EXCLUSIVE | 'Queen of the South' actor David Bianchi gives promising update on 'RZR' Season 2
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: David Bianchi is an actor, writer, and filmmaker who recently acted in and co-wrote the dystopian sci-fi series 'RZR'. He plays the lead role of Grimm in the series that revolves around neural implants, artificial intelligence, and the underbelly of black-market crime.
David is fluent in Spanish, Portuguese, and English and holds a BFA in Theatre and Film from Arizona State University. He's had a distinguished career in films and TV, playing recurring roles in shows like 'Westworld' (HBO), Tyler Perry's 'Ruthless' (BET), 'Queen of the South' (Netflix), 'SEAL Team' (Paramount+), and 'Criminal Minds' (Paramount+).
Another feather in his cap is his production of high-concept spoken word films which he calls 'Spinema', a concept that combines cinema with the spoken word.
His efforts have earned him a membership in the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. For 'RZR', David is the show-runner, co-writer, and lead actor. The series also stars Mena Suvari, Richard Cabral, Emilio Rivera, and Danny Trejo.
In an exclusive interview with MEAWW, David shares his great insight into his journey, the filmmaking process, his acting process, and many other things.
Excerpts from the interview
Before we get to the film, we'd like to know a bit more about your journey. How did you get into filmmaking, writing, and acting?
As long as I can remember, I have loved performance, I was on stage as early as third grade but it was always theatre. I was involved in many high-school productions but the first time I started thinking about cinema was my mid-teens. I would watch movies and think that I could do it better than them.
In my early 20s, I decided to go to theatre school and decided to pursue this. I went to Arizona State University where I got a BFA in theatre and film. I directed my first short film in 2003 when I was at the university and performed on the main stage of ASU several times.
How did this project RZR take shape? When did you conceive it and what was the entire journey before it went on floors?
RZR is a product of 20 years of producing independent films. In 2005, I directed the first short film I starred in and that is where I caught the bug. I decided that I wanted to produce films that I could act in, and I have continued to do so since 2005.
The one thing that independent film teaches you is it teaches you grit and it teaches you how to fail. 'RZR' is the outcome of 6 feature films and more short films than I can count. I have spent 19 years journey in Los Angeles producing spoken-word films called 'Spinema' that put me on the map as a highly-respected independent artist.
Come March 2021, I released my spoken word about the murder of George Floyd and that NFT was collected by one of the biggest NFT collectors. The critics raved about it and it generated some good press. I donated the entire proceeds to the George Floyd Memorial Foundation. I continued to sell NFTs and discovered the power of Blockchain as a distribution mechanism.
This is when I met the team at Gala Film and I pitched the idea of 'RZR'. I created a proposal and lookbook overnight and they decided to forward with it. The universe works in mysterious ways and I consider this a result of 20 years of hard work, and dealing with rejection.
You're the executive producer, co-writer, and actor for this series. How do you manage everything? Both on and off the camera.
I think the most important thing is the team. You need to have a powerful team that you can love and trust. You need to have the trust in individuals to be able to delegate work.
Going back to failure, Failure is the precursor to success because once I've failed, I know what doesn't work, and that instigates confidence. I am a confident filmmaker because I have failed with my team and had successes with my team.
I can't be an actor if I don't trust my team to do their job. So, I need to have an emotional state of comfort with my team to be comfortable as an actor.
What's your acting process like? Are you big on Stanislavsky or what's your method?
I've had the opportunity to study classical techniques like Stanislavsky and Meisner Technique. I think the ability to deliver and perform is unique to every individual and it must be. Because every actor has different emotional, sociological, and physiological experiences that create their interpretation of the text.
Sometimes I have a laugh around actors who are 'too method' because even if you're on stage, you're never 100% the character, that is a physiological impossibility.
I will acknowledge though, that while performing, you have to stay in a zone. If I'm doing an emotional scene, I want to be in that emotional state in between cuts. But once the scene is over, being the producer, I am also handling logistics.
I try to be honest with my performance. People connect to emotions, vulnerabilities, and honesty. That's what I tried to do with Grimm on 'RZR'.
When you're writing something like 'RZR'. Something that's so out of the box, how do you keep your characters relatable? How do you manage to build a connection with the audience?
Emotional scars make characters relatable because none of us are ideal and we wanted to create a character who was strong but was also trying to find himself in a complicated world.
Oftentimes in science fiction, creators get so trapped in the hyperbole of their science, that their tropes become unreliable. 'RZR' is the journey of a man who is trying to make the world a better place through technology but he finds obstacles that he has to push through and that brings out the human side of him.
Tell us more about Gala Films and where you plan to take this. Where do you see the future of this portal?
I have a lot of promise for Blockchain technology and a lot of promise for Gala Film. Because what we are doing hasn't been done before, we are 'gameifying' the viewing experience.
For the first time in Hollywood's history, fans will be able to own scenes and people will be able to collect as NFTs or Digital Collectibles, pieces, and moments from scenes.
I think once the world is able to grasp how immersive the viewing experience of Gala Film is, it'll be unstoppable.
What's next for you? What will you do after 'RZR'?
I am actively developing season 2 of 'RZR' and building the script, characters, and assets around it and I am actively auditioning. I am currently in the running for a big TV series right now.
We are in the middle of an Emmy campaign. 'RZR' is in contention for short-form drama and comedy at the 76th Primetime Emmy. So right now the focus is on Emmy, developing season 2, and maybe taking a vacation.
'RZR' trailer
Stream the series 'RZR' on Gala
David Bianchi's Instagram: @davidbianchi_official