Q & A with Dave Boyle

Dave Boyle is the writer/director of White on Rice

DisOrient: How did you get Bruce Campbell to do a voiceover for WOR?

Dave Boyle: It was pretty simple really. We just called his agent to see if he'd consider it, and lucky for us he was into the idea. We came to Oregon to record it. Mr. Campbell is a professional of the highest caliber; it took about 20 minutes to do the whole thing.

DisOrient: How is Jimmy's character similar to Boyd of BIG DREAMS, LITTLE TOKYO (first feature film, showed at DisOrient’08)? How do they reflect yourself?

Dave: Well, as much as I hate to admit it, both characters are slightly autobiographical. Boyd is my driven, ambitious self while Jimmy is basically what I'm worried I'll turn into. That said, both are equally inspired by other people around me. Characters with irrational dreams and ambitions are interesting to me.

DisOrient: What draws you to Japanese American characters or Japanese culture?

Dave: The whole thing was pretty serendipitous. I went on an LDS mission to Sydney, Australia and was assigned to learn to speak Japanese for translation and teaching purposes. I spent two years there, and when I got back to the States attended school and studied Japanese to keep it up. When it came time to write my first feature, I guess it was only natural that I would write it about the experience of trying to learn to learn a foreign language.

White on Rice was a bit more complicated. My original story was not really ethnically specific, but when I met Hiroshi Watanabe (who plays Jimmy) I just knew he had the potential to be such a great comedic star. So I fashioned the movie as a Hiroshi vehicle.

WOR is really a universal story that could take place anywhere, but hopefully the Japanese-American vibe adds something to it.

DisOrient: What was it like working with Hiroshi?

Dave: Hiroshi is one crazy mad scientist. To be honest, I just kinda left him alone to do his thing. He has his own process that he likes to go through, and I tried to give him room.

He is also one of the most well prepared, professional people I've ever worked with. He never forgot his lines, or even laughed in the middle of a take.

One of his strengths is that he doesn't try to be funny. He played this as straight drama. In fact, he told me he's surprised at how much people laugh at the movie.

DisOrient: Is there anything else you'd like to share about WOR?

Dave: Come and see it!

DisOrient: What are your upcoming projects?

Dave: I'm writing a script called "Space Cadet" about my middle school experience. Very different from my films. But the next year or so will be occupied almost solely with promoting my two films and helping them reach a broader audience.