Kevin Farley -

By: Alisha Prakash

Kevin Farley, the younger brother of the late comic, Chris Farley, is one of the fastest rising stars in Hollywood.

After landing several small roles in film and television, Kevin appeared as Doug Linus in the MTV boy band spoof '2gether.' Kevin will be appearing in 'Hollywood and Wine,' which he co-wrote and co-directed. TheCelebrityCafe's Alisha Prakash spoke with Kevin about his upcoming films, his inspirations, and his ability to wear so many hats at the same time. AP: I read that you co-wrote, co-directed and starred in the upcoming film 'Hollywood and Wine' – how do you feel working behind and in front of the camera? Do you prefer one?

KF: You know, I honestly think that there are a whole lot of benefits to both. I find that acting is a heck a lot of fun, but directing and writing is some how more fulfilling only because it's like running and finishing a marathon, which I've also done. It's a lot of work and when you're finished with directing and writing, and people enjoy what you do, you get a lot of fulfillment in that, and acting is pure fun for me. I get a much of a rush out of acting than anything, but I get a fulfillment from directing and writing.

AP: Could you give our readers a little something about what the movie is about?

KF: The movie is about two characters that are in love. Chris Kattan plays one and Nicky Whelan plays the other. She's from Australia and a wonderful actress. They work at a restaurant in Hollywood and Nicky's character, Diane, looks exactly like a train wreck movie star so she' having trouble getting ahead in Hollywood. Her boyfriend helps her to get ahead by going to the mob for money. He ends up getting in a lot of trouble and Diane has to go undercover on a date with the mobster as the train wreck movie star to get him out of trouble. It's a really funny movie. It's coming out in the fall.

AP: Why did you decide to become a part of 'Hollywood and Wine?'

KF: My friend Matt Berman wrote the original script and he asked me to come on board to help out. Also, my brother John was involved and I like to work to work with brother and Matt Berman a lot.

AP: What did you take away from the filming of 'Hollywood and Wine?' Did you face any hardships during the making of your new movie or was it mostly a rewarding experience?

KF: Anytime you take on a film, especially an independent film, there are a million ups and million downs. There are a million heartbreaks and a million joys. When you find a right location for instance, you get a real rush and you think the movie's coming together really great. But, then there are financing problems. There's so many ups and downs with making independent films that you really have to have a thick skin and a drive to finish the film because it's much like going into the wilderness like if you run out of matches or you don't have enough of food. You really have to plan ahead and plan for disasters to happen. It's much like camping in a dangerous wilderness. The goal is to finish and get through it.

AP: How was it working with such an all-star cast? Did working with comedians such as David Spade, Norm Macdonald, Jeremy London, Chris Kattan, etc. make any of the down periods of the process easier?

KF: Most of those guys are all friends of mine, which is a great thing to say. Working with your friends is great. There's a level of conversation. It's easy and we can feel free to tell each other whatever we want. In other words, the politeness goes out the window. Yeah, it's a lot of fun. You don't have to go through those necessary steps to be polite when you meet someone and only first put on your dark side after six months of work, but with friends you can go to dark side right away (laughing).

AP: Can you tell us a little about your current projects?

KF: Right now I'm working on a movie called 'Back in the Saddle,' which is my main focus. I'm trying focus as much on that as I can. It looks like we might begin shooting in Wyoming in the fall.

AP: I read that you wrote 'Back in the Saddle.' Where did you get the idea from?

KF: I've always been influenced heavily by 'Blazing Saddles,' as a child, which is actually my favorite movie. And, I've also always wanted to do a Western, so one day I just set out to write the funniest western I could possibly write. It's kind of homage to my hero Mel Brooks. So that's what I did and I've been working with Oddman Out Production and John Waterman and we've been trying to get it made in Wyoming in the fall. So far so good.

AP: Where do you normally get your ideas from?

KF: When I take my walks in the morning, that's when my ideas come. Making movies can be so hard, so the ideas have to come from the heart. 'Blazing Saddles' influenced me on a profound level because I watch it over and over again. It's one of those movies I watch to get me out of a bad mood or anything like that. It's sort of weird about that movie. I just love it. But, I wanted to make a Western, I think that's what my inspiration was.

AP: What about Western comedies do you enjoy? Why a Western movie?

KF: I just like the silliness of them. There's a lot of room for comedy there with cowboy hats and the way the dress and the gunplay. The American Western is so unique that it's funny for me. There's a lot of room for comedy there. I want to admit that some of the famous Westerns like 'Unforgiven' and some of the Clint Eastwood stuff, I sort of pay homage to them in this film.

AP: What pushed you into the field of writing, directing, acting?

KF: I think in Hollywood if you're not growing then you're not doing anything. You have to always be growing as you get older and you have to keep learning. I learned that once you graduate college your learning is just starting. So, throughout my life I hope to take on more challenges, as I grow older. As long as I have a brain and as long as I'm still working, I'm going to keep pushing and taking on different things, as I get older.

AP: Are movies something you've always wanted to do since you were younger?

KF: I've always wanted to write, and for a long time it took me a lot of confidence. I feel like writing a script is much like climbing a mountain. It's very intimidating for me because there's a lot of ways you can go off track. If you're writing a 100 pages, it's a 100 pages that need to be tight and absolutely need to thrill the reader and jump off the page and it's very challenging.

AP. You've been part of so many projects, is there one that you are most proud of?

KF: Oh I don't know, each one of them has its own thing. '2gether' was such a great thing with those guys. I have great memories of Michael Cuccione. It seems like a while ago (laughing). People don't believe I was in a boy band either.

AP: '2gether' is just so different from anything else you've done-what did you take most from being part of that band?

KF: To be in a boy band and where girls are chasing after you is truly an experience. I believe I was 36 at the time, and I had just lost my brother. It was a joyful thing for me, but it was also stressful because my brother was sick and passed away at that time too. So, it was mixture of extreme fun and some stressful times. I mean we were doing a silly comedy show and performing on stage to thousands of kids. At the age of 36 I was singing songs like 'I know my calculus, it says you plus me equals us' and I had braces too. I don't think I laughed that hard ever in my life. But, working with the Gunn brothers, the guys who wrote and created it, was great. They are truly geniuses.

AP: Who had the most influence on you in your personal and professional life?

KF: I started doing this because of my brother Chris. I'm influenced by the enthusiasm he had for acting, for creating and for performing. I was very close to my brother, so I think of him often when I write or perform. I always say a little prayer to him whenever I'm doing something creative. He died at a young age and I just hope to carry some of the enthusiasm he had. A lot of my inspiration comes from him in terms of work. I have a little brother that I work with also. I like to work with family.

When I was growing up my brothers and I all also admired a lot of the SNL crew. I like Bill Murray and a lot of the Murray family. Those guys were a big inspiration for me growing up. Bill Murray is probably my favorite actor. I just like that family because they remind me of my family a little bit. I just like comedians like Dan Akroyd, I watch Bill Maher a lot. I like funny comedians. A lot of Mel Brooks stuff I admire too when I'm writing.

AP: Do you have any future goals or anything upcoming planned in terms of your career/movies?

KF: There's a script I'm pitching and working with Matt Berman that I've written called 'Navy Brats.' It is about two dumb girls, a sort of a dumb and dumber, but girls, who accidentally join the navy. We're trying to find someone to work with for that.

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