Meeting Mark Borkowski

Mark Borkowski is the star and writer of The Perfect Witness (starring Wes Bentley: The Last Word, P2, Dolan's Cadillac, American Beauty) and writer of numerous plays: Box of Nails, Within the Skins of Saints, The Kids are Awake, etc. Prior to this interview, I had no idea this very established playwright I was recommeded to interview was the same guy who gave me nightmares when I watched him in his believable perfomance. The Perfect Witness is a movie you can never forget. Maybe because he was so charming and calm I didn't put two and two together....

Chris Kerson and Mark Borkowski interviewed in the Star to promote
"Cost of a Soul" written and directed by Sean Kirkpatrick



    



Meeting Mark Borkowski



When did you start writing?

I began writing as a child when I was 11 or 12 years old. I wrote a lot of short stories…usually horror…as a kid, I identified with monsters. Especially the more sympathetic ones. I was a weird, lonely kid who felt like an outcast so they really helped me, I don’t know …I worked out a lot of stuff.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39EKw2pAFdA
Click on above link to view trailer for "A Perfect Witness"

Your first play was produced when you were quite young.

Yeah, when I was about 18 years old I took a nervous breakdown… it was a manifestation of drug addiction and trauma I went through as a child. I was hearing voices and a doctor told me to write the voices down as part of my therapy. They came out in the form of dialogue—as voices would-- and after a while I realized I had a play. I had already been involved in theatre as an actor so I was more than familiar with the form. I called the play Saturday Mourn. I showed it to a friend of mine shortly after that and he gave it to the late great Albert Benzwie (artistic director of the legendary Theatre Center Philadelphia back in the 80s). The play went on to win his one-act play festival.

That’s an amazing story.


And when I went to see it something opened inside me and I realized I could help others. From there, I continued to write play after play because I realized I could work out my demons and give them a platform to maybe help others.

What was the response?

After that play people came up to me and said they were not only touched by it but felt comforted because they too felt so alone and really related to my characters. At a young age I realized I could be of service through my work by expelling and sharing my demons.

How long did it take after that to write your next play?


Oh I immediately went into my next play. I was driving a cab when I wrote, Suicide, Inc. It was a full length play, produced at the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia.

How were the reviews?

The Philadelphia Daily News called it “a multi level masterpiece”.

Did you get paid well for your initial plays?


No, you’re lucky if you break even. It’s only in the past few years that I’ve done more than break even. People, especially in New York, know who I am.


Mark as "Jake" in Cost of a Soul

What is your genre? Has it stayed the same or changed throughout the years?


Psychological drama seasoned with black comedy. My stuff can be pretty brutal. I push the envelope in order to get my point across. I tried to conform to the mainstream, writing “commercial” type stuff but I usually end up losing interest and shelving it. I have to really feel a direct, even soulful connection to my characters in order to live with them and tell their story. In reference to form, I started out writing realistic plays, then I took the reality into the absurd. I like to place characters in hardcore reality and then challenge them with ultimately absurd circumstances which shake and transform their reality or reality as we know it. Then I found myself slipping into hyper-realism. And now, while always keeping my work rooted in reality (so people can identify), I incorporate mystical, even spiritual layers. Metaphors and symbols. Shakespeare wrote on different levels; he had witches, dreams, ghosts… He had all kinds of stuff…you know? My writing has become much more of an exploration of not just reality but dreams, mysticism and spirituality…

Can you explain hyper realism, I’m not familiar.

It’s hysterical realism… much like what we find in dreams or in madhouses. Or, less dramatically, the average hysteria we might experience when we’re being tormented in, say, the throes of addiction or the loss of a lover… For a while there I loved writing about hysteria, you know?

Give me an example.

Well in one of my plays, Within the Skins of Saints, a girl is getting ready to jump off a subway platform and a guy enters and has until the subway comes to stop her. By the end, she almost succeeds in convincing him to jump with her. She shares her dreams of saintly mutilation and the hysteria that caused her to be institutionalized and medicated. She decided to stop taking the meds and escaped the madhouse and is now ready to die and be with her lover, God (a notion that many female Saints also shared at martyrdom). I know it sounds like a dark journey but there is a tinge of hope the end. A branch for the audience to grab onto. I feel it’s kinda my responsibility, after having taken an audience into a dark tunnel, to give them a tinge of light at the end. Or at least furnish road signs so they can get themselves out.




http://www.costofasoul.com/

Wow, tell me about another play of this type.


