The Umbrella Men Film – Meet The Actors, Director John Barker

This is Fred Richani. In this interview, we chat with the cast and director of the Umbrella men a comedic Heist film that premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. We chat with director John Barker along with actors Jacques de Silva Bronte Snell shamila Miller and Keenan harrisonment. This is your place now about a million before taxes what are they supposed to pay back a million Rand you have several options me. Yes. You Banker steak in the club. It’s the Kumar. It’s the minstrels all down the drain. Well, I can always bury you and bury your auntie Valerie next to your father, well, what does your daddy do remember when we were like this look wallets at the carnival because what if we did it again, what bank job.

Oh my organization require a fight machine fine history, but make sure that they shall get a team? It’s a leave are you tiger Benz who’s asking sometimes people call me that’s why you’re asking me all these questions. So you need money still money Vehicles. I’m gonna need collateral. That’s my beer Great Cars what year 1983 320i classic classic Pizza you see 1983 that’s where you lost me it’s a really exciting Discovery is the walls of the safety is five inch thick sorry Ma. It’s an inch that’s two and a half centimeters. So those of the band vault is in centimeters thick the carnival is upon us, let’s go.

Let’s go. What are you planning at my bank it doesn’t seem better work like clockwork. We don’t have a plan. Well, I’m here with the cast and the director of the Umbrella, man, which of course premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival Tiff got a lot of rave reviews. So far for good reason. This is a comedic Heist film, as we saw in the trailer and preview Clips. So I gotta ask you John as the Director. How’d you come up with this film would you wake up one day and see, you know what I want to plant a heist I am laughs Keenan gave us the idea no, no, I have yeah, it’s always a great it always amazes me when I’m with a film crew and you walk into a place because the moment they see a film crew.

They just everyone the security all relaxes like you can go into a bank I’m seriously we go to the bank they’ll let you walk around there’s a sport crew, who just suddenly you have this thing of this trust of you can do whatever I tell you if you want to rob a bank take a phone Crew. That’s not about it three. No, I just wanted to make a Hast film and I thought the minister Carnival was beautiful backdrop. So just kind of moved them together. And then got very lucky. You did and you have a fantastic cast as well which you’re with right now. How is the whole casting process and for all the actors involved here.

How did you get involved with the film. Yeah. He was big catering. For the longest. Yeah. So I met John I made John like three years ago at he did a director’s workshop and I joined in at the workshop. And I think it was like a half a day that we were just playing around. Yeah. And then at the end of that. He was like, oh, hey. So, you’ve actually you’ve been on my board for this movie for about a year now and that’s into the scripture. I really would love you to be in this film blah blah fast forward three years later, we ended up shooting it and every four months.

So I was like, oh, so the phone’s getting made. So just hang tight just keep your schedule. We’re gonna get to it. You’re going to get to it. So I was attached to the project for like three years before it got made. Because I did I do speak like that because I was so nervous that she was going to say no. Yeah, it’ll be so amazing. Yeah. Yeah. Thank you. I was a part of the form 10 14 years ago. And I came on board. It was also back to class and John did a tease or proof of concept and after 10 or 14 years my role grew at ottoman, which is a leading role.

But yeah, I’ve been attached to the project ever since for a long time. Yeah, we had the actress who it’s unfortunate. We had one actress who’s a friend of mine. He was gonna play the role, but the film taken. So long to make that she’s too old for the world now. So, I hope she hasn’t watched this but we’ll keep that a secret my other friend Joe rostine also who Joey knows this whole thing, but he was Joey was gonna play the mortar role, but he also it had to be two guys in the in their 30s, you know. So Joey just unfortunately was close to 50.

So Joe played tiger in the film. So it all worked out. Yeah, for me. Well, I shot a movie just before working on this one with Keenan called Atlantis and I’ve never worked with John before I didn’t know him. But when the costing process came. And when I had to like, you know, submit up audition Dave. Yeah. I just hope to get any USA how brilliant John is he’s a great director. And he would be it’d be cool to work with him. There you are. I mean, I didn’t know much about the movie because I don’t share much. You just seen the thing, but send it in and hearing the other side of it.

John was Keen to work with himself. And he really is cool in person? Yeah, she’s making lots of it, but it was really the last piece of the thing. We had these fantastic guys and there was so crucial to have them, but honestly we needed. We didn’t have anybody Bronte must have been I mean, we must have looked at your stuff. It was so late we couldn’t we saw certain how many people. We saw right, but I seemed such a horrible Edition like had things that kept in the background. I think was horrible. Yeah, I booked it. Yeah. Same thing amazing. I feel like Maestro is the most boring I got the brief and I auditioned and then I didn’t hear anything.

So, I was like, okay. But when I saw I when I started doing a TV show. John was one of the directors. And at first she didn’t say anything to me. So we try to see the subject? Yeah, I didn’t want to freak you out and say, oh. Yeah. Yeah. And then one line she was like by the way your mission was great. I do want to make it things haven’t worked out yet and I went when actually he was just on a daily and couldn’t get the time off. Hey, well, it all worked out. Fantastic cast a fantastic film, if I do say so myself getting a really warm reception at Tiff obviously you want this film to succeed and you want it to be in other festivals and maybe theatrical and all that jazz and everything else.

