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Scott Sell Out To Kill interview

Writer/director Rob Williams released his latest movie Out To Kill on DVD this week.

The murder mystery has been picking up critical acclaim and wowing festival audiences in the run-up to its release. The lead role of private investigator Jim Noble, a man who is thrown into the midst of all the action, is played by rising star Scott Sell.

We caught up to Scott to find out more about the movie, talk about his character, and discuss what else he has coming up.

Hi Scott. How are you today? Where does this email Q&A find you?

Iā€™m doing well. Thanks! Iā€™m at my apartment in LA having my morning cup of coffee.

Your new movie Out To Kill has just been released. What is it all about?

Iā€™d say itā€™s a whodunit about the mysterious death of a resident at a tight nit loft complex and trying to find out who could have killed him when seemingly everyone has a motive.

In the movie you play private investigator Jim Noble. What do we need to know about him?

Heā€™s new to town so heā€™s coming in to this complex social scene and trying to figure that out while investigating a murder. And I think it must be said that investigating this murder, if it was one, is something heā€™s reluctant to do at first.

What research did you do to get into the character?

Well, Iā€™ve seen a ton of private eye movies over the years so undoubtedly some of them influenced me, but I also found inspiration from people with similar careers from investigative journalists to documentary filmmakers. However, without saying too much, there was a lot of research done in other areas.

How did you get involved with Out To Kill?

To start at the very beginning, my friend and former director Mark Bessenger was having a barbeque at his house and I met Rob Williams and Rodney Johnson there. I think at the time Rob was thinking about casting for ā€œOut to Killā€ and soon after he contacted me to come in for a reading. Honestly it was the most unstressful audition process Iā€™ve been involved in. If was fun.

What was director/writer Rob Williams like to work with? Were you familiar with his other movies?

Easy. Just easy to work with. He knew what he wanted and trusted that we knew what we were doing, and he only stepped in when he needed. Prior to that, I hadnā€™t seen any of his other films but I had heard his name from friends.

Scott Sell and Mark Strano in Out To Kill
Scott Sell and Mark Strano in Out To Kill

If you had to play a role other than Jim in the movie which character would it be and why?

Thatā€™s a tough one because I really donā€™t think I could have played another role in the film and certainly not better than the actors who were cast.

What was Out To Kill like to film? Was there a good camaraderie with the cast behind-the-scenes?

It filmed in, I want to say nine days, so it moved fast but smooth. All the cast and crew got along well. We spent a lot of time together and got to know each other well. I have to say that filming in Tampa was great! We really took over the loft complex where most of the movie was set and everyone was wonderful, really accommodating.

Out To KillYou also starred in The Last Straight Man, which came out this year. Whatā€™s that movie all about and what was your experience like?

ā€œThe Last Straight Manā€ is about two guys, best friends, one gay, one ā€œstraight,ā€ who start to have a physical relationship but only once a year. My character gets married and has kids and yet this affair with his best friend continues and changes. For me it was a challenging role, being straight and playing this character that has an affair with a man and because the film is about that relationship I worked hard to make sure my performance was believable. Hopefully it was.

How will you be spending the holidays this year?

Iā€™ll be going back to Detroit with my girlfriend for Christmas. Weā€™re both from the area so itā€™ll be nice to visit family, friends, and do all of the typical Christmas stuff we love. But weā€™ll be back in LA to ring in the New Year.

Out To Kill is available on DVD through Guest House Films now. Watch the trailer for the movie below:

Pip Ellwood-Hughes
Pip Ellwood-Hughes
Pip is the owner and Editor of Entertainment Focus, and the Managing Director of PiƱata Media. With over 19 years of journalism experience, Pip has interviewed some of the biggest stars in the entertainment world. He is also a qualified digital marketing expert with over 20 years of experience.
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