Tweet This Page

This is just an unofficial fan page, we have no connection to any shows or networks.

Please click here to vote for our site!

By Krista

Interview with the stars of "End of the World" on Syfy 2/6/13

NBC UNIVERSAL
Moderator: Gary Morgenstein
February 6, 2013
4:00 pm CT

Operator: Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for standing by. Welcome to the NBC Universal Syfy conference call End of the World. During the presentation all participants will be in a listen only mode. Afterwards we will conduct a question-and-answer session.

Gary Morgenstein: Thank you everyone for joining the call. On Saturday, February 23 at 9:00 pm Syfy is delighted to premiere its latest original End of the World. And to talk about it we have the stars Brad Dourif, Neil Grayston, and producer Lisa Hansen. Welcome everyone.

Operator: Our first question comes from the line of Jamie Ruby with SciFi Vision. Please go ahead.

Jamie Ruby: At least I know I haven’t seen - haven’t got a screener yet. So can you kind of talk about what part you play in the film so we can know a little bit more?

Neil Grayston: Sure. I guess I’ll go first. This is Neil Grayston by the way. I play Steve Palmer, a video store clerk who along with Greg Grunberg who plays Alan Stokes, the owner of the video store. We are sort of cast with saving the world from plasma rain using our vast knowledge of disaster movies.

Brad Dourif: And I play a scientist who has figured out a way in this scenario how to save the world and I lead them to a place where they could, you know, they could begin their quest to do that and then something happens and then more things happen and then more and more things happen and then the movie’s over.

Jamie Ruby: Okay so a lot of things happen. What was everybody’s favorite part of filming? You don’t have to be real specific if you don’t want to but…

Brad Dourif: Well it’s not getting up early in the morning in the rain. That was not it.

Neil Grayston: There’s a certain point where I don’t drive manual in real life like I have before, but it always seems to be in the weirdest vehicles. Either it’s a crazy super powered sort of expensive vehicle like a Subaru WRX or it’s this van that we had that at a certain point was only running because one of the teamsters went underneath it with a bungee cord and did something, I don’t know. But somehow the engine was being held together with a bungee cord and there’s a certain point where I have to drive the van and I think that was maybe our first scene together Brad and there’s no seatbelts—there’s nothing—and I just sort of accelerated and kept on going because I was like I don’t want to stall this van on this take. We don’t have much time left in the day and I think I might have given Brad a heart attack. But you know what? I was thinking about it. I think that’s payback for me being terrified by Chucky as a child but I’m just going to say that.

Brad Dourif: Good for you. I’m very glad I fucked your childhood up. That’s my job. Yes, you know, it was a lot of fun. I mean basically it’s just hanging out with people, you know, and getting to know new people and, you know, you go out dinner and, you know, you get to know people. And then these things had quite an improvisional thing going with it. So a lot of the stuff was kind of made up on the spot which I’m not usually great at, but they all work and it made it a lot of fun for me to watch what people were doing.

Neil Grayston: Yes, you know, I would agree. That was actually like - it’s sort of my favorite part was the whole filming process because it was a really sort of open and free and it almost felt a little bit like gorilla film making at certain times because we were just sort of - we were fighting for the light all day.

But we also just got to play around especially a lot of the scenes involved just me and Greg just sort of bantering back and forth and we got to kind of explore that a lot and very quickly. So it was a really fun shoot just in general and it kind of all blurs together now that I think of it because it was so open and free, but it was definitely one of my favorite experiences filming something.

Lisa Hansen: Yes. It’s like the movie’s kind of like ‘Bill and Ted’s Excellent Disaster.’ You’ve got these two really interesting guys that are running this video store and they’re coming up with crazy solutions to how to save the world and they’re spot on right, you know. And when they...

Brad Dourif: And the crazier, the more right it is.

Lisa Hansen: Exactly. And, you know, like they go and they have to rescue Brad but to do that they actually break him out of a mental institution. I mean it just gets crazier and crazier and it works and it’s just a great fun ride.

