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AN NRT EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
Blake Rayne, The Identical
The "first-time actor" talks about his big break, working with some substantial talent, and his love of the overriding message of his just-out film.
 


It's one thing preparing for a role in film, and still another preparing for the main role in one. But preparing to play two characters in one movie? That's a whole different ballgame, and it's one that actor/singer Blake Rayne experienced for his first major film role with The Identical.

Rayne, who got his start in music as an Elvis impersonator, channels his '50s-era swag into both the fictional characters of rock 'n' roll star Drexel Hemsley, as well as his long-lost, unknowingly separated at birth twin brother, Ryan Wade. 

While Hemsley reached iconic status, Wade also felt drawn into music, but his parents--the Reverend Wade (played by Ray Liotta) and his wife (played by Ashley Judd)--have other plans. Wade challenges his parents' vision that he become a pastor, and launches his own music career with his best friend (played by Seth Green). 

When Wade's life and Hemsley's life collide, it leads to big questions about God, family and identity. 

The latest feature in the year of faith- and family-friendly cinema is The Identical, and I spoke with Rayne about his big break, the important themes, and of doing double duty.

Blake, just for a moment though introduce us to you. Talk about your background. I know you've done Elvis impersonating and you've been a musician for a while. Tell us about yourself.

It's a crazy story. I'll give it to you, but it's one of the situations where I've lived a life where just crazy things have happened. I got out of college and did websites for a living. I have a very good relationship with my mother. She's one of my best friends, but we have this competitive back-and-forth banter thing that we always have done.

One day at work she faxes me an entry form to an Elvis impersonator contest and says, "I dare you to do this. She wrote that on there. Understand I did not grow up in an Elvis family. My mom doesn't have an Elvis room or anything like that, but people had mentioned once or twice, "You look like Elvis," so I thought I would one up her by actually entering this contest. 

I never sang karaoke before or anything. I had to write the lyrics on my hands because I didn't even know the words to the songs I was singing, but I ended up doing this contest, and I won, and it just opened all these doors to get into the music business.

So for a number of years I learned to become an entertainer, a vocalist, and everything through doing Elvis impersonations, but it just got to a point where I said, "I'd like to know if I am good enough to go out there on my own." So I started writing songs.

I got a band together and we started playing. That's ultimately what led me to a rehearsal studio in Nashville, Tennessee, with my band rehearsing to go out on tour. And lo and behold at the same time the executive producer of The Identical was there looking to rent out rehearsal space for music from the movie.

We bumped into each other and got to talking. We went out and had lunch a couple of times and one day he just said, "I don't know if you can act, but if you can, I want you to play the lead role in my movie called The Identical." That's how I got cast for the film, so kind of a crazy story, but a great ride.

That's incredible. You got to work with Ray Liotta and Ashley Judd. What was that experience like?

I was in L.A. in Santa Monica working with a really great acting instructor and we just finished up a session and I was in a parking garage in Santa Monica and get a phone call from the director and he says, "Guess what? We just landed Ray Liotta to play the role of your father." And I hung up the phone. I almost started crying out of fear and trepidation, because let's face it, we've all seen Goodfellas. 

This was the same guy who showed up two weeks early, before we started shooting, just to get to know me and make me feel comfortable with him. We went out to some football games. We went out to a couple of concerts and just hung out kind of developing that father/son relationship. 

So the first day on set it was natural, it was easy. I wasn't thinking about the fact that that's Ray Liotta. He's become a great friend. I could say the same thing for the rest of the cast: Ashley Judd, Seth Green, Joe Pantoliano, Aaron Catrell. They all went out of their way to make me a first-time actor feel comfortable, and were always there to answer any questions I had, just very gracious and generous and I give them so much respect and credit. Without that giving nature that they had, it might have been a different experience and different outcome, but they were just great.

As a musician, talk about what it meant to work with legendary Motown producer Jerry Marcellino on this film's soundtrack. He's worked with so many big name acts in his career.

I'm a history buff when it comes to music. I love music, every kind of music you can imagine. My forte is rock and roll, kind of indie rock. Jerry Marcelino, as you said, produced Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5. What having him did is it gave a reality to the music that made you feel like some of the songs, he could have been driving down the road in 1957 and heard them on the radio.

So it gave a sort of validity to the music and the music itself is just threaded into the fabric of the entire movie. It's kind of like the glue that ties everything together, so it really, from a musical standpoint, just gave that extra layer of believability, of like you're actually in the 1950s right now or you're actually in the 1960s right now. That's just such an amazing thing. 

Trust me, as a music writer, they asked me to write some songs and I wrote a couple, some of which they wanted to have in, but the stuff got edited out, but it's hard to write good period music that can still be relevant today. He did it, and it was just an amazing piece of work that he put into this movie. 

Now that the film is on its way out, tell us generally with your character, with this whole storyline, what are you hoping people come away with after they leave the theaters from this film?

First of all let me just say, across the board, this is a great movie. Seth Green, I asked him, "Why did you get involved in this picture?" and he said, "I read the script and it's just a great story, and a great story needs to be told." First and foremost that's how I feel. There are a lot of faith based movies out there that sometimes have maybe an agenda that's being pushed. In this case it's just a good story and underlying are some great principles.

I thought that was really cool and different in some ways, but one of the things that really hits home to me that I've experienced in my own life, and I definitely try to pass this onto my son, is that if your heart is right and you're really seeking God's will, that feeling that you get in your gut, that's Him giving you a direction and you should follow it and when you do that, despite whatever obstacles are thrown in your way and sometimes it's tough.

Sometimes it's a parent that doesn't think you should go down that road or whatever, but if your heart is in the right place, like the movie says, if God's in your dreams, no one can stand against them. That's a very important thing, especially for the youth out there who are struggling with who they are and what they want to be growing up and whatnot. I think that's a very important principle to remember and to rely on and lean on in your life.

 

Executive Editor Marcus Hathcock pursues worship and words. He has been a newspaper reporter/editor a church communications director and small groups guy. He's also been involved in opera, acappella, a CCM group and now is a songwriter and the worship leader at his church in the Portland, Ore. area. Follow his journey at www.mheternal.com.

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