Another dark play I recently wrote is called Painting Corpses. It’s about a painter who’s bottoming out on drugs and alcohol. He gets a call from an aristocrat who asks him to paint a picture of his dead wife. The money is too good to be true (100 grand) and he accepts the commission. The aristocrat delivers the body to the artist’s loft. When the artist begins to paint her…as the days pass…he starts to fall in love with her…

Whoa!

…and one night he’s very drunk and he’s imagining her lips saying beautiful things to him, her eyes looking at him, her ears listening… he imagines her the woman of his dreams. And…eventually…he makes love to her…

Oh My God!

…the next morning he wakes up and he comes to…he’s very hung over and… she’s sitting there. She’s alive! He thinks. He doesn’t know if she’s a supernatural phenomena or a psychotic delusion. One thing leads to another, and she tells him that she doesn’t want to be painted. She didn’t want it in life and she certainly doesn’t want it in death! BUT she’ll make a deal with him… He needs five primary colors to paint her… she says she will grant him the five colors if he does five favors for her. He finds himself bargaining with the dead. These five favors take him on a journey that ends up changing his life forever.




One of just many of Mark Borkowski's Plays

Wow! What happens in the end?

People have to see it to find out. We workshopped it at the Actor’s Studio and right now we’re trying to find finance for the production. The play is like a Charles Bukowski meets Sleeping Beauty… it’s actually a very beautiful play. One of the biggest qualms people, and some producers, have with this is the necrophilia. They don’t think he should molest the corpse. That the audience won’t forgive him. I think its bullshit. I mean, look at mythology—especially the Egyptians. Isis and Osiris. I mean, necrophilia takes on a whole different meaning when you look at it through those fucking glasses! So, okay, now I’m modifying, maybe… with extreme reluctance.




Any big actors in it?

Yeah… Elias Koteus played the lead and it was directed by Richard Masur.

How many of your plays have been on stage?


One acts, short plays, they’ve been done all over the world…too many to count. I also write screenplays.



"I’m a carpenter...survival job. I was very poor as a young man…"

Oh?

I wrote a film called The Perfect Witness.

I remember that movie, oh my god…that was you!?

With Wes Bentley (Ghost Rider, American Beauty). It was originally called “The Ungodly”. It’s still called that everywhere else except America. It’s being distributed in England this September.

That movie was so scary!

Oh you’re a chicken shit.




view his work: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmxrbsUtBns

Tell them what it’s about.


It’s about a down and out film maker, he’s a newly recovered drug addict…he lives with his mom and he’s obsessed with a serial killer. Through months of research, he figures out where the killer might strike and, low and behold, he tracks him down.

You played the killer. You were great!


…. So he catches me murdering—or rather, he catches the killer murdering someone and videotapes it. He then blackmails him into being his documentary subject.



On the set of "Don't Listen to What it Sounds Like" Written by Mark Borkowski

And he agrees to it.

… and as he gets to know the killer, the killer gets to know him and… well, again, I would rather our readers rent it. You can get it at Blockbuster or Netflix. It’s also on Showtime and The Movie Channel. It’s a film about addiction (to drugs or murder) and ambition. Also, personal accountability. Ultimately, it’s about a person taking responsibly for their part in something. His ambiton leads him to look the other way and allow haenous crimes to occur, similar to Nazi Germany. People do it all the time and it’s fucked.

That movie was intense. I can’t believe that was you and that you wrote it. Was that your first movie?

First major feature length movie...I’ve had a lot of short films produced. I’ve sold screenplays but they haven’t been made yet.



Movie still from Film Production

How long did that take to write?

About a year and a half and it took twenty four (or so) days to shoot. Editing took a while.

What? It only took twenty four days to shoot it? That’s so fast!

Yeah, well that’s independent filmmaking. It comes down to making it as quickly as possible because everyday costs thousands of dollars…. The editing took several months though.

What inspired you to write The Perfect Witness?


