‘Daft State’ Interview: Mira Sorvino and Christopher Backus

Christopher Backus stars in ‘Daft State’, which opens in theaters on November 12th. Photo: Scatena & Rosner Films.

Opening in theaters on November 12th is the new thriller ‘Daft State,’ which was directed and co-written by Chad Bishoff (‘It Snows All the Time’) and is executive produced by Academy Award winner Mira Sorvino (‘Mighty Aphrodite’, ‘Sound of Freedom’).

The film stars Sorvino’s husband Christopher Backus (‘Mindhunter’), Skye P. Marshall (‘Matlock’), Ka’ramuu Kush (‘The Number 23’), Paulo Costanzo (‘Road Trip’), Jake T. Austin (‘The Emoji Movie’), and Iman Karram (‘All American’), with music by Pearl Jam’s Mike McCreedy.

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Mira Sorvino and Christopher Backus about their work on ‘Daft State’, how Sorvino got involved as an executive producer, Mike McCreedy’s music, Backus’ character and performance, getting lost in a role, working with director Chad Bishoff and the rest of the cast, and what it was like for them to work together on this project.

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(L to R) Actor Christopher Backus and executive producer Mira Sorvino discuss ‘Daft State’, which opens in theaters on November 12th.

Moviefone: To begin with, Mira, can you talk about how you got involved with this project as an executive producer?

Mira Sorvino: Well, honestly, I got involved after the fact. Once I saw the movie and I was so enthusiastic about it and thought it was an amazing film, made with such talented people and the performances and the directing and the cinematography was so great, I just offered to be a part of the team and to help the world get to see it, and that’s what I really hope for. I know I’m his wife, but Chris’s performance in this film is astonishing, and I’m just excited about it.

MF: Christopher, can you talk about the music in the movie and getting Peral Jam’s Mike McCreedy to score it?

Christopher Backus: Well, upon completion of the movie, it was something we were proud of, and I happened to be good friends with Mike McCready of Pearl Jam, and he had scored a couple movies in the past. So on one of the last days I said, “Who’s doing the music?” They were like, “Well, we don’t know.” I said, “Could I reach out to Mike McCready and see if he’d be interested?” So, we sent him a link of the movie, he watched it, and amazingly he lent his talents and came in and scored the entire movie, which is just awesome. I mean, I’ve been a big Pearl Jam fan all my life, and then to be friends with them, and now to do a movie with Mike was special. He really elevated all of it, all the moments. In the film, there’s a lot of me by myself, and so the music lifted those elements. His guitar is unique and one of a kind and it stands out, and to have that play through the movie is just special. I know he’s excited about it. He’s on tour right now in Australia with Pearl Jam, so we haven’t talked recently.

(L to R) Jeff Ament, Mike McCready, Eddie Vedder, Stone Gossard and Matt Cameron from Pearl Jam in ‘Pearl Jam: Twenty’. Photo: PBS.

MF: Christopher, can you talk about your first reaction to the screenplay and your approach to playing this character?

CB: My first reaction was being terrified. I was terrified of whether I could do it. It’s a lot of me, and its heavy emotion, and I knew that once I was terrified by the script, it was something that I really wanted to do and challenge myself. So, then I dove headfirst into the deep end, and I’m proud of it.

MF: How would you describe the character in your own words and was it difficult for you emotionally to play this character?

CB: Easton is suffering through depression, and it’s deep and it’s dark and it’s psychological and it’s just this cycle that he can’t get out of. He is lost within his emotions, and even though he has all these friends that continue to show up, he just keeps pushing them away and keeping them walled off, and he doesn’t know how to escape the cycle, but fortunately he has someone that keeps coming back until he breaks it. For me as an actor doing it, it was hard. It’s looking at all the worst things in your life and trying to allow yourself to feel them. I mean, I think human nature is to push that stuff away and say, “I can handle it.” This was a period where I just went, all right, I’ve got to just feel all these things, and let it happen. It was on set and off set; it was a dark period for me personally. The character lived inside of me, and so when I was filming, it was hard and emotional to put myself through the situations that Easton went through. But when I left set, those things don’t go away, you can’t just turn it off. So as much as I tried to be just normal and happy Chris and just hold everything down, so I just couldn’t escape it. Mira was back in LA, and we shot it in Omaha, so I was alone in this hotel room all the time. I went from set to the hotel room and just found I couldn’t get out of the cycle. It was life imitating art, and it was a challenge. Even a couple weeks after filming, it just stuck with me, I just couldn’t shake it.

