Michael Shannon Archives - Award-Winning Writer and Graphic Designer

Elvis Presley Bestie Jerry Schilling

dorriolds — Tue, 27 Dec 2016 16:36:23 +0000

Exclusive Interview

Dorri Olds met with Elvis Presley’s long-time close pal Jerry Schilling on Apr. 18 for an exclusive interview about Tribeca Film Festival’s movie, “Elvis and Nixon.” The five-star film is a hilarious send-up about a peculiar piece of 1970 Americana: Elvis Presley flew to our nation’s capital to persuade President Richard Nixon (Kevin Spacey) to deputize him as a federal agent-at-large.
Presley showed up unannounced at the Northwest Gate of the White House with his buddy Jerry Schilling (Alex Pettyfer) and convinced awe-struck guards to hand-deliver Presley’s note to Nixon that requested a sit-down.
White House staffer Egil Krogh (Colin Hanks) is told that Nixon wants nothing to do with the entertainer and especially not during the Prez’s naptime. Shilling and Elvis’ bodyguard Sonny West (Johnny Knoxville) come up with plan B. Presley will sign an autograph for Nixon’s daughter if he will agree to the meeting.
Olds and Schilling met at Tribeca’s Conrad Hotel.

Elvis Presley’s Best Friend Jerry Schilling. ©Dorri Olds

Dorri Olds: What is it like seeing your life reenacted all these years later?
Jerry Schilling: It’s pretty strange, you know. It still hasn’t really set in for me. It’s strange. But it’s something I’m very proud of. To be on-screen with my best friend, character-wise, is quite an honor for me. I loved and admired this guy since I was 12-years-old and he was 19. I’ve seen the whole gamut of his career and shared a lot with him. We had a 23-year friendship and a 10-year professional relationship, so it’s quite an honor.
He seemed like a very complex man. What was the hard part about being his friend?
Wow, that’s a great question. I think, for me, it was to be able to give back the friendship and the professional relationship on a level that he had given me the opportunity to do. I wasn’t satisfied just being one of the guys—which I was thrilled to be. I wanted to be involved in his films and his touring.
I quit working for him a couple of times to just [go pursue those types of things] then he would bring me back in. That was the hardest thing because I think I was the only guy that ever quit working for Elvis. Well, a couple guys got mad but then they came back. I quit for professional reasons. Normally, the relationship was over when that happened—the close relationship.
Were you afraid you were risking the friendship when you separated from Elvis professionally?
That was the hardest decision I ever made but we kept the relationship. When I wanted to go into film editing, he called me about three weeks later [and said], “Do you do that editing on the weekend?” I said, “No.” He says, “Where are you? I’m coming by to pick you up. We’re going to Palm Springs for the weekend.”
So, yeah, we continued the friendship. But I wasn’t happy doing just that. He was happy with me being there. I picked up and did this and that and worked security, but that wasn’t enough. I didn’t think I was giving back enough for him, nor was I giving back enough for me. That make sense?
It does. Do you see the irony of Elvis wanting to be a narc for kids on drugs when Elvis is known as a drug addict who self destructed?
I think you have to qualify that and I think it’s very important. Elvis had a prescription problem, there’s no doubt about that, but drug addict? Street drugs? The image of drug related music? That was another thing he was totally against, you know. [Becoming a federal agent] was his way, in his mind, of giving back to the country. He felt a responsibility to rock and roll and he was proud of that. He did not like the new drug-influenced rock and roll, nor was he any part of that.