Jamie Ruby: Well it sounds like it’s going to be a lot of fun. Can’t wait to see it.

Operator: Our next question comes from the line of Kyle Nolan with noreruns.net. Please proceed with your question.

Kyle Nolan: Hi everyone. Thanks for taking the time to talk to us. So how did you prepare for this role? It says that the characters are fan boys of disaster movies. Did you guys just marathon disaster-movie and do you have any favorite disaster films?

Neil Grayston: Actually, I did. I watched a lot of movies. I watched a lot of disaster movies, but it also references a lot of Syfy movies as well. So it’s sort of...

Kyle Nolan: Yes, this is Syfy.

Neil Grayston: I’m sorry what?

Kyle Nolan: Yes this is - I don’t think this is a straight out disaster movie. I wouldn’t - I would say it’s a disaster movie obviously, the end of the world is coming. But I guess it’s kind of a disaster, but it’s really Syfy I think.

Neil Grayston: Yes. It’s just about preventing the disaster more than anything. I mean there’s a lot of, you know, a lot of things do happen that are disastrous. But yes in the end it is - there is a pretty big focus on science. But with that being said yes, I’ve watched a lot of movies that I realized I hadn’t seen. I remember watching the ‘Last Starfighter.’ I can’t even remember everything that I watched.

But just watching the movie again, there is a boatload of pop culture references like references to Syfy movies and disaster movies. Some of them overt, some of them just like a simple little line. So I think genre fans will have a lot of fun watching it and trying to find all the little references and pick them out and everything. I was watching it back there some of them that I was like I don’t even remember what that reference is, but I know it is a reference and I know I watched that movie specifically. But yes there’s just a ton of them.

Lisa Hansen: And I can say that development wise, you know, we knew it was a whole lot of fun because you don’t get to reference other movies and, you know, take lines from them and figure out, you know, creatively do that very often. So it was hugely fun and, you know, from the writer to myself to the actors. A lot of the lines everybody already knew.

I mean you’re talking about a whole group of people that are huge Syfy fans that, you know, this is like a gift from the heavens to get to develop this kind of movie and come up with great lines and situations for, you know, from other disaster films and have them actually work in saving the world. It was just a hoot. And a lot of people like Greg is a total nerd - a Syfy nerd and he knew, you know, he would just spit out lines on the spot. You know, how about this from this film. It was really a lot of fun.

Brad Dourif: Yes, I’m pretty sure on like the cutting room floor we, you know, for certain teams we’ll have like five different references for the same sort of line. You know, it’s sort of like which one do we pick. I don’t know, I’m guessing from your side that would kind of be like that because I remember doing that.

Lisa Hansen: Absolutely. Well and also we, you know, the way the clearance procedure works you can, you know, because we’re referencing other films so heavily and taking lines from the films we could only have so many references per film. So we had to like - you literally count the references and go okay that’s enough for that film. Now we got to find something else. I mean it was really a lot of fun.

Kyle Nolan: And can you talk a little bit about how this project originally came about and how everyone got involved with it?

Lisa Hansen: Well we pitched Syfy. You know, we are a regular supplier to Syfy for, you know, these TV movies and we pitched them this idea. We, you know, looked at something that was different and out of the box and fun. You know, because a lot of times these disaster - Syfy disaster movies are very serious in talent and we wanted to go completely against type and Syfy loved it and embraced it and, you know, all the development execs at Syfy are also, you know, huge Syfy fans of course.

So it was really, you know, a perfect project. The script came together really quickly and it just all fell into place. We actually offered Greg Grunberg the movie before we even had a finished script and he loved it off the pitch and said yes. You know, so we were like thinking very early on and working with the Syfy development execs very early on about this project and it came together really fast.

Kyle Nolan: And what about the actors? How did you guys get involved?

Neil Grayston: I got offered the part and then I, you know, they told me what the script was like and it sounded really cool and they sent me one. And I think I said yes before they sent me the script because it already sounded cool and being a big fan of (Gruny) growing up and, you know, he’s always been on my TV I was like yes I want to work with him of course. So I sort of jumped at the chance.

