Jules Stewart's interview with Cinema Assassin

There are a few things to know about Jules, first yes she is the mother of Kristen Stewart now that that’s out of the way. Jules just Directed her first feature film K-11, a gritty tale set inside L.A’s LGBT prison ward K-11, which is an actual place. She co wrote it, she directed it and its set for release this Friday. She has a full sleeve of tattoos, She rescues wolves and is Awesome. Check out what she had to say about her debut and the cast for this long in the making project.

CA: How did you go from being a script supervisor to Directing?

JS: Well it wasn’t so easy and it wasn’t something that I planned out, my writing partner and I reached out to a few directors and that fell through. So I decided to do it myself, I stepped up to be the director because quite frankly, In standing next to directors for so many years I felt like I had really good teachers, All of a sudden I had money standing behind me and honestly when your doing a low budget film and you only have 22 days to shoot, you take what you can get and they got me. I mean honestly I dont know how else to say it, its like I didn’t plan on doing it until the very end and I am really happy I did , It was a really enjoyable experience. You realize what you know what you learned from all the years of watching.

CA: How did the story come about?

JS: A young man named Jared Kurt came to me and said I want to write a script about K-11 and I had no idea what it was. He gave me 10-15 pages of a couple of scenes and I thought wow this is pretty crazy. I did some research and found this place is real and I thought why not, this is cool, this is different, I love this. It took us about a year to write the script.

CA: That was one of the things I liked, it wasn’t a traditional story, there was some uniqueness to say the least.

JS: Yeah it’s interesting to me, because K-11 is real, its a real place and because it’s real it has a real timeline, it has structure, it has history. and what we did is we took all of those elements and made up characters and put them in there. Had a record producer, a guy thats rich, a fish out of water, a guy who absolutely does not belong in there. And took the plug out of the tub and watched the water role down the rabbit hole.

CA: Did you actually go and visit the real facility?

JS: Oh yeah on a number of occasions,

CA: How true to life is it? Obviously for dramatic purposes you’re going to have to punch up a few things

JS: Let me just say we shot this at Sybil Brand which is the woman’s jail which is closed down, but the floor plan actually mirrors Men’s County jail. So the dorm itself looks like the dorm. The only difference is the tower where the guards watch the inmates, in the real K-11 its raised up about 5 feet, our tower was on the floor., Aside from that it looks just the same and we copied the colors, the uniforms, everything, from a visual standpoint it looks like K-11, from a story standpoint we made up the story the corruption the guards. Even the color and the lighting is true, pretty accurate.

CA: For a low budget film you put in a lot of detail

JS: sometimes the truth is better than what you can make up, it has that old age, dirty grungy sound, no windows, no soft surfaces, there is an echo in there. it has such a dynamic that is unique. Plus all the lighting is overhead so you have those down angle shadows on people’s faces that are really unattractive, I thought it was great. I am a painter so it’s all about color and lighting, you want it interesting and different

CA: You hit the nail on the head with interesting and different

JS: Thanks I think?

CA: In terms of casting how did that come about? It took me a while to realize that was DB Sweeney in there.

JS: That is Awesome, I have known him quite a while, I never thought of him for this film. for me he is the classic boy next door handsome guy, and that’s not the character. He wanted this role which was great for me since casting is so important. It makes the film. But if you have actors who are just there for a paycheck especially on a small film it really shows, He brought it he stepped outside of his comfort zone in a big way and we designed his character after Hitler, it was a subtle change for him and it made a huge impact.

CA: Kate Del Castillo is big in Mexico, I wasn’t familiar with her and I wasn’t sure if she was a guy or a girl

JS: Awesome

CA: Anybody you wanted that fell through?

JS: Yes and No, Kate was the first person we cast, honestly when I met her I thought this woman is talented and so powerful, She was just the sweetest girl she was so driven, she wanted this role. You have to cast for a film like this people that embrace the characters and bring more, if they’re afraid or intimidated by the character you lost them. Originally my daughter (Kristen Stewart) attached herself to play the role of Butterfly and I thought that would have been amazing but as the years went by and you have got to remember this is six years in the making, Six years ago when my daughter was 16, 17 years old she wanted to play Butterfly really bad. We kind of altered the character to suit her. As time went buy she got really popular she was doing much bigger films. We thought it would be much better for everybody if she went and did Snow White.

