Why So Blu?

REALITY SHOW: Interview with Anton Troy and Clint Carmichael!

We’re back with a bit of non-review specific fun in our next post. Reality Show is Adam Rifkin’s new satire show now airing on Showtime. With us today is Anton Troy and Clint Carmichael. We’ve also included a fully detailed synopsis of the show, pics, and a Reality Show trailer. Now you’ll have no excuse as to what all the fuss is  about! 😉 Anton Troy is no stranger to Why So Blu – being featured in our Chillerama coverage and what not. It’s great to have him come back for a chat. Big ups to Clint, as well. Well, without further ado let’s see what the boys have to say, shall we? Let’s do it.  

Interview:

 

Gerard Iribe: With us once again is the lovely and talented Anton Troy of Chillerama fame. Anton has company. Who’s your friend, Anton?

Anton Troy: Well first of all I would like to thank you Gerard for having us and also being such big Anton Troy supporters here at Why So Blu since the beginning. I have a fellow cast mate from the current Showtime show I am on, the very tall, very suave might I add veteran actor Mr. Clint Carmichael.

Clint Carmichael: Hey There!

Gerard Iribe: Let’s give our readers a bit of information. What is Reality Show and whom do you guys play?

Anton Troy: Clint you go first…

Clint Carmichael: It’s a dark satire on the preponderance of mindless reality shows that populate the TV landscape.  It uses the form to poke fun at the phenomenon as well as the insanity of “Show Biz” in general. I play Leonard, the stern TV network president and Anton plays Burt, the young executive shark at my side when Mickey Wagner “Adam Rifkin” pitches us what he believes to be a revolutionary “Reality Show” concept. Our Network is tracking the project and growing more concerned as it proves to be anything but the dramatic juggernaut Mickey has promised.

Anton Troy: That’s right. Essentially the show follows a down on his luck reality show producer that believes he has come up with the MOTHER of all reality show concepts, an idea so original, so fantastic that it will completely reinvent the entire genre. He believes that if he selects a family completely at random and installs hidden cameras all over their house, work, job, car without their knowledge that they will act completely natural and that the drama will be more captivating than anything a team of writers could ever dream up. Unfortunately watching snails mate is more exciting than this family so he starts to unbeknownst to them introduce more drama into their lives in an effort to avoid being canned by the network. My character Burt is the smug Jr. TV network executive and actress Kendra Waldman, Clint and myself comprise the network team that Mickey “Adam Rifkin” has to answer to throughout the show, especially when the sizzles ain’t sizzlin! What’s cool about the show is it’s really an underlying commentary on society’s infatuation and disgust with voyeurism in my opinion.      

 Gerard Iribe: Jack-of-all-trades Adam Rifkin is the mastermind behind Reality Show. How did you guys get involved with Adam and Reality Show?

Anton Troy: Obviously I met Adam through my involvement in Chillerama and back around the same time the film was to be released the distributor was doing a drive-in movie road show in select cities to promote the movie. It was during this time, particularly during an appearance we did at a drive-in in Dixon IL that Adam and I just kind of got to hang out. As you know Adam directed a different segment of Chillerama than I was in but we would run in to each other at various events and I had been told that he was a fan of my work in the movie. I later found out that even though he thought I was talented, the trip to Chicago together made him think of me as a cool guy and someone he would enjoy working with, ultimately leading to my very first role on a mainstream television network unlike Clint who’s respectably been around since Magnum P.I.! [Everyone Laughs]

Clint Carmichael: I got called in by the casting director and auditioned for the project just like any other job. I knew who Adam was but had never met him before, or any of his team.

Gerard Iribe: Honestly, I knew nothing of the show going in, but once I saw the trailer and how it was set in the “real world” and how it would essentially escalate into madness, knew that it could be something special. It’s got an edge. What are your feelings on reality shows in general? Do you guys think that they’ve gone too far in that they’ve embedded themselves in American society and culture so much so that some of the general public emulate their reality show heroes?

Anton Troy: As you know I have also been dabbling in producing as well lately and life does imitate art. Ironically I am currently in the process of producing a few reality show concepts with a friend of mine who produces for a major television network. My personal feeling on it is if the premise is interesting and you can learn something of value while being entertained then I think they have their place somewhere like anything else. For instance I rather enjoy shows like Pawn Stars and Monster Garage back in the day because I am learning about a trade or lifestyle and being entertained at the same time. Shows like that can be great when your just wanting an escape but don’t get me wrong I am an actor by trade and I take my craft as such very seriously. I am not a fan of ‘trash’ television nor do I think anyone should have Snookie as a role model.  

Clint Carmichael: Like most actors, there’s a part of me that just hates all the crap being pushed out there on the public because it’s easier and cheaper than scripted drama and comedy. And yes, there are those lost souls who may model themselves on some of the silly nonsense they see.  But, like everybody else, I can see that some of the reality world is really compelling and I totally get why they find an audience. For example; some of the singing competitions are fantastic, huge raw talent truly being discovered and given a shot at a career…the stuff that dreams are made of. Then there’s that mindless pabulum that Adam so ably mocks in our show. Producers pandering to our darker base instincts just to make a buck. I think people will really enjoy how Adam rips them a new one…I sure did! [Laughs]

Gerard Iribe: How was it to work with Adam Rifkin? Considering he was pulling several duties as in acting, directing, producing, writing, and what not – being busy would be an understatement.

