Seth Packard isn't one to be held back. Though the 25-year-old actor had appeared in such films as the straight-to-video I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer and the Disney channel film Buffalo Dreams, he wasn't satisfied with the kind of roles he was going out for. So he wrote one for himself, which he then decided to produce and direct. The resulting feature, HottieBoombaLottie, is a sweet but sharp coming-of-age comedy that had its world premiere June 21 at the Los Angeles Film Festival.
In the film, Packard plays a high school student named Ethan who is obsessed with the stunning Madison (Shay Williamson) to the point that he talks to a life-sized cutout of her. Ethan's pursuit of his dream girl is a clever showcase for Packard's dry, deadpan delivery and his ability to find humor in the most awkward realistic situations.
The film was shot over 18 days in August 2007 primarily in Packard's hometown of Provo, Utah. He edited it, he says, "in my basement on my huge Mac" just in time to be accepted into the L.A. Film Fest.
Once again, Packard isn't hesitating to dive in head-first. He moved to L.A. the week before the fest to capitalize on the festival buzz. "I knew I was going to be coming out sometime soon, but I kind of surprised my manager and agents," he says with a laugh. "I wanted to be here for the festival and have it be my home. I love it here."
On the film's unique title:
"I was having the hardest time coming up with a title, and I was just sitting on my couch and it came to me. I remembered everybody in high school saying it all the time, and I thought it was such a stupid word. It was always the cheerleaders and dance team saying, 'Oh, he's such a hottieboombalottie,' and they were never talking about me. But it fit my film so well. I went through, like, 20 titles, things like Faux-hawk's Revenge, Bros Before Hos — that one sounded like a cheap porno. But I'm really glad I went with this title because everybody seems to like it."
On the inspiration for the movie:
"It's based on me and my lame friends. My favorite stories are ones that really happen to people and you can feel the truth in it. It pretty much came from all my dumb high school experiences. I had a friend who pretended his mother had cancer so he could find out the favorite flowers of a girl he liked. He actually did that. And I was standing right next to him and I knew he was going to crash and burn, but he had no idea. He thought it was this smooth move that was going to get him in with a hot chick."
On how he became a director:
"The intention was always to write and put me in as the lead. I've been moderately successful in the things I've done, but nothing has really taken off and showcased me as an actor. I got a little discouraged, so I said if the stuff wasn't coming through, I would make it myself. In terms of directing, I had a moment where I realized my favorite directors are the ones that understand and respect an actor's process and do everything they can to help me perform better. It seems like a lot of directors just talk about the shots. And I realized the kind of director I wanted for my film, I might be able to do the job."
On when he realized he wanted to be an actor:
"I saw my oldest brother as Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat when he was in high school. I saw that and thought, 'That looks like the most fun thing in the whole world.' Going into high school, acting wasn't the cool thing, so I tried to do sports, but I sucked at it. My dad has a Ph.D. in film and philosophy, and we started talking about acting. I always thought being an actor would be the most fun thing in the world, but I didn't know how to go about doing it. So I started studying it as a craft and putting in the time. It seems like a lot of people mystify acting, like it's something magical that you either have or you don't. And while I'm sure there's some truth to that, I really believe that the best actors really put in the time and develop their craft and work hard."
On the most difficult part of the filmmaking process:
"Probably the hardest part of the whole thing was the day I decided I was going to move forward with it. There's an invisible wall or something where you realize you're about to venture somewhere where everyone is going to see your work and your heart. You're exposing yourself so much. And you're going to, no doubt, get some criticism. But you reach that point and you say, 'You know what? So what?' I drove up to the mountains, and I sat and thought for about two hours and said, 'I will never forgive myself if I don't go forward with this and give it my best shot.' And once I made that decision, that same night, my best friend who was in the military in Afghanistan called to ask what was up. I told him, 'I'm about to make a movie. I'm doing it.' He said, 'Can I help you? Is there anything else I can do?' And he ended up being my co-producer, Ben Lakey. I think that's just how it works. When you really decide something is right and you're going to push for it, the pieces fall together. Once I got past that point, everything came together."
On his advice to aspiring filmmakers:
"If I could say anything, I'd say the most important thing is to get a good script. Don't move forward until you're sure the script is good. Be sure you have a good story people want to hear. Once you have that, it's a magnet. People are so attracted to it. The other thing I say is to stick with it, even if it's hard. I know a lot of artistic people who get paralyzed and they never do anything. My grandpa always tells me there's always room on the top for people willing to do excellent work."
HottieBoombaLottie will play at the L.A. Film Festival on June 24 at 4:30 p.m. at the Landmark and June 26 at 2 p.m. at the Regent. For more information, visit www.lafilmfest.com or www.hottieboombalottiethemovie.com.