CA: Was that a hard conversation?

JS: No not at all, it was better for K-11 at that point, she was too big for K-11, It wouldn’t have been a Kristen Stewart movie, It’s still a Goran Visnjic Film, You know what I mean. She would have been number four on the call sheet. When we found Portia DoubleDay it was sort of kismet. Portia came to the table with all this enthusiasm, She cut off her hair, she had this long blond hair and she cut it off for us and tied it up kind of crazy and stepped into that role so easily, she did an amazing job and she was really fun to work with. I sometimes wonder how it would have been working with Kristen in that role, It’s such a sensitive role, mother daughter it would have been a strange dynamic, As much as I would love to work with my daughter one day I think we all made the right decision.

CA: Yeah that might be tough; filming a rape scene with your daughter and Tiny might not be the easiest thing.

JS: no but it’s funny Portia and Tiny became really good friends and because of their relationship they would laugh between takes they weren’t intimidated they were able to take it to a much darker place, its sometimes difficult to do those kind of scenes but when the actors are not afraid of the material and they are friends of one another. it makes everyone much more at ease. It wasn’t even a closed set. It was ok now we are going to do this, No worries it’s just another scene and then you take it out and edit the movie and you say wow that was really intense. It didn’t feel like it on the set.

CA: It had a nice airy feeling on the set?

JS: We knew it was working but because of the laughter between takes it really wasn’t a big deal. we were working so quickly. You shoot a movie in 22 days you have a lot on your plate. So you don’t have a lot of time to sit around and labor how it feels. We had 46 people in one room and we had to choreograph these scenes so that one blended into the next and they didn’t look like scenes, but like a big ballet that was choreographed.

CA: It’s one thing dealing with an entire prison

JS: Exactly you have no walls so where do you go? One thing that helped was we shot in Continuity. The hair, the makeup the wardrobe didn’t change. You were able to shoot in order to give the actors a foundation to stand on.

CA: How did Jason Mewes come to the project?

JS: Jason is a really good friend of mine and I wanted to use him, I wanted to work with him. The goal was to show everyone that he is not just a goofy comedian that he is a very good actor, a dramatic actor. Unfortunately some of his stuff got cut because of time. I do think that Jason really pulled it off it was a really good character for him.

CA: It seemed like a lot of the characters not only played against type but they pulled it off.

JS: Jason’s a really good friend of mine we have been friends for a long time and I thought how great to work with your friends and for me it’s a big movie this little move for  me is a big movie and it had a lot of challenges a lot of hardships that went along with it. I feel like the casting director Pam Dixon helped me make a lot of good choices, it’s all about casting.

CA: How did it turn out compared to how you anticipated it turning out?

JS: Well, it’s interesting we had a whole opening we shot that shows Raymond how he got into trouble and all that stuff, we decided to throw it away because I didn’t think we needed it. Very much like Cuckoo’s Nest when Jack Nicholson arrives they take the handcuffs off of him and you don’t know why he is there and you don’t need to know. So on that line we decided to start him in the jail, it’s about K-11 it’s not about Raymond Saxx then you find out about the character when he finds out.

CA: Is it true that you have wolves as pets?

JS: HAHA yes its true, I rescue them.

CA: Where do you rescue a wolf from?

JS: From people that can’t handle them, why do you want one?

CA: No I thought it was the coolest thing. When I was young I wanted a monkey and a wolf, Are they domesticated?

JS: They are socialized, I am a tamer, I love them, they come in and out of a doggie door and they live on my property and in my house. It’s very cool.

CA: What’s your next project?

