During the chaos that is Comic Con, some opportunities arise out of nowhere. Coming into Sunday prepped and ready for The League‘s featured panel, I was surprised with the opportunity to have a short sit down with multi-talented filmmaker/actor/producer Mark Duplass, who was there early signing autographs in support of his recent horror flick Bad Milo!, starring Ken Marino.
I’m a huge supporter of the film myself, having reviewed it to decent praise not too long ago, so it was a joy to talk horror with Mark and even meet the evil little butt demon himself, Milo.
Being a huge fan of The League as well, I worked in a question or two about Mark’s involvement in the show, passing up last minute roster changes for my own fantasy football team in the process.
I truly hope I get the chance to conduct a full interview with Mark sometime in the future, as the last minute opportunity caught me a little by surprise and there are so many things that I wanted to ask but just didn’t have time for. Maybe next time.
Check out my chat with Mark below and enjoy!
WGTC: I’d like to first thank you for going with practical effects on Bad Milo, but was there ever a time when full CGI was discussed?
Mark Duplass: No, we always loved the idea that it would be campy, fun and practical, being more of a throwback to Gremlins and Ghoulies, stuff like that – that’s what made the movie feel fun to us. We never even considered CGI – and we never had the money anyway so it didn’t matter.
WGTC: Have you seen all the posters made for Bad Milo!? There are some really great ones. If so, which was your favorite?
Mark Duplass: Yeah, there’s some really great Milo backup posters. I like the skateboard. There’s also some that never made the light of day, like Milo smoking cigars – there’s some great ones, yeah.
WGTC: Ken’s chemistry with the MIlo puppet is amazing. He actually turns Milo into a character himself. How did he achieve such a feat?
Mark Duplass: They love each other! Yeah, Ken is a genius, that’s all there is to it. He’s good at connecting, and we always knew we wanted there to be a little bit of weird heart in this movie, so yeah, he got it.
WGTC: Having produced a few horror films now, tell me, are you a horror fan yourself?
Mark Duplass: I did love horror movies growing up, but I always like to incorporate some sense of humor to it if I can. I don’t like straight horror as much, it’s more the fun, campy stuff.
WGTC: Are you going to continue to produce horror films as you’ve been doing?
Mark Duplass: I’m not sure really, we’re just sort of following our bliss. I just look for a good project, I don’t care what genre it’s in.
WGTC: So switching over to The League, are you that passionate about football and fantasy football in reality?
Mark Duplass: No one is that passionate about fantasy football in real life, and that’s a healthy thing, but yes, I will be checking my scores all day today.
WGTC: Oh as will I, for sure, but talking about the players specifically, what NFL stars haven’t you gotten for a cameo yet who you’d love to see on The League?
Mark Duplass: I want to get some classic stars. I want to get someone like Joe Montana on the show. We’re always doing current players, and I think it’s time for some retirees on the show.
WGTC: I’ve always been curious about your involvement with the “mumblecore” movement, a genre you’re credited with helping to start. I’m sure you’ve heard that classification many times, how does it feel to have your name tied to it as a founding member?
Mark Duplass: It’s really silly. [Smirks] I don’t find it to be a genre. It’s basically just something somebody made up to define microbudget filmmaking, but I don’t give it much credence beyond that.
WGTC: So what are you working on next?
Mark Duplass: We’re doing a TV show for HBO right now, so I suppose that’s the next thing that’s coming through the pipeline.
I’d like to thank Mark Duplass for the quick chat, and be sure to check out both Bad Milo! and The League.