Lisa Hansen: Well for Brad it was easy. I mean we needed somebody really unique in that role and there is, you know, there’s not that many actors that have his ability and his screen presence and the touch of crazy that we were looking for. So we were, you know...

Kyle Nolan: This is great. It sounds like a great movie. I can’t wait to see it.

Operator: Our next question comes from the line of Jamie Steinberg with Starry Constellation magazine. Please proceed with your question.

Jamie Steinberg: Hi. Such a pleasure to speak with everyone.

Neil Grayston: Hello.

Brad Dourif: Hey.

Lisa Hansen: Hi Jamie.

Jamie Steinberg: Hello. I was just wondering for the actors could you talk about if there was anything that wasn’t scripted for you that you added to your role?

Neil Grayston: Well a lot of the movie actually. There was yes like if you watch it, I think once you see it you’ll see especially in scenes where, you know, there’s multiple people in the same shot. There’s just a lot of sort of banter and back and forth and sort of free form speaking. I don’t know. Just like a lot of it was improvised.

Brad Dourif: To tell you the truth it’s hard to know what was, you know, what’s going to be in the movie and what happened. All I can tell you is it was, you know, I would try to get in what I was supposed to. You know, I kind of like knew that certain things had to be said that were important and that were, you know, plot points and so forth and you kind of struggled to get those through.

But the rest of it was pretty made up a lot of the time and very different from take to take. So your guess is as good as mine. I mean it was - especially stuff I did in the - I had some scenes with a doctor and we stayed pretty much on script during that time. But when the boys came direct to me forget it. It was as though all of the script was over it. It was - other stuff was going on and it was a lot of fun.

Jamie Steinberg: And was there instant chemistry when you all began working together or did it take a bit of time for you all to sort of gel?

Brad Dourif: No the chemistry for me happened the second I walked into the, you know, to the makeup and hair and said, you know, why the fuck are we in this business. You know, and everybody was kind of went off on that and, you know, you could see immediately it was going to be great. So that was - it was right there for the first second.

Neil Grayston: Yes, the same thing for me. It was just sort of instant. I knew a lot of the crew from just previously working generally in Vancouver and yes just like everyone on the set, the actors, everyone was great. So it was just sort of an easy like oh yes all right, we’re having a bunch of fun doing stuff. Let’s go for it.

Jamie Steinberg: Great. Thanks so much guys.

Neil Grayston: Thank you.

Brad Dourif: Sure.

Operator: Our next question comes form the line of Stacy Roberts with seriouslyomg.com. Please proceed with your question.

Stacy Roberts: Hi. If you guys could create an End of the World scenario what would it be?

Brad Dourif: Well...

Stacy Roberts: Sorry.

Brad Dourif: You know, and I tell you what. If I really come up with something, I ain’t saying it on the phone.

Neil Grayston: Well there’s a movie to be made.

Brad Dourif: (Sell it).

Neil Grayston: A volcano that - bat cano, there we go.

Stacy Roberts: I mean but is there like an End of the World scenario that scares you all?

Lisa Hansen: A fleshing eating disease.

Brad Dourif: I think it’s an asteroid. I mean, you know, that people use. But I would think an asteroid would be really, really, really a scary thing. Yes, you know it was coming and it’s, you know, they wiped out the dinosaurs. I mean, you know, if it wipes out dinosaurs, you know, I’m toast, you know. It’s scary.

Neil Grayston: I mean unless we get Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck on the case and then they can, you know, blow it up or something.

Brad Dourif: Yes in some creepy little thing that looks like a close up in a hairball or something.

Neil Grayston: Yes.

Stacy Roberts: And Neil with your, you know, history with Eureka, Warehouse 13, and this do you ever want to do a movie that or a TV show that isn’t disaster related?

Neil Grayston: Yes that would totally be fun actually. Coming up, I don’t know when it airs but I did do - I had a big part on an episode of Psyche coming up this seasons and that was sort of like a nice bridge between the two because it’s, you know, the same company that does, you know, Eureka and everything but totally grounded in a semi-real world. So that was super fun. But no I would love to do that.

