SPOTLIGHT
part of this. When I walked in to do the reading for Peter [Bratt] and Benjamin, I instantly felt that this is their passion project and I would not feel uncomfort- able doing this. They are not going to put me in any situation that I feel uncomfortable being in. I had all the respect and trust in the world for those guys.
Rage: What did you gain from the experience of working with Peter and Benjamin in La Mission?
JRV: Those guys are like family to me now. They
really treat the people they work with like family. Benjamin has been like a mentor to me and has re- ally looked after me. He’s pointed me in the right direction as far as advice goes. If I have questions or concerns about my career or other things, I can go to him. He’s just a real guy. He’s not a movie star in the sense where he’s too high and mighty or too big to talk to anybody. He’s a family man. I had gotten engaged at the tail end of when we were shooting. Just seeing him being around his wife and kids really inspired me and the same thing with Peter, the direc- tor. That was one of the biggest things I took away from both those guys was just the sense of family and what’s most important in life. Acting is important and doing what you love is important but family first. They are just great guys. I love them and can’t wait to do another project with them.
Rage: That’s a great thing to take away as a lot of times that doesn’t happen.
JRV: Definitely. Ben is a very generous actor. When
the camera is not on him, he gives you just as much, sometimes even more than when the camera is on him. He wants you to be good. He wants you to bring the best performance you can. There are not a lot of people who are like that. I was really fortunate in that sense to learn a lot from him and watch him work. He did a movie not too terribly long ago called Piñero. That was one of the films that inspired me to be an actor. He just did such an over-the-top good job in that movie. I was like, “Man! I want to do that. I want to be that free in my acting.
Rage: Is this your first leading role in a motion picture?
JRV: I did a movie for HBO and I’ve done some smaller movies but this film is the one that I’m most proud of.
Rage: Was there any one scene in the film that was harder to process for you?
JRV: In my process of acting, I really have to go
there in my head. I really have to feel these emotions and really go through the situation. I’m very much a method actor in that sense. I hope people take that away in my performance. I hope people don’t look at me and go, “Oh wow. He’s acting.”
Rage: Your performance is very real. One that is filled with tension, sadness and remorse…it comes across very
42
RAGE monthly | APRIL 2010
Director Peter Bratt and Benjamin Bratt
realistic.
JRV: Thank you very much. One of the things I found
hard is because of the way I processed the character is that every scene in this film is a very emotional kind of rollercoaster scene. So, it’s exhausting. I did my preparation and had to go through that but it was worth it to me.
Rage: La Mission opens in L.A. on April 9 [San Diego date to be determined]. How has the response been at the various film festivals where it has screened?
JRV: It’s been over-the-top! I couldn’t have asked for
a better response. We’ve gotten standing ovations at almost every screening. We opened at OutFest in L.A. and got a standing ovation. To me, for my perfor- mance and my character…I felt like OutFest was my most important film festival. I know Sundance, New
York…they are all important to me but for the gay community to embrace my performance and em- brace this film…I was holding my breath. They could have walked out of there thinking, “That was a crock of shit.” But the people really, really loved it. I had young and older gay men coming up to me in tears and thanking me for the performance and thanking me for doing this character justice and for having the story out there. I’ve had so many messages from people contacting me on Facebook saying, “This is my story” or “I have a cousin or nephew or son or brother who’s gone through this exact same thing that your character went through and thank you for telling it. It’s going to help out the community.” I was like, “Wow. I didn’t expect that.” I was really pleased with the positive emotions toward the film.
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