It started out as a play. I had a few scenes but it didn’t go anywhere. Wasn’t working. Tom Dunn, the director, and I had been wanting to write something together but we couldn’t figure out what. One day I told him about this play I couldn’t finish. He was amazed by the story and told me I couldn’t finish it as a play because the damn thing is a film! We locked ourselves up and wrote the screenplay. Within a year or two he made it into a film and cast me as the killer.

Bet it got all sorts of awards!


Cost of a Soul (2010)

Yeah, I got best actor at the Portugal Film festival… We got into the Austin Film Festival. Brussels, Amsterdam, Sitges (Spain, it’s right on the coast), and a few others. Then First Look Studios swept it up, changed its name from The Ungodly to The Perfect Witness and… distributed it.




Mark with director Sean Kirkpatrick in the making of Cost of a Soul (2010)

Do you consider that your biggest accomplishment so far?

Yeah, it’s one of them….it even got picked up by Showtime and—oh, I think I said that already.

Wow! If you could do something else? I mean, if you weren’t an actor or writer?


Oh I’m a carpenter. That’s sorta my survival job. I was very poor as a young man…




Click on link to view Chris Kerson and Judy Jerome star in Mark's play, 4 Adults Only http://www.blip.tv/file/1321737

And now?

I get commissions to write screenplays…for example these Russians came to me with a short story called The Animals, and I adapted it into a screenplay. After I’m done, they translate it back and shoot it as a Russian language film. The money is okay. I also get royalties for my plays… right now three of my plays are being done…

Oh, where?

In Philadelphia TheWalking Fish Theatre is doing my play The Kids Are Awake. My two one acts, Don’t Listen to What it Sounds Like and I like to Watch ‘em Beg Ma are running at The Producers Club here in New York.

What’s that about?

Watch them all and find out.

Ok, I will and I'm going to tell my sisters I met that scary guy in A Perfect Witness, I can't believe it, that's one of my favorite movies!



The Absolutely Amazing Anne Judson Yager!

Anne Judson Yager is no stranger to the big screen. She has played the lead role in several films including Whittier in the movie, Bring It On. She is currently playing Maggie in the on-going internet series, Catch. She spoke with me about acting among other things. I found her to be very down to earth for someone who has walked the Red Carpet more than a dozen times...

Anne, I've noticed when you are playing the "good girl" on screen, you're a blond and when you're the "bad girl" you are a brunette? Is this deliberate or just my imagination? I heard when Sara Jessica Parker plays her "darker" roles she tends to do this too. Are you blond?

There is something that is down right priceless about the ability to change your hair as a woman. Many woman get dramatic cuts and colors after breakups and during big changes in life. It definitely brings out different sides of ones personality. As an actress it's no different. Maggie, the character that I play in the Internet Series Catch is just like many women. Although she goes through a few more dramatic changes than most. You'll see her (and her hair color) change quite a bit. Yes, I'm a blond.

James Huffman (the writer, director and producer of the Internet series, Catch.Com) has often said he loves working with you, do you feel the same way about working with him?

James Huffman is a multitalented visionary. He's one to keep your eye on for sure. When I heard about the projects that he had slated and the vision he has for Indie City, there was no doubt that I wanted to be a part of it.

How did you meet up with such a dynamite group that is known as IndieCity Productions?

I met James through a lucky frequent flyer mile incident. My parents came out to visit for Christmas but because of the restrictions on their air fair, they had to leave early Christmas morning. A girl friend of mine invited me over and James Huffman happened to be there as well. We started chatting, he invited me to an Indie City meeting and the rest is history in the making.

What was your childhood like, were you encouraged/discouraged to act?

I spent most of my summers making up games and shooting my own films and shorts. Fortunately I was supported 100% My parents have always done they're best to see my vision for my life and not just their own. Everyone should be so lucky!

Would you want your own son or daughter to get into acting?

Hmmmmm. That’s a tough one. I would say that if there is anything else in the world that would make you happy, do it. If not, and acting is something that you HAVE to do, then go for it! There are challenges and rewards in acting that nothing else can bring.

How do you manage to keep it together with all the pressure...is it easy for young starlets to break down like we've seen (Brittany Spears, Paris Hilton) do? What advice do you have for young actresses out there?

