The following article appeared in this week's issue of The Rhy'Din Gazette.
An Interview with Jonathan Granger
by Alana Davies
I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Rhy'Din's own actor, thespian, movie star, heart-throb, and most recently, producer, Jonathan Granger. I found him to be surprisingly modest, charming, thoughtful, and, of course, exceptionally handsome. A family man with a wife, daughter, and newborn son, the Oscar-winning actor was gracious enough to carve a little time out of his busy day to sit down and talk candidly with me. Here's what he had to say.
http://i61.tinypic.com/2pzic1u.jpg
Alana First, congratulations to you and Vicki on the birth of your son. You must be very proud.
Jon I am. Thank you. Vicki and I are very happy, and while being a parent can be exhausting, it's by far the single most rewarding thing I have ever done.
Alana Jon, may I call you Jon"
Jon Yes, of course. My friends call me Jon. Jonathan sounds a little pretentious, don't you think"
Alana Not at all! Jon, let me first thank you for agreeing to this interview. I'm sure you are very busy these days, and I appreciate you taking the time to sit down with me and answer a few questions.
Jon Not at all. It's my pleasure. I don't get the chance to do many interviews these days. Frankly, they make me nervous.
Alana It doesn't show!
Jon You forget I'm an actor. Alana Right! I must be dazzled by your charm.
Jon It's the hair, or so I'm told. Alana All right, first question and a very important one. Regarding Getting Over Alyson, what was it that caused you and Ms. De Luca to buy the rights to the film and bring it to the big screen, and was that a difficult decision to make"
Jon No, it wasn't a difficult decision. As a private investor in 21twelve studios, I saw first hand all the time, effort, and hard work that went into the making of that film and thought it a shame that it was languishing in legal red tape and not being enjoyed by the public.
Alana So, you and Ms. De Luca wanted to release the movie so that it could be seen by the public. Jon Yes, but it was more than that. As I said, a lot of time and effort went into the making of the film, which included a cast exclusively made up of Rhy'Din citizens, many of whom were making their acting debut. One of them was my Fifty Shades co-star, Aimee Malone, who I cannot praise enough. She's an amazing actress, who is going to go places.
Alana Speaking of Fifty Shades, when can we expect the third installment in the series" Jon It's due to be released in the fall. I'm sure you will hear a lot about it before then.
Alana I'm sure your fans will be delighted.
Jon I'm sure.
Alana How hard was it to acquire the rights to Alyson"
Jon Harder than you might think. The movie was tied up in legal red tape, which was a result of the bankruptcy. We had to go through legal channels in order to acquire the rights, and because the film wasn't edited or ready for distribution, we had to form our own production company in order to accomplish that. It's taken about a year to accomplish it all, and we couldn't have done it without the dedication and support of everyone who was involved in this project right from the start.
Alana Have you been in touch with Lelah Rivka, the film's director" Do you know if she will be attending the premiere"
Jon I was in touch with Lelah before I approached Mataya with the idea of obtaining the rights to the film, and she very graciously gave me her blessing regarding the project. As far as whether Lelah will be in attendance at the premiere, I cannot say, nor can I reveal her whereabouts or any other information regarding her personal life. I will say, however, that this film would not have been made if it had not been for Lelah and 21twelve studios, and for that, we should be grateful. I have had several opportunities to work with Lelah in a professional capacity. She is an amazing director who puts her heart and soul into everything she does. She brings out the best in her actors, and I think you will see that with this film.
Alana Is there anything you can tell us about why 21twelve studios went bankrupt' It seemed to be doing so well. Jon I can't say much about that. As an investor, I came into the company late, and I believe it was simply a matter of expenditures. Films are extremely expensive to produce. The company was young, and if the films made didn't make enough money to cover their expenses, the studio simply couldn't survive. A company can only withstand so much debt before it collapses. I do not think anyone was to blame for that. It was simply a matter of business.
Alana Now that you and Ms. De Luca have formed a production company, do you think you might be willing to produce more films in the future, and do you think there is a future for the film business here in Rhy'Din"
Jon I can't really speak for Mataya, but I think, yes, if the right project came along, we might be willing to produce more films, especially those with a Rhy'Din connection. I would like to say, however, that our motivation for producing Alyson and releasing it to the public wasn't motivated by money. Before we started this endeavor, we thought long and hard about what it was we wanted to accomplish. We consulted with a lawyer, we weighed the pros and cons, so to speak, and decided that the film deserved to be seen and those involved in the making of it deserved the recognition that was due them. It was simply a matter of not wanting all that hard work to go to waste.
Alana The film is due to premiere at the Shanachie Theater this coming Sunday evening. Is there anything you'd like to say about that"
Jon Mataya has graciously offered the use of the theater's grounds for the screening and premiere party. Unlike most film premieres, this is going to be a very casual family affair. It's going to be more like a fair than a party really. I can't take any of the credit for that. That's all Mataya's doing. She is an amazing woman, and if it wasn't for her, I doubt any of this would have been possible. Alana Congratulations to you both on your Oscars for your recent work on Swan Song! You must be very proud.
Jon I am, of course! But again, I couldn't have done it without Mataya. If it wasn't for her, I may not agreed to make that film at all. As always, it was an honor and a pleasure to work with her. She is not only an amazing woman and actress, but she is one of my closest friends. Alana What can we expect from you in the near future"
Jon Well, right now, I am taking a leave from acting so that my wife and I can spend some time with our children, but I should be back on stage at the Shanachie this summer to do a little Shakespeare. And there's the final installment of Fifty Shades coming out in the fall. Other than that, who knows"
Who knows, indeed. Many thanks to Jonathan Granger for the above interview, and here's hoping that Getting Over Alyson is a hit!
