What was it like getting to film something there?
I’ve been going back quite a bit.
To answer your question, to bring a film there to my little town, everyone was super excited.
I’ve said this before it was all hands on deck.
Anyone that could help was there to help and did help, and I’m super appreciative of that.
So it’s a really nice community then?
We’re in a little small town in Alabama.
That’s the true definition of community, isn’t it?
You produced the film with your wife, and your sons appear in it.
What was it like working so closely with them?
I work with them on everything.
They just finally got credit for it.
We pivoted two weeks before we were supposed to start shooting, maybe three.
I have a go at operate from my gut.
I have to use my gut and it told me we had to pivot.
We pivoted quite quickly, which meant my wife and I were buying wardrobe.
It was awesome because it was COVID, so none us were doing anything anyway.
To get to go be creative and make a movie was quite exciting.
We love what we do, and we’re so grateful for what we do.
That was our bond, and she has such a respect for everyone around her.
We leaned on one another during that process, which at times was extremely challenging and difficult.
[That is] another incredible bond.
He’s got such a big, beautiful heart, and he loves to play.
He loves creating and being an actor, which is exciting.
I had Jeff in Birmingham for 24 hours.
I flew him in, I shot him, and then we flew his butt back home … We’re discussing that and figuring out what that path looks like.
Learning from Lethal Weapon
You mentioned “Lethal Weapon.”
You must get recognized a lot for that role.
What’s it like having played such an iconic character?
It was a gift.
He’s part of the reason why I wanted to be an actor.
I was lost in those shoes.
I was so small in what he had created again.
Wven with all the nastiness, it ended exactly how I wanted it to end.
I was able to play this guy with a perfect arc.
Where we found Riggs and where we left Riggs, it doesn’t happen on internet TV.
It was the first time I’d ever been on set every single day, all day.
I was on that set 75 hours a week.
It was the greatest lesson in filmmaking I could have ever been given.
It was such an intimate education.
A lot of times as an actor, you get pulled in, then you get pulled out.
They didn’t give me … any other choices, really.
I was backed into a corner and it happened when I was 40.
It’s all so fragile.
I gained a great appreciation.
Fond memories of A Walk to Remember
You’ve been in this business a really long time.
One of the movies you’re in that I love is “A Walk to Remember.”
Do you have any memories from that set?
I know it was 20 years ago.
I’m embarrassing myself.
You’re not embarrassing yourself.
That was my [one of my] very first [jobs] …
I felt like, “Oh my God, this is actually obtainable.”
It was really special, and we were all a bunch of kids figuring it out.
It was like high school.
We had an absolute blast.
Clayne Crawford on discovering talented filmmakers
You’re a producer now.
Who do you want to work with?
Oh, so many.
As an actor, people are like, “Man, what do you want to play next?”
Sometimes, you’ll read something and you’re able to’t read it sitting down.
To give you a list would be challenging, but I am mostly interested in a singular voice.
It’s exciting because there’s so much talent out there.
I knew of Robert [Machoian].
I knew there was something in there with this guy and I see this with so many other people.
What I’m looking for is the opportunity to give all of these voices a platform.
I don’t know if I have a message when I make these films.
I want people to escape their own lives.
I do want people to know that I’m creating theBloody Seahorse Film Experience…
I want to truly find an opportunity to be able to give back to them.
The Bloody Seahorse Film Experience is an opportunity where it’s possible for you to come to set.
you might have lunch and dinner with the cast and crew.
you’re free to go to premieres, screenings, after parties.
That’s my goal with telling these stories making it as immersive as possible for everyone involved.
