AC Larkin played Clint in Mtesh Patel Istant Karma. He works us through his roles as Clint in the winning feel-good fantasy film.
I acted all through high school, did one show in college, then gave it up. 15 years later, I was working as a Public Address Announcer for Arizona State when I was asked to do two voice over recordings for radio commercials. I had zero experience with voice overs and recorded about 20 takes until I got the perfect one – again, no experience meant I did not know how to edit, so I had to get it perfect while using my iPhone in my closet!
The ads came out great, and I used one of them as a demo to send to a few agencies so I could get representation and hopefully do a ton more voice over jobs. A few weeks later, I got an email from one of them, Signature Models and Talent, letting me know they wanted me to audition. I went, and to my shock, I was told that not only would they sign me for voice overs, but they wanted me for on camera work too. From there, I started auditioning and got a few roles. Then came Instant Karma!
indieactivity: What acting technique do you use?
AC Larkin (ACL): I’m not a trained actor by any stretch of the imagination. I’ve always performed at some level be it with my PA Announcing, or church skits, or just entertaining guests. I really don’t know if there is a name for what I do, I just dive into the role and the character develops on its own. I really start by memorizing not just the lines, but the scene. While that is happening, I get a few ideas of what the character can be, then I pick three or four that really stand out and keep memorizing. I tend to gravitate to the two characters that work the best and I run with it. Then I annoy my family by constantly being one of those characters until the audition.
The Official Trailer for Instant Karma directed by Mtesh Patel
How did you connect to the project? Did you have to audition? If you did, would you still have got the part?
AC Larkin (ACL): Its funny, when I got the “are you available” email from my agent, I actually said I wanted to audition for Harry the Hobo! The email I sent literally said, “I want to be a homeless guy.” When I got the audition notice, it showed that I was reading for Clint, the film’s villain. I would find out at the audition that Tamara McDaniel, the casting director, saw my headshot and immediately said no, this isn’t Harry, this is Clint!
I showed up for the audition in a suit with no tie and gave them a Russian accent. Clint was supposed to be a street thug, but there was just something about the character that spoke to me and said he needed to be more sophisticated. Street thugs don’t typically walk into casinos with a duffle bag with a million bucks in it.
When I gave my Russian Mafia character in the audition, I could tell Mitesh didn’t like it. He asked me to do it a different way, which I interpreted as “lose the accent.” I took it a step farther and told the group I had prepared another character and asked for 30 seconds to change.
I took off the suit coat and button-down shirt to reveal a tank top, pulled out my wallet chain and black beanie hat, and of course I lost the accent. I gave them a biker character which they did like! Turns out they agreed with my assessment that Clint had to be more refined and upscale and we went with the mafia character with no accent. Having the two characters ready totally paid off because they saw that I could pull off both my vision and theirs!
Let’s take this project you did; how did you prepare for such a role: the cast, the physicality the terrain, the climate, weather and the demands of the project?
AC Larkin (ACL): I’ll tell ya, there was no preparing for the warehouse scene! It was 110 outside, there was no air conditioning inside… it was hot! I kept trying to take care of my thugs by giving them fresh paper towels to wipe their sweat off. That’s the kind of mob boss I am… I take care of my boys!
As one of the cast on the project, how did this ‘choice’ work for you?
AC Larkin (ACL): Whether or not to take the part was a no brainer. Of course I wanted it, I drove my wife and daughter nuts speaking in a Russian accent for three days before my audition. Even though we didn’t use the accent, this part was right for me. I didn’t start filming until the second week of production, and everyone wanted to meet me. Word from the writer, casting director, and director was that they had cast Clint “perfectly,” and everyone wanted to meet him!
How do you create the character from a script into a person?
