Jack of two trades

How did it feel to direct the people you actually work withIJ

It was really fun and they were very supportive. Everybody on the crew was very aware that this was my first time directing anything. I’ve directed a couple short films, but I’ve never actually directed a feature or a TV show. So they all knew how big it was for me. Directing them was amazing because I got to see a different side of them. And I was actually very nervous about that because I didn’t know how they were going to take me giving them directions.

Also Mark was incredibly supportive because he has directed the show twice and I was so utterly supportive of him. He more than returned the favor. It was I felt very safe. But it actually turned out to be very good. And if I had to run a diagnostic of how I did as a director, working with the actors was one of the things I felt more confident in and got the best feedback about. 

How do you like the direction Evan’s (his character) been taking this seasonIJ

It’s been a little less eventful this season. He’s been given kind of less — which was a blessing with my episode because I appeared in much less of it than other episodes. They wrote me small for it.

There’s been a lot of fan talk about hoping for a Paige and Evan spin-off. Would that be something you would be open toIJ

I don’t know. I’d have to cross that bridge. I’ve never heard of anyone saying that they want Paige and Evan to hit off. I’m going to have to think about that.

What do you think it is then about Royal Pains that it continues to be such a fan favorite showIJ

I think it’s very easy to watch. I think it’s true escapism. It’s beautiful — literally beautiful to look at. It brings you elements of every genre — whether it be action or comedy or drama — and it’s all wrapped up in this kind of nice package that USA seems to do so well.

How will the equation between Evan and Hank be this seasonIJ

Well we were very tense for the beginning of the season. That kind of subsided around episode four. I think more of the season’s going to wrap up more with Hank has his own storyline and Evan and Paige have their own things going on.

How do you balance acting with the technical attention to detail that directing requiresIJ

Well for me obviously of this was a learning experience. like every day I had about 100 firsts. My first day was a huge — there was like a six-person dinner table scene. And dinner table scenes are one of the more daunting things to shoot because you have to shoot like 30 different shots around the table to make sure you get eye lines right and everything. I knew I was in for a challenge that day. And I was in it and I was in every other scene that day, almost. What I learned very quickly is that it’s very taxing. But I felt a huge sense of accomplishment because it is a lot. There’s so many things going on that you have to — your mind never stops. And frankly I’m a person who thrives on that, so I actually enjoyed it.

How much of you is in EvanIJ

That’s a good question. So let’s see. Very much, actually. They let me improvise, a lot. I’m kind of that guy on the show. I guess I fiddle with a lot of stuff. So I kind of got the role off an audition where I made up like half of the scenes. So I set up the stage for that dynamic — which they support a lot.

When did you first get the bug to directIJ

I’m glad you asked. When I was in high school, I was in kind of an art school and one of our projects at the end of the year was to do a short film — which of course I procrastinated about. In the last three days, I shot in sequence— I just made it up as I went —this movie called The Outcast and I edited it in one night. And I’m still proud of it.  And when I did that, I was like I love acting, so I was doing that too. But I’m like this is what I really want to do. And then the real moment was when I saw Trainspotting in the theater. And when I walked out of Trainspotting, I think I wrote myself a note saying like, “You will direct. This is what you’re going to do.”

Were there any high jinks on the setIJ Did anybody like pull any pranks because it was your first time directingIJ

Absolutely not. If anything, nobody would have in any way risked that. It’s an anxiety-ridden thing. I called about four or five of the directors, who have worked on my show and who I admire. All of them said, ‘Don’t be creeped out if you puke the night before,’ and I was like shut up. And I swear I almost did. I was so nervous the night before because….their like your first (unintelligible) they still get nervous. A lot of them still get nervous. like people who have been doing it for 25, 30 years they’re like, “I still get nervous before I step on the set,” because everything hinges on you. Your vision has to be there and you have to push the ship forward or things can fall, you know. But, then again, anything that doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

How hard was it to separate yourself from your actor side to get the best out of others or did you have to do thatIJ

If anything, I feel like my own performance suffered a couple times because my attention was so much on the other person. Again I’m learning. But once I was in the scene, I really was able just to leap out of the director suit and just be in the moment.

And then when you say cut, then you can kind of think about what happened in the scene. But again it was a part that I actually ended up enjoying and finding not at in the end though taxing not too difficult.

Which director and movies did you admire growing upIJ

Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting, Reservoir Dogs by Quentin Tarantino, I liked Billy Wilder a lot. I was into Spielberg. I still think Spielberg’s earlier works — maybe it’s because there’s a nostalgia attached to them — like the Indiana Jones movies and Schindler’s list — those movies, you know, they were just so good I just was so overwhelmed with how good they were. I still feel that they’re great films.

Outside of Royal Pains, if you could direct another television show or a movie, what genre would it beIJ

I’m trying to figure that out right now because I’m writing a feature and I kind of want to do a modern day Hitchcock film. I also want to do just a pure, you know, black, dark comedy. Those are two very different things. I actually have been thinking of perhaps marrying the two, but we’ll see how that goes.