JS: I like edgy films, and have a couple in development, one is a supernatural thriller that starts out in Ancient China, Its about a temple that gets unearthed. It gets deconstructed then reconstructed in the United States along with its residents from 2010 B.C that’s kind of cool, There is another one I want to do with gangs and drugs that takes place in the 70’s in New York, Italians vs the Irish and its all kids. I am kind of excited. Right now you right the scripts and you throw it out to the universe and see what sticks. It takes a long time K-11 is 6 years now, it takes a long time for independent film makers to rev up and get funding. Were hoping to close that gap with a modicum of success from K-11

CA: Was getting distribution hard?

JS: No it actually wasn’t, were with Breaking Glass for domestic distribution and now we are opening up March 15th in 15 cities.

CA: Is it going to be on VOD as well?

JS: Absolutely!

Source CinemaAssassin

Jules Stewart interview with Mingle Media TV

Experience. Passion for Storytelling.

For the past 25 + years Jules Stewart has worked in TV and Movies as a script supervisor, representing the writers on set, sitting next to directors and DPs (director of photography) taking notes and ensuring the continuity of the project is sound.

For K-11, she moves over a chair to the director’s seat and brings the story to life. Stewart co-wrote K-11 with Jared Kurt who came to her with six pages and this story idea. The collaboration began with research and understanding the “real” place this film would be set in. There were no hidden agendas, no political statements, just telling a story.

That’s where many projects get de-railed.

Too many times the script or story starts out with one voice and vision, but not K-11, it was not designed by committee where others start injecting their voice and before you know it, your story is no longer yours. Stewart told me that she had the movie funded three times but two of them fell through. It wasn’t until meeting with some investors from France that she found the right partners. Their only requirement was that she stay as close to the script as possible.

Add up her experience and her artistic bent and you’ll understand why it was only natural for her to make the jump to be in full control as a director.

During our conversation, Stewart shared that she had some very good teachers. In fact, if you look at her IMDb credits, you’ll see some very impressive projects from dramas to action to comedies and family films proving that she’s had the “on the job training” to be a successful director as she’s worked with some very accomplished filmmakers over the years.

Shot in Continuity Order.

What does that mean? Most film or TV projects are shot out-of-order because you may only need to be at one location for a day with two or three actors so it makes sense to group them together and shoot the scenes out-of-order to keep costs down. But K-11 was shot in twenty-two days in continuity order which is unusual. The benefits were that the cast knew where the story was going and could go with the flow of the scenes being shot. Plus most of the movie is set in a large room where 46 people had to work together to tell the story as directed by Stewart. As you watch the movie, you’ll see how the camera almost plays the role of one of the inmates and you’re seeing their POV (point of view) as the story unravels.

There is a story within a story here. One where Goran Visnjic’s character Ray Saxx, a very successful record producer gets put in jail for a “187″ (murder) but is so strung out on drugs that he doesn’t know where he is. That’s when D.B. Sweeney’s character LT. Gerald Johnson, a shady sheriff’s deputy, jumps in to take him to his special ward inside of the LA County Jail, the one designated for gay and transgendered male prisoners, K-11.

Once in K-11, the audience sees life behind bars, not good or bad, just a slice of life during the time that “Ray Saxx” is inside. There is truth to this side of the film as Stewart and Kurt’s story shows the inmates as they go about their business, from “Mousey,” expertly played by Kate del Castillo, who runs the ward to “Butterfly” played by Portia Doubleday (who also delivers a stellar performance) a delicate character who morphs as the world around “her” (sorry, not into spoilers)…

Raw. Real. Not Heavy.

When I started watching the screener, it was on my second computer and as usual I was “working” on my other one when I had to stop, rewind, and just sit back and be in the audience. At first, you’re startled by the realistic setting, reminding me of “scared straight” episodes where it’s raw and real and you wanted to get out of there. Then you are pulled in and follow the “camera” to watch the events unfold. Personally, this movie had me feeling a range of emotions from relief, (that feeling of never being in that situation and thank god it has never happened to me) to frustration, to fear, to satisfaction. It started dark but left you light at the end. Unburdened, if you will, but still haunted by the situation that won’t change.