AC Larkin (ACL): I’m very fortunate that I have use of a high school weight room. This was while schools were closed due to Covid, so a lot of times there was no one else in there. Since gyms have mirrors everywhere, I could go through lines between sets during my workout practicing different facial expressions and ways of saying the lines. We weren’t going with an accent, but Mitesh wanted me to lower my voice to sound more menacing. My normal voice isn’t very menacing, so I had to work a lot at getting the lower voice to sound natural. When you are able to see yourself in a mirror, it makes it easier to put the voice to the character.
Another aspect is my eyes. Normally my eyes are squinting, like, a lot. I’ve been accused of being stoned since I was in the sixth grade. I felt Clint would be more imposing if his eyes were wide open with a dead faced stare… that was fun to work on, and it really added to the character. There is a scene where Emilio is picking up money from Jeff, and the camera flashes to me with that stare… Just what I worked on in the gym!
What part of the story challenged you when you read it? What drove you to get on the project?
AC Larkin (ACL): This being my first movie role of any size, I did not have combat experience. Pistol whipping Jeff was nerve racking because I wanted it to look real, so I had to get close but I didn’t want to actually hit him. We walked through it twice and went for it. I didn’t hit him, but during the second take I had a back spasm. The third take was even more painful. If the final scene looks like Clint is at his wits end, its because AC was. It was 3:30 am and we had been going since 4:00 pm the day before. We were hot and tired, but we knew what that scene was and what it had to be. I dug deep and finished strong!
Explain one creative choice you took on the set of this production?
ACL: I have two favorite lines. On the surface they are nothing special, but the way I did them really added to the character. The first was in the car with Jeff. Our cinematographer, Bernie Tarin, already had the camera in my face while I was doing my lines, so I asked how much room I had to move forward. He said none but asked me why I was asking. After I told him, he changed lenses and that’s where I leaned forward and delivered the “crazies come out at night” line. It was gold! Stew Jetson said he saw it through the viewfinder and said it looked great!
The other line is the “did you bring my money?” screaming at Sam. The line could have been said many ways, but I felt bellowing it out in close proximity to Sam was the right call. Before the scene I asked her if it was okay to scream in her face and she agreed. As far as bad guys go, I absolutely love Raymond Cruz’ character Tuco Salamanca from Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul. I love that he goes from calm to psycho in half a second, and I wanted Clint to be like that, only toned down a bit because he’s not on meth. It worked so well the first time through. I screamed in Samantha’s face and when Jeff answered “no,” I came up with the slow head turn toward him while still being close to Sam. Those are the first lines once Jeff and Sam are tied up, and it really sets the tone for the rest of that scene.
You’re new to indie films, and filming in general. What do you enjoy about the work that keeps you working?
ACL: My absolute favorite part of acting, besides actually doing it, is the character development with the rest of the cast. When I got on set for the first time with Stew and Samantha, we talked for about 40 min about the upcoming scene. Why I’m acting like I am, why Jeff and Sam are doing what they are… Just fascinating stuff.
I’m finding that doing films is more of my style. Don’t get me wrong, a commercial opportunity comes up, I’m taking it, but you have so much more freedom with films. You can change lines, you can slow things down if needed, or you can try three or four things to see if they work. Like I said, character development is so fun to me, especially when you can collaborate with the other actors in your scene.
Give an example of a direction you received from the director during the production?
ACL: Nothing comes to mind. Mitesh is not big on notes. Obviously if something is off, he is going to say so, but I felt during filming that Mitesh had the mindset that he hired me to do a job, and he was going to let me take the creative license to do it.
How did you collaborate with your cast members from scene to scene?
ACL: The people I worked with on this film were so much fun to be around! Between scenes we were all holed up in the breakroom at this warehouse, the one place that was air conditioned. All we did was joke around. A lot of that is me… when I have to be serious for long periods of time, I have to be myself. Some actors stay in character the entire time they shoot… Good luck around me! Between takes I am always the one with the witty comment after the director yells “cut!” It was very hot in the warehouse and the duct tape over Keegan’s mouth kept falling off. When we were doing Samantha’s close ups, Mitesh let Keegan just take it off (while still tied to the chair). We finished the scene, and in one of the few times I stayed in character after a cut, we went over to him as Clint and yelled “WHO THE FUCK TOOK YOUR DUCT TAPE OFF?” right in his face! It got a big laugh and helped cut some of the tension. That is the type of stuff I do on set. Its like AC is trapped inside the character. He likes it there, but man, he’s got to come out sometimes!