But how do you feel about just like the reception you received overall, you know, from South Africa all the way to Canada. I mean, what’s the actual script like we knew when we were shooting it when we finally got to shoot it. We knew that we were making something special. You could feel it on set. You could feel that we were all so invested in every single person in this home and the crew as well was so invested. So we knew we were making something special, but I think that the response and the reception of it has just got has just like pushed it so much further up.

Like we led the fall, but the fact that everybody else loves the form as well. And wants it to succeed especially here on international waters. It’s been unbelievable. Yeah, I must admit that the premier we had whether we felt like feel the love in the cinema it really was it was a and the screen was so big. But it was just it was our best screening, but just to feel people in Toronto getting the gags and getting the feeling and enjoying it and their clothes after was genuinely it was a great story. Yeah. Love that. And I also like the fact that you they Incorporated kind of like the sub theme of, you know gentrification and everything else.

And you know, native South Africans and then also the tourism aspect and everything. I’m assuming that was kind of deliberate and you kind of wanted to kind of sneak that in there, right in between the comedy and the whole point of the heist. It was also a true story, right? Like that is happening. So, we also want to hear it. Yeah, that part of the story is true the actual context the actual context. I like that because you do want to, you know show people. What is happening to the book of which is such a special Community. Yeah, right? Yeah, for sure. And I know obviously with any film, especially a film with this magnitude there’s there can be some challenges that kind of arise.

So, was this film during the pandemic and whether it was or wasn’t were there any unique challenges that you had in this film compared to the work that all of you have worked on before it was tough. We all had lost. So I’m it’s so weird now when I look should we look put a post on the other day about the kissing scene to the head and then there’s another shot of Marcy the A.D and myself on this track, you know, kissing each other. Yeah. Yeah. So yeah, when we had compliance officers on set watching us all the time and it was so hectic I started getting a cough three weeks in the day of a kissing member.

Yeah. Yeah. And I was sick and we try to the lion producer tried to hide it because she said John everyone knows you like you’re sneezing too much. I try to hide it and we try to sneak one day and the next day. I said, she phoned me at like 5 30 before I got to set. He said shut the compliance officer said, you have to come and test for covert. And I was like and there was that down. I said, no. We have to delay. We have to delay it. So she tried to hide the fact that I hadn’t she tried to push them out and then one of the main producers came Lynn Ann came to he has to test now and I was so scared because if I tested positive we would have either would have shut down completely or they would have someone else to direct.

And I love timber. But I’ve gone to Timber experience. I’m gonna cry and especially that day like I was looking forward to that day that they were so cool. Yeah, I was like I was away from doing that if I get down. I would die. Yeah, you saw the drama. Yeah, John come downstairs, literally like sweating sometimes you know, actors we you know, we’re very intimate very close and sometimes you just see the hug. We were like holding each other the safety officer would be like no, yeah, move away. Yeah, I’d say I mean very but with like we said we also do know with good reason, right?

We will obviously it was a pandemic, but that was a difficult thing to have to deal with within the shoot for me as an accent because I am very like you know, touchy. Yeah. Did it immediately quick for all you during the auditioning process and then eventually like going on set and filming it for real you weren’t really friends or for? Well, like we knew of each other. But none of us were friends. They the two of them met a couple of weeks before shooting at a John’s house for meets and grades. Can I tell you I was like, I’d seen Keenan work before and he is incredible.

And so for me. He’s like aspirational for me like I want to be able to say that I’ve done the body of work that he’s done. So when I saw him. I was like, this is not fair my first movie will have to play opposite you and it is and isn’t the sidekick supposed to be not attractive, but I mean, I think again, the way John was incredibly smart is he because it was my first one to be able to play again, opposite someone who is so smart who was so generous. He was so aware. It was a gift it was an absolute gift and I am very very grateful.

Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. And you guys rocked it. We found it on today. We also stay in the same Hotel. And so we were like hanging out before work after work during work and I think we just we instantly connected and clicked and fell in love with each other. So that and that’s what you see on the screen and we’re so lucky to have that I’ll tell you it’s about details, you know, if we if somehow one of the four had not clicked in somewhere. We wouldn’t be here, you know, that is what’s about it was so genuine. Like what you’re saying you see these two felt like they were best friends, but everyone these three.

I mean, this love affair was great. It was just we’re just so lucky the chemistry was amazing for you as a director for all you as actors was there anything in particular you learned about yourselves in the process of making this film something you kind of took away with that you’ll take for future projects? I am a rock star. Yes. It’s crazy. So we know that you said a lot, but so many rock stars around. You I didn’t actually realize like it’s reset now there must have been quite daunting for you to come in. I mean, Adams he’s got an amazing career, right? Yeah, Jun van merch has got an amazing career because kind of like this guy who’s directs and produces and enjoy Russ Dean.

