Chris Pardal is Frank Sullivan in Corey Feldman’s Corbin Nash

Chris Pardal is from Bridgeport in Connecticut. While in college he was recruited into the drama department where he began acting and writing. Chris has been working as an actor ever since. He takes us on his journey working on the new Corey Feldman movie Corbin Nash.

Corbin Nash follows the story of police detective Corbin Nash who is on the hunt for his parents’ killer. Pardal plays his partner Frank Sullivan in this vampire noir thriller. The film features Corey Feldman as Queeny, a cross-dressing vampire, and it will also be the first theatrical release in over a decade for Feldman.

Chris Pardal talks about the casting process as well as what it’s like to work with Feldman and the Jagger Brothers

indieactivity: How did you get connected to the project? Did you have to audition? If you did, would still have got the part?
Chris: Carmen Aiello, the casting director and associate producer for Corbin Nash invited me to meet Ben Jagger and talk about another day-player role in the movie. Carmen doesn’t audition so we just met and Ben and I talked about our dads and life and, of course, the movie.

It went well and that night, my agent called and said they were interested in meeting again the next day for the character, Frank Sullivan, one of the leads. I told my agent I knew exactly who he as because when I read the script, I loved the guy. i met with Ben, Carmen and also Dean S. Jagger the next day and ten minutes in, Dean welcomed me aboard. It was pretty dope.

Chris Pardal as Frank Sullivan in Corbin Nash

indieactivity: As one of the main cast on the project, how did this ‘choice’ work for you?
Chris: As an actor, it’s not unlikely to feel that there are characters, who if existed in real life, you wouldn’t want to know, let alone hang out with. Frank Sullivan is a guy I adore very much. Even watching him onscreen, I admired him and his love of his partner, Corbin. He’s a man’s man and somebody I would be best friends with.

indieactivity: What part of the story challenged you when you read it? What drove you to get on the project?
Chris: I had to find the reserve in my character. I had to find the man who doesn’t take the law into his own hands even though, I (Chris) probably would.

indieactivity: You’re not new to indie films. What do you enjoy about the work that keeps you working?
Chris: There is usually such a love and passion when people are doing an indie. It’s almost always very personal and a lot of sacrifices were made to get the project done. Corbin Nash is exactly that project and you could tell every day on set that everyone was there to make this movie happen.

indieactivity: Give an example of a direction you received from the director during the production?
Chris: Ben had a way of reminding little important things to layer into each take. One time specifically he told me to imagine an egg timer is going and once it runs out, Corbin’s dead. That was enough to drive the scene.

Chris Pardal as Frank Sullivan in Corbin Nash

indieactivity: How did you create your character from ground up?
Chris: I talked to L.A. police detectives, homicide detectives and street cops about things that they have seen. I have spoken to police officers before, but I wanted to get a sense of what it’s like to see the worst of the worst and become desensitised to it, because you have to. The answer is you get used to it and I think psychologically from my own research and philosophy is that there is a part of the brain that just shuts down.

One detective I talked to said when you’ve been on the job long enough, you see a lot of these criminals get out, and get back on the street… what really sucks is that a lot of them go back to what they are doing and that’s really tough. Knowing that they are back on the street and it’s all you can do to not take the law in your own hands. That was one of the things I wanted to do, really understand, and not just play, the cop who has seen this stuff.

indieactivity: As main cast on the film, describe the feeling of responsibility that you shouldered. Where you scared? Or did it fire you up? What scenes where difficult to shoot?
Chris: When you’re in a cast of seasoned professionals as I was, then you just know that you have to be on your A-game. I didn’t want to be the guy who slowed things down. I was fired up and nervous at the same time shooting my first scene. It was with Thomas Q. Jones and it’s an intense scene which takes place after all kinds of things happened; of course those things hadn’t happened yet because it was the first day of shooting.

Chris Pardal as Frank Sullivan in Corbin Nash

It’s common to shoot out of order, but since it was the first day of the whole shoot, in general, my most emotionally intense scene, and my first time working with Ben, I was a little anxious. After the first couple of takes, the self-consciousness went away.

indieactivity: Explain one creative choice you made on set during production?
Chris: I decided that Frank Sullivan has some specific family issues going on his life as well as maybe some addiction issues. You can see it if you look closely and maybe it’ll be touched on more in the sequel – hint hint.

indieactivity: What did you take away from the film production?
Chris: A lot of new friends and colleagues whom I now consider my artist family.

indieactivity: What do you like most about the director, and his/her collaboration with his/her team?
Chris: Ben was born to direct. The ability to communicate to actors and crew in order to get your vision made takes a lot of ability and talent. Ben did it beautifully; and remember, he was directing a lot of veterans in this movie. However nervous, I as an actor was nothing compared to what it would be if I had to direct this cast!

indieactivity: What is next for you?
Chris: I’m starring in a movie called, “RAVE”, about an undercover cop who infiltrates the Tampa Bay rave scene in the late 90s to bust the city’s biggest ecstasy dealer. I also have a movie in post-production that’s a secret, but I’ll be bragging about it to ya when it comes out in September! Honestly, if you like my Facebook page, I keep it up to date with all of my latest work and some fun stuff too.

Chris Pardal as Frank Sullivan in Corbin Nash

indieactivity: What advice do you give actors regarding what you learnt on the project?
Chris: Show up with a love and passion for the project as if it’s your own. What you put into something is what you get out of it.

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