Stacy Roberts: Very cool. Thank you very much you guys and I’m looking forward to the movie. It sounds awesome.

Neil Grayston: Thank you.

Operator: Our next question comes from the line of Tony Tellado with Syfy Talk. Please proceed with your question.

Tony Tellado: Hi gentlemen. Nice to talk to you again. We’ve talked to each one of you individually. It’s nice to get you both together and I know you’re both old hat at working with special effects and also from a planning standpoint about those effects how did that come about and for the actors what was it like? Any new wrinkles this time around?

Neil Grayston: This one was actually - this one was pretty easy effect wise to work with. It’s like - at least for me. There wasn’t a lot of sort of super interactive things as, you know, opposed to say Eureka and Warehouse 13 where, you know, I’m using a light saber to fight robot fighters or, you know, there’s some other weird thing like shooting and actually hitting me. This one was pretty simple for me at least in terms of the special effects. But it was also just a super fun ride.

Tony Tellado: And for Brad?

Brad Dourif: Most of the effects that were going on were - we didn’t even see them. I didn’t see them. You know, it was just stuff that - explosions or this and that that didn’t happen that we reacted to - that we had to react to. They were big enough that we had to react to. So we were reacting to things that weren’t there, but that’s kind of like I’ve been doing that my whole life. Even in the theater you have to do that.

Tony Tellado: And from the planning standpoint how was that on your end, ma’am?

Lisa Hansen: Well, you know, it’s always tricky to have people be in situations where truly you’re seeing some kind of major disaster flying at you and there’s nothing they’re looking at. They’re looking at a blank field and, you know, that’s what good actors do is they sell those moments. And the strength of this movie is on all these gentlemen’s performance. You totally buy that they’re looking at this stuff and it’s fantastic.

I mean it’s a combination of the director talking to them about what it’s going to look like. We do conceptual art in advance. But really, you know, the schedules are so, short the time is so limited, the daylight is so limited that, you know, it’s really falls on the actors to sell it in the moment and these guys did a fantastic job.

Neil Grayston: I’ve got to say also seeing the movie and this doesn’t spoil anything, but the helicopter looked really cool. I kind of forgot that there was when we were filming it and I was like oh wow yes, all right work with the helicopter.

Lisa Hansen: Excellent.

Tony Tellado: Well I can’t think of anybody better to save the world than both you guys so I’m glad you guys are in our corner.

Operator: Our next question comes from the line of Barbara Barnett with Blog Critics magazine. Please proceed with your question.

Barbara Barnett: Hi. Thanks for doing this conference call.

Man: Hello.

Barbara Barnett: As -- hi -- as someone who sits in front of the TV and watches the Syfy disaster movies, this sounds like it’s going to be fun from the outset. Was it sort of an inevitable idea after all of the many, many Syfy disaster of the week movies and disaster Saturdays to do something that’s sort of - what I’m almost picking up is a sort of a galaxy quest than a disaster movie.

Lisa Hansen: Absolutely. Totally intentional, you know, to do something that is this much fun you don’t, you know, it’s not something you see all the time and who’s ever seen as your heroes. You think about the archetype heroes. Who’s ever seen two, you know, nobodies from a little video store in the middle of nowhere, you know, kidnap or, you know, break out of, you know, a scientist, you know, savant who’s been labeled as insane out of a mental institution and save the world.

It’s just a crazy fun premise, you know, and these guys are like literally the world is falling apart outside and they’re like flipping through movies going well what about this one, could it be this, no, it’s not that. I mean it’s just crazy fun and there’s so many references to, you know, great Syfy movies. It’s a total hoot. Just an, you know, an opportunity that comes along once.

Barbara Barnett: Sounds like it’s going to be fun. The last question for you: It was great to see you on Once Upon a Time last season. Any chance you’ll come back to that season as a flashback?

Brad Dourif: I think they killed me.

Barbara Barnett: I know they killed you.

Brad Dourif: Yes, I died. I can’t come back. What?