Jerry Schilling, Alex Pettyfer

Do you think there was denial about addiction by making a differentiation between alcohol, hard drugs, and prescription drugs?
I think especially back then. I think people are learning more that addiction was addiction, whether you get it in a prescription, a bottle, or on the street. I don’t think we knew that back then. If a doctor gave you something, you thought it was okay. It’s not like he ever bought a drug on the street.
What can you say about the phrase “Memphis Mafia”?
We used to go to Vegas before Elvis was really working there a lot. We’d go in a limousine and we had these mohair suits and we carried guns—concealed weapons that we had permits for. A Las Vegas journalist said, “Oh, Elvis and his Memphis Mafia are back in town,” and that stuck. It’s kind of an affectionate term that we liked. We saw a lot of mafia movies. [Smiles]
What were the threats to his life?
There was one major threat in Las Vegas. Somebody put a menu under Elvis’ door and crossed his face out and wrote backwards so we knew it was a deranged person. [It said,] “I’m going to kill you onstage tonight.”
This is one of the times I wasn’t working for Elvis, I was working in film editing. He called me and said, “I need you to come. I’ll tell you about it when you get here.” He sent a Leer jet for me [to fly me] from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. And the FBI came.
The hotel said he didn’t have to do the show. When I got there he was white and angry. He said, “I’m not going to let any so-and-so dictate my shows. I want you in the orchestra and another one of the guys in the orchestra.” We had guns and the FBI took it really serious. Somebody called and offered $50,000 dollars to one of the guys and said if Elvis would pay he’d tell them what the plot was. There were very serious things like that.
Wow, very serious. How do you think he went from “Elvis the Pelvis” rebel rock ’n roller to seeking approval from the establishment?
I think Elvis never set out to appeal to one genre of people. He loved all people. The establishment that we are talking about now didn’t like him in the beginning. Elvis was the ultimate liberal. But when he came back from the Army, it changed. He [went] on the show with Frank Sinatra and loved the idea that the people who criticized him, politicians or whatever, now liked him.
Very few people can appeal to both. That’s why he knew what to say to get to Richard Nixon. He would also know what to say to get to John Lennon. Elvis was a very smart, as you said, complex person. He appeared to be just a nice guy but he was very complex.
What I needed to do for myself [was to] be productive. I never thought I could do that with Elvis. I grew up, you know. I was 21 years old when I went to work for him. My aspirations got bigger as I grew up. Luckily, he gave me that opportunity and then incorporated, “Come back to work for me, you can work on my films. Come back to work for me, you can work on my tours.” That gave me the background to be, if you will, a major music manager of the Beach Boys and Jerry Lee Lewis and Billy Joel.
Jerry Lee Lewis must have been a handful.
You know what? He was pretty good to me. We only had two arguments in seven years.
Really? Gosh, that’s fantastic.
Yeah, but they were big ones. [Laughs]
Wish we had more time. Can’t wait to read your book, “Me and a Guy Named Elvis.”
“Elvis & Nixon” is rated R. 100 min.

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Michael Shannon and Imogen Poots Star in ‘Frank & Lola’

dorriolds — Thu, 15 Dec 2016 11:08:03 +0000

“Frank & Lola” is a brooding noir about love, sex and jealousy shown through two very damaged people. Michael Shannon plays a chef in Las Vegas who meets Lola (Imogen Poots), a wannabe fashion designer. When they meet it sets off a tsunami of passion and they feel instantly connected. Frank’s psyche is tested when Lola comes home one night crying and confesses that she cheated on him. The script is not unlike other movies we’ve seen but it is heightened by the level of talent in both of the starring actors.
The indie is written and directed by Matthew Ross. Michael Nyqvist plays a creepy, wealthy Frenchman from her past. Lola’s mother is played by Rosanna Arquette. And Justin Long plays her new boss. Frank bristles at the thought of any other man near Lola. It’s as if he felt starved for love so he squeezes it too tight in a complex maze of fear, anger and envy.
I’ll watch anything with Michael Shannon in it. The towering actor can look terrifying one minute and vulnerable the next—but there is always something creepy lurking behind his eyes. I’ve met him twice and he seems just as intense and mercurial in person. Shannon as Frank is fascinating because it’s hard to think of him as a love interest.
In person, Shannon gives off the energy of a guy sitting on a pressure-cooker of rage, yet he seems polite enough. During press events he didn’t seem to like eye contact and appeared uncomfortable in his own skin. But that fragility, and otherness, is probably what makes him such a compelling actor. He looks haunted—and troubled people often work harder in an attempt to outrun their demons.
But for all I know, he’s a calm, serene guy. Yet I don’t think so. Especially based on what some of his colleagues have said. They all seem to admire Shannon but describe him as strange.
When I interviewed him for “The Iceman,” Shannon talked about his character, serial hitman Richard Kuklinski, in unexpected terms, “I found him to be a very fragile person embalmed in a facade of machismo. He’s actually a very delicate person.”
In an interview for ‘Elvis & Nixon,” Johnny Knoxville told me, “He’s very focused and very intense. And that intensity, that energy, pervades the whole set.” When I mentioned to Ray Liotta that I’d be interviewing Michael Shannon next, Liotta rolled his eyes and said, “Good luck.”
Lola’s character is intriguing, and Poots did a fine job, but the main focus in this flick is Shannon’s portrayal of Frank unraveling.
“Frank & Lola” is in theaters and available On Demand. Unrated. 88 min.
Watch the trailer:

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Dorri Olds Interview with Ray Liotta

dorriolds — Thu, 16 Jul 2015 08:30:51 +0000

“The Iceman“ is an intense, crime thriller based on the story of Richard Kuklinski, a murderer for hire who killed at 100 people and maybe more. Michael Shannon stars as Kuklinski who, unlike most hitmen, came home from “work” and enjoyed a quiet life as a loving husband to Deborah (Winona Ryder) and devoted father to their two daughters (McKaley Miller and Megan Sherrill). Kuklinski worked for the Gambino crime family, answering to Roy DeMeo played by Ray Liotta in his typical role as a really scary guy. DeMeo ponders whacking Kuklinski for his lack of loyalty but Kuklinski gets out from under DeMeo and teams up with “Mr. Freezy,” an ice cream man with a truck hiding frozen bodies (Chris Evans).
“The Iceman“ is directed by Ariel Vromen who co-wrote the script with Morgan Land. The cast includes newcomer Danny A. Abeckaser as Dino Lapron, Kuklinski’s only friend. Josh Rosenthal (David Schwimmer) plays Lapron’s. Robert Davi plays the role of Leonard Marks, Stephen Dorff plays Richard’s brother, Joey Kuklinski and James Franco does a cameo as Marty Freeman.
Ray Liotta is an interesting interview. It was candid; clearly not a canned script.
Dorri Olds: Do you think Richard Kuklinski was a sociopath?
Ray Liotta: What’s a sociopath?
Someone incapable of empathy and lacking a social conscience.
Any guys who kill for money, they chose that as their business. Mafia guys are all just insecure people who want their money. They’re like little seven-year old kids when they don’t get their way. I knew guys like that growing up in New Jersey.
Did you hang out with wiseguys?
Why would you ask me that?
Because you said you grew up with them in New Jersey.
Oh, that was in high school. I don’t think they were going around whacking people but they were hoods. Scary kids. I got chased by those guys over girls they didn’t want me with.
So what did you think of Kuklinski?
If you see the real guy, he’s way worse than Michael Shannon. He beat his wife. He put a knife in her back. Her kids corroborate the story that she was beaten a lot and in hospitals a lot. She was afraid to leave. He threatened her if she tried to leave.
Was your character, DeMeo, portrayed accurately in “Iceman”?
From what I read about DeMeo, he was a bad guy. There’s a book [For The Sins of My Father] about him by his son. He wasn’t well liked. They [Mafia guys] used him when the higher ups didn’t want to do it [murder]. He just kept begging to get made.
Do you think he was gay?
Not fucking gay. Why would you ask that?
Robert Davi alluded to it.
I think that says a lot about Robert Davi. He should stick to his character. I gotta smell Davi’s shit every time I walk into a room. [Scowls]
What did you think of David Schwimmer’s character, the killer Josh Rosenthal?
Rosenthal and DeMeo weren’t lovers. He was a Jew so he needed protection. Then DeMeo killed him. His son’s book said DeMeo got depressed after that because he was friends with Rosenthal.
There was a lot of talk about one of the press photos with you and Winona. What was that about?
I wasn’t holding her ass. I would never do that. I went to put my hand around her but in the photo it looks like I’m grabbing her ass. I got more press out of that than anything.
Was the set grim because of the dark characters you all played?
You gotta do whatever you gotta do to play a killer but no, the set wasn’t grim. It was a bunch of peacocks, Saying, “Ooh [effeminate voice] get outta my chair”
When you played Sinatra in “Rat Pack” did you feel like you things in common with him?
We’re both from New Jersey and we both say fuck, that’s what we have in common. When I played him I didn’t know his music. It was my parent’s music. The more research I did on Sinatra, the more confused I got how to play this guy. Stories about him were all different. It was much easier when I played the baseball player [Shoeless Joe Jackson in “Field of Dreams”].
What did you think of your character?
Roy [DeMeo] was crazier than all of them.
What about Chris Evans’ character “Mr. Freezy”?
He was the first to start chopping up bodies, but they were all nuts.
How do you hope people will feel when they walk out of “The Iceman”?
I want people to feel entertained. Transported to another place. I think they will. This is a really good movie.
How was it working with Brad Pitt on “Killing Them Softly”?
Brad Pitt’s a hack but I don’t know why that movie didn’t do better. This movie, “Iceman,” is better than a movie like, say, “Place in the Pines” [sic].
Why do you think you’re always cast in these dark roles?
I just made a movie with the Muppets and, no, I did not kill Miss Piggy. I kissed her. But when she started with her tongue I said, “Woah” [motions pushing her away]. This one guy, Danny Trejo, couldn’t stop talking to them. It’s like he thought they were real. [Looks down at his phone]
Are you looking for a Miss Piggy photo?
No. I’m seeing what time it is. I have to go to a movie.
As Michael Shannon was coming in Ray Liotta exaggeratedly rolled his eyes and scowled and said, “Michael Shannon? Good luck.”

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