LMC: Do you do much hobby or personal projects on the side?

LR:  I used to do a lot of makeups and stuff, personal stuff,  but over the last year and a half I've concentrated on masks. I've also spent the last 10 months on a toy prototype.   I'm also redoing my house, which is like a second profession in Los Angeles.

LMC: What do you like  to create when doing your own work?

LR:  I don't have one specific thing I like to do.  I like to  do little doodles and then I go from there.  I'm not much of an illustrator, but I can scribble well enough to get an exaggerated version of what i want to do.  When I have enough of those, I usually pick one and do it.  I have tons of little drawings waiting to get "green-lighted".   I do like to invent new ways of doing things-looking at it from a different angle.  I also like to direct things- I'm a big picture type person.  It was what I was known for in advertising but I haven't really had a chance to put that to work in the entertainment business. Yet.

LMC: So, do you have bigger plans for the future in the way of feature films?

LR: When I say direct, I don't mean specifically being a film director.  I mean "guiding the ship" no matter what the project.  But I have directed on  film, in advertising and shorts,    and would like to do it again.

LMC: What was your first big break in the fx business?

LR:  My first break was with Steve Johnson.  But let me back up.  My first interview was with Rick Baker.  When Planet of the Apes was just getting started, Rick was interviewing.  I have been told it is a miracle that I got in there.  Actually, I think Dick probably made a phone call behind my back but I haven't been able to confirm it yet.  Anyway, I go to his office.  His assistant Heidi, leads me in and up this huge staircase.  Rick "appears" out of the shadows.  I think he did this on purpose; he's a very theatrical guy.  Anyway, he leads me down this hall and this HUGE grim reaper is sitting at the end of the hall.  He opens the door to his office and it is like a castle. AMAZING.  a giant fireplace with stone flying monkeys on either side.  If you want to have an idea what his office looks like, rent THE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE because I think he bought the set and used it for the innards of his office.  Anyway, we sat down and chatted like kids for over an hour.  He was very generous to me. He didn't have to do that at all.  Bottom line was, this was my first job in Hollywood and he already had 10 guys who he could call to do exactly what he needed.  So the job was not mine.  I think I begged, I don't remember, but that was one of the  most memorable experience I've had out here.  I'll never forget it. Every other interview was kind of a let down after that.  Now that I  think about it, I may not want to work for Rick ever, because it will spoil the fantasy in my head.

Back to Steve.  He was really cool to give me my first opportunity. It was for a movie called THE DANGEROUS LIVES OF ALTAR BOYS- a Jodie Foster movie (haven't seen it yet)  making an animatronic cougar.  I did a lot of the fur transfer work, helping out Lenny McDonald, who is an amazing artist.  So I have to say, thank you Steve Johnson, for giving me a chance.

LMC: So, you didn’t get the job with Rick?  Do you think you will work for him in the future when his shop is back in full force?               

LR:  No, I didn't get the job.  I think my head would have exploded if my first job was at Rick's shop!  No actually, I would have been lost and probably humiliated.  They do things on such a high level and I simply was no where near that level when I first came.   Part of me would like to work with him because it is a dream of mine, and part of me doesn't want to work with him  because again,  it is a dream of mine, if that makes any sense.  Sometimes your fantasy of how something  will be is very different from the  reality of it.  

LMC: Talk about your work on Buffy?  Six Feet Under?

LR:  Six Feet Under was cool because   I got called in and the Art Director and Todd Masters were out of town, so I got to kind of take over in the art direction.  It was just me calling the shots  on the sculpting and I was able to call in some friends in the biz to help out.  I designed and sculpted the prosthetics.  Someone else did the painting, hair and the makeup application.  That was neat. And of course some of us were lucky enough to get rewarded on that one  with an Emmy. 

One good thing I can say about my Buffy experience is that I got to watch my friend Jonathan Fuller come into the business.  He did great his very first day.  I would have taken twice as long to do what he did,  I think.  And I got to watch Mark Alfrey sculpt.

I learned a hell of a lot from just observing him.

LMC: Some of the movies you worked on; Rose Red, Windtalkers,  Scooby Doo, others...

LR: Windtalkers was great not only because I made a lot of good friends there, but I got to work with the amazing Kevin Yagher.  He is supremely talented.  He knows what he wants and he is one of the few big guys who is hands on in the shop, so you can learn from him.  I was lucky in that show in that I got called back after everyone was laid off and got to continue sculpting make-ups. Probably because I was cheap!  I was crazy on that show in that I asked to do everything the second day I was there- I was fearless.  Scooby Doo, and Henson's in general was great.  The art director there, Pete Brooks, is a really good manager of his artists-probably my favorite- he let us do our job with a gentle guiding hand.  I got to work closely with the producers of The Country Bears, and Scooby Doo, and Stuart Little 2.  I designed and sculpted Scrappy Doo, although what you see in the movie is changed from my design.   I think mine looks much more "scrappy".  A bunch of us sculpted Scooby- I think about 4 people.  Scooby was the shop whore- he got passed around a lot!  No real story about Rose Red- I just helped out with the teeth for a few days.  I just worked on a movie called WHITE CHICKS with Greg Cannom's shop  in which we turned two of the Wayans Brothers into hot, blonde white chicks.  That should be fun to see.

LMC: Any not so good experiences that you can share (names can be left out )?

LR: I'd prefer not to go into that.  You can infer from the rest of the interview that I have had bad experiences on some jobs.  Most of them have been from personality clashes or creative differences. 

LMC: A lot of aspiring artists dream of sculpting for tv/ movies.  What is the reality of it once you are doing it?  Have any of your views  changed since you've been involved?

LR: Sometimes it's great, most of the time it's not. (I am referring specifically to working in an fx shop, not applying make-up or doing the fx for an independent film)  I think we believe that we are going to be called in to show our creativity, to solve problems.  The reality is you are called in as a tool and you must sculpt something that's already designed.  If it's a cool design, then maybe you can get excited about it.  If it's not... you just have to do it.  I think it all comes down to the way the business is run.  If there is a general respect for the employees,  you'll feel better about what you're doing.  I really felt like I was a part of Henson's.  Other shops, you are nothing and are treated as such.  It is disgusting.

LMC: What is the reality of the tv/ movie industry from an insider?  What is good, what is bad?

LR: From my limited experience.  It has been both good and bad for the above reasons.  Some experiences have been great, others have shaken me to the core. 

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