As much as I’d like to say this movie is for everyone, it’s not. It wasn’t meant to be for everyone. That’s okay with Stewart. She just wanted to tell a story, no hidden agenda. Is it a good story? Yes, it is. The movie delivers the vision and voice of the story. When you put time into creating a story and then tell it your way, and are pleased with your work, that’s all that matters. Remember the saying “art is subjective” and keep an open mind and just listen to the story.

K-11 is directed and co-written by Jules Stewart with Jared Kurt co-writing and stars Goran Visnjic (Red Widow, Beginners, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Kate del Castillo (La Reina del Sur), Portia Doubleday (Youth in Revolt), D.B. Sweeney (Hard Ball), Jason Mewes (Clerks), Tommy ‘Tiny’ Lister (The Dark Knight), Tara Buck (True Blood; Justified) and Cameron Stewart in his feature film debut.

K-11 Opens in 15 Cities and on Video on Demand March 15th 2013

Los Angeles: Laemmle’s NoHo Theater, March 15 -22
New York: Cinema Village, March 15 – 22
San Diego: Digital Gym (Grand Opening), March 29 – April 5
San Francisco: Roxie Theater, March 22 – 29
Columbus: Gateway Film Center, March 15 – 22
Denver: Starz Film Center, March 22 – 29
Tempe: Harkins Valley Art, March 15 – 22
Daytona: Cinematique of Daytona, March 23 (Special engagement)
Detroit: Cass City Cinema 3/15
Fort Lauderdale: Cinema Paradiso 3/15
Stroudsburg, PA: Living Room Theater 3/15

Find more details on watching it OnDemand here.

Source Mingle Media TV

Jules Stewart interview with NY Daily News

Independent films and Italian dishes, that’s what Kristen Stewart’s mom Jules Stewart has cooking.

The first of those is “K-11,” opening March 15 in theaters and OnDemand, the debut directorial effort from the longtime script supervisor. The latter is a reference to a lasagna cook-off the Australian-born film industry vet held against her daughter, star of the “Twilight” films, “Snow White and the Huntsman” and “On the Road.”

”I made a sausage-based lasagna, and Kristen made a cheese and marinara. We had friends come over as blind judges and she won,” says the woman the Twihard crowd refers to as “MamaStew.”

”K-11” is an old-school exploitation film starring ”ER’s” Goran Visnjic as a wrongly imprisoned record exec placed in a jail wing for transgendered and gay cons. Character actors like Jason Mewes, Tommy ’Tiny’ Lister and D.B. Sweeny costar, while some of the transgendered characters are not played by men-as-women, but by actresses pretending to be men transformed to women. Among them is Mexican superstar Kate del Castillo as the violent leader Mousey.

Alas, daughter Kristen is not in the film, though her voice is heard for a brief moment over the phone.

”We know it’s not a film for everyone,” says the heavily tattooed Stewart. “We’re okay with that. But midnight audiences in gay neighborhoods dressing up as the characters? That’s my dream come true. I would love to see Mousey for Halloween.”

"Twilight" fans have taken to Jules Stewart. In addition to having her own well-trafficked MamaStew tag on tumblr, the Twihards with have created at least one "K-11" Internet fan site, something virtually unheard of for a microbudget film from a first-time director about a fringe topic. 

When Jules tweeted "Hey, anybody seen Kristen? Ask her to call her mom," the Internet exploded (5,000 retweets, 3,000 favorites) and speculative interpretation was like a meeting of Talmudic scholars. Commenter @Spitfire_King had a nice spin, noting "no matter what level you work, a parent chasing offspring for contact."

While Jules Stewart doesn’t claim credit for her 22-year-old daughter’s cooking prowess (”maybe I influenced her a little?”) she is quick to quip that the Hollywood star’s apple pie is ”extraordinary and award-winning.”

Far less evocative of ”apple pie” is the new film Jules is serving up. The independent production ”K-11” is a fictional film set in a very real opt-in wing of the Los Angeles County Jail for detainees who are transgendered or gay.

