We at infamous Horrors got the chance to interview one of the stars of the new arthouse vampire film Luke Bilyk. We talk about the sound scope of the film, how interesting of a story it was to have while the vampire was the main outlook of the film. Also how you can pick up multiple things on viewings of Kicking Blood.
AJ: Hey Luke, how are you?
Luke: Good. How are you doing AJ?
AJ: Doing great. So how were you approached to be involved with kicking blood? Cause there’s a lot going on in this without the end of the day. It’s very intimate and a small scope into filmmaking. So what peaked your interest and how were you approached for kicking blood?
Liked Yeah, I think the first auditions, like a lot of actors that kind of come across your screen and you almost kind of do anything to have off the jump off the first couple times. Then it was a little while, and then I got a call back and you’re able to read the script and I was able to the entire script and upon reading the entire script, it just captivated me the characters, the story, the struggle that both Robbie and Anna were going through was just, you know, it was, it was worth the second read of the script. Very rarely do I read a script more than once before going to an audition primarily, cuz you just don’t have the time I read. I think I read it maybe two and a half times before my second callback, just to, I just really wanted to understand the character and understand the journey that they took. Cuz there’s so much going on. Like you said.
AJ: Yeah. And you know, and the end of the day it’s vampire flick as well. There are a lot of them out there what really spoke to you that made kicking blood different that you also wanted to audition to.
Luke: Yeah. I think, you know, there’s something you said it’s a vampire film at its core, but it’s also a story about human struggle. I think there’s something that’s really interesting if you make a movie about human struggle and you know, alcoholism and you know, becoming a human being, it might not get that same effect, but when you, when you put the underlying tone that vampires are in the story, it kind of allows you to play with all these different genres within that you encapsulation of vampire film. So you have alcoholism, you have Rosemary story of having cancer and having to deal with that. You have just the humanity of, of Anna herself, and all of these things kind of cook and a nice little cadre that is kicking blood and it comes out very nicely.
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AJ: Yeah. And how was it working with the main actress on this? Wanna say her name is starts with an a right? Yeah.
Luke: Alana.
AJ: How is it like working with her on set? Because she was fantastic in this as well.
Luke: Yes. Yeah. She is, I’d say an actor dreamed to work with, you know, she very giving. Then at the same time allows you to play in a way it’s acting as a delicate thing, especially in these scenes where you have two people kind of at their lowest points together and trying to find this story together. And I think that the two of us had this kind of unspoken agreement that it’s like, whatever has to get done to make this like we’re, we were both so involved together, but then without even kind of communicating, it was very unspoken, but she’s, she’s just, she’s so great as you can see, you know what I mean? Like you don’t, I don’t need to hype up, she hypes herself up.
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AJ: And, you know, with this getting ready to come out, how does that feel? Have you seen the finished product at all?
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Luke: Yeah. Uh, I think it was, I guess last year we had our premier at TIFF, the Toronto international film festival, which was pretty great. I’m, you know we’re both Toronto born. So it was really nice to see that in theaters, you know, in our hometown, at the Scotia bank theater, which is something I’ve gone to watch tons of movies there. It was incredible to see the, I always say as an actor, we, our job ends the moment they call cut on the final day and we only know it’s like a half of what the project is going to be because so much of the film gets tied together in post-production and then sound score. And it’s like the color grading, everything changes. I don’t really know what we don’t really get to see the monitor to my, you know, and then even at that, it’s not what it’s going to look like.
And, you know, coming together, our DP just did such a great job. Our sound engineers did such a great job. The score is just, I think that’s one thing that, that I love music. I love sounds. And I think when you can, when you can marry picture and sound where one’s not all overbearing, there’s a couple moments where it’s like, obviously you have the vampire aspect too. So you have the eerie haunting sounds with, oh, it was, it was great. There’s a bunch of ’em I’ve seen it, I think three times now. Um, and there’s a bunch of moments where I’m like, the sound is incredible. It’s great. It makes it a full, I think that’s what makes it a full feature. Uh, it is just full it’s round. It’s rounded out,
AJ: Right? Like you said, the sound is incredible in this more, almost acts like its own creature in itself and kicking blood, which is amazing. And I think a lot of people are gonna rather love watching it at home with their home systems are in theaters when, if they 10. So of course, how is your thoughts on just the reception that kicking blood has gotten so far?
Luke: Yeah, it’s been, it’s been great. I think, you know, a lot of the things, there was one quote, it was like, it’s like a vampire film for people who don’t like vampire films. And I think that quote that I’ll live by because it’s like you get that genre of it being a vampire film, but there’s so much, there’s so much more going on. And I think that the people who’ve seen it so far in Toronto and you know some family, obviously they’re gonna be a little bit biased, but, uh, no, they’re loving it. It’s getting some good reception. And I feel that like, honestly, I think, you know, even even a negative reaction is still a reaction and you still are getting that emotional. You might not like it. Even if they don’t like it right away. I guarantee you that like a week later they’ll go back and be like, okay, but that part really resonated with me because it’s so multidimensional and it’s gonna hit you on levels.
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AJ: And I think that’s the thing with kicking blood as well. You know, it’s almost like an arthouse vampire flick. There’s gonna be multiple times where you gonna to view it to pick up on different aspects here and there throughout the film too. That absolutely hit with you. It’ll hit you when you least expect it too. The second time or the third time you, you view it, which is I think incredible about taking what as well.
Luke: Yeah. I a hundred percent agree with you.
AJ: Well, Luke, thank you so much for joining us today. It’s been fun and congratulations, and we look forward to what you do next.
Luke: Thank you AJ, I love your movie posters as well. You got some prime movies up there talking about sound centric movies
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AJ: Oh yeah. And I got Dolby Atmos set up in here too which is epic.
Luke:You’re going deaf then AJ.
AJ: Right, Luke. Thank you.
Luke: Thanks AJ. Appreciate it buddy.