As the main cast in the film, describe the feeling of responsibility that you shouldered. Were you scared? Or did it fire you up? What scenes were difficult to shoot?
ACL: Without question, I had to be the one in control of the warehouse scene; I had to make it my own. The three other main characters were tied to chairs, and it was up to me, the only main character moving around, to make the scene work. The script even says, “The thugs step aside, Clint is in control.” I had to take the power of intimidation that Clint has and project it out onto everyone. Basically, I had to put fear into the rest of the cast.
While we were finishing set up, and were moments away from the first take, I was pacing back and forth across the set and huffing and puffing – you know, breathing deeply to get myself pissed off, when Mitesh said “I like the pacing.” Here I was just trying to get into character and we incorporated that blocking into the scene. From there, it just flowed. No notes from Mitesh, no “let’s try it this way,” nothing. We had it! And the funny thing was, it was almost exactly how I pictured it when I was memorizing the scene! Then, we did it 10 more times to get all the shots we needed. Most people don’t realize how many times a cast has to do a scene, but when there are four lead roles on screen at once, you have to get everyone’s reactions on film.
What did you take away from the film production?
ACL: Being my first film, I took a TON away. The most important factors are the connections I made. I’ve since worked on films with several of the crew, and it amazes me when people come up to me and know me by name. I have also become good friends with Samantha Belle. We talk a few times a week, and we just finished filming our second movie together!
What do you like most about the director, and his/her collaboration with his/her team?
ACL: Mitesh put all of his directions into the script, so when it came to put the scenes together, there wasn’t much direction to be given. I think we were all on the same page when it came to how the scene had to be laid out. This approach allowed me to be creative and bring my personality to the character. I find acting to be much easier when I can take what I have in my head and make it happen. I think Mitesh has this quality about him that he allows the actors to run with how they feel. That really made the difference here. I feel like all we did was get into character and things clicked and brought the story to life.
What is next for you?
ACL: I have a few potential projects on the horizon, and I am looking at starting a new acting class. I want to give improv a try. I have a total of 5 movies that have not been released yet, and I am excited for that. The only one I’ve seen is Instant Karma when it premiered at the Chandler International Film Festival. Strange to see yourself on the big screen! I was able to fall in and just recognize Clint as another character in the movie, but every couple of minutes, I was like, holy shit, that’s me! I’m doing that, and everyone in this room is buying my character. Its an unreal feeling that I am going to keep chasing.
Acting is like that… You get hooked real fast. Remember when I said I was only trying to do voice overs, but it was my agent who said I belong in front of the camera? Yeah, they fed me a drug that day, and now I’m hooked.
So, to answer the question of what’s next… Whatever my agent throws at me!
What advice do you give actors regarding what you learnt on the project?
ACL: Acting is hard. Its hard on the body, its mentally and emotionally draining, but man, it is fun. The most important thing is to be ready for anything and be flexible. We had the power go out after filming one night. There were bad storms and the entire industrial park we were in went black. We had to come back and finish filming the next night. I was happy to do it, and really, having that extra day with the cast was even more fun! I also learned that having a second character ready for an audition is key. Even if you were like me and thought you nailed it with the first character, still, be ready to change things up. If you really love acting, it’s no trouble at all!
Tell us what you think of the interview with AC Larkin. What do you think of it? What ideas did you get? Do you have any suggestions? Or did it help you? Let’s have your comments below and/or on Facebook or Instagram! Or join me on Twitter.
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