TRANSFORMERS Dark Side of The Moon Star Don Jeanes Speaks to RSR
Exclusive Interview by Marc Anthony
“You can’t say no, you can’t say “I can’t do that. You at least try it and then you rely on mainly being an actor and that will take you through”- Don Jeanes
All-American Don Jeanes is a Texas native, now based out of LA and appearing in the new “Transformers: Dark of the Moon,” coming out in July 1st. Don has a wide range of film/TV/and internet body of work from Days of our Lives, CSI: NY Guiding Light, Che Che Man, The Ascension, Shark Tank and the popular Alpha Planet web series, just to name a few.
Athletes share many similarities with actors, being able to live in the moment and making the most of it. Single minded determination to get things done and a passion that you cannot put in words, today we talk to Don Jeanes, a rising star in Hollywood.
MA: Considering how popular the web series you star in “Alpha Planet”, what is it that draws people to a post-apocalyptic future?
I think it is something to do with our heavy religious background here in America and just that “What would it be like”. Not to say we are fear mongers but it kind of realistically makes you afraid: things like “Oh my gosh, it could actually happen” or “What if it did?”
In all circumstances it’s not going to happen, but I think something in us likes to be afraid that it would happen and then think on what we would do. Maybe that’s it; we can personalize our own hero story. If a nuclear holocaust did go down, we would save our friends and family. We would have to be on our own surviving in the wild. It makes us feel good to think that we would be pretty good survivors and really go out there and make a new way for ourselves.
MA: Are you guys working on having a continuation of “Alpha Planet”?
With enough demand, we get enough views on the site? We would love to keep it going. I think we did leave the story open to continue. So yeah! It really is up to Mike Darling’s decision. He is the Writer/Producer/Director of the web series; he and his girlfriend Arron basically co-produced it. It’s their decision and I feel like if there are enough outcries “We want to see more Alpha Planet” I would totally be up for keeping it going.
MA: In the movie “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” you play Neil Armstrong. I read about your prep work which was fascinating. Could you tell us about the MythBusters show you saw that helped you with the role of Neil Armstrong?
I was watching everything I could get my hands on to look at their body movements and I tried to get some footage of Neil Armstrong talking. Really the only thing I could come up with was him coming off the moon you know “One small step for man…” He was actually kind of reclusive and didn’t do many interviews at all until he got older. I would watch videos from YouTube and everything I could get my hands on, I could hook up my computer to my T.V, so I was watching , watching , watching. But I came across a lot of conspiracy theories. It’s amazing how many of them are out there. Things like “It didn’t happen and this is why” and they go into it. I am like “Oh my God”; I can’t have a shadow of a doubt in my mind when I am on set that this didn’t actually happen.
As a performer I have to immerse myself and totally believe it. I couldn’t have that in my mind. I finally came across these MythBusters videos. It’s a series of three of them. They actually made a small scale model of the moon and shine lights to show the lies that they were disputing the shadows. They debunked that. Then they actually had a pulley and harness system which they filmed. They went up in an airplane and did free fall anti-gravity walk in the spacesuit as well: debunked all that. So, it really helped to know that this really did happen. Not that I really doubted it in the beginning, I just wanted to make sure that I didn’t have a small claim of doubt. So that was pretty cool.
MA: Any scary moments as a bike rider?
Oh man, yeah. I actually did an industrial video called” Twist of the Wrist 2” and it was up on Mt. Wilson here in California. I don’t know if you have been to Mt. Wilson, a lot of motorcycle riders go up there, there is this place called Newcomb’s Ranch, and that’s where they were filming. I was late, so I was on this old 1981 Yamaha Maxim 550, I basically rebuilt it. And I was burning across that canyon road. I hit a downhill and I saw a curve coming and I was ‘”I am not going to stop.” I tried to slow down as much as I could. I started to go up this gravel embankment but there was this little tree hanging out the side and my pipes caught that tree. My bike stopped but I kept going. I flew about four feet and landed kind of on my side and elbow. I hit the back of my head on the pavement. I got up and for a few seconds I kept telling myself “Okay Don, don’t pass out dude, don’t pass out.”
I am so glad I was wearing that helmet, even with it on it left a nasty mark. I got myself together and pulled my bike off the road. So, a guy was coming by in his Ducati, he asked me “Hey man, are you okay?” I said yeah and asked him if he would take me to Newcomb’s Ranch please. He was a little weirded out; I found out later that it was his first time taking anyone on the back of his motorcycle. I got to Newcomb’s Ranch and the EMT is looking me over. I had nasty road rash on my back. I ended up getting three stiches on my elbow but I was like “Man, I can still shoot my scene!” I had about three of four lines. I just ended up putting my motorcycle jacket back on so they couldn’t see where I was banged up and I did the scene. Then I waited to be dropped off at my apartment, went to the emergency room and got myself stitched up and that was that.