((More information regarding the film and the premiere party can be found here.))
I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Rhy'Din's own actor, thespian, movie star, heart-throb, and most recently, producer, Jonathan Granger. I found him to be surprisingly modest, charming, thoughtful, and, of course, exceptionally handsome. A family man with a wife, daughter, and newborn son, the Oscar-winning actor was gracious enough to carve a little time out of his busy day to sit down and talk candidly with me. Here's what he had to say.
http://i61.tinypic.com/2pzic1u.jpg
Alana First, congratulations to you and Vicki on the birth of your son. You must be very proud.
Jon I am. Thank you. Vicki and I are very happy, and while being a parent can be exhausting, it's by far the single most rewarding thing I have ever done.
Alana Jon, may I call you Jon"
Jon Yes, of course. My friends call me Jon. Jonathan sounds a little pretentious, don't you think"
Alana Not at all! Jon, let me first thank you for agreeing to this interview. I'm sure you are very busy these days, and I appreciate you taking the time to sit down with me and answer a few questions.
Jon Not at all. It's my pleasure. I don't get the chance to do many interviews these days. Frankly, they make me nervous.
Alana It doesn't show!
Jon You forget I'm an actor. Alana Right! I must be dazzled by your charm.
Jon It's the hair, or so I'm told. Alana All right, first question and a very important one. Regarding Getting Over Alyson, what was it that caused you and Ms. De Luca to buy the rights to the film and bring it to the big screen, and was that a difficult decision to make"
Jon No, it wasn't a difficult decision. As a private investor in 21twelve studios, I saw first hand all the time, effort, and hard work that went into the making of that film and thought it a shame that it was languishing in legal red tape and not being enjoyed by the public.
Alana So, you and Ms. De Luca wanted to release the movie so that it could be seen by the public. Jon Yes, but it was more than that. As I said, a lot of time and effort went into the making of the film, which included a cast exclusively made up of Rhy'Din citizens, many of whom were making their acting debut. One of them was my Fifty Shades co-star, Aimee Malone, who I cannot praise enough. She's an amazing actress, who is going to go places.
Alana Speaking of Fifty Shades, when can we expect the third installment in the series" Jon It's due to be released in the fall. I'm sure you will hear a lot about it before then.
Alana I'm sure your fans will be delighted.
Jon I'm sure.
Alana How hard was it to acquire the rights to Alyson"
Jon Harder than you might think. The movie was tied up in legal red tape, which was a result of the bankruptcy. We had to go through legal channels in order to acquire the rights, and because the film wasn't edited or ready for distribution, we had to form our own production company in order to accomplish that. It's taken about a year to accomplish it all, and we couldn't have done it without the dedication and support of everyone who was involved in this project right from the start.
Alana Have you been in touch with Lelah Rivka, the film's director" Do you know if she will be attending the premiere"
Jon I was in touch with Lelah before I approached Mataya with the idea of obtaining the rights to the film, and she very graciously gave me her blessing regarding the project. As far as whether Lelah will be in attendance at the premiere, I cannot say, nor can I reveal her whereabouts or any other information regarding her personal life. I will say, however, that this film would not have been made if it had not been for Lelah and 21twelve studios, and for that, we should be grateful. I have had several opportunities to work with Lelah in a professional capacity. She is an amazing director who puts her heart and soul into everything she does. She brings out the best in her actors, and I think you will see that with this film.
Alana Is there anything you can tell us about why 21twelve studios went bankrupt' It seemed to be doing so well. Jon I can't say much about that. As an investor, I came into the company late, and I believe it was simply a matter of expenditures. Films are extremely expensive to produce. The company was young, and if the films made didn't make enough money to cover their expenses, the studio simply couldn't survive. A company can only withstand so much debt before it collapses. I do not think anyone was to blame for that. It was simply a matter of business.
Alana Now that you and Ms. De Luca have formed a production company, do you think you might be willing to produce more films in the future, and do you think there is a future for the film business here in Rhy'Din"
Jon I can't really speak for Mataya, but I think, yes, if the right project came along, we might be willing to produce more films, especially those with a Rhy'Din connection. I would like to say, however, that our motivation for producing Alyson and releasing it to the public wasn't motivated by money. Before we started this endeavor, we thought long and hard about what it was we wanted to accomplish. We consulted with a lawyer, we weighed the pros and cons, so to speak, and decided that the film deserved to be seen and those involved in the making of it deserved the recognition that was due them. It was simply a matter of not wanting all that hard work to go to waste.
Alana The film is due to premiere at the Shanachie Theater this coming Sunday evening. Is there anything you'd like to say about that"
Jon Mataya has graciously offered the use of the theater's grounds for the screening and premiere party. Unlike most film premieres, this is going to be a very casual family affair. It's going to be more like a fair than a party really. I can't take any of the credit for that. That's all Mataya's doing. She is an amazing woman, and if it wasn't for her, I doubt any of this would have been possible. Alana Congratulations to you both on your Oscars for your recent work on Swan Song! You must be very proud.
Jon I am, of course! But again, I couldn't have done it without Mataya. If it wasn't for her, I may not agreed to make that film at all. As always, it was an honor and a pleasure to work with her. She is not only an amazing woman and actress, but she is one of my closest friends. Alana What can we expect from you in the near future"
Jon Well, right now, I am taking a leave from acting so that my wife and I can spend some time with our children, but I should be back on stage at the Shanachie this summer to do a little Shakespeare. And there's the final installment of Fifty Shades coming out in the fall. Other than that, who knows"
Who knows, indeed. Many thanks to Jonathan Granger for the above interview, and here's hoping that Getting Over Alyson is a hit!
((More information regarding the film and the premiere party can be found here.))