The advice I would give young actresses is to take the time to figure out what it is that you really want to be putting out into the world. Start creating the career that you want through your thoughts and then go speak it into existence.

You played the lead role of a high school character in the extremely successful, Bring it On Again. At the time, were you also in high school yourself, how did you manage to graduate with the making of the film? (Home school?)

I was already out of High School when I played Whittier. And actually the movie was set in College. It was the sequel to Bring it On which was set in High School.

You are an amazing actress who can easily shift from one emotion to the next and you are very believable. What was your training? Is there a consistent technique that you use?

I've studied with Arthur Mendoza who studied under Stella Adler for 11 years and with Shari Shaw who is the personal coach to many stars. I stay in class and try not to take myself too seriously. That'll kill ya. ;-)

I really like the concept of Maggie (except for some of her actions,,,obviously) and sympathize with her character for the way she gets fed up. Although, the outcome is extreme, her disappointments are universal. Do you feel the dating scene is as bad as Maggie thinks it is? She really is a trooper though, she doesn't stop looking...that's for sure (laughing).

True love seems to be a pretty universal desire. The x-factor that is in serial killers is something that most people don't take into consideration during the dating process, maybe that will change for people when they start to watch the series.... don don don doooooonnnnn.

(Laughing) How long does an episode of Catch.com usually take to make? When can viewers expect to see Catch.com 4 and 5? Have you finished filming it yet? The concept (of the short Internet movies) is really light years away, you guys are really advanced, when do you see it really taking off?

James does weeks of prep before we get to production. We usually shoot en episode in a day or two. Filming is on going and James is working on a screening party that's going to have a great host and some fun surprises. I'll keep you updated on that.

What is your sign? Do you believe in horoscopes? I am an Aquarian and I do tend to be creative and free-spirited, what about you?

I'm a Pisces. I do believe in horoscopes as a tool. The symbol for Pisces is two fish swimming in opposite directions. That’s me. I go with the flow but I’m pulled in different directions.

Of the following top paid actresses, who do you aspire to if any at all: Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, Angelina Jolie or Kate Winslet?

(Publicity Shot for Bring it On Again starring Anne Judson Yager)

Those are great choices. Drew Barrymore and Kate Winslet truly inspire me. Both of them have had to overcome the "Hollywood body" image issues which is not easy to do. They've also chosen some pretty awesome projects to be a part of. I mean ET! Really? How lucky was she? And Titanic? The other actress that I love dearly is Reese Witherspoon. Man in the Moon was one of my favorite movies growing up. And Pleasantville is one of my all time favorites. I'd love to play her sister in a Ya-Ya Sisterhood kind of film.

Have you traveled to other countries in the making of any of your movies? If so, what was that like?

I shot a commercial in Spain. Now, here's the trippy part... it was an AM/PM convenient store commercial. AND they brought in palm trees to make it look like California. Hey... I wasn't asking questions.

Compare NY to LA.

NY and LA are totally different worlds. I think they speak pretty loud and clear for themselves. Really, what justice could I do to them? They are both rockin' States with so much to offer!!!

I thought about this the other day...Catch.com is really intelligent for its use of foreshadow, use of music, its quickness. What other components in your opinion make this so unique?

A female serial killer looking for love is not a concept you see every day. As time goes on you'll get the chance to see what internal struggles, wants, desires and secret talents Maggie has. She's a pretty incredible character.

You got rave reviews for your lead role in Believe In Me as well as Bring It On Again, what movie did you prefer to make? It seems like they were made around the same time, am I right? How do you balance work and family?

I made Bring it On Again in 2002 and Believe in Me in 2004. As far as family, I'm not married with kids so at the moment I have the luxury of focusing on my career.

You are very recognizable, is it difficult to go to the store without being bombarded with paparazzi? Do you have a good relationship with them? I've seen Paris treat them like her friends, are you that trusting with them?

I get along just fine with the paparazzi.

What is the "Red Carpet" like? What celebrities that you've met made your heart pitter-pat? Or, are you un-phased by all of that?

Red Carpets are fun. I shared an elevator with Sidney Poitier once. How could your heart not pitter pat for that man?

I am so lucky to have been able to interview my two favorite male actors, James Huffman and Forbes March, if you could interview your favorite male actors, who would they be?

