Peter Sullivan directing ‘The Merry Gentlemen.’ Photo Courtesy of Netflix.
Director and filmmaker Peter Sullivan chatted about directing his new Netflix holiday film “The Merry Gentlemen.”
The movie stars Chad Michael Murray, Britt Robertson, Marla Sokoloff, Michael Gross, Hector David Jr., Beth Broderick, Maxwell Caulfield, Marc Anthony Samuel, Colt Prattes, and Meredith Thomas, among others.
The synopsis of this holiday rom-com is: To save her parents’ small-town performing venue, a former big-city dancer decides to stage an all-male, Christmas-themed revue.
Sullivan on directing the film
On his experience directing the film, Sullivan said, “It was great. It was so much fun. It was such a fun movie to make. Everything came together and everyone had a great time. Overall, it was phenomenal.”
Sullivan on working with Marla Sokoloff as screenwriter
“Marla was fantastic to work with,” he said. “I met her as an actress years ago. This time, she wrote and I directed it. When we finished the script, we decided that she was perfect to play a part for it as well.”
“Marla was a great addition to the cast as well. I love Marla. She has become a part of the creative family,” he added.
Working with Chad Michael Murray
On working with Chad Michael Murray, he said, “Chad was great to work with… I had not worked with him before but one of my close friends directed him. When his name came up to work with him, it was my chance.”
“While he didn’t have dance experience, Chad learned how to dance for this movie,” he noted.
“We set him up with a movement coach that worked with him one-on-one. Chad took the job super seriously and he was very dedicated. He loved the part and the project, and we got along great,” Sullivan explained.
Working with Maxwell Caulfield
On working with Maxwell Caulfield, Sullivan said, “It was a lot of fun working with Maxwell because he has a musical background. It was just great to see the relationships that formed amongst the cast.”
“There was great camaraderie among all the guys, and we got to know each other really well before the cameras even rolled, which was great,” he added.
Working with Marc Anthony Samuel
On working with “General Hospital” actor Marc Anthony Samuel, Sullivan said, “Marc Anthony Samuel was so great. Not only was he very present on screen, but he had great dancing ability too. Marc has a great personality and we shaped the role around him.”
Working with Hector David Jr. and Colt Prattes
“Hector David Jr. was a former Power Ranger, and it was interesting to see his acrobatic martial arts skills,” he said.
“We also have another great actor, Colt Prattes, who was on ‘Dancing with the Stars’ and in the remake of ‘Dirty Dancing.’ They all did such an incredible job,” he added.
Working with Meredith Thomas
On working with Meredith Thomas, Sullivan said, “Meredith Thomas is great. She is a very active member of Elks Lodge in Van Nuys where we did a lot of our filming. Not only was she very instrumental with the cast, but she was great at helping us procure our principal location.”
‘It was very much a group of friends, and we put together the best group of folks for them to work with,” Sullivan added.
Advice for young and emerging actors
For young and aspiring actors, Sullivan said, “Get as much experience as you can. Really get comfortable being in front of the camera. I don’t want to feel the script, I want to feel the character.”
“Whenever I look at an audition, I want to get a sense of that character. When I watch an audition, I want to see something different,” he noted.
“Find the humor and the personality in the character,” he said. “I encourage actors to play… and not forget about the play part. Let’s not forget about the element of play,” he reiterated.
Success
Regarding his definition of success, Sullivan said, “To me, success means having an audience. It’s not the budget, schedule or the money, it’s about bringing a story to the biggest number of people as possible.”
“Also, knowing that you are engaging with the audience and reading the feedback. I would get fanmail from my movies… and it is really rewarding to hear when my movies touch people, especially if they help them get through a dark point in time,” he elaborated.
“That is very special. If my movies make one person’s life better than that means the world. I couldn’t ask for more than that,” he exclaimed.
Closing thoughts on the movie
For fans and viewers, he remarked about the new film, “I want everyone to have a great time. I want the audience to have as much fun watching it as we had making it.”
“Hopefully, I didn’t get in the way of that. I want them to see the joy that is on the screen and the true pleasure that everyone had. It was just so much fun to get on that stage and perform,” he elaborated.
“I just want everyone to have a good time. It’s the Christmas movie that you didn’t know you needed. I wanted to make a Christmas movie unlike anything anyone has ever seen before,” he concluded.
To learn more about director Peter Sullivan, follow him on Instagram.