Paul J. Alessi Interview: Knuckle Draggers Producer

Fresh off his “Best Actor” award at the Reel HeART International Film Festival in Toronto this past Saturday night (June 27th), Knuckle Draggers Producer/Actor Paul J. Alessi was gracious enough to take the time to answer a few questions for our readers in this exclusive interview Q&A. Alessi plays the co-lead role as Kyle, an abrasive divorced man who offers his “expert” advice on relationships to his struggling brother Ethan (Ross McCall).

Knuckle Draggers is an independent film with a talented ensemble cast (undoubtedly several future stars of film will come out of this group) that is currently working the film festival circuit. According to Alessi, theatrical release and worldwide DVD release are on the horizon for this intelligent romantic comedy “with a twist”.

Q: What would you like people to know about your film “Knuckle Draggers”?

A: Knuckle Draggers is a passion project. It is a romantic comedy from a male’s point of view. It’s about two brothers who seem to have two extremely different interpretations of relationships and how they work. Knuckle Draggers is relatable on many levels. It’s honest and endearing, from friendships to relationships, a feel good movie.

Q: What is it about this movie that makes it different than other more “typical” romantic comedy films?

A: I feel the biggest difference between Knuckle Draggers and the standard romantic comedy is that it is from the male’s perspective. Yes, it’s in the romantic comedy genre but it is based on real life experiences, the characters are vulnerable and true to themselves on many levels. In most instances men agree to see a romantic comedy because they know it will please their girl but truly they feel that pulling the hair out of their legs is less torturous than watching the movie. With Knuckle Draggers most men can relate to either Kyle or Ethan, we wanted to change the idea that only women will enjoy a “Romantic Comedy”.

Q: Your character is a very abrasive and unabashed womanizer. What was it like playing a very take charge and unhibited character like Kyle?

A: It was actually quite fun. It was like taking my view of relationships and putting them on steroids, completely uncensored and loose. I think Kyle also liked to say things for the “shock value” to see how others would react. I truly had fun and enjoyed playing Kyle.

Q: Producer/Actor is an interesting film combination. Can you offer some insights about your experience balancing those two challenging roles? Do you intend to continue to do this in future movies?

A: Yes, it was a very challenging job to take on both the lead actor and head producer. I have much to learn and will continue to grow as an actor and producer. As I continue on I hope to build a strong team around me that will help give me the freedom to excel in both areas and make amazing films.

Q: Knuckle Draggers has had much success on the film festival circuit, including being the closing film at the June 27th ReelHeART Film Festival. Can you offer our readers some idea about the future direction for this film?

A: At this time we are in distribution negotiations. We anticipate it having a theatrical release as well as a worldwide DVD release.

Q: Any additional comments or thoughts for our readers?

A: We worked really hard to obtain the right cast for Knuckle Draggers, we were very fortunate to not only get incredibly talented actors but also a great group of people. Keep your eye out for them in many projects to come. I would also like to thank everyone for their amazing support, it’s really inspiring to see.

Thanks so much Neil you are one of the people I am talking about

Exclusive Paul J. Alessi Interview Q&A by Neil of Movie Room Reviews

Tags: Knuckle Draggers, Paul J. Alessi