Mira Sorvino in ‘Norma Jean & Marilyn’. Photo: HBO Pictures.

MF: Mira, as an actress, have you ever experienced that before? Were you able to give Christopher any guidance from your own experiences?

MS: I mean, that’s a completely personal thing. I don’t think I’ve been able to give him guidance about that, but I know the last days of shooting ‘Norma Jean & Marilyn’ way back when in ’95 and ’96, we shot her death as my last scene right before Christmas, and then I flew back to New York, and I was just in this tailspin. I just couldn’t shake the tragedy of Marilyn dying. I was just compounding it, but I was in a very dark hopeless place for a while, and then I finally bounced out of it. Usually, we have the distraction of the children to walk into the house, and that wipes away most of the craziness.

MF: Christopher, what was it like working with Chad Bishoff as a director on set?

CB: Chad was amazing to work with. I believe this was his directorial feature length debut, and he came in, he had great plans and vision of what he wanted the character to be and what the movie to be, but he also allowed a lot of collaboration. We talked out the scenes and the characters and where I thought maybe Easton would go this way versus how he did it. To work with a director who’s open to ideas and truly collaborative was really rewarding, and it made the set feel safe. I mean, obviously I’m very emotional. I think I cry in this movie probably more than I’ve cry in my entire life. To have someone that you trust that will look out for you and know that, it was really rewarding to work with Chad, I think he’s got a really bright future of making movies.

Skye P. Marshall stars in ‘Daft State’, which opens in theaters on November 12th. Photo: Scatena & Rosner Films.

MF: Christopher, can you also talk about working with the rest of the cast?

CB: It was a tremendous cast. Skye Marshall who plays my wife was fantastic, who now is on a hit show, ‘Matlock’. She came in, and she was curious and had questions, and we really wanted to create a backstory because she’s only seen in flashbacks in the movie, and we wanted to really create this family atmosphere, and it made it more heartbreaking as the movie went on and as I go through my ordeal. She was giving as an actress and truly wonderful. Then Ka’ramuu plays Brad, who plays my best friend in the movie, and he’s awesome. On-screen, he was the guy that keeps pulling Easton out of his depression, but in real life, he would call my hotel room and be like, “Hey, I’m going out to eat. You want to go eat? You want to go?” He was amazing and he has such presence and character, and he’s just a tremendous actor and an even better human being. But the whole cast was great, Paulo, everyone was fantastic, and I’m very fortunate to get to work and share the screen with all of them.

MF: Mira, once you saw the final film, what was your reaction to your husband’s performance?

MS: I said it before how incredible his performance is. I think he’s so vulnerable, and there are very few male actors who can cry authentically and sustainably. Chris just broke his heart on screen for this film. It also has this suspense element to the film. It’s not just a deep dive emotionally, it has a kind of horror, thriller structure to it. I think he handled every step of that so brilliantly. I think Chris is a force to be reckoned with as an actor, and I think people are going to see that in ‘Daft State’. He does stuff that no young male actors today can do. I know I’m being biased, but it’s true. I don’t see other people doing this. He’s a truly great actor that sort of disappears into his roles, and I’m just looking forward to the public seeing more and more of him.

Christopher Backus stars in ‘Daft State’, which opens in theaters on November 12th. Photo: Scatena & Rosner Films.

MF: Finally, Christopher, what was it like for you working with Mira on this movie and having an Oscar winner at home who is so supportive of your work and career?

CB: It’s amazing. Mira is generous and kind and supportive. I’m so lucky to be married to her and to be able to work with her and collaborate and to have someone to balance ideas and concepts and just be there. She’s always there, she’s always supportive. I mean, her praise right there is maybe the greatest praise I’ve ever gotten. She’s truly amazing. This is, I think, our fourth movie working together over 20 years. I mean, she’s an incredible actress, but she’s even a better human being. She is full of love and gifts and heart, and she gives everything to not only her performances, but to everyone that she encounters. I’m grateful to get to share my life with her. It’s truly remarkable.

“Reality is relative.”

Not Yet Rated1 hr 23 minNov 14th, 2024

What is the plot of ‘Daft State’?

Easton’s (Christopher Backus) mysterious psychological destruction drives him to the edge of sanity and possible self-harm by those who love him most… his wife (Skye P. Marshall) and daughter. Will Easton succumb to their increasingly traumatizing pressure, or will he conquer the dark forces at play?