TNMC

Written by Deadpool

Tyler Durden: I'm here in beautiful Ontario California with one of the upcoming stars of the new film Girlfight, Santiago Douglas. Why don't you say hello.

Santiago Douglas: "WAAAZZZUUPPP!"

Girlfight is your first feature film. How were you approached with the script? How did the Script find its way into your hands?

SD: "Originally it started out as a regular audition. I was called in, at the time when I was in to audition for Girlfight I was

Santiago Douglas

working on "the Sopranos" and so I couldn't come in. I didn't have any time to be seen, but apparently from what I hear it's a funny story the casting agents Ellyn Marshall and Maria from Orpheus Casting, they were doing spring cleaning, and then my picture came back up. This is a true story. And my picture came back up and its like Oh, we didn't get a chance to see this kid. Let's call him back in. So I was called back in and I met the director. It was a regular audition so by accident I came back in again the loop of things and because they hadn't found Diana's Character yet they were just slowly looking for guys. So that's why I was able to come in again later. They first wanted to find her and then look for the guy. So that why there is all the time between when my picture came back up again."

How many months of intense training did you do for this?

SD: "It was crazy, I did two months of dieting. I had to lose 20 pounds from my already thin body so that was very, very difficult. I had to do three months of physical training, of boxing from scratch. I wasn't a boxer. So altogether five months of physical training and the diet was the hardest because I love Latino and to eat and all that stuff."

Are you a big fan of boxing as a sport?

SD: "Uh no, I'm not. I'm a big fan of boxing. I'm a big fan of boxing as a training, as a workout, but as far as the actual physical contact part of it and the violence side of boxing I'm not a fan of it at all."

Did you watch any boxing film or any kind of tape?

SD: "Yes , I watched the director Karyn Kusama, she's very, very on top of it and very prepared and she had specific movies that she wanted me to watch like Raging Bull,

Director Karyn Kusama

which I am so grateful because its such an amazing movie. You know Scorsese and DeNiro and Cathy Moriarty and Joe Pesci all these wonderful actors. So I watched that. I watched a lot of tapes of feather-weight boxers that were my height, which there was probably one in the business at that time. And uh most of the things I went to boxing matches. I watched some boxing on TV and then had a tape that Karyn gave me besides Raging Bull. It was amateur boxing, golden gloves. So I watched that over and over and over again. But I really like, as an actor, I like to sit and watch people live so I enjoyed staying after my workouts at the gym watching other boxers workout."

This movie has already gotten so much critical acclaim and there is already some buzz going around for potential Oscar nods. When this movie comes out on the 29th, what message do you want to send to the nationwide audience, to a lot of people who haven't heard about or seen this film?

SD: "The message that I would like to get out the most important well, there are several messages, but for myself being the national spokesman for the Premiere Weekend Club the main message is that as Latinos we have to really come out and support movies about us, that show us in a positive light and that really enable us as artists to look forward to expressing ourselves in ways that aren't negative and really take a stand as far as where we stand in this country. And secondly, I want people to walk away and see wonderful filmmaking about a wonderful culture and wonderful talent."

What kind of stereotypes do you think we should be more aware of that we think or that you think the Latin community should try and avoid?

SD: "Can I avoid taking on these parts?"

Exactly.

SD: "We should really see, there's a fine line here because I always say that I won't take on a negative Latino role in films, but there are certain negative roles that in somewhere in the characters in the script find redemption. And they find themselves and they clean themselves up and go back to the truth and

Santiago Douglas

things that are important like family. Granted, there are bad guys that turn to good guys and wind up doing a lot of good and making up for all the bad they've done. Now as artists we really read these scripts and know that if you have a walk-on and you're shooting somebody and it says Jose on there, then basically they're saying that all people with guns are named Jose and they're Latino. So really pick these roles. Right now the doors are really wide open we're getting a lot more Latino writers, the industry is putting time in and money. So we should help the industry by not allowing negative Latino images in film by not taking these parts on. I understand that some times as actors we need to make money, but, you know, things have changed and a lot of new roles have come in and a lot of great Latino writers and directors are taking a stand and doing great work. So just lets hold out a little longer and we're breaking through. Come out and see Girlfight on the 29th and bring your friends and families because if Girlfight is successful we're going to have more movies like Girlfight."

If you could work with any other high-profile Latino director or actor or actress, who would it be and why?

SD: "Uh (long pause) I would love to work with actors like an actor like Andy Garcia. I think he is very fascinating and definitely a wonderful dramatic actor as I believe I am also, and um because of the roles he's chosen. He's really chosen really creative roles and he's picked a lot of roles that tell stories about other artists in our community. So its just his selective role picking and he's really done a lot of wonderful movies, you know, a lot more than a lot of the actors out there. And he's played non-traditional Latino roles. He's played Italian. He's played a lot of other things that I can do also. So, Andy Garcia would be one person. I actually met him the other day and I was really thrilled thrilled about that.

Andy Garcia is great he's done a lot of great films. What's up next for you?

SD: "Up next... I have a movie that I associate produced and co-starred in. It's in, it's right now in the San Sebastian Film Festival in Spain. Its called Times Up, 'Tiempo Perdido'... I co-star with Leonor Benedetto so I got to run around and do the whole circuit thing that Girlfight had to do, the old Estevez thing here in the states. Then I have an album coming out. I love to sing. I write and produce my own music and I'm working on Musica de Ayer, 'Music of the Times'... inspired by Hollywood. Puerto Rican music in Puerto Rico in the 50s and 40s was inspired by Hollywood movies. Its very dramatic, very poetic, very passionate music, very romantic music also. So between that, I continue writing. I am like a consummate artist as far as the entertainment business goes. I like to do it all, but the music is really special because it is very intimate and very private.

Well thank you very much Santiago. It was a pleasure.

SD: "I'm rambling... I'm so sorry about that. Its just that I have been doing this for a while but thank you For coming to the movie."

We hope Girlfight does well. Its an amazing film and maybe you'll become the next golden boy Of cinema...

SD: "I hope so... I really do..."

We appreciate it... Thank You.

Another round of thanks to Santiago Douglas for doing the interview with me. This guy is all about the fans and that is not something you see or hear about a lot of actors of late.

(Special Thanks to 'Tyler Durden' for conducting this interview.)

Click here to read Tyler's Review of the film.

DeadPool