Driven and ambitious. Two words that best describe young actor and filmmaker Luke Eberl. At the age of seven, Luke was already a part of the film industry, having had his first role on stage in Colorado. Since then Luke continued to do movies and at the same time, he began to observe and take note of what was happening behind the scenes.

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Born March 29, 1986, Luke is certainly not someone who is satisfied with just playing roles. While a lot of his contemporaries remained involved in other trivial pursuits, Luke had already begun his transition from actor to filmmaker.

In this interview, we put a series of questions to Luke about his latest film Choose Connor as well as some other serious and fun questions.

Jed Medina: There is so much going on in today's political landscape that more often than not, we are bombarded with too much promotion and political propaganda. It's hard to keep track of issues and separate the truth from the hearsay. Choose Connor is a powerful way to send a message- that young Americans are aware of what's going on and that we know the truth...

Tell us how you came up with this concept for a movie? How did you choose the actors who would bring life to the characters?

Luke Eberl: Thank you for your kind comments about “Choose Connor.” Being a young person in the world the way it is right now, full of suffering and corruption and war, I am sometimes unsure how to proceed with my life. Is it better to wear slippers than to try and carpet the whole world? Should I give up my selfish artistic aspirations in favor of working as some type of a revolutionary? Or should I accept that I can’t change the world without first working on myself? Are all these questions just excuses and diversions from the fact that modern American life is inherently hypocritical and I don’t want to sacrifice mode of consumption and comfort for the sake of anyone else’s quality of life? I thought it would be interesting to make a film, not in a “realistic” way, but in more of an “allegorical” way, that addresses these questions.

Jed: Trust and loyalty, current politics, 'the system' are some of the major issues you tackled in the movie. Serious issues requiring serious discussion, yet you managed to deliver. Could you tell us some of your most memorable experiences doing the film? What would be the most important lessons you've learned making it?

Luke: That’s a difficult question to answer, because my experience from start to finish making this film has been so epic, and I’ve learned so much. I guess the main lesson I learned is the importance of having complete faith in your ideas, your principles, and your vision in the midst of the chaotic creative and administrative ride that is filmmaking.

Jed: Being on both sides of the filmmaking process, what would you say are the most fulfilling parts of being an actor and of being a filmmaker? Does it help being an actor when you do directing?

Luke: It has helped me to be an actor before I directed, because I learned most of what I know about filmmaking from my experiences on set as an actor - both by participating in projects as an actor and by observing other people on set in the process of executing their crafts. The whole processes of both acting and filmmaking are remarkably fulfilling. I love them so much. They are different - but both exhilarating, challenging, and wonderfully exhausting in their own way.

Jed: Let's say there are some big-time investors wanting to have you do a film, they don't give a sh*t about what kind of movie you'll do or if it earns big at the box office. Just that they want a young filmmaker to do a movie for them, they'll do what it takes to promote it, and support you on all the aspects of production, etc. What kind of movie would you do? Any particular actors you want to cast? Oh, and what would the title be?

Luke: Okay, if we’re really going into dream-land here, with the help of my friend Max Nova I would adapt into screenplays the first four books written by Carlos Castañeda: “The Teachings of Don Juan,” “A Separate Reality,” “Journey to Ixtlan,” and “Tales of Power.” I would present the four films in the Spanish language, and spend loads of money on visual effects. Those books moved me deeply, and I think they would be very popular films, as they have been books. I’m not sure who I would cast.

Jed: On a related question, if the same big-time investors wanted to do a sexy movie, perhaps even on the verge of going R-rated, would you have something in mind?

Luke: I’ve just finished writing a new script, tentatively titled “God’s Work,” that would certainly fit those criteria.

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Jed: As a filmmaker, do you consider film critics/reviewers as important factors in the success of a movie?

Luke: In the commercial sense, certainly. A movie is not commercially or creatively successful exclusively because of critical response, but the public tends to trust critics because they have an ostensibly objective perspective on films - and that serves as very effective advertising and can help a film make a lot more money.

Jed: Censorship is a big issue. Compared to many films made in Europe, nudity is not really something to be discussed but in the US, and with the current set up, it's something filmmakers seem to consider once they are about to make the final cut, and ready the film for release. What's your take on censorship? Is America too conservative or those outside are just too liberal?

Luke: We don’t have government censorship in the country, exactly, but we certainly have censorship. The MPAA was created to avoid government oversight on films, and it’s certainly a preferable option even at this point, but it still restricts freedom of speech. You can release a film that’s rated NC-17, but most theater chains and video stores won’t carry it, so it becomes nearly impossible to raise money for a certain kind of film because there’s almost no chance for an NC-17 rated film to make any of its money back. To me, that’s censorship. Even the existence of an NC-17 rating, the fact that, legally, there is a group of people that is NOT ALLOWED to watch a film, is in my opinion unconstitutional. Of course, I don’t think it’s appropriate for little kids to be watching “Irreversible” or something - but I also don’t think it’s appropriate for a small group of people in a powerful organization to impose their subjective value judgments on audiences and filmmakers.

Jed: How about violence in films? It seems that it’s like a different animal being treated quite differently?


Luke: Yes, it’s true, the MPAA views violence with a lot more sympathy than sexuality when determining the rating it will ascribe to a film. I would certainly prefer children to be viewing sexuality than violence - but, alas, that is my own subjective opinion.

Jed: You and your friends must have discussed about this a few times already, but a lot of young stars in Hollywood are usually in the news because they are either drunk or going to rehab or doing something entirely silly, how can a young actor deal with these pressures? How do you deal with it?

Luke: There’s pressure in every lifestyle, and every industry, not just show business. I don’t think there’s any more drug or alcohol abuse among people in the entertainment industry in Hollywood than there is in any other industry or city in the country. Famous youngsters just get a lot of publicity, so we hear about it more when they’re struggling, but kids get wasted in all parts of the country, in every line of work and school. Luckily for me, most of the pressure I deal with is related to my creative work, and I enjoy the work so much that the pressure never makes me too unhappy.

Jed: There are stars and there are actors, we like to say, but it's hard to be doing the acting yourself, coz not everyone can be good at it. Tell me, who do you consider some of the most talented young actors we have today and who would you like to be part of your film?

Luke: I always have trouble making these kinds of lists, because I’m always gonna leave someone out and my thoughts are always changing - but I will say that there is an abundance of absolutely brilliant young actors in the business today and I can’t wait to work with as many them as possible. It’s very exciting.

Jed: Name your top 5 favorite films of all time. If there is one favorite film that you would love to do, which would this be and who would you cast as the stars?

Luke: Again, there would be no way for me to accurately make that list, but if I could make a film right now it would be the one I’ve just written, tentatively titled “God’s Work,” that I’m hoping to shoot this year sometime. I haven’t settled on a cast yet.

Jed. Any advice to someone who want to venture into filmmaking?

Luke: Do it. Take risks. Have fun.

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