Tom Hanks, Johnny Depp and Denzel Washington

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Married with at least one kid and on a TV show or doing a few great movies.

What are your current projects?

I have a couple of pending projects and of course, Catch.

What is your favorite clothes designer that you usually wear? Are you a T-shirt and jeans type or do you always like to dress up?

I'm a sweats and t-shirt kind of girl for the most part but sometimes I love dressing up for events or just because. When I'm feeling a little down I like to put on something fabulous and do errands. It helps my spirit immensely. It’s fun doing errands as a diva. I usually end up having a fabulous day!

What is your favorite make up splurge?

SmashBox for sure! They have a great High Definition foundation that is meant for television. They have great products.

Thank You Anne!

Thanks for making me a part of your blogging world.

Up Next...Kate is coming up!

Several years ago, I went to see Mike Carty's movie, Beautiful Kid and I was impressed by the actors who portrayed his characters. Kate played the unattainable girl in the movie. The girl of every man's dreams. She frowned upon his drinking and way of life. She was college bound and had the power to help him aspire to be something more. However, fate had different plans and the two did not end up together adding to the already unfortunate events of the script. I met Kate briefly at the premiere and remembered her as bubbly. When I met her again almost eight years later I noticed she still had a dynamite personality and looked younger...I wonder what her secret is.

What do you do?

I’m an actress…as an actor you always come up with other interesting side jobs…but I’m an actress. I handed out coupons for a brand name mop…when swifter just came out. And people were like, ‘Fourteen dollars for a mop? No thanks!”

From my research I read you were in many soap operas-what was that like?

I like soap operas (All My Children, Guiding Light, As the World Turns) because they are very intimate and you learn a lot from the cast. The amount you learn in such a short time is immense.

What was it like switching?

It wasn’t a contract role.

Who were you most ga ga over?

I mean it’s always very nice to be around such attractive people…it’s part of the business. I see people for who they really are as opposed to, ‘Wow, he’s really hot but he’s not that nice.’

Biggest role in a movie so far?

I was in an independent film, Unreal that did really well in the independent film circuit. I made such great friends on that movie…when I have production questions, I can reach out to them, it was just a wonderful experience.

I loved you in A Beautiful Kid!

That was about eight years ago, we began to film right after 9/11. I look back and I think, ‘Did I really know what I was doing?’ It was so much fun though, I got to fly by the seat of my pants….don’t tell Mike though.

You were the good girl.

I was the good girl (insert evil laugh).

Do you prefer to play these kinds of roles?

Um,,,you always want to play fun roles. It’s fun to do things differently then what you would normally do.

What was it like working with Column McCann, Frank McCourt, Malachy McCourt and of course, Mike Carty?

It was such a great experience…working with people that are so down to earth, so genuine. I will always have a special place in my heart for the boys. I look back and think about how young I really was and the patience they had with me.

You missed out in the fight scenes.

Yes, I missed all of that…the smashing of the car, the bar scenes, I wasn’t there for any of that…(being the good girl character, the contrast to the have-nots)

Are you from Sydney?

No, I went over to work for a famous family as a Tutor and lived there for a bit.

For whom…(to be left omitted) OMG, how did you get that job?

I was student teaching and a friend who knew I was looking to teach in NYC got me hooked up with them.

You took risks! To just move to Sydney like that, I always thought that’s where you were from!

I did, when the opportunity arrived, they were like, ‘Did you want to think about it?’ I was like, no.

Were you able to get acting gigs over there?


While working…work experience adds to it…when I realized I was going to be there for longer than five months, I began to look for acting work and I was cast in a play, Hell Hath No Fury. It was great to be in a different country and working with many actors. You have this amazing thing in common and you’re half the world away.

Do you still communicate with the family?

Yes…

You’ve been back in NYC for awhile?

About a year and a half…I work with a few agents who submit me.

Is it hard to get an agent? I’m looking for one now for this book and I find it’s really tough.

It’s really hard…because if you’re too new, they want you to get more experience…you have to take all of your creativity and you just have to be persistent. Persistence really is the key. You just have to pick yourself up and look for the person who’s right for you.

Are they nice?

