Dark Places will be hitting theaters soon. It revolves around a woman having to relive her haunting past where her family was brutally killed. Shannon Kook had a great time with his role in the film and enjoyed talking to us about it.
Shannon talks a little about his character in the film. “I play Trey Teepano. Trey is heavily involved with the convicted murderer, Ben Day (Tye Sheridan), playing Charlize Theron’s older brother in her character, Libby Day’s childhood. They are set in the 80s in rural America. Trey is an outsider, a mixed youth with a lack of identity in his White town of Kinnakee, Kansas; a passionate but lost soul detached from his heritage. His outlets are pumping iron, Death Metal, drugs and dark practices. While very different products, Ben and Trey are very similar in how turbulent they are as characters. However, Ben internalizes, while Trey lashes out. Trey picks on Ben’s ‘manhood’ – as Ben is what Trey does not want to see himself as. They are great foils. Inevitably, Diondra (Chloe Moretz) and Trey create friction around Ben, leading to the aftermath of the ‘Satan Sacrifice’ and Ben’s incarceration.
He continues, “I think my character is hurt, and I’ve played hurt characters before, but Trey handles it completely differently. I’m into Astrology so I sorta see it this way: Zane on Degrassi and Trey on Dark Places are both oppressed characters for their own reasons. I think Zane handled it with an Aquarian energy; cerebral, rebellious and humanitarian. Trey did it with more of an Aries one; tempered, impulsive and forward. I have both strong Aquarian and Aries notes in my Birth Chart.”
One of Kook’s biggest challenges for this role had to do with his diet. “The physical presence of him was something to constantly work at. I was a Vegetarian for 8 months and switched to meat again because I grew impatient trying to lock in a diet to fast track towards the short term goals. One day you’ll see me shirtless on a magazine from a meat free diet though. Diet change is an emotional and spiritual decision. I’m still trying to figure out my happy place in my relationship with diet in regards to how it feels physically, spiritually and ethically,” he says.
“I find dark characters to be fuller characters, and in this case I did not want to make him a dark archetype but a full being. In order to map that out I had to step into my shadow self more, which took an element of detaching from my social life too,” reflects Kook.
Days on set were pretty full for Shannon. “I’d be hitting weights in the morning, and always going over my notes on my script and novel. I watched a lot of shooting; even on my off days. I was on set with the producers behind the monitors. On my shoot days it was just about pacing myself towards the scenes at hand.”
Every story has some sort of lesson to learn or meaning — this movie is no exception. This movie’s lesson? Love. “Love can sometimes be a gracious, lonely and completely heroic act in selflessness. What hit me so deeply reading this was the ties we have to family and those we love, and what we do for them – but essentially in the silences. There are those things we are deeply thankful for to loved ones, but struggle to verbalize. It sits acknowledged in silence… and sometimes floats completely unacknowledged or manifests in estranged and resentful relationships with those who were once closest to us.”
Kook continues, “The depth and sacrifice love can go to, shipped in a silent fog, is painted in a unique and beautiful way with this story. There are many valiant gestures of generosity we may never get to acknowledge or become aware of from those we love.
“Many happy accidents are responsible for why we are here today, some were intended and some we will never even be conscious of to be thankful for. It reminds me of gratitude, and how we may not always need to know bullet points in reason why we should be so. Personally, it spoke to me on a level of family and unspoken love, of others and our own human dilemma. A general gratitude, before needing to know exactly why I should feel that way, but to trust that there is love around me and that The Universe is whispering us all to something greater than our individual desires and growth.”
Kook talks about why he chose this role. “I see myself as a good person, and can be an idealist – one of my Aquarian traits, but that has also had me in denial of my ‘shadow self’. The more one has understanding and love for their darkness AND light, the healthier they will manifest into the space outside ourselves.” he says.
“There is also a deep racial component for me, being natively South African in blood but Mixed, which resulted in feeling segregated, at times picked on or unwelcome in my life, and that’s always sat there, which balls into misguided emotion and anger. I identify a lot with Trey Teepano, I just don’t express myself like he does. It was definitely great to live out some of the venom exploring this; from people telling me who to be, who not to be, or who I was for my race or lack of. Not all of my journey in this will be visible on the final cut on screen, but channeling the many voices in heritage that speak through Trey (not just my own), was a release and step of insight,” says Kook.
Shannon reveals what one of the most rewarding things was from being part of this production. It might not be what you think … “The 6-pack I got, then lost. I feel like the reward is still occurring… And I’m suddenly feeling a deeper understanding in this moment of ‘gratitude’ … before reason or understanding, thanks to the thought process your questions have led me through.”
Of all the scenes to hit the screen there is one in particular that Kook is looking forward to seeing. “When Charlize confronts her father. Charlize witnessed her Mother kill her Father in self defense in real life and there are certain parallels in this story with hers – plus Sean Bridgers, who plays her Dad, has been one of my favorite and most interesting actors I’ve got to watch work on set yet.”