Anton Troy: Rif as I know him is just really cool and easy-going on set. Yes just recently finishing my first effort producing a feature film myself I can very honestly say from experience that it’s a ton of work and a labor of love believe me! Rif is really a clever writer with a brilliant knack for edgy plots and dark humor and he is also a very funny actor and skilled director. Also the nerd factor did kick in, I was totally excited to work with him, I mean this is the same man that directed the KISS movie— Detroit Rock City, nuff said right Gerard! [Laughs]

Clint Carmichael: It’s amazing to watch. I worked with Bonnie Hunt on a pilot of hers a few years ago and it’s the only other time I acted with someone who was also directing us, had written the dialog we were speaking and was also producing the show. It’s rare to be able to wear that many hats. Bonnie was great at it, and Adam was terrific as well. Adam considers himself a writer first and is very humble about his acting chops. But he was really great on all levels…and stayed cool, calm and fun the whole time as well, not an easy feat! I thought it was inspiring to watch; he just stepped up and got it done.  

Gerard Iribe: How was it working with the cast? I noticed that there are A LOT of people making special appearances on Reality Show – was it overwhelming for you guys?

Anton Troy: I noticed over 80 different characters on the call sheet but luckily I only had to work with a handful of very talented people that included Clint and Adam Rifkin. I did feel sorry for the wardrobe department though [Laughs]. 

Clint Carmichael: Our unit was the network team so I really didn’t see much of the rest of the cast. I was just happy Adam was throwing some weight behind the project, and knew that this was going to be a fun show to watch.

Gerard Iribe: Since the first season of Reality Show has wrapped, do you guys  have any projects brewing that you can talk about here on WSB?

Anton Troy: I just wrapped a very funny romantic comedy that I produced and acted in called Wingman Inc. directed by Choice Skinner & written by Tony Germinario, It is set to release in 2013. As mentioned earlier I am producing a few television concepts that are in development but not to worry you will be seeing much of me in front of the camera over the next year as well. In the meantime make sure to check us out on Reality Show! 

Clint Carmichael: On the acting front I recently shot an episode of Reba McEntire’s new sitcom Malibu Country and I’m waiting to hear on a pilot presentation that’s being looked at by Starz called The Business. I get to play a corrupt D.A. in that show, always fun to play a bad guy. On the producing side, I’m developing a feature film that’s based on a very successful short film I produced with a director partner of mine. The project stars “Patrick Warburton” from Rules of Engagement it’s called The Action Hero’s Guide To Saving Lives.

Gerard Iribe:  Do you guys have any social media outlets where your fans can congregate, visit, or just drop you guys a line? Twitter, Facebook, or a website?

Anton Troy: Of course! The usual suspects would be my website: www.antontroy.com / FB: antontroyofficial / Twitter: anton_troy and make sure to check out the Wingman Inc. page on IMDB 

Clint Carmichael: You can find me on Facebook or visit my website www.clintcarmichael.com It’s terrific that social media can connect us all so effectively, I love hearing about what other people are doing in their work as well as appreciate the support for what I’m working on…please stop on by and say hi!

Gerard Iribe: Thanks again for spending some time with us, Anton! It’s always a pleasure to talk to you. Clint, likewise, it’s been a pleasure. Keep us posted with your work, guys! Tune in to Showtime Thursday nights and experience Reality Show for yourselves (check your local listings).

Anton Troy

Clint Carmichael

Please continue reading for information and a preview of what Reality is all about down below:

Synopsis:

Reality Show is the brainchild of Adam Rifkin, writer, director, executive producer and star of the show.

Reality Show follows Mickey Wagner (Rifkin), a down-on-his-luck reality show producer, as he crafts a sensational comeback. Fed up with how staged and phony reality shows are, Mickey hatches a revolutionary idea to pick an average American family and put them under all-encompassing surveillance…without the family’s knowledge.

The concept is to let real life unfold before the cameras. However, the family is boring. And the studio wants more sizzle. So Mickey starts to introduce drama into the unwitting family’s lives. Temptation to cheat, drinking, work problems…. chaos ensues. Everything unravels in a big, big way with shocking consequences.

The unwitting and unfortunate stars of the reality show are Dennis Warwick (Scott Anderson) a 50-year-old accountant and amateur chef, Katherine (Kelley Menighan Hensley), a retired teacher and stay-at-home mom, and their daughter, Amy (Monika Tilling), a high school honor roll student.

Mickey is convinced that if this family is unaware that cameras are following their every move, the natural drama of life that unfolds will be far more compelling than anything a team of Hollywood writers could manufacture.

Thanks to state-of-the-art identity software that cross references DMV records, passport records, credit card records, etc., Mickey gets the perfect all-American family: the Warwicks.

Mickey and his team are elated. He couldn’t have cast a more ideal family if he tried.  After covertly setting up countless hidden cameras throughout their house, cars, and at Dennis’s work, along with a team of follow-vehicles armed with long lens video cams and a fleet of surveillance vans, the Warwicks are now, unknowingly, smack dab in the middle of Mickey’s electronic fishbowl.  Now all Mickey has to do is wait for all the secrets and lies to emerge!

But Mickey soon realizes that this family he was so certain about is absolutely, mind-numbingly dull. Turns out, there are no secrets, no lies, no double lives.  The Warwick family is completely void of any discernible conflict, and as everyone knows, conflict is the cornerstone of drama.

In a desperate attempt to salvage his series and keep the impatient network happy, Mickey begins to interfere.  By introducing obstacles and conflict into the family’s life, Mickey quickly finds that betraying his original conceit and messing with his subjects makes for a far more fascinating show. These small disruptions escalate and soon cause ripples Mickey does not anticipate.