Barbara Barnett: Okay, you can’t come back even to haunt Rumplestiltskin. Okay I get that.

Brad Dourif: I mean I’m delighted to come back, but my chance - I think the chance of that happening is pretty slim unfortunately. There’s nothing like a paycheck, so I’m just, you know, of course I’d love to come back.

Barbara Barnett: And you have a quite a history in playing some offbeat characters if not sinister characters. So it would be great to see you -- it sounds like you’re playing kind of a mad scientist type in this movie and I’m looking forward to that. What is coming up next for you?

Brad Dourif: Well obviously I’ve shot everything that would - I can’t think. I mean, I did a lot of movies last year and I don’t think any of them are out and I can’t even -- in my poor mind I can’t even go there. But there’s a bunch of - I mean I did a bunch of movies.

Barbara Barnett: Okay.

Brad Dourif: Oh, I know. I know there’s going to be a new Chucky and guess who plays the lead?

Barbara Barnett: Wait, can you - you cut out for a second. Can you repeat that?

Brad Dourif: Yes. There’s a new Chucky movie coming out.

Barbara Barnett: A new Chucky movie, okay.

Brad Dourif: And guess who plays the lead? My daughter.

Barbara Barnett: Oh you’re kidding. Oh wow.

Brad Dourif: No.

Barbara Barnett: So, you are supporting your daughter in a movie cool.

Lisa Hansen: And she's a great actress. She’s a really talented actress.

Barbara Barnett: Wonderful.

Brad Dourif: Yes, she did a beautiful job. She did a beautiful job.

Barbara Barnett: I will look for that.

Brad Dourif: I’m very proud of her.

Barbara Barnett: That’s great. Well good luck with this movie. I’m looking forward to seeing it in a few weeks on Syfy—not Chucky—but, I’ll see Chucky...

Brad Dourif: Yes, but you’ll see Chucky this coming fall.

Barbara Barnett: Thanks guys. Thank you so much.

Brad Dourif: Sure.

Operator: And we have a follow-up question from the line of Jamie Ruby with SciFi Vision. Please proceed with your question.

Jamie Ruby: Hi again. Did you guys do any stunts at all in the movie?

Brad Dourif: Any what?

Neil Grayston: I rode a bike.

Lisa Hansen: Stunts.

Jamie Ruby: He rode a bike.

Brad Dourif: Stunts.

Lisa Hansen: And we’re not talking about a motorcycle. We’re talking about like a girl’s bike with little, you know, fringe on the handlebars and a great big basket. It’s pretty funny.

Neil Grayston: I can’t remember honestly if I did any stunt like things. I might have jumped around a bit and fallen on stuff. I know who’s also in it. He originally was supposed to be riding a motor bike but he wasn’t - I don’t think he was that great at it and then it turned into him riding a quad. So that’s kind of stunty, I don’t know.

Brad Dourif: I didn’t.

Jamie Ruby: All right.

Brad Dourif: I didn't. Definitely not.

Jamie Ruby: Okay. All right. Well I do have a sort of off topic question for you Brad. If you wouldn’t mind could you maybe talk about your experience on the X-Files maybe your favorite memory or something because I love the that episode that you were in.

Brad Dourif: I just I guess my - the whole thing I did was with Gillian (Anderson) and I just remember in the morning I got there and I usually joke around and I was like joking around trying to make this girl laugh and she just was looking at me - was just looking straight ahead. She did not react to me at all and I like, you know, got quieter and quieter.

And then I went on set and, you know, I had like - I launched into this thing where it was like all of these, you know, I had to go in and out of all these different characters. And it was just like the night before I’d finally figured out how to do it so that it worked for me.

And I did it and no one said any- everybody was absolutely stone faced and nobody said anything and I thought well, you know, there is driving cabs and there is other things that one can do with their life other than act. And then all of a sudden, you know, Jillian started talking to me and it all got great. But it was like the first day was - I just thought it was awful, terrible.

Jamie Ruby: Well it seems like it was fun part anyway. I enjoyed it. So thank you.

