Morgan Rojas

Riley Stearns: "I want to earn my black belt in filmmaking too"

Director, baker, and Jiu Jitsu purple belt Riley Stearns once again proves he’s a talent to watch, bringing a unique voice to the black comedy genre. After the success of his last feature, Faults, Stearns is back with The Art of Self Defense, a violent, sad, and hilarious film about karate culture, in theaters this Friday (think Napoleon Dynamite meets The Lobster).

In our exclusive interview, we talk dachshund casting day, the unconventional way Jesse Eisenberg accepted the role, and his first day of Jiu Jitsu class 6 years ago. We begin:

I'd been doing Jiu Jitsu for a couple of years when I started writing The Art of Self-Defense. I was working on [another] idea for a script that I can only describe as forcing a square peg into a round hole– I was trying to make it work but it wasn't. I finally said, why am I not just doing something in the world of martial arts? So The Art of Self-Defense really came about by being a fan of Jiu Jitsu. Jiu Jitsu isn't as well known as karate, and people rolling around on the ground isn't as exciting, so I went with karate [in the film]. It's more cinematic too.

I trained at a gym in Paris and while we spoke a different language, we all understood the techniques. That's cool.

What was your first Jiu Jitsu class like?

I was a fan of MMA and would watch it at home but when my ex would come into the room, I'd change the channel. It felt like something I wasn't supposed to be watching, like that's what jocks watch or meatheads watch and I'm not that. But I was drawn to it, the element of Jiu Jitsu specifically. Like, the small guy's winning, how's that happening? It's because he was using leverage and technique over strength. I thought that was fascinating.

I was working at a production office in Glendale at the time and down the street, they were opening up a Gracie Barra Glendale. Every day I would drive by it and say I'm going to try a class. It took me three years to walk through those doors.

I was intimidated and nervous and worried about what the guys were going to be like. Would they want to kill me? I finally signed up, took my first class, and threw up after because I was out of shape and exhausted. But I was so excited by the stuff that I learned. I was just like, I'm learning how to choke somebody. They're letting me do this. I want to do this every day.

I look back on that first class and think, what was I afraid of? Everyone there is like a dad or a mom or a teacher or a doctor. Every walk of life, every body type, every age, every ethnicity. It is such a wonderful thing to walk into a place where we all come from different backgrounds, but we all want this one thing and we all get to do it. I trained at a gym in Paris and while we spoke a different language, we all understood the techniques. That's cool.

You and Jesse have a similar vibe, was casting him as Casey intentional to reflect your attachment to the film?

It's funny, Jesse is not a person who's threatened by information that other actors might be threatened by. The first time I had a meeting with him, he goes, "I'm really excited that you want me to be in this and I would love to. I'm curious, who did you offer the role to before me?" And I was like, really?

Laughter

So I mentioned one name, a guy that he's actually friends with, and he goes, "Oh, he would've been really good."

He's that kind of guy. It's a freeing feeling as director to not have to sugarcoat things with him. Jesse doesn't get worked up about little things that other actors might get worked up about. He gives what you give and if you give him shit, he can give it back to you.

He was also the most giving, engaged person on set. Jesse was talking with the crew in between takes and wanted to know who they were, their families... he never would go back to his trailer.

The first time I had a meeting with [Jesse], he goes, "I'm really excited that you want me to be in this and I would love to. I'm curious, who did you offer the role to before me?"

Interesting that Jesse wasn't your immediate go-to. He's perfect in this role.

Initially, I thought I wanted to cast somebody who was older. I wanted somebody in their forties. I felt like it would be sad and funny if somebody who is older felt like less of a man, training alongside teenagers.

This actor that Jesse knew I had offered the role to wrote me a super nice email, but it was like, "I can't play a weak character right now." I'm not exaggerating, that line is verbatim. I can't play a weak character right now. And I was like, I am making the right movie if this is scaring guys. And it's very cliche to say, but I cannot imagine anybody else in the role besides Jesse.

My favorite scene is when he has a total emotional breakdown in the car.

When we were shooting that scene, it was me and my cinematographer, Michael Ragen, in the car with him. We're setting up and starting to drive off and Jesse kind of takes a moment, there's a little silence, and he goes, "Alright so, no big deal I'm just gonna cry in front of my new best friends. Yeah, that's gonna be fine." Then he worked himself up and bawled, and ended up being so sweet and vulnerable at that moment.

...And now I've got a story about a pet psychic.

So, Mocha. I loved this dog.

I grew up with dachshunds. I have one, Didy, that my parents watch now. I've always loved the breed. But I also felt like it was the perfect companion and best friend for somebody like Casey. We were filming in Louisville, KY and there are not trained movie dogs in Louisville, so we had dachshund casting call one day, which was my favorite day I've ever had in my entire life. But none of the dogs behaved, even just sitting in one spot was hard.

I think I met five dogs that day and this dog, Mocha, was nervous and you can tell she couldn't really do what we wanted her to do. My producer, Cody Ryder, said she got an email from Mocha's owner and that she's a pet psychic, apparently. She said that she had a discussion with Mocha after the casting and said, 'I really know that you can do this and I think you need to be there to protect Riley. Mocha wants you guys to know that she can do it.' And we were like... Oh my God.

And now I've got a story about a pet psychic.

What was it like reaching out to Full of Hell?
I was writing the script and had been listening to Full of Hell on shuffle, specifically their collaboration with MERZBOW, a Japanese noise artist. It was abrasive and grindcore-y, and death metal-y, and kind of punky all mixed together. It feels like this exaggerated version of what metal is to people who don't listen to metal. I think people who don't listen to metal think Metallica is "metal."

I wanted to go really extreme, so I decided to reach out to Full of Hell and see if they would be willing to let us use their music. I sent the lead singer, Dylan, an email and a few minutes later I got an email back saying, 'Holy shit, my friend and I just watched Faults the other day. This is too weird. Yes, of course, you can use anything. We would be honored.'

Bleecker Street's been doing an incredible job with the way they've been incorporating some of our 'out of the box' ideas.

The display at the ArcLight Hollywood is incredible.

Bleecker Street asked what I wanted to be displayed and I said Jesse in his work clothes with the belt over it and Sensei with his sandals and ghee on. That's it. So I just thought that it was going to be two people standing there like all of the displays are. But the fact that Jesse's cowering in fear and Sensei is doing a karate stance – that was the surprise!

Bleecker Street seems to be treating you well.

Bleecker Street's been doing an incredible job with the way they've been incorporating some of our 'out of the box' ideas. I had this idea of doing a poster creative brief, so they partnered up with Poster Spy and we're going to have an alt poster, hopefully designed by a fan.

The creative direction goes out a little bit after the film is released so people will have a chance to see it and then create something. Just things like that, it's nice to think a little outside the box and have fun with the release.

On average, it takes 10 years to get your black belt in Jiu Jitsu.

Important question: When do you find the time to bake bread?

I'm finding it here and there, haha. The biggest thing right now is worrying about my starter while I'm gone because it's alive. So I've got it out and I'm feeding it. Tomorrow, I'll put it in the fridge and it'll live in the fridge for the two weeks that I'm gone.

Do you see Black Belt status in your future?

On average, it takes 10 years to get your black belt in Jiu Jitsu. I've been training for 6 years, 5 days a week, I compete and I'm a purple belt, which is a middle belt. I like that structure.

I want to earn my belt in filmmaking too. I want it to be because of the movie, not because of other circumstances. I'm just glad that people are responding to The Art of Self-Defense in a way that's positive and excited and hopefully it leads to the next one.

by Morgan Rojas