Crispin Glover is passionate about acting but, perhaps, more passionate about the trilogy of films he’s about to unleash on the public.

The 40-year-old actor is making an appearance at the Chandler Cinemas this weekend to promote What Is It?, his directorial debut.

Chandler theater lures actor Crispin Glover

In this exclusive interview with the Ocotillo Tribune, Glover talks about how he prepares for his screen roles, why his first movie took almost a decade to film and the current state of cinema.

Question: How do you go about picking your roles and what do you do mentally to prepare yourself to bring that certain authenticity to the screen?

Crispin Glover: I always look to figure out the specific psychology of the character and the best way for that specific psychology to manifest itself for the character.

Q: I read where you started production on What Is It? in 1996. If that’s the case, why did it take so long to make this film?

CG: The film started production as a short film in 1996. It took 9.5 years from the first day of shooting on the short film to having a 35mm print of the feature film. I wrote it as a short film originally to promote the viability of having a majority of the characters that do not necessarily have Down syndrome to be played by actors with Down syndrome.

The way this came about was this: I was approached in 1996 by two young writers and aspiring filmmakers who were from Phoenix to act in a film they wanted to produce and direct. They made a monetary offer to my agents, which they really should not have done as they did not actually have financing. Nonetheless, it did get me to read the screenplay, which I found to be interesting. This screenplay was not What Is It? I found interesting things about the screenplay, but I thought there were things about it that did not work. I came up with solutions that needed re-working and told them I would be interested in acting in the film if I directed it. They came to Los Angeles and met with me and wanted to know my thoughts. There were quite a few things, but the main thing was that most of the characters were to be played by actors with Down syndrome. They were fine with this concept and I set about to re-writing the screenplay.

David Lynch agreed to executive produce the film for me to direct. This was very helpful and I went to one of the larger corporate entities in Los Angeles that finances films. They were interested in the project, but after a number of meetings and conversations they let me know that they were concerned about financing a project wherein most of the characters were played by actors with Down syndrome. The title of this screenplay at this point had become It Is Mine. It will become part three of the It trilogy. It was not known yet that there would be a trilogy, but it was decided that I should write a short screenplay to promote that the concept of having a majority of the characters played by actors with Down syndrome was a viable thing to do for corporate entities to invest in.

This is when I wrote a short screenplay entitled What Is It? We shot this short screenplay in four days. I edited that over a period of six months and the first edit came in at 84 minutes. The final feature-length film of What Is It? is 72 minutes. So the first version of the short film is longer than the final version of the feature film, and it was too long for the material I had at the time, but I could see with more work and material I could turn it in to a feature film.

Over approximately the next two years I shot eight more days and edited this in to what is now the final version of the film. I locked the edit of the film about three years after the first day of shooting what was supposed to be a short film. Then there were a number of years of very frustrating technical problems. During this time, I worked patiently on the final sound edit of the film with a number of interns. Finally, that sound edit was finished and it became apparent that the film optical house was not telling me the truth and prices had fallen during this time so I was able to make the film using a digital intermediate to ultimately go out to a 35mm print.

I have been aware of the element of utilizing the fact that I am known from work in the corporate media I have done in the last 25 years or so. This is something I rely on for when I go on tour with my films. It lets me go to various places and have the local media cover the fact that I will be performing a one-hour live dramatic narration of eight different books, which are profusely illustrated and projected as I go through them.

Also, I have a Q & A session with the audience. This has become an extremely important part of the show, particularly after showing What Is It?, which deals with many taboo elements and audiences can have very strong questioning after the film and it is important to not explain the film to people in terms of symbols and meaning.

I make it quite clear that What Is It? is not a film about Down syndrome, but my psychological reaction to the corporate restraints that have happened in the last 20 to 30 years in filmmaking. I would like for people to think for themselves.

Q: Some critics have leveled that you go out of your way to make strange films and What Is It? is just another bizarre stunt to enhance your crazy image.

CG: In terms of being a filmmaker, I see myself as someone that wants to explore ideas that are thoughtful and educational, and that, hopefully, will continue to make films that others will truly find educational. What Is It? is my psychological reaction to the corporate in filmmaking. Specifically anything that can possibly make an audience uncomfortable is necessarily excised or the film will not be corporately funded or distributed. This is damaging to the culture because it is the very moment when an audience member sits back in their chair, looks up at the screen and (asks questions). For the culture to not be able to ask questions leads towards a non-educational experience and that is what is happening in this culture. This stupefies this culture and that is, of course, a bad thing. So What Is It? is a direct reaction to the contents in this culture’s media.

Q: What do you get from writing/directing that you don’t get from acting?

CG: Acting is an interpretive art form. Even more than the writing or directing. Editing is actually my favorite part of the process. This in film is where the final element of the actual art takes place and that is absolutely my favorite.

Q: What are your current plans for What Is It? and possible other director-driven vehicles?

CG: I will continue touring with What Is It? and other films I produce and direct for many years. The best way for people to know where I am going to be with what film is by going to crispinglover.com. I will show the trailer for It Is Fine! Everything Is Fine! The film is completed and I will come back to Phoenix with it in a while. It is important to show What Is It? first because it sets up going in to taboo subject matter to the extent so that when people view It Is Fine! Everything Is Fine! the taboo element is not what becomes important, but the emotional content of the film. The two films have thematic similarities but are very different kinds of film.

The next project I work on will not be part three of the It trilogy, but it will be something outside of the trilogy. It will be good to work on a somewhat different thematic venture.

Also, I own property in the Czech Republic, where I’m building a small sound stage to continue making my own films. It is a different culture there and a different language. I need to start with less complex productions. Both What Is It? and It Is Fine! Everything Is Fine! were relatively complex productions. I set out to make simpler productions, but, in retrospect, they really were not. Now, after having produced these two productions, I see what a truly less complex production is, and that is what I plan to do next.