Victoria G Interviews J. Rick Castaneda

Victoria G: What inspired you to become a director?

J. Rick Castaneda: I think it started with The Far Side, a comic strip I fell in love with when I was very young. I loved reading about these forest animals that drank coffee and led very boring lives. I tried to make my own. Storytelling is my pinnacle, it's how I explain who I am to others, and to myself, and how I attempt to figure things out.

VG: Who are some directors that inspire you?

JRC: I got a chance to interview Michel Gondry when I was younger, and he's definitely a hero of mine. I went to an exhibition he had in NY as well, called "Creepy Pathological Little Gifts", where it displayed things that he had made his girlfriends and ex-girlfriends, and it was really disturbing! But he was willing to show that side of himself. Seeing Josephine Decker's film Madeline's Madeline was also really inspiring in that way - she puts so much of her own life and fears into her films. I'm a lot more reluctant to doing that, so I look up to them.

VG: What is your favorite thing about directing?

JRC: When I was directing the comedian Rob Delaney in a web series about being in a coma, there was one moment where we were trying to film Rob's character peeing all over his unconscious mind. So Rob's got this tube running out of his pants, and the gaffer is holding the plunger with the liquid, and behind them is the DP with the camera, and I'm behind the DP. And there's just a moment there where you all look at each other and think What are we all doing here? I really enjoy the opportunity to put adults in those kinds of ridiculous situations.

VG: What was the first film you directed?

JRC: My previous feature before this was Cement Suitcase, another comedy, this one set in a winery. It can still be found on Vimeo, and it still shows up on lists of best wine movies. I'm really happy it didn't just fall off the side of the earth.

VG: What is your favorite project you have ever done?

JRC: At the moment it's this one! I really poured everything I had into All Sorts - all the emotion, all the sweat, all the resources, all my time. I can truly say we made this movie as good as we possibly could. I really hope it can find its way to those who might appreciate it as much as I do. Weirdos like me, I guess.

VG: What are some qualities you look for in a project?

JRC: It's a little bit like love, in that you know how it feels but you may not be able to describe it in words or qualities. It has to grab you, you have to be thinking about it all the time, and maybe you don't even know why. You don't want to be trying to convince yourself that you're in love when you're really not in love.

VG: All Sorts, a film you both wrote and directed, is an official selection for the 2021 Raindance Film Festival. How did your film get selected and how does it feel?

JRC: We submitted on a Wednesday, and we got our selection notification about 6 days later, so after years and years of working on the film, it felt incredible. It felt like someone over at Raindance really got the film, and really appreciated it. As a creator, that's your dream.

VG: What was the inspiration behind All Sorts?

JRC: I worked a lot of cubicle jobs when I was younger, and that's when I came up with the idea of an underground filing competition. That image always stuck with me - folks in business casual huddled around a couple filing cabinets, darkly lit, everyone cheering and throwing money in the air. And in all the years since then I've never seen anything like it.

VG: How would you describe yourself in three words?

JRC: One of my favorite quotes from Shakespeare - Polonius asks Hamlet what he's reading, and Hamlet answers, "Words, words, words." It always cracks me up because what else could he be reading? It's like when I asked my friend Doug what he bought a shovel for, and he looked at me like I'm an idiot and then says, "For digging." It's an excellent joke from Hamlet, but also has the deeper meaning that words are just symbols for other things, and we all do our best to interpret those words and find intended meaning, but a lot of times we screw up. Polonius was asking for the content of what Hamlet was reading, but Hamlet gave him the more technical answer instead. Or perhaps Hamlet was saying the content was meaningless, or maybe he was being coy, or there's lots of interpretations the actor could take. Which proves the point about words, and symbols. Here I am, as a human being, trying to come across in symbols, and trying to come across as I want to look, and not as the human I actually am, or how I might view myself. Does that count as three words? Words, words, words?

VG: What are your social media handles?

JRC: @allsortsmovie on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter.

VG: Where do you see yourself in ten years?

JRC: I have hopes and fears. I hope I can stick to the right road to get closer to the hope side of things. I hope I can be a good father, a good husband. A good friend. A good filmmaker.

VG: What are three qualities every director should have?

JRC: Patience, because movies always take a lot longer than you think they will, and also restlessness, because if you want to make a film you can't put it off forever, and I see a lot of people who do. And the third quality is a beloved interest in humans. You have to love characters and people above all else, and want to know everyone and the reasons they do the things they do.

VG: Do you have any advice for an aspiring director?

JRC: You probably have a better camera in your pocket than I ever had access to until I was 27. You really have no excuse not to make something, and you are only going to get better by doing. Realize your first films are not going to be perfect, but if you don't get through them, you will never get one step closer to perfection. So take out your phone, stop aspiring, and start making things. Right now.

VG: What's next for you?

JRC: All Sorts is a very episodic story - it started as a collection of vignettes - and I think it's perfect for developing into a television show. So that's what we're working on now.

VG: RAPID FIRE QUESTIONS What's your favorite film genre?

JRC: Comedy.

VG: What's your favorite movie?

JRC: Jacques Tati's Playtime.

VG: What is your favorite pastime?

JRC: Reading.

VG: Who's your favorite superhero?

JRC: Spider-Man was the only superhero with a sense of humor, and it always killed me when they cast someone in that role who wasn't funny.

VG: What's your favorite candy?

JRC: Skittles.

VG: What is your biggest fear?

JRC: Not having time for those I care most about.

VG: Do you have any pets?

JRC: Not at the moment!

VG: What did you do while in quarantine?

JRC: I got married and had a baby! It was quite nice to be able to stay in at home with both of them. It was extremely hard, as well, of course, in not being able to see extended family, and you're just more worried about everything with a baby. Everyone in the whole world has really had a tough time of it. I hope we can be more gentle with each other because of that.