Duane Whitaker jumped into the movie scene in the late 80s and made a few appearanches in genre films like Leatherface: TCM III and Puppet Master 5. One of his biggest roles was probably that of Maynard from Pulp Fiction back in the mid-90's. Duane has a new role in the newly-released Feast as "Bossman" an interesting character that you'll learn to dispise as the film goes on.

CONDUCTED BY: Dan AKA Master of Horror
EDITED BY: FrighT MasteR
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON: 10/17/06

How did your acting career begin?

I started back in Texas doing Community Theater, Dinner theater, some stuff at the university --plays in the park, whatever I could do. When I made the decision to be an actor, I went sort of full boar. I did a lot of work very quickly. When I came to L.A. when I was twenty, I was maybe more prepared than I realized; I had worked professionally which a lot of the people I was around at the time hadn't really. So once I got here I kind of did the same thing -- just jumped in and did plays, showcases, whatever I could get.

You've starred in quite a few horror films. Are you a fan of the genre?

I played a very small role in TCM III, but I have done films like Tales from the Hood, From Dusk Till Dawn: Texas Blood Money, one of the Puppet Master Movies, etc. I wouldn't say I'm a huge horror fan. I like some of them and I don't like some of them. To me, a good movie is a good movie. A lot of times I'm confused by what horror fans latch on to As I've said before, I'm not going to bite the hand that's help feed me but there is a lot of shit in the genre.

Do you regret any of your roles?

I don't regret anything. I always look to learn something. That bad movie I did twenty years ago or last week might have been the difference between me being able to pay my rent or not.

Tell us about your character in Feast.

I play the Boss Man. The Boss Man owns the tavern that's attacked by these monsters. He's not the nicest guy in the world but it was a lot of fun to play. Great character -- lot of room to work with.

How did you get the role?

John Gulager brought me in for the part. I knew John and his family and had worked with his father Clu on a film I wrote and starred in called, Eddie Presley." I was not the popular choice for the role, the idiot casting director didn't much care for me because I knew John, I guess.

What can we expect to see from Duane Whitaker in the future?

I have a few things out there floating around. I did a horror film recently called Urban Decay with Dean Cain which is in post. I did a lead role in a film called Cold Ones with C. Thomas Howell and a supporting role in Tom Callaway's Broke Sky and a charming little film called Cordoba Nights which I did last year in Ohio. Also A T.V. pilot called Paws. I'm working on something now that I'll be directing if it works out. Couple of scripts I'd like to make... Looking for work.

What would you consider your favorite role in your career?

I would say Eddie Presley off hand. It was the title role in a movie I wrote. I felt like I did some good work in that film that came from a very real place. Pulp Fiction was cool because it was so widely seen. That was a damn interesting part.

What was your overall impression of Feast?

The film turned out really well. Being on the project Green Light thing was sort of strange, although I managed to stay out of that for the most part. I enjoyed working on the film, especially getting to work with Clu Gulager again and most of the people involved were fine. It was a fun role to play and I got to wear a really cool hat... The DVD is coming this month. Go buy it.

What advice would you give to aspiring actors or writers looking to break into the business?

I would say jump in and give it your best. Work at it every day and create opportunities for yourself. Don't just sit around and expect people to hand you things. It's not an easy life for most of us. Most people really don't have the heart for it.

Special thanks goes out to Duane Whitaker for the interview, and my buddy Brian "Horror Pimp" Harris.