Brad Dourif: Yes, it was. I mean it wasn’t a fun part. Actually it was very, very difficult to figure out how to p- because I have to go from person to person all these different voices all in a row and finding a way to get them to glide together was like very, very difficult for me.

Jamie Ruby: Well it didn’t look like it was difficult for you so that’s a good thing.

Brad Dourif: Well that’s the idea. I mean when you get it, it’s fine, you know. Up until then it’s hard.

Jamie Ruby: All right. Well thank you very much.

Brad Dourif: Sure.

Operator: Ladies and gentlemen as a reminder to register a question press the 1 followed by the 4 on your telephone. And we do have another follow-up question from the line of Jamie Ruby with SciFi Vision. Please proceed with your question.

Jamie Ruby: Okay, I can go again. Do you guys have any dream projects that you would still love to do that you haven’t yet?

Neil Grayston: Oh man like a billion. I don’t know. I sort of, you know, I feel like I’ve done, you know, a fair amount. But there’s still a lot that I have yet to do. I mean I’ve never - I don’t think I’ve done a straight up comedy yet or, you know, a straight up drama in the sense that I would like to do. I don’t know. Just sort of I would just want to keep on working doing cool stuff. So there’s a billion of things out there I’d love to do.

Jamie Ruby: Okay cool. Brad? Lisa?

Lisa Hansen: Oh absolutely. I mean we have a list of projects that we’re working on. You know, one of the ones that I’m, you know, that I really want to get made and it’s a difficult movie to pull off is called Story of My Life. It’s a Jay McInerney project. And, you know, it’s young people growing up basically in very wealthy families, but without any moral structure or any support from their parents and kind of lost in the world.

And it was based on a series of articles that he wrote for the Atlantic Journal or the Atlantic Monthly that was, you know, about real people and it’s a great project and it’s one that we’re in development on and that’s one of the ones we’re really excited about.

Jamie Ruby: Awesome. Brad?

Brad Dourif: You know, I’ve had this - yes, there’s a - I want to play, you know, like a - do a movie about getting older. And I’ve actually tried to write this and I’m not a writer. But yes, that’s all I’m going to say.

Jamie Ruby: Okay.

Brad Dourif: I want to do a movie - I mean I want to do a movie about, you know, the problems that I’m facing, you know, in life and, you know, how do you accept getting older and how you accept your body changing and all that kind of stuff.

Jamie Ruby: Okay great. And what do you think you guys would be doing if you weren’t acting or producing or in this business?

Greg Grunberg: Hey guys. By the way it’s Greg. I’m on the call now. I apologize. What's up guys?

What did I miss?

Lisa Hansen: Just 30 minutes, that’s all.

Greg Grunberg: All right. So I was shooting and now I'm between scenes so we're good.

Lisa Hansen: Oh great.

Neil Grayston: I guess I’ll jump into the answer. Wait what was the question again? I totally forgot. I got too excited that Greg was here.

Jamie Ruby: What would you be doing if you weren’t working in the business?

Neil Grayston: Probably like - I’d like to say something involving audio engineering, but I don’t really know. I’m not too sure. I've just sort of done this all my life.

Greg Grunberg: That was the worse answer ever. Jesus.

Neil Grayston: You know I have to do what I like. So I’m like what, what else do I like. I guess I like tinkering with things even though I’m a terrible musician.

Lisa Hansen: I would be a disc jockey. My previous life, I was a disc jockey before I got into the film business so I would probably still be spinning records somewhere.

Neil Grayston: Cool.

Greg Grunberg: I think Neil and I would open a porn video store. That’s what would happen.

Neil Grayston: Good for you dude. Good for you.

Greg Grunberg: ...porn.

Neil Grayston: You know.

Greg Grunberg: Honest. I'm being honest.

Brad Dourif: I’m a star. You know, I remember when I was young, you know, and I was acting class somebody asked me, you know, if this doesn’t work what are you going to do and I just turned white as a sheet and I went you know this really does have to work because I’d better fucking work man or I’m in deep kaka.