”It’s the only place in a jail system where race is not an issue,” she says. “Being gay or transgendered binds them all together. And, yes, there is a fashion show every Thursday.”

While this is Jules’ first film as a director, she’s been working behind the scenes for decades. Her credits as a script supervisor are diverse, ranging from David Lynch’s 1999 ”The Straight Story” to comedies like 2004’s ”Soul Plane.”

While that job is all about checking for continuity, it’s not an attribute she takes home with her. ”If I come to your house for a cocktail I’m not going to come back two months later and tell you what’s been moved,” Stewart jokes. “In my job I’m a paid observer, in life I don’t scrutinize.”

It was while she was up in Canada working on the Cuba Gooding Jr. film ”Snow Dogs” when her daughter Kristen was on set with Jodie Foster shooting director David Fincher’s  ”Panic Room.” It resulted in Kristen’s biggest movie up to that time, and a special kind of Hollywood rite-of-passage.

”I wasn’t there for her birthday, so Jodie threw her a party on set,” Stewart says. “She hired a Mariachi band and had Mexican catering and everyone brought her presents. Jodie did all this while she was pregnant. When I came down for the end of the shoot, she said ’thank you for having your daughter.’”

”I’ve seen it firsthand. If publications have no news about someone, they make it up, and it hurts people,” Stewart says. “I’ve read in magazines at the grocery store that my daughter is pregnant, that she’s having a three-headed baby, that she married an alien. Obviously some stories are so ridiculous you know they can’t be true. But other false stories could potentially be true. As a mother, it is difficult to read things that I know for a fact are not true.”

As for what’s really true, well, that’s something MamaStew isn’t going to discuss. ”That has nothing to do with my film or me,” she politely, but firmly, states.

Source NYDailyNews

New 'behind the scenes' photo & article by Red Alert Live

Many fans have been anxiously waiting for the release of Jail Drama titled K-11! Well now they no longer have to wait as the movie is scheduled for a March 15th theatrical release!

K-11 is a unit of the L.A. County jail where gay and transgender inmates are separated from the mainline population. The K-11 unit is ruled by a transsexual inmate named Mousey who is played by Mexican Soap Queen Kate del Castillo “La Reina Del Sur.”

The movie is directed by Jules Stewart mother of Twilight’s Kristen Stewart.

On Friday 3/15/13 K-11 opens in Los Angeles with a week-long run at North Hollowood’s LAEMMLE NOHO Theater. The movie also includes a 15-City release in the cities of New York, San Diego, Philadelphia, Denver, Tempe, San Francisco, Phoenix, Columbus, Daytona, Fort Lauderdale, Stroudsburg, PA with more to follow.

Regarding the movie actress Kate del Castillo said “I play a transexual and she is bad ass!” Regarding turning into the character of Mousey Kate said “I’m playing a transgendered [person] and that was very challenging, and that’s what I want. To be in projects that are interesting to me and [where] I will learn from the character.”

RAL’s Jovanny Venegas is one of the inmates of K-11 he told us “K-11 was an amazing experience, I grew up watching Kate del Castillo in many Novelas, so being in a scene was her was incredible and intense especially as she’s kicking some a** (laughs). Jules is an awesome director and I’d love to work with her again. Overall I definitely recommend this movie, it’s real prison life in LA. K-11 is not sugarcoated and some scenes will definitely leave you with your mouth open.”

Actress Tara Buck told RAL ”I play Crystal in the film. I had a great time working on K-11. There are so many eclectic characters in the cast, great crew, fantastic director and tattoos for days. So much fun. Tara continued with “I think the movie is a wonderfully unique film. It’s tantalizingly twisted, dark for sure, and I think audiences will be surprised to find themselves laughing as well. It’s a very entertaining world that Jules has created. Absolutely go see it! ”

Other actors in the film include: Tommy ‘Tiny’ Lister who plays a predatory child molester, D.B. Sweeney plays the ruthless Sheriff’s Deputy, Lt. Johnson, Cameron Stewart (Kristen Stewart’s brother) plays Sledgehammer among many others.

