EXCLUSIVE | 'Mighty Oak' star Ben Milliken says you will laugh, cry and pick up a guitar by the end of the film
As far as music dramas go, 'Mighty Oak' has been one of those films the world has been waiting for. Call it a slice-of-life story coupled with some great music. Helmed by Sean McNamara, the film follows a young woman, Gina Jackson (Janel Parrish), whose world comes crashing down after the death of her brother, Vaughn (Levi Dylan), who also is the lead vocalist of a band. Ten years later, she comes across Oak Scoggins (Tommy Ragen), a young guitar prodigy, who she firmly believes is the reincarnation of Vaughn.
'Mighty Oak' also stars Ben Milliken, Alexa PenaVega, Raven-Symoné and Carlos PenaVega in supporting roles. Ahead of the film's release, MEA WorldWide (MEAWW) spoke exclusively to Ben who plays Darby in the film and also serves as the executive producer. Excerpts:
What can you tell us about Mighty Oak? And how did the role come about?
It was like a really fast turnaround on this one. It was January of last year and I got a phone call from my agent saying, "There's this role in the film, but you gotta put a tape down and you gotta put a tape down tonight. Because they want to see it tomorrow." I made the tape at midnight something and then within a couple of hours, I got the call saying that I'd got the role. I was reading the script and I was like...this is a great movie. I really hope this one works out. And it did. A couple of weeks later, I was in San Diego and we were shooting.
What can you tell us about Darby?
It is a music film and it's about a band. I played in bands all through high school, but never as drama. I'm a guitarist. Darby is like the comedic character in the film. He's the funny one. He's the one who always says something funny with those one-liners, and that is something that I've been really wanting to do lately. I usually go towards playing drama and missed it. And the last role I did before this, I played one of the bad guys in Season 5 of 'Bosch' in Amazon prime. So it was really fun to actually switch gears and now I'm playing the funny guy. Now I'm doing the comedy thing and I gotta tell you I'd never had so much fun.
Is it right to call 'Mighty Oak' as a tale of reincarnation?
You can say absolutely yes. While it doesn't straight out say it, that's exactly the outcome. It's definitely spoken about. There's the belief that's what is going on in this story. And then you can take away whatever you believe from that. It doesn't throw the belief at you, but it definitely puts it out there. There's a real possibility the audience can decide.
What drew you to working on this project?
The script was extremely well-written and basically the most appealing thing about this story was that it had such heart. Matt Allen's script was fantastically written, and then there was so much heart to this film, and so much laughter...this story about this group of people, this band, they were almost like a family. And that's part of the thing that appealed to me. It is about real people.
What can the audience expect from 'Mighty Oak'? And what was it like working with the cast?
They're going to laugh and they're going to cry and there most definitely to want to go and pick up a guitar. With the cast, it was awesome, we had so much fun. I don't think I've laughed that much on a set before. We had so much fun and we play a band. It felt like we were a real band. You know, it's one of those parts when you see us playing music together in this performance on stage, laughing together, that was all real. We felt really connected that way.
Music dramas over the years have gained more traction and a loyal fanbase due to their rather vibrant way of storytelling. What are your thoughts on this?
I think what's happening is people are finding the stories that are behind the music. They're all stories that need to be told, and I think that's really what's making them come to the forefront. It's just the quality of the stories.
From 'Gigantic' to 'Bosch', the roles are much different each time, is experimentation a conscious call?
Absolutely. It's like a very personal thing. You're constantly changing, growing, and evolving in the person. At least that's what I always try to be doing. And I think that is what echoes in your work. Always be doing something new, to find some different parts of yourself that you can explore and open up. And I think that's one of the most important things in life, and then at work. That's one of the most important things that you can do.
After 'Mighty Oak', will we see you don the producer's role in the future?
Absolutely. That's something that I love to do, to be involved in a project just in more ways than one. Acting is my first love. Then to be able to take the project and continue working on it, develop it and help it get out there to the world. That's definitely something. That I'm looking to get much more involved in.
'Mighty Oak' will release in drive-in theaters on June 5.