Lisa Hansen: Well, at least…

Greg Grunberg: Actually I would have a business. Dead honest answer, I'd have a business, like I have an app, you know, and I’m always thinking about this stuff and I just can’t stop that side of me. I mean whether it’s successful or not, I'm just always, you now, buzzing. I got that from my dad so I know that I would have some sort of business going of some kind probably in the auto engineering business.

Jamie Ruby: Okay great.

Lisa Hansen: And, Greg, one of the earlier questions that since you joined in which I think would be great for you to answer was they were asking, you know, preparation. What you did to prepare for the part and how much of the stuff was ad-libbed and, you know. I think that’s a good one for you to tackle.

Greg Grunberg: I just saw the film for the first time and I’m so proud of it. I got to be honest with you. I really liked it and I watched it with my family. My boys loved it and I’m not just saying that. It’s one of those movies that you kind of go okay it’s going to be a Syfy movie, the effects are going to be cool. Obviously this is a company that does great movies, but then you realize it’s very human like it’s really funny and I had such a blast working with everybody.

And there was a lot -- it's hard -- like there were great lines and I found my kids laughing at and stuff and then I thought oh okay that’s improve. That was Neil and it just brought back so many happy memories and how we came up with stuff and working on it. Steven is such an amazing director and he just rolls with it. He was like yes I love that let’s do it.

And most of the time that stuff I had found, you know, throughout the shows that I have done it ends up edit room floor because there’s so much story to tell and you don’t have time. But in a movie like this, moving it from one point to the other, the whole nature of it is in reference to great Syfy movies, great movies from the past. So we were constantly thinking of, you know, taken what was written and then expanding on it. And going oh this would be great, what about this, and Neil you were great at that about coming up with stuff.

I didn’t do much preparing because I’m fan of the genre anyway and I kind of knew the references. I wanted to be up on the references. There were a couple that I didn’t know as sharp as I should have, but it was just such a blast. It’s very entertaining this movie and so I just had fun from day one.

Operator: And we have a follow-up question from the line of Stacy Roberts with seriouslyomg.com. Please proceed with your question.

Stacy Roberts: Hi guys. It’s so - it sounds like since you all did so much ad-libbing with this movie that there would be a lot of goofs. Was there something that went too far? Like what is something that you remember that just was so much fun?

Brad Dourif: It all went too far, you know, and everything I was in went too far. I mean that was the whole point. You know, you just let it go and it just was a movie of going too far.

Lisa Hansen: Yes we’ve got a short film of blooper reels. You know, blooper material that’s pretty funny but it’s like so long. It’s, you know, it was - there’s a lot of it.

Greg Grunberg: We had a - you don’t remember the site me, you, and Mark on the side of the van?

Neil Grayston: Oh yes.

Greg Grunberg: He went so Three Stooges.

Lisa Hansen: It was.

Greg Grunberg: So you kind of go oh the next take I want to make it funnier and funnier and I’m going to go bigger and louder and it just got so ridiculous. It was a little bit of it in there though I got to say like I was happy. I thought oh god these guys, you know, Syfy fans that run a, you know, an apocalyptic video store. The last guys who know how to fight or how to really protect themselves. You know, so it was such a sloppy, fun moment. That was one that I remember.

Neil Grayston: Yes that was a good one. I mean I’m glad how it turned out in the cut of the movie because especially what happens after the fight a little like whoa, is it serious.

Greg Grunberg: Yes.

Neil Grayston: But yes that was - we did get pretty ridiculous at a certain paint and it was fun.

Greg Grunberg: Yes. You know, that was an interesting thing I found balance in and I think it plays really well in the movie because it is funny. They are - and they’re not trying to be funny. You know, our characters and we were, you know, referencing and playing out other scenes from other movies in our head and using that knowledge obviously to save the world.

But, you know, it can get carried away at times and it just didn’t and you also have to balance the seriousness of like you’re saying. I mean, you know, something huge happens right after that moment - huge especially for Neil - for all of us, but Neil especially.

Neil Grayston: Yes.