Source Red Alert Live

Photos of Kate del Castillo & Tiny Lister at the San Diego Latino Film Festival (March 8)

Click on each photo for a larger view.

Check out more photos & video of the night here and here.

Source San Diego Latino Film Festival

Scott Marks from the San Diego Reader talks about meeting Kate del Castillo & Tiny Lister at the SDLFF

The phone rang just as I was pulling into the parking stall at Digiplex Mission Valley. "Where are you, man?" a familiar voice growled. "I'm upstairs in a holding area."

When we spoke earlier in the week, 'Tiny' Lister assured me that he was coming to San Diego for the Latino Film Festival's premier of his latest film, K 11. 'Tiny' is a man of his word!

Festival programmer, Glenn Heath, had this bemused "I can't believe this is happening" look on his face as he escorted me upstairs to meet the man. It didn't take long for me to spot 'Tiny's' broad, door jamb splintering shoulders in a crowd.

Shaking hands with 'Tiny' was like sticking my mitt in a vise and meeting him was a thrill beyond compare. If only I had the chance to introduce myself before photogs snapped our picture.

With all due respect to Mr. Lister, 'Tiny' wasn't the main attraction. Fans packed the lobby of Digiplex Mission Valley hoping to get a glimpse of Mexican superstar, Kate del Castillo. Watching the mob funnel its way past the ticket-taker was the closest I've come to a Day of the Locust moment since moving to San Diego.

K 11 was my first introduction to the comely Ms. del Castillo. After seeing her performance as Mousey, the foul-mouthed, tyrannical tranny inmate, it wasn't clear if this crowd, weaned on the actresses popular telenovelas, was ready for such a bold departure.

Meeting Kate in person was a bit of a jolt. Her makeup man should either get an Oscar or prison time.

You still have a shot at seeing K 11. It's the inaugural film when the Media Arts Center opens the Digital Gym, its new screening facility, on March 29. Click for the festival program book and more information.

Source 

Thanks to @KstewAngel for the heads up. 

Video & Photos: Tiny Lister & Kate del Castillo at the San Diego Latino Film Festival (March 8)

Click on each photo for larger view.

Fan Video: toxqui11

Photos: @lopezreports @chas96744 and @scottmarks (via@KstewAngel)

Tiny Lister talks to the San Diego Reader about K-11

You better scream, you better shout: 'Tiny' Lister is coming to town tonight to promote his latest film, K 11, which screens at 9:30pm as part of the San Diego Latino Film Festival.

'Tiny' is an imposing character actor who has appeared in something like 140 films. As I told him, he's the meanest, scariest looking m'fer on the planet, yet every time I spot his name in the credits my face breaks out in an ear-to-ear grin.

I spoke with 'Tiny' via telephone on Wednesday and he had no idea the film was screening this weekend. He's spending today with his daughter, but the night is free and clear. A call to Mrs. Lister earlier today confirmed it: 'Tiny's' coming!


'Tiny' stars as a child molesting convict doing hard time in an LGBT prison. K 11 was directed by Jules Stewart whose daughter, Kristen, I am told, made a big splash in something called Twilight. 'Tiny' loves the film and wants very much to support Stewart of whom he had nothing but glowing things to say.

One of the questions I was going to ask 'Tiny' was to single out the worst act one of his characters had ever committed on screen. After seeing K 11, I don't think 'Tiny' has ever played a character quite as loathsome as Detroit.

'Tiny' asked that he be allowed to leave the following message for San Diego film fans on The Big Screen:

"SAN DIEGO, PUT YOUR LIGHTS ON! SOMEBODY IS COMING TO THE SAN DIEGO LATINO FILM FESTIVAL ON FRIDAY. SOME PEOPLE CALL ME 'TINY' LISTER. SOME PEOPLE CALL ME DEEBO. SOME PEOPLE CALL ME ZEUS. LET ME TELL YOU, SAN DIEGO, THE MEANEST MOTHERF---ER IN THE WORLD IS COMING. DETROIT, FROM THE HIT MOVIE K 11 WILL BE IN SAN DIEGO THIS FRIDAY NIGHT. DETROIT IS COMING, AND HE F---S SATAN UP THE A--!"

