JB: Because I didn’t believe any of them, that they were real actors, actors who were willing to be vulnerable and go deep. Frankly they were all posturing.
SCV: It’s about becoming famous right?
JB: Not when you step into my workshop. I warn everyone who comes this is not for the feint of heart. Strangely enough I have more European actors in training then I have Americans. At the end of the day I only want to work with those individuals who really want to be actors. There’s no in between, it is complete sacrifice and giving.
SCV: Where do you teach?
JB: At Black Nexus. I was initially invited by the acclaimed Susan Batson and to my surprise I accepted.
SCV: So what was Argo about?
JB: Lost souls who find each other. Vulnerability, the darkness and lightness of being. I should tell you know Milan Kundera’s “The Unbearable Lightness of Being,” is one of the most influential pieces I have ever come across. It’s that moment of oppression of heaviness that lightness comes and I wanted to explore that within Argo.
SCV: How did it fare?
JB: It starred Jordano Spiro (My Boys, Must Love Dogs) and played the festival circuit including Napa/Sonoma, New Film Makers, Soho House and Sedona amongst others, and racked up awards including best picture and best director.
SCV: In your current project called “The Sea is all I know,” you have award winning actress Melissa Leo starring. How did she get involved in the project?
JB: I’d known Melissa for a while and one day I broached her the script and by the time she is still on page 9 I get a phone call that she wants to sign on. She’s really a remarkable actress. I get goose pimples watching her. She got her first break for the indie “Frozen River,” which was snagged the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance 2008. She’s been nominated for a best actress Oscar but I think the general public knows her for performance opposite Benicio Del Toro as his wife in 21 grams where she was nominated for best supporting actress.
SCV: But this must be a testament to you, the script that you wrote.
JB: I’m just a vessel. The project begins with the writer and from there finds a life of its own. It’s a collaborative effort.
SCV: What’s the film about?
JB: It’s interesting. At first when I first started writing it I thought it was about a story about a father and daughter redeeming their relationship, but it turned out to be more- about a family redeeming itself and about the selfless acts of love we give.
SCV: How did the story come about?
JB: It was a period of gestation. It sat with me for a while before it poured out. I essentially write about human frailty.
SCV: What makes us so fragile?