Any business is full of bad people and good people…the beautiful thing about the acting community in the business, everyone has heard of everything so if someone worked with a bad agent, it would be well-known…so there is hope.

Any actresses you aspire to?

There are many. I steal stuff from actors, people on the subway….’oh I could use that….’ I think Kate Blanchett, Julianne Moore, I have so many and right now, I’m drawing a blank. There are also all those people I’ve seen watching plays. There was this one actress in Sydney I saw on stage and I thought she was really good…I forget her name. So, I can get inspired by the famous or the unknown, both can be equally good.

Do you have a set schedule?

Um…it can be a little crazy. It depends upon the day. I make sure everyday I try to get to the gym. I try to work at least an hour a day on work and aside from that it’s up in the air.

How does one survive financially?

Oh, I have a day job…it’s kind of encouraging to me to know that I can work really hard at acting and have a day job and one day I’ll be able to just act.

Can I ask you what you do?

I teach second grade in a private school. I have a brilliant co-teacher who is so supportive of me.

Do you get paid for indie films?

It depends. Being in the business, you do a lot of free work. It’s hard to battle through when there are so many people out there that would do this for free. For some, just to get on TV…just to get the exposure…It’s a really grey area, you know?

Do you expect to be cast in an unexpected success indie, like Little Miss Sunshine or Slumdog?

While you’re waiting, it’s important to enjoy your work, it’s very easy to lose sight of why you’re doing it, you have to love doing it.

Do the actors/actresses get residuals on successful movies?

It depends,,,you can get points…it really depends on the contract.

Currently?

Teaching and auditioning.

Anything?

Everything…I think that would be fun which is good to think like this. I like all different roles, I work hard…

What is your philosophy of life?

Philosophy of life? Oh my goodness, That’s such a big question. I think, happiness. Find happiness in whatever you’re doing.

Favorite make up on stage?

I have to say, Mac…except I also love Maybelline black mascara.

I was going to say, your eyes look really good.

Thank you, you know you have to change (makeup) it so often and it’s really affordable.

While in Sydney, you did movies?

In Sydney I did plays and sort of like a commercial spot, it wound up being a commercial but it was more a campaign for climate change awareness.

No movies?

They’re really strict over there but we are quite welcoming of foreign talent whereas over there they’re more strict to make sure their actors get work.

Two movies all together?

Two features, just did a short film. I’ve done student films and industrial films also.

What is a short film?

Just in a different category…like 20 minutes. I think! But don’t quote me!

Do you have a specific genre?

It depends, as long as the writing is good and being surrounded by good actors…as long as the work is good, I don’t mind.

Music?

I think that’s the hardest question to ask, it depends on my mood really. I like all genres, I guess. I love classical, rock-in-roll…

What’s the longest time you‘ve dedicated to a role?

The acting is such a small piece of the project…it’s inevitable you’re waiting around a lot,,, there are so many other people involved in the process.

Compare the making of a movie to a play?

It’s about the behavior…it’s such a different journey for each. Theater is a different experience that you live out every night whereas films are moments from a day of your character’s life. The same skills are involved, you know, but in different ways.

The toughest project?

I was in a play that for some reason the character did not sit with me, I worked on it, I worked on it…maybe I wasn’t ready for that character…my soul just would not understand that character…it was a great learning experience though.

Ever see Sean since?

(character from A Beautiful Kid) Oh, Dan Brennan! This is what’s great about NY….I was walking down the street and I heard, “Kate?” and it was such an arbitrary experience and it just made me smile. We just shared in the coolness of the moment. He was a lot of fun….it was a good time.

Where do you see yourself in the future?

I want to be happy doing what I love and to just be happy. A part of me thinks I’d love to do successful movies but at the same time, setting goals like that is good and bad…it’s good because it’s imperative, but it’s bad because you can’t…you can’t define yourself by whether or not you’ve accomplished these goals.

Thank you so much for sharing your acting experiences with me today.

You’re welcome. It’s like this book I read, The War of Art, about being creative and getting out of your own way…when you’re an artist it’s about treating it like it’s the real deal.

So, I should just get out of my own way?

Yeah, I really like the idea of this book, it’s good.

I appreciate all your encouragement…please let me know about your next play or film, I’m going to rent Unreal tonight!

(laughing) No problem!