Mike Mayhall has worked on some of the biggest films in town – Olympus Has Fallen, Green Lantern, Fantastic Four, Looper.. the list goes on. His directorial debut, Jake’s Road, is the opposite – a small, intimate thriller… and not surprisingly, it whips the pants off so many of those blockbusters Mayhall has been a stuntman on. Seems keeping it simple still works.
Tell me how the film came about, sir?
I started to focus on Jake’s Road when I moved from Los Angeles back to New Orleans. I wanted to do a thriller and horror movie, because I just love the genre. But, I wanted it to be intelligent and suspenseful, rather than hack and slash. Go for the slow burn, then let it kicks to high gear! I also wanted it to have personal meaning beyond the story.
I spent many of my younger days at my stepfather’s hunting cabin out in the backwoods of Folsom, LA. A place simply called, ‘The Camp’. It sits on 250 acres of land next to a small stream and is ideal for a horror movie. It’s a place where your imagination can run wild. It was the site of some epic parties. It was an escape from the everyday and was filled with so many wild tales of the unexplainable that they bordered on supernatural.
It was also the birthplace of an old campfire story about a hired hand, named Jake, who went crazy one night and took revenge on the former owners of The Camp. So, I guess you could say Jake’s Road is one half my twisted imagination and one half stories and events from my youth.
But, the story of Jake’s Road is so much more than that. All that is just the back drop. It’s got some great acting, some fun action and twists that are just soul crushing.
Considering your background doing stunt work in thrillers and action movies, was making your own thriller-actioner a given?
I’d be lying if I said no. I wanted to do a film that held a bit of personal meaning (centered around The Camp), but could play to a larger audience. At the same time what really interests m as a director and writer is the story and the characters. That’s where my focus went. For Jake’s Road I wanted you to really like the characters. So, when I started bumping them off you really felt for them. You didn’t want them to die. You wanted them to live and fight back … of course the fact that I do stunts didn’t hurt when we were shooting some of the fight scenes.
Being so busy, how long did it take you to complete the script?
Not long at all to actually write it. When I get an idea in my head i usually start note taking. I keep playing the idea and concept over and over again in my brain until a story starts to take shape. Once that happens I sit down and let it all pour out. Once its on paper it because about polishing and setting the story.
Did it change much over time? Anything that was added or lost?
The script changed over and over as I challenged myself to make it better. Sometimes it would change the day of filming because, based on the previous day of filming, I came up with a better idea.
If anything I tend to over write. So we had to cut some scenes and combine others. Most of it revolved about the middle of the film when you we’re getting to know the characters.
What do you think it was about the film that appealed to the great Eric Roberts?
He told me honestly. The story and characters. In one way if you step back Jake’s Road is a thriller horror film about a group of friends that go into the woods and bad things happen. Sounds really familiar right? What set’s it a part (other than a twist you won’t see coming) is the characters and the their story. It raises it to a higher level and I think Eric saw that. He was great. Totally brought his ‘A’ game for Jake’s Road. One of our producers had worked with him and got my script into his hands. He loved it and the next thing you know I am working with him. It was awesome!!
And you yourself are in the movie, too. Was that always the plan.. to act in it, too?
Yes. I love acting. It’s my first love.
You’ve done a couple of Gerard Butler movies – which is awesome. How did that come about? Are you his go-to guy now?
I wish I was his go to guy. As a stunt man you develop relationships with the stunt coordinators. And, its they who hire you. Sometimes you don’t get to even meet the star and sometime you two get to hang out and become friends. At the end of the day it’s a work place. And as mush as I would love to go up to Gerard and starting talking movies … he there to do a job and a big one at that. I have to respect that.
Who do you prefer to work with : Bruce Willis or Gerard Butler?
Both … both of them are great guys and total professionals.
