How long has Midlife been in the making? Greg - I think in the beginning of 2012, I was sort of having a midlife crisis and a few months later I decided to turn my feelings and thoughts into a movie about it.
Some people think the role of the joker drove Heath Ledger mad. How do the stresses of the roles affect you? Greg - I don’t believe that at all. I think Heath Ledger got caught up in the party lifestyle because of his celebrity status. And that can lead to addiction, and that can lead to self destruction. I went What were some of your inspirations for orchestrating this through all of that in 80’s and came out of it on the other side. whole project? Roles and movies don’t drive actors crazy, that’s what they live Greg - Well I wanted to do a film that felt real and the work for. What drives them crazy is not having the tools to deal with of John Cassavetes, was sort of the starting point for American stardom and success. realism. So I was inspired by his films and also the work of Robert Altman. So the idea was to take the Cassavetes style How did the improv style impact the actor’s performances? of filmmaking and update it and hopefully arrive at something Greg - Well that was the experiment, and it worked great. Giving uniquely my own. the actor the necessary information about the scene and the character, and letting them play the scene out in their own words How would you describe David Stanton? feels completely real. Greg - David Stanton is an old school salesperson much like my own mother and my uncle David. They were the kinds of sales This movie has a familiar harsh but hopeful realism tone about people who could talk a customer into buying anything. They it, to me it seems too true to make up! Is there any truth to the had the gift of Gabe, and they always closed the sale without too adventures of David Stanton? much effort. So I patterned David’s character, after this unique Greg - Well all fiction is based on some real life experiences and talent. a few of the things were based on some of my experiences. A few of the characters were based on others peoples experiences that I Which scenes were the most fun for you, either as a director or heard about. So you take all these things, toss them in a blender an actor? and hope for the best. Greg - I loved all the scenes in the New York loft. They were the most fun for me as a director and an actor, because I was What are your plans for Midlife at this point? able to realize the lighting scheme I was trying to achieve. I got Greg - We’re finishing the film this month and we will be the performances from the actor’s much better than I imagined. submitting it to distribution companies and film festivals. I’m very The New York loft scene is actually based on a real event that proud of this feature film. This is not a comic book movie, this is happened to me. about real human beings with real emotions that everybody can relate to and it’s also the kind of film you’ll want to own so that What are some of your favorite roles from over the years? you can watch it over and over again, and always find something Greg -I loved playing Phil Newkirk in “Showgirls”. Also I enjoyed new. It’s rich, thick, multi-layered and full of surprises. the creepy apartment manager in “Toolbox Murders” and I got a great part playing a Sheriff in a zombie comedy called “Dug Up”. 1
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Actors & Actresses (from left to right) 1. Michael Camacho, Greg Travis
2. Greg Travis, Nancy Ma
3. Greg Travis, Leilani Sarelle
4. Laci Kay, Amanda Sorvino
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