Other than that there has been a few times when busses are coming over trying to get on the right.
MA: LA is pretty wild for that.
Oh, yeah man and I split lanes like it’s my job. I have to remind myself that I am smaller than the cars.
MA: You said you have a big love for the theatre. What is that you love about the stage?
With theatre, one, and it may be counterproductive, but it’s not going to be forever in film. So you can take those gigantic rifts and do crazy things and if it sucks its only one night. Sometimes you are really going to hit really big but it’s the freedom to take those risks.
Of course you are always trying to be true to your objective and your character. You don’t do the things that don’t get you towards your objective and they are just gimmicks. So I stay away from that. I love the immediacy of it, for a narcissistic actor there is no better, you know, when you get off stage you get a “You were so good” and you say “You are too nice” but really you are just like “YES!”
It’s really the immediacy and we don’t have a chance in film to do things in a linear order and all at once. “Alpha Planet” was filmed over the course of a year; we went back like once a month over that time, so with stage you got your full script , sometimes the script is being changed still when doing film. On stage you got your script, everybody knows, and you have had time to rehearse. I really just feel like it’s a great experience for the audience and the actor.
MA: You have an upcoming theatre show?
Yeah, we want to do “Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train.” Hopefully we will start rehearsal this coming month in May. It’s basically a really objective look at religion by a lawyer and two murders on death row.
MA: Sounds Interesting.
Yeah, it’s going be really cool.
MA: Is this going be in LA?
Yeah, we haven’t nailed down a theatre yet. My buddy who wants to put it up, he has done it before a little north of here I think in Whittier. We just started read-throughs and hopefully we will get that done. I have a two page monologue near the end. I would love to get back and get in front of an audience.
MA: As a method actor, is it important get new experiences in life so you can draw upon it?
Absolutely, oh man absolutely. You are right on, on all this stuff. I think as an actor we have to have an experience of everything. We have to try everything once, especially as a commercial actor because they ask you for these ridiculous things. I get asked if I am a professional mountain biker and if I am comfortable with wielding all in the same week. I am actually comfortable with wielding but I am not a professional mountain biker, although I have done it before. You can’t say no, you can’t say “I can’t do that.” You at least try it and then you rely on mainly being an actor and that will take you through. Yeah you just have to try everything. You really have to be the every man and I will say also being in great physical condition because there is really no telling what you will be asked to do. I have auditioned where they asked me if I could do a running back flip off a wall!
MA: On the subject of being in physical condition. You have done a marathon. How long did it take you to get in marathon shape?
I took me six months. But by that six month mark I was so ready. I wasn’t really sore after the marathon. I didn’t really die. It got a little hard around mile 23? But other than that, it was a great experience. If you really train and really do the work, some people say two months, but I think that’s for people who are actual runners. I would say if you just started from just sitting around to I want to run a marathon, I would take six months and work up to it. It was mainly learning diet and when not to eat. Most people don’t know it but you find gas a lot, because you are shaking your stomach for a good two to three hours. So learning not to eat two hours before and what you can eat while you are running. Nutrition has a lot to do with it.
MA: I read you are also going to be in “The Ascension” a new SyFy movie original, can you tell us a little bit about it?
Sure, “The Ascension” is a sci-fi/ horror/mystery, I would say to the best of my knowledge. Basically, it’s this archeologist who finds these artifacts who performs this ritual; unknowingly opens up a portal to this world and lets out “The Dark Lord.”. These mysterious suicides start happening in this small town and no one puts it together except our detective Corbin Bernsen who plays Carl Kolchinski in the film. I am the boyfriend of one of the unfortunate suicide victims. Then it goes onto “The Dark Lord’s” need to bring all these souls together and bring hell on earth. We team up with Corbin Bernsen to fight this from happening.
MA: Do you know when it’s coming out?
Hopefully, this is from the director, it will be coming out in June. I am pretty sure that’s when it will be out.
MA: Let’s talk about another production you have done called “Uriel…”
Uriel, yeah, it’s a short film about a story of an Arch-Angel on earth during revelations. Kind of a zombie religious thriller, we already shot it I just need to do the voice over with Mike Darling who wrote it and directed it. That should be up on the renrobot.com site. You can see some of my other work there as well.
MA: You also write?
I have done a little bit of writing. I have a short. If I had I to put a genre on mine it would be mostly comedic writing. I really have an eye for making fun of things that are just ridiculous. I have written a little short and hopefully I will be filming that with Indiewood collective coming up on the 8th we might get that up on the renrobot.com site.
MA: Thanks for stopping by RSR.
Thanks for having me.