Reel Thoughts
By Neil Cohen

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Another chance to witness Hate Crime
Echo talks to the stars of Tommy Stovall's drama
How fitting was it that when I went online to do a little background research on Hate Crime, a film about the dangerous effects of religious extremists, I was assaulted by the news that nut-job Rev. Fred Phelps was picketing the funerals of two GIs? According to Phelps, God hates America and is punishing us for protecting homosexuals. Does he have a one-track mind or what?
    All three actors I interviewed, Seth Peterson, Chad Donella and the marvelous Lin Shaye, were suitably appalled by his actions, but given the subject matter of Hate Crime, not surprised by it.
Hate Crime, Sedona filmmaker Tommy Stovall's dramatic thriller, is about to start an official run at Harkins Camelview Sept. 23. If you missed the chance to see it at the Sedona Film Festival or at its special Out Far! screening, here's your chance to see why it had everyone talking.
    The story starts off rather hopefully, with a happy well-adjusted gay couple enjoying a typical suburban life in Dallas. Robbie (Providence's Seth Peterson) is the more reserved partner, while Trey (newcomer Brian J. Smith) is the more outgoing and emotional one. Into their midst moves Chris Boyd (a riveting performance by Chad Donella), a homophobic pastor's son with anger issues (among others). The title event happens, and Robbie is left angry and needing to find justice the police aren't willing to pursue.
    Seth Peterson credits writer/director Stovall with creating a script that was easy to love as an actor. He wasn't concerned with playing a gay character, only that Robbie was well-developed and complex.
    "As an actor, I would like to take on as many different kinds of roles as possible," he offered.
    He said that what attracted him to the role was, "There's a lot that's easy to relate to. He's a guy who's in love. His lover's been taken away. That's a great premise. I really liked the piece and I really liked my character's arc. It's a wonderful thing to think about. A scary thing. What would you do? He's just a regular person."
    Peterson roundly praised his onscreen partner Smith, in his first screen role, and he went on to say that growing up in L.A. he'd never really come in contact with the kind of virulent anti-gay sentiment espoused by Rev. Phelps or Pastor Boyd (played by Bruce Davison). He's optimistic that the strides made towards acceptance will continue (i.e. gay marriage).
    Chad Donella is an actor with a big future — so says his costar Peterson. His angry, dangerous, and conflicted performance as Chris Boyd infuses the film with an electric energy. He hopes the film sparks debate in the audience, and laughed when I told him how scary good he was in his role. The Canadian-born actor was also known for being one of death's ill-fated victims in Final Destination (done in by his Mom's clothesline, no less). For Hate Crime, he was originally considered for Robbie, but preferred the role of Chris.
    "There are a lot of things in the movie that need to be aired more," he said, explaining what drew him to the film. "I think it has a lot to do with the environment that this kid was raised in and the religion that his father forced upon him," Donella cited, referring to Chris' aggressive homophobia.
    Lin Shaye, roused after a late night filming a National Lampoon movie co-starring Paris Hilton, didn't let the early interview time dampen her love and enthusiasm for Stovall and the film. Shaye has had a long and varied career in theater, in addition to her prolific work in film. She's played outrageous women in There's Something About Mary, Kingpin, and Boat Trip, and will soon be seen in Snakes on a Plane with Samuel L. Jackson and Juliana Margulies. Her character, Kathleen, is a tough, witty woman who regards Robbie and Trey as her boys. Shaye felt strongly about Hate Crime's message against indulging in prejudice cloaked in religious piety.
    "The world is in a very sad place right now, but there's certainly headway being made. When the gay marriages were happening, to see these people so full of love for each other, you think, 'Doesn't that override everything else? Come on, what's wrong with you people?' If you find someone to love in your life, that's great.
    "Still, Phelps and his intolerance persist. Boys Don't Cry had that element, and [Hate Crime] has even more. Oddly enough, it's about family values, it's about the very thing those people preach. This is what family values should be about. I think the relationship between the two boys was beautifully painted, and the love between them, and the sort of ordinariness of their relationship — a little bit of bickering, a little bit of this, a little bit of that — that's all part of loving somebody. It wasn't painted as an ideal love affair."



Neil Cohen is a founding member of the Phoenix Film Critics Society.