James Leatherman
Role: Actor, occasional edit-helper
James answered a Craigslist ad to be in the Catbrain film, "Oy Vey Muhammad, Where did Jesus go?" for a 48-hour film challenge. His debut part was the role of Moses in a strike force team of religious prophets. It was terrifically awful - and James really enjoyed it. James had just started doing theatre at the time, after moving to AZ from NY, and was actually only trying to advance his voiceover career, but film acting eventually took over altogether.
James wants truth, and admits that seeing truth on film sends shivers down his spine. Growing up, James studied Patrick Stewart intently, as well as Michael Caine, Kevin Spacey, Gene Hackman and Harrison Ford. Classic actors he likes are Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart and Ray Walston. According to James, right now, all the good young actors are either dead or British.
"Paul thrives on collaboration, but always within the constraints of his vision. He gets the best work out of everyone because everyone is valued," says Leatherman. "Our head writer, Nathan Yocum, creates rich and unique characters and puts them in great situations, so making the story come to life is easy. We also have the best young talent out of Arcadia, and they repeatedly blow my mind," he continues.
James recounts the craziest moments with Catbrain by saying: "Oh, where to begin? Filming in a scary urban motel in the middle of the night? Having people scream obscenities at us in some downtown alley? Random birds crapping on my hat? Wait - that was all the same movie." He goes on to recall another difficult acting moment with Catbrain: "I had to drive Paul's vintage Alfa Romeo convertible around the neighborhood, at 3am, with a bright light and camera strapped to the hood. I couldn't see a damn thing, and there were parked cars everywhere. It was like playing Namco Pole Position with a flashlight duct taped to the bridge of your nose. After an hour of takes, I was burnt out from stress. Upon immediate review, it was determined that the camera wasn't on. So we did it again. The final take was great, because I was playing a tweaked-out drug abusing cop, and by that point, it took no acting to get there."
Catbrain has been lucky to be able to make so many short films with the talented James Leatherman. Look for James in Catbrain's biggest film to date: "Damsel." To be released in early 2012.