EXCLUSIVE: Daniele Favilli Talks Swelter (2014) + New Pics

Absolutely! We are all very excited by the amazing response the movie is having. I have been on it since the very beginning of its development but still it makes me very proud that we, as a group, could achieve such good results. We had a private screening and screenings at AFM of the finished film and we received praises on all levels: acting, writing, directing…everything.
We were very blessed by putting together such an amazing cast: Alfred Molina, Academy Award Nominee Catalina Sandino Moreno, amazing artists such as Lennie James, Grant Bowler, Josh Henderson and then our superstar Jean Claude Van Damme in a role like no other before.

Do you have a solid synopsis, there’s some confusion on who plays who

English actor Lennie James plays Bishop, the sheriff of a small, isolated, desert town, who will have to confront with a past he forgot about. Grant Bowler, Jean-Claude Van Damme, myself and Josh Henderson play that “past” now coming back to get what we believe Bishop stole from us. Catalina Sandino Moreno is Bishop’s wife, an emotional and moving role. Alfred Molina blesses our film with his amazing performance as Doc, the drunk tho sweet doctor of the little town.

I understand you co-wrote the movie (producer too?)

I did not co-wrote the film. The writer (and director) is Keith Parmer, an incredibly talented up and coming artist. You’ll definitely hear a lot about him soon.

We are working on a few new project together, a TV series about Renaissance Italy called The Magnificents and a feature film based on a very ambiguous historical figure: a scientist who was capable of petrifying human bodies!
Regarding Swelter, I co-produced it. The lead producer is Eleonore Dailly, an amazing woman, a friend and a rare professional driving force.

What can you tell us about your character?

Kane, my character, is a bad guy. The interesting thing about how he was written is that he is a rock-star type of bad guy. I really enjoyed filling his shoes: there’s definitely an evil side to him but also an amazing vital force that is really charming. Also, this is my first role where I get to play a straight American character and, being Italian, I am very proud of my hard work and all the praises I received for my new American accent.

And Vamme Damme’s character?

JC play Stillman, probably the most interesting character of the film: a man on the verge of a big change in his life. Someone who’s reviewing and pondering his past and is willing to do anything to get a second chance in life. He really nailed it and it was so exciting to see his beautiful acting skills in a non-fighting film.

There’s a nice parallel seeing two Europeans (you and JCVD) who took a risk by heading to America. Was he an inspiration in such a bold move?
 

He really was! My father was a very huge fan of
his. I grew up watching his movies and I have
always been fascinated about his story, his difficulties and yet his great achievements coming to America. It was really special for me to be in the film with Jean-Claude. Moving from Europe is a tough thing to do, especially when you’re from a beautiful city like Florence, Italy, like me. The beauty of taking risks though shows clearly when you finally start getting results out of your efforts. It is not impossible. It just takes a little courage… and a lot of hard work!

I don’t know much about it. I know that the film sold basically the whole world. I wish the film will get theatrical distribution in as many territories as possible because it really deserves to be seen. It’s a really good movie.

I’ll be working with Italian director Giorgio Serafini in his new project, an action movie with Scott Adkins and Zoe Bell then I’ll start working on The Magnificents with keith Parmer and Eleonore Dailly. Later this year I also have a new film in Italy with an up-and-coming film company named Fresnel Multimedia. They just finished their first movie “Mi Chiamava Valerio” that I really loved and we decided to work together on the next one.