Shannon did a little prep work before the film began. “I read the book in two days. The beauty of the book is Gillian’s writing was such an insightful bible into the story and character work. I had her book with me at all times, with notes and stickers in it. The producers and director were even open to my thoughts sometimes with scenes, because of that book. I was definitely using the gold of Gillian’s writing to lift off the page onto screen.”
Kook went on to say, “I saw a cut of the film and unfortunately, literally half of what I shot has been cut out, since they needed to shorten the movie from 2.5 hours to 90 minutes. I get why, it’s whatever aids ‘the story’. Some people I did scenes with are not in the movie at all now. Even though you won’t see all the work we put in, this is the most prepared I have been for any shoot in my life thus far and plan to expand moving forward.”
Shannon has an upcoming film he is starring in alongside William Shatner called A Christmas Horror Story. “The film is about this town called ‘Bailey Downs’ where weird stuff seems to happen, especially at Christmas time. I play a high schooler who is helping a friend with her school project about a grizzly murder that occurred exactly one year ago in a school basement on Christmas. One could call it a messed up take on the ‘Nativity Story’. But there are other things going on that same night, which ties into the anthology of the movie. William Shatner plays a radio DJ in the film and he plays a key role in the overall narrative of the film. He is the eyes and ears of Bailey Downs.”
We asked Kook if there was a particular film genre he wished he could be in, and he could choose any three people to star in the film with him, what genre would he most like to take part in (sci-fi, adventure/fantasy, drama …etc.) and what three actors/actresses would he most like to work with and why. He responded by saying:
“Definitely with Shailene Woodley, created by Andy and Lana Wachowski, so probably Sci-Fi/Adventure/Fantasy.
“Shailene has a lot of things figured out, and she’s living in a truth that I think more of us are trying to discover. She is extremely connected with her surroundings, the earth. She doesn’t own a phone, she’s for feeding off and with The Earth, a minimalist, and about connection via a hug over a handshake. She’s not caught up in Hollywood. There’s a lot to her. It’s all so apparent watching her work. She’s tapped in. I think I’d learn and be humbled a lot in my process towards life and my work by being around her.
“Paired with The Wachowskis, I think it would be DIAMONDS. Judging by their work, those two are on another frequency, and I don’t think there stories are just films, but symbolic. The world was ready for The Matrix, and I think analogies from that towards human existence are still dropping in with people today. I LOVED Cloud Atlas, many didn’t get it though, and I don’t think the grand community was ready to tap into the spiritual nature of what they were giving. I undoubtedly want to work with them. And Baz Lurhmann. Xavier Dolan. You said three actors not directors though. The other two would be Will Smith and Bruce Lee. These men are more than performers to me, and have merged their art with a spirituality. Bruce is extremely innovative, and still heavily inspirational. A Jack of All Trades – Master of many.
“Will Smith has an ease and approach to life that I’d love to learn from. And look at who he and Jada raised. Unlike others, I don’t think Jaden and Willow Smith are crazy, I think they are quite brilliant. Ahead of their time. It’s often the fool in Shakespeare that speaks the wisest of insights, and I think society often paints innovators into wacko categories.”
In the next five years Kook sees himself doing a plethora of things. He confides he intends to do, “plenty more film and TV. But also create my own work. I feel a calling to be shooting and creating my own things but not necessarily on some big budget movie, but more grass roots and integrated into society. That’s part of the beauty of a lot of online content is it’s interactive with society, and I think pieces can help expand consciousness and awareness now more than just be another procedural cop show.”
He continues, “Things like the work from The Wachowskis, even cartoons like Avatar: The Last Airbender have a lot of life related depth in them to me. Then there’s the YouTube content that really making a difference. I see myself doing some Doc work and Directing more actors too. At the end of the day I think my work is going to be a platform to integrate me into society and helping growth in some form.”
When Shannon isn’t working he has a few things he likes to do to stay busy. “I dabble in a lot of things, on and off. My schedule switches up, so it’s hard to commit but I’m completely committed for those bursts. I just finished another term in an Astrology course reading Birth Charts. I’ve studied things like Tarot and Reiki and seek out different forms of meditation. I just joined a Kirtan meditation group recently. My path with be a Spiritual one as well as in the Arts.
He went on, “I practice MMA with Kickboxing, Grappling and Jiu-Jitsu 4 days a week, with some on and off because of injuries or work. I definitely want to explore more Martial Arts like Aikido and Tai Chi. I try to squeeze in dance classes. Hip Hop, Contemporary, Salsa, even Ballet. And I dabble in a bunch of photography – mostly in video lately – coaching and shooting actors, while concurrently taking directing courses with that.
“All these things stop and go with work or injuries. And there are more things I’d like to delve into like learning Mandarin and connecting more with music, instruments and singing. Writing is a big one. I’m just figuring out how to channel my voice the best way.”
Dark Places hits theaters August 7, 2015.
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