Set: Whisper #2

SET VISIT: PART 2 OF 4 –
READ PART 1 HERE

It’s weird when a room full of adults interviews a child actor and the kid makes all of them feel like the least mature person in the room. But that’s largely what Blake Woodruff managed to do when we sat down with him on the set of WHISPER (Hitting DVD shelves come November 27, 2007 – order it here). It’s sort of impressive, scary and disheartening to see how consummately professional and well spoken he is. Disheartening for those of us adults who don’t always have that level of clarity to our communication at least. So read on and get a chance to meet this little savant. You’ll be glad you did.

INTERVIEW – BLAKE WOODRUFF, ACTOR

So tell us what you were [shooting] today?

We are doing a scene where Vince falls through the ice, and I push away all the slush, and I say hi to him.

As he’s drowning?

Yeah.

Is it a lot of fun being evil?

It is a lot of fun.

Does it come easy?

It doesn’t come that easy. I think it’s pretty hard, but it’s a lot of fun.

Do you have a lot of scenes with Josh [Holloway]?

I have very many scenes with Josh. He’s a really cool guy so it’s kinda easy to do those scenes.

Why is he cool?

Well, I can’t really start naming off things, but just his personality and the way he acts.

Do you guys hang out?

We hang out a lot. But most of the time we’re studying lines. So I’d say 63% we’re hanging out.

How would you describe your character and how did you go about developing him?

I would describe David as a little boy who’s acting all innocent, but over time the audience starts to realize that the character David is actually the devil and not a sweet, little boy.

Have you had any dreams about the movie or playing the part?

No, actually I haven’t.

Do you have any brothers or sisters?

I have two sisters and one brother.

Have you described the character to them, and what do they think about it?

They think that it’s kind of awkward, because my sister is like, “How can you play a little boy that’s evil. You’re so nice and sweet.” My other sister says, “Oh, that’s cool.” ‘Cause she’s more of a skateboarding kid. So she could actually care less. My brother thinks it’s really cool.

It’s gotta be weird playing the devil when I bet you haven’t been allowed to see any of those devil movies, right?

No.

So you’ve gotta conjure all of this in your mind, right?

Yeah.

So what do you think about when you’re trying to play the devil?

I don’t really think about anything when I’m playing the devil. I just think about scary movies that I’ve seen, and nightmares that I’ve had. And once I get that look on my face, that frightening look, they say action and I do all my stuff. I think that they like it.

What’s the scariest movie you’ve ever seen?

Probably THE GRUDGE.

At the heart of the movie seems to be how your character turns the other characters against each other by playing on their worst fears. That’s quite a challenge for an actor. How did you handle it? Was it all described in the script?

It wasn’t described in the script, but my mom explained it to me. And the way she explained it made a lot of sense to me. So what I do is I whisper to them. And while I do that I manipulate them so that they can turn themselves against each other.

What do you think is the scariest thing about this movie? About your character?

I think the scariest part is when he starts whispering to people. And next thing you know they start killing each other. I think that’s pretty freaky. (Blake giggles.)

What’s the most fun thing they’ve let you do on this movie?

I’m not experiencing anything fun yet, but on Saturday I’m gonna be hanging off the roof, and I’m gonna drop. That’s probably gonna be my favorite thing.

Have you ever done anything like that before?

I did a movie called CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN, and I hang off the roof, and I repel, and I hang upside down.

So you’ve done this before?

Yeah, and I bungee jump and stuff.

So on Saturday when they hang you from the roof, how’s that going to work?

I’m gonna be wearing a harness and they’re gonna have two steel cables hooked up to my waist. So I’m just sitting there, holding myself up, but then I stab Max (Holloway’s character) with an icicle. So he lets go of my hand and I just free-fall. But they want me to do a back flip a couple of times in the air.

Will it be all you, or will a stunt double do some of it?

The stunt double will be there, standing by, but most of the time I’m gonna do my own stunts.

Will you have a chance to practice that?

No, I’m going to do it all on Saturday. There’s no school on Saturday, so they can get a lot more time with me.

Do you have classes today?

Yeah, I just got done with history, and I’m supposed to take a test later.

Are there other kids on set you can hang out with?

There’s my stand in, and my other stand in and my stunt double.

How old are you now?

Right now I’m nine years old, but my birthday is in a couple of weeks.

What’s the best advice on your character that your mom’s given you?

She doesn’t really give me any advice, but she helps me learn lines, and she makes everything…sometimes the script can be very confusing, and she kind of translates it into kid language.

And how has your acting coach been helping you? What are some things that you’ve learned about being an actor on this movie?

My acting coach is very nice. She helps me out a lot. During scenes she’ll come up and say, “Remember this, and this, and this.” And then I’m done and she’ll say, “Good job.”

So she breaks it down into steps for you to easily understand?

Yes.

When did you first start acting?

When I was six, or five years old.

Was it something you really wanted to do?

I really, really, REALLY wanted to act.

Why is that?

I saw a movie called MEN IN BLACK, and I thought that looks like so much fun. I wish I could do that. And then for a birthday present when I turned six-years-old my mom said, “Hey, let’s take you to your first acting class.” And I was like, “COOL!” So I took the class and everyone thought I was a pretty good actor.

Tell us a little bit about working with Stewart [Hendler] and how he is as a director.

I really like Stewart a lot. He’s very cool. He’s got that young personality, and I really like that about him.

Is he the youngest director you’ve worked with?

Yes. 26-years-old.

How is that different from other directors you’ve worked with?

Other directors, they have more of an adult sense of humor, and they’re not as playful.

Can you describe how different it is to do a comedy, as opposed to a horror film like this?

The comedy is more like I can just be myself. But horror I have to change into somebody else. So when I’m doing a scene, I have to take some time to change into a different person. But comedy I just get out there, I say my lines, and have fun.

How does the relationship evolve between David and the kidnappers?

In the beginning they’re all making sure he has food, he has a box of crackers, he has a box of crayons. OK, perfect. But there are times when they start having conversations like, “What is up. He’s acting kind of weird.” And then they start hearing doors unlocking. And the next time they see me I’m outside of my room, but it was locked from the outside. So it’s like, well that’s freaky.

Would you like to play other bad guys in the future?

I actually like doing comedy a little bit better. Because with horror I have to take the time to change into a different guy.

So is this something you want to do for the rest of your life? Do you want to keep acting?

I want to act until I die.

Describe your voice and how you talk in the film.

Some of the parts I talk like a little boy like (very cutesy) “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.” But in other parts I’m like (hella creepy) “What do you mean. Of course you mean that.” And talk really weird.

We heard the competition was really tough for this role. Can you describe how you got the part?

The competition WAS really tough, so it took awhile for me to get the call saying I got the part, and I was sooo happy.

Do you think the film is a straight ahead horror film?

I would say that this is more of a psychological thriller. Because it doesn’t really make that much sense.

I presume you’re going to go to the premiere of the movie. Are there any parts where you think you’ll have to close your eyes?

No.

So there you have it. Out of the mouths of babes and all that. Blake was one of the most mature and generally composed people I’ve ever met, which was really weird since that old soul resides in the body of a nine year old who would often skip around the set after a take. Much like Haley Joel Osment, you can just tell this kid is going places. I wish him the best.

ORDER THE WHISPER DVD HERE