Judd Lormand / Mattie Liptak – (Quarantine 2: Terminal – 2011).

I recently got the chance to talk to both Judd Lormand and Mattie Liptak about their roles in ‘Quarantine 2: Terminal’. Here, Judd and Mattie talk about how they got involved in the project and about what is currently on their I-Pods…

Mattie Liptak (L) and Judd Lormand (R) pictured with John Pogue (M)

Hey Judd/Mattie. Thanks for taking the time out to talk to me – ‘Quarantine 2: Terminal’ has just had it’s DVD premiere in the UK on 15^th August 2011.

Tell us a bit about the characters you play in the movie…

ML: I play the role of George – he’s kind of an everyday guy who flies back and forth between his divorced parents. Well, maybe I should say George is an everyday guy… but with a little bit of an edge!

JL: I sort of wore two hats for this project… I appear briefly in the film’s first few minutes as Sylvester, the airline gate agent that introduces Jenny to Mattie’s character George. The scene was so much fun to shoot – John really let us have fun with that short little scene. But I really take pride in my other job on ‘Quarantine 2’; I worked as Mattie’s on-set coach for the duration of the shooting. Believe it or not, this was his first time on a movie set, and I am so proud of his work and what he accomplished as George.

How did you get involved in the project in the first place?

JL: Jackie Burch, a phenomenal casting director over here, had seen a taped audition that Mattie had done for a different film and really saw something special in Mattie. She called our agent’s office in Louisiana one day and I actually answered the phone because when I am not shooting, I work as an assistant in her office. She said, ‘Judd – put Mattie on tape for this – I think he’d be great for it!’ We sent it in, and before you know it, we’re flying to Atlanta to meet John Pogue and Marc Bienstock (director and producer). The rest, they say, is history.

I’ve seen the trailer – how would you say this film is different to other horror films? Obviously, it’s set on a plane….

ML: Yes, the fact that the first half takes place on a plane makes it unique in many ways. I’ve never been big on flying, so in my opinion, plane rides are often tense to begin with. Another thing that makes this movie totally rock is the fact that there isn’t any background music – instead John (Pogue – director) decided to go with just the sounds of the action in the story. It really makes a big difference!

The film stars Mercedes Masohn, Josh Cooke, Bre Blair and both of you – with John Pogue onboard as director – what was it like working with the cast and crew? I imagine it must have been pretty confined in places…

JL: I have since told John this, but shooting Q2 really was a dream come true. You know, 5 or 6 weeks working on a set can be a nightmare if the cast or crew is not cool to work with…and we had plenty of negatives to deal with. It was record-setting heat in Georgia that summer and we were shooting in an old, abandoned warehouse. It was some of the longest, hottest days you could imagine. At the same time, the entire experience just flew by because it was so much fun. That kind of tells you how good the cast/crew really were!

I’ve heard rumour of a ‘needle’ scene in the film – what can you tell us about that?

ML: Yeah, the needle scene is far out! The special effects guys did an awesome job on everything… but that part is unbelievable. I don’t want to give anything away but let’s just say, you’re guaranteed to get an eye full!

JL: I just have to say… I still haven’t completely watched the needle scene. I turn my head every time that part is on.

Let’s talk a bit about you Judd/Mattie. What made you want to get into acting in the first place?

ML: It’s something I always liked doing, as far back as I can remember. I remember watching ‘Grease’ as a kid and memorizing all of the lines and wanting to be the guy on the screen. I’m sure tons of kids did the same thing, but ever since then, I’ve never wanted to do anything else. Now that I’ve done some movies, I REALLY can’t think of anything else I’d rather do!

You’ve both had roles in some great projects – who have been your favourite actors to work with and who has given you the best piece of advice?

ML: I worked with Doug Jones on a short film in Atlanta last year and that was truly amazing. Also, on this movie, I learned a whole lot from John Pogue. He was an awesome director in so many ways. I remember him and Judd telling me one day that during shooting, I should always watch as many of the other scenes in the movie if possible, instead of just the ones I am in. That has stuck with me – and its something I try to do every time I’m on a project.

JL: I’ve had some great experiences over the last year or so…. I got to work with Dolly Parton and Queen Latifah at one point – who are both childhood idols of mine. We shot a scene together for ‘Joyful Noise’ and it will remain a career highlight because: it’s DOLLY and LATIFAH! As far as advice goes, I recently got a chance to work with Paula Malcomson on ‘The Hunger Games’. She is just an incredible actress all the way around, and I learned so much from her. We are still great friends and I STILL learn things from her every time we chat.

If I gave you both a room to decorate, what colour would you paint it and why? Do you think you’d agree on the same colour?

ML: Sky Blue. Because that’s always the first color that I come up with when it comes to drawing or painting anything.

JL: I would’ve said ‘light blue’ which is eerily close. So, yeah I guess we’d agree. Wow, that’s pretty weird.

If you could have a dinner with three historical guests, living or dead – who would they be and why?

ML: Paul Stanley (of the group KISS) because as the lead singer for KISS I’d want to hear stories about being on the road for the last 40 years! Michael Jordan – because I am into hoops and he is a total legend! Johnny Depp because he’s my all time favorite actor and I would probably just sit and listen to everything he has to say to try to learn as much as possible from him.

What is currently on your I-Pods right now?

JL: Oh geez, tons of stuff! Lately I’ve been listening to Lissie, Counting Crows, The Bee Gees, Hanson and the new Beastie Boys CD.

ML: Everything… Foreigner, Journey, Kiss, Eminem, and I gotta say Hanson as well.

JL: We travel the roads together a good bit so you know there’s going to be a little overlap on the music menu.

What is coming up for you both in 2011?

ML: I shot scenes earlier this year for a Disney movie called ‘The Odd Life of Timothy Green’. I think that’s going to be a really good movie with a very original story. I also just shot a movie called ‘Ghoul’ with Nolan Gould from ‘Modern Family’ that I am really looking forward to checking out as well – there’s some really creepy stuff in that one too!

JL: As I mentioned a second ago, I just wrapped a small role in ‘The Hunger Games’. That is due out next year from Lionsgate and seems to be highly anticipated. Also, I’ll be playing a fun role on a new USA TV pilot called ‘Wild Card’, that should be on the tele later this year!

Thanks for the interview!