I am so there!

God willing, 'Tiny' will join K 11's star, Kate del Castillo, Jules Stewart, and producer Tom Wright at Digiplex Mission Valley for tonight's screening.

I was going to run my complete interview with 'Tiny,' but decided instead to milk this for all it's worth. K 11 will be the premier feature when the Media Arts Center opens The Digital Gym, its new screening facility in North Park, later this month. More from Mr. Lister to follow.

Source 

Tiny Lister talks about K-11 with Dread Central

Excerpts from the interview:

Since making his feature film debut in the 1985 flick Runaway Train, Tommy "Tiny" Lister has worked on over 160 projects, quickly becoming one of the most recognizable character actors of modern cinema.

This Friday, March 8th, Lister's latest film, K-11, will be arriving at limited theaters nationwide. Helmed by first-time director Jules Stewart (Crank: High Voltage, XXX), K-11 also stars Goran Visnjic ("ER," The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Kate del Castillo ("Weeds"), D.B. Sweeney (The Cutting Edge, Fire in the Sky), Jason Mewes (Clerks I & II) and Portia Doubleday (the upcoming Carrie) and follows what happens inside a troubled portion of a Los Angeles correctional facility reserved for the homosexual and transgender inmates. In the film Lister plays Detroit, and while it's certainly not the first time we've ever seen the seasoned actor as a convict, it's perhaps his most nuanced performance to date.

Dread Central: Well, let's talk about your current project, K-11; I don't think we have ever seen you quite like we do in this movie. Was that the appeal of taking on a character like Detroit, that it allowed you to do some different things as an actor?

Tiny Lister: Oh definitely, that's why I wanted to do this first and foremost. I've had a lot of great roles, but you always want to do something different and challenge yourself in new ways which is just what I could do with a role like this. And Jules is such a beautiful soul; she really deserves to get recognition for the risks that she takes in this movie.

But I knew Detroit was a bad, bad man so I had to really commit to that in order to make that performance believable and it was hard to get inside the head of a guy like that. But if I'm going to play the devil, l'm going to play the best devil that I can. And this cast was so fantastic, too- I really loved working on this movie; Jules really did something incredible.

Dread Central: You mentioned that Detroit is a 'bad, bad man' but at certain points in K-11 we see a bit of humanity in him as well- was it hard finding that inside a character like this?

Tiny Lister: You know, that humanity- Portia's character was the only one that could find it really; I don't know if I necessarily did. In my mind, he was abused and spoke down to his entire life and the only time he's heard the word love directed toward him is when Portia says it and so it releases all of his anger and emotion in some really scary and emotional ways. I knew this was going to be an intimate performance for me to try and pull off, but I wanted to try and not be the criminal you'd expect a guy like me to be.

Look, I've built a great career around being a bad guy but in reality, I'm just a big baby. When you grow up in Compton, you have to get that 'look' down- you know the look I'm talking about right? My look (laughs).

Dread Central: Oh yeah, I know it well (laughs).

Tiny Lister: Good, you understand then that I have a character look that's become my trademark look and Jules just went for it in K-11 off of that look. Detroit is a very sick person and when he puts his will on you, it's never a good thing.

You know, a lot of people can't handle something this honest. Jules is a rebel and she's just so out of the box and that's what I'm looking for when taking on roles these days. More movies need to stir things up and I think we need more movies like K-11 being made. On the outside, our cast may look like a circus but we're a family and that was all due to Jules. Somehow she knew this hodge-podge of actors would click as well as we did.

Read the FULL interview with Tiny here at Dread Central's Indie Horror Month.

Thanks to @thehorrorchick and @K11OfficialFilm 

New Still of Kate del Castillo and Tiny Lister

Source @LibertineFilms with thanks.

New still with Portia Doubleday as "Butterfly" & Tommy Lister as "Detroit."

Thanks to @K11OfficialFilm