I mean, those are all big names in South Africa these are all actors genuine heavy Heavy Hitters, you know, so I suppose that’s quite a thing for you, but he killed him onto the screen and just and saw the other like we did so many auditions at different times. You know, I think about other people in the roles like mimicking and pretending to play guitar. So that’s fun because people kept asking me do you play guitar like I’m saying you that was amazing stuff. I’m not like that. Yeah, okay because I was at your rehearsals. I heard you do the things? Yeah, I do enjoy playing a musician, I’ll have to do a role where I’m like coming to the screen are you what did I take, you know, I mean I learned something new in every form in this form.

I worked a lot harder on certain things. Especially when we were talking about chemistry. I had to learn learned a few things along the way, but I think that physically working on chemistry and doing different. Exercises and reading the between the lines and the scripts and just like, you know, going through all of those intimate details. I don’t think I’ve done it as in-depth as I did on this film. And I just it was such an important factor for me and you see it on the screen and I see how much it is needed. So, I think from here on out that’s something that is definitely I’m going to take that with me on every set that I go on.

So that I can. So that I can try and produce something that is at least 50 as good as what was on the screen, I think for me. It’s definitely been a Growing Experience. John and the producers, made it. So easy for us to come to sit. I think we was our fault involved with the entire process John kept us in the loop with everything when it got to scripting changes. You know, he’d involved us and usually when you’re working on a film you get there? You say your lives. You leave, you know, it doesn’t become this collaborative collaboration. And it did feel collaborative from the beginning to the end from the script table read.

So yeah, it’s definitely the kind of stability kind of sets and foam going forward that I’d like to work on. That’s awesome. For me. I mean, I’ve a lot of my phones before this have been with most of the comedians really and I found that this mix of and we pushed hard for a mix of actors and comedians more actors in this and I think that for me I’ve learned so much. And I love my comedian friends. I just I found a new family respect for actors, you know, and the I think it’s just a completely different headspace that they these guys are just amazing.

Every time we asked if there was never ever any ever like take off the take of the kissing take of the take of the takeoff the lips were red like they’d be kissing so much. I was like scared to come and ask you guys One More Kiss and something like the idea of trying to make the scene work and they’re so professional that. I just it was just an absolute Joy. It was honestly the easiest film I’ve ever had to make actually one of the easiest gigs I’ve ever been on because they were so giving. I was just blown away just it takes the pressure off you because sometimes when you like getting people that don’t understand and we have to go again.

And then not and trying to be original on the top. It’s so draining that and they go they give you this amazing. Like improv thing and then they go? Well, that’s it then you go. No, no. We actually need this and then you start getting like it’s hard so, but I it was amazing. And I’m very fortunate that we’re going to possibly doing a second film together. So I’m really looking forward to that I really am looking forward to crafting to get on set craft. Now we should do 49ers. Awesome. I love that. Now just some kind of just like random and Rapid Fire questions just kind of related to the film.

We won’t give too much away, but just, you know, some people more of an idea about the film and some of the themes about it. So, if I’d ask all you what’s harder to plan a heist or the carnival who’s the most intimidating character and why is it anti-v. Yeah. And I love that you saw it, you know, it immediately as a person’s face. Yeah, she was great in it. And it’s just it’s so again, that’s even too much away, but you always find out like, oh, like your elders? Like no, more than they let on like there’s one part of the film. I’m like, whoa like, okay, like she I knew she was an OG, but damn like all right.

So, yeah, definitely definitely who’s the funniest person on the set the compliance officer. Yeah, but he keeps laughing keeps people going the whole way. What was the most awkward moment in filling the Umbrella, man. Maybe something that was chaotic at the time, but makes for a funny story now. Do, you know what was it was. So when I think I don’t want to give anything away, but at the end when you’re dragging bodies. From the bank to get that shot of me and him dragging of one of the Buddies the camera guy was literally on the floor on a blank camera. And we were dragging his feet to get that shot and we had to do that.

So like yeah, I mean, so there’s no awkward moment, but remind me of that scene because that scene she really wasn’t supposed to be pulling the bodies it somehow was written that she was somewhere else. Maybe in the vault or something, but she wasn’t pulling this. I wasn’t even on the page she was on the page and then she arrived on set or something and she was gonna play something later and I saw her March and she like literally she marched it John I am in the scene. I am pulling people. I was like, okay, okay. Also because the reason they didn’t have me on the page and then I think the continuity lady was also like ah, but you know, she’s a female and you know be getting your hands dirty.

And I was like I literally and I was like, I’m gonna keep my hands dirty. I’m pulling the bodies and I inserted myself. We all know how important that was the story like for this character? Yeah, I mean that she’s she was gonna get her hands there. Yeah. Yeah. You definitely understood the characters in and out for sure. And we’re gonna chat around a high note. Why should people watch the Umbrella, man. It’s a host film. It’s a capable full set in Cape Town just yeah, fresh characters original new characters. So, it’s original music the music is great. Yeah, look what Adam’s Carl Shepherd. He’s fantastic.

Yeah, that isn’t really represented like you should watch it’s a learning experience.