INTERVIEW: SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD’s Alan Van Sprang

We here at Giant Killer Squid love new talent, and even though Alan Van Sprang has been around for awhile, his name is now starting to make it into some major circles. I recently had the chance to ask Alan some questions about starting out, Romero’s zombies, being Immortal and Mickey Rourke’s unblinking eyes. Enjoy!

GiantKillerSquid: How does a kid who grew up in Calgary, Alberta Canada end up working beside names like Mickey Rourke, John Hurt and Isabel Lucas?

Alan Van Sprang: It was a natural progression really. I graduated High School, went to theatre school at Mount Royal College, started doing regional theatre across Canada, got an agent in Vancouver which started me doing a bit of film and T.V. I found myself enjoying that medium a bit more and eventually got myself out of the theatre loop and found myself doing film and T.V. Each job I got was a bigger and better opportunity, which led to the next, and here I am battling Immortals and smoking cigarettes with John Hurt.

GKS: You’ve now starred in multiple George A. Romero zombie flicks (Land Of The Dead, Diary Of The Dead, Survival Of The Dead). What’s your take on the new zombie revival and the master of the genre himself?

AVS: Well, naturally I’m a slow zombie fan and a huge Romero fan, always have been. But I love zombie flicks, love Shaun Of The Dead, love The 28’s, although those aren’t zombies. I was close to getting a part in Zack Snyders Dawn Of The Dead remake, which I loved, thought that was a great remake. Actually, I’m loving the whole horror/remake surge, I think zombies will live forever (laughs).

GKS: Romero’s Survival Of The Dead is definitely one of the biggest roles you’ve done on film. Was there added pressure going into this film, as it’s star?

AVS: Well, yes there is added pressure naturally because you are carrying a story, so you are continually having to keep the whole arc of the film in your mind at all times. But I find it much easier playing huge parts and carrying stories than not. When you are supporting you don’t have the same freedom and room to breathe when telling the story, as you do when you are carrying it or when you are integral to the plot and how it moves along. But I know George so well now it was actually like going to zombie camp. It was beyond fun. He has always been so open to letting me do whatever I want that it just makes the process that much more rewarding.

GKS: Anonymous Rex, by author Eric Garcia, happens to be one of my favourite novels. Tell me about your character development process for film, particularly your character in this film, Raal?

AVS: Character development for Raal…hmmm, how do you become a Dinosaur? It was quite fun actually. Eric Garcia was on set everyday and kind of walked us through his whole take on the novel and the screenplay. I just would go on camera and be as bad ass as possible, keeping in mind that I was a bit of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Obviously we were hiding our true identities so we were always told not to have primal reptilian qualities, keep them human.

GKS: Did you get a chance to hang out with Faye Dunaway off set while filming Rex? What is it like meeting some of the big names in the film industry, as you yourself build your name?

AVS: Yeah, I spent some time with Faye on-set chatting. She was great to me, definitely the diva of the film world, an amazing presence. She works her ass off on character development which is amazing to watch and experience. I have always found meeting big names quite fun and easy. I never really get star-struck so I have always had a very laid back, very real relationship with a lot of them. For the movie I did “NARC” with Ray Liotta, we had been best friends and partners in the movie, so Ray wanted to spend quite a bit of time with me before we went to camera. So for a few weeks I would just go over to his hotel lobby and we would meet for dinner and drinks and just hang out. Working with him was definitely the best and most ‘learning’ experience I have had to date.

GKS: In addition to well over 20 film titles, you have a TON of television appearances. Which do you prefer, film or television?

AVS: I love both, but I definitely have a love affair with movies. It’s a much grander and slower process. The attention to detail is so rewarding for an actor and you are afforded the time to try and create something that is so absolutely right, where the story is crystal clear. Whereas T.V. is a bit rushed. Doing “The Tudors” was a much different experience, it was like doing a movie every episode, very rare for T.V.

GKS: Corner Gas is a massive cultural phenomenon here in Canada! Why the hell weren’t you on it?

AVS: I’m not funny enough for Corner Gas. I think I’m funny, I can be spontaneously funny in life, but you TELL me to be funny…not funny.

GKS: Degrassi is another Canadian icon. And you did act in Degrassi: The Next Generation. How does it feel to be part of such a huge tradition?

AVS: I loved being on Degrassi, loved seeing and meeting the actors from the original series, they’re all such great people and some of the true icons in Canada. In theatre schools we had a “Schools Out” party when that Degrassi movie came out, I cried for weeks, poor Wheels, Poor Lucy. (ed. Note: I still remember Caitlin saying “You Fucked Tessa Campenelli”, and she said that on T.V.!)

GKS: Tell me about the latest film you’re working on, “The Immortals”.

AVS: I play Darieos, who is an ex-slave who teams up with Theseus and is part of the Theseus 5. And unfortunately my friend, that is all I can say, otherwise I will be sued (laughter). Sorry Mark.

GKS: That’s okay, you can make it up to me by getting me press passes for the preview!

GKS: Tarsem Singh, director of “The Immortals” brought such an amazing distinctive visual style to his past feature “The Cell”. Is that same direction going to be applied to “The Immortals”?

AVS: One thing I can say about Tarsem is that he is a master visualist and he is definitely bringing that, without a doubt, to “The Immortals”. He is truly a genius and has the imagination of a four year old, and energy for days. Going through the sets and the story board with him was a six hour process in itself.

GKS: Okay, you’ve worked with both Mickey Rourke and Daniel Baldwin. Who would win in a staring contest?

AVS: (hard laughter) Mickey Rourke hands down! I don’t think he ever DOESN’T stare. Daniel would just start laughing.

GKS: Describe yourself as one fruit and one vegetable.

AVS: I’m definitely a banana and a red pepper.

See Alan Van Sprang in the upcoming BluRay release of George A. Romero’s Survival Of The Dead and the upcoming theatrical release The Immortals.