Greg Grunberg: And it’s just - I, Neil played it great. I mean he really, you know, it doesn’t - there’s a lot of times the levity can take the weight off of the seriousness of the situation and it didn’t. It worked...

Neil Grayston: Yes and it’s almost we're like a spoof, but...

Brad Dourif: Greg, that’s quite - I know, I mean just to reference another thing. That could be extremely dangerous a line to walk on. I know that the first time we did Child’s Play, I was out of town and they needed somebody to do the voice so they voiced it with somebody else and the guy kind of did a comedy version and they took it in and screened it and everybody hated it.

Greg Grunberg: Wow.

Brad Dourif: They thought it was awful. And I got this call please, please, please come in and I was shooting another movie and then as soon as it was over I came in and redid the whole movie. But, you know, there’s a certain level of fret and a certain level of, you know, of danger that has to really be there even no matter how funny it is and how far out it gets. If you don’t, you know, find that thread and keep it going seriously then you have nothing except my experience. You know, I think everybody - yes go ahead.

Lisa Hansen: Oh it’s an excellent point. I mean that was one of the toughest things about cutting this movie. Like one example I can come up with Brad plays Walter, this, you know, genius scientist/author who had some out-there series and winds up getting committed to a mental institution. Greg’s character is a huge fan of this guy so and now they go to break him out and both guys are huge fans.

But Greg in the scene where they break him out and he’s sitting there in the back of the van with the hero. It’s like the end of the world, there is a ticking clock, they hardly have any time to save the world, they have to figure out what to do and Greg is just staring at this guy drooling basically. And, you know, it was his hysterical but it took away from the threat. Like you still have to come back to it’s the end of the world and we got to get serious at a certain point. I mean it’s one of the things that’s on the cutting room floor that’s kind of really sad because he’s literally crawling over himself looking at this guy.

And Brad has these great takes where he’s looking at him like what is wrong with you. Then again it took away from the threat of the, you know, of the hospital that they just tore away from just was demolished. You know, and you still have to keep that threat going so that’s just one example off the top of my head.

Man: Yes.

Stacy Roberts: And Greg, I have to ask. Have you spoken to J.J. Abrams about being in the next Star Wars movie?

Greg Grunberg: I cannot comment on that in any way.

Neil Grayston: Yes, he was on his knees. Are you kidding me?

Brad Dourif: Exactly.

Greg Grunberg: Of course. You know, it’s kind of hard. Let me just say this it’s, you know, I see the guy everyday almost. I mean he’s my closest friend. Our families get together and everything and not to, you know, In the middle of dinner to go into a great deal. I mean I could play this role or that role and then I am all over. I’m such a huge Star Wars fan so and he’s amazing. I will of course beg and plead, but who knows what will happen.

Stacy Roberts: Well I’d love to see you in it and I can’t wait to see you in this movie. Thank you guys.

Greg Grunberg: Thanks.

Gary Morgenstein: I want to thank everyone - Brad, Neil, Greg, Lisa. Thanks guys so much for joining and talking about End of the World on Syfy Saturday, February 23 at 9:00 pm. Thanks again.

Operator: Ladies and gentlemen that does conclude the conference call for today. We thank you for your participation and ask that you please disconnect your line.

Syfy's new Saturday Original Movie, End of the World, including Brad Dourif, Neil Grayston and Greg Grunberg. The film pays homage to the passion and imagination of science-fiction fans everywhere. In the movie, plasma rain causes massive power surges, collapsing communication networks and reducing cities into piles of ash. The end nears. Who can save the world from destruction? Fan boys! Two small town sci-fi fan boys, who work at a video store, dig deep into their vast knowledge of disaster films to find a plan that could rescue humanity from complete and total obliteration.

More info and trailer at http://www.syfy.com/movies/end_of_the_world

Back to the Main Articles Page

Back to the Main Primetime TV Page

We need more episode guide recap writers, article writers, MS FrontPage and Web Expression users, graphics designers, and more, so please email us if you can help out!  More volunteers always needed!  Thanks!

Page updated 2/22/13