Sunday, May 03, 2009 | Quick, A+E, Movies, Q&A
Steve Warren: The Quick Q&A

Sunday Paper movie critic Steve Warren stars as a cannibal in the horror film “Scarce,” which gets its U.S. DVD release on May 5.

Courtesy of Bloodlife Films

Tell us what “Scarce” is about.

From the perspective of my character, Ivan, it’s about a man whose peaceful rural existence is disrupted by the arrival of three rowdy snowboarders; so to defend his home he tortures them and tries to kill and eat them. Someone else might see Ivan as a villainous cannibal.

It’s a typical “young people stranded in the wilderness with brutal killers” movie, but with more snow. It’s not recommended for anyone with any sensitivity to anything, and I advise parents not to let your children see it until they’re at least 40.

How did you come to be involved in the film?

These two twentysomething Canadians, John Geddes and Jesse T. Cook, were weeks away from shooting their first feature, after spending a year raising the money, when ACTRA, the Canadian film actors’ union, went on strike and they lost their two leads. They advertised on Craigslist for non-union replacements. I applied, they thought I looked like their cannibal, and two weeks later I was in Canada. They found my co-star, Gary Fischer, closer to home: doing children’s theater in Toronto. We filmed about 100 miles north of Toronto, near Collingwood.

Tell us about the experience of making the movie.

Winter came late in 2007, the year we filmed “Scarce,” but it came with a vengeance, the coldest they’d had in 30 years. The temperature didn’t go above freezing until three days before I left. Fortunately, they give readings in Celsius up there, so I couldn’t tell how cold it was. Also fortunately, I got to dress warm for most of my scenes in the snow. I didn’t have to run around barefoot in my underwear like the young guys did.

But as cold as the weather was, the people were that warm. I love Atlanta because the people here are so friendly, but I was working with about 30 strangers in a foreign country, and I’ve never felt so welcome. I think it helped that I stated “I’m not a Bush supporter” whenever I met anyone.

What’s your favorite memory of the whole experience?

There was hardly anything negative about it. One highlight was reading in my contract that I would have top billing, a first for me in a feature. Having started acting as a midlife-crisis career, I wasn’t sure that would ever happen. I used to dream of being a movie star when I grew up. I didn’t know it would take me so long to grow up.

But the greatest night of my life was the “Scarce” premiere at Toronto’s Bloor Cinema. There were nearly 600 people cheering when the filmmakers called me to the stage after the screening. I grabbed the mic and said, “In the States when a villain does a good job we don’t cheer, we boo. You Canadians are too f**king polite!” They took the hint, and no one was ever so happy to be booed so resoundingly. It was my rock star moment. SP