each take, you never know what line he’ll end the scene on. Most times it was wildly inappropriate which would send the crew into a serious laughing fit the second we called cut!

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Thoughts about the interview and/or The Dust Storm?
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