Keith David Gives Us The Inside Scoop On Union Furnace
Matt Boiselle
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Let’s face it: the guy’s face has been in a literal mile-long list of projects, and every one of them he’s knocked out of the park – from the early days of The Thing, Platoon and They Live right on up to his starring role in the incredibly powerful TV series “Greenleaf,” Keith David is an actor who puts a stamp on every part he leaps into. He was kind enough to give us a bit of his time to discuss his performance in the horror film Union Furnace, which releases on both Blu-ray and DVD August 15th – settle in and enjoy!
DC: Can you give the fans your perspective on what Union Furnace is really all about?
KD: I think it’s a cautionary tale about what happens when people get desperate for money, and after watching Al Gore’s movie about global warming, it’s something that we’ve not only got to be conscious of, but have to worry about, and I bring that up because in a town like Union Furnace where the economy’s never picked back up again after they’ve closed the furnaces down. In an industrial town where fossil fuel is no longer viable, that was the town’s lifeblood, and the trickle down effect led to the town’s children, getting desperate to find money any way that they could, including stealing from churches in order to get over. If you don’t get some education in your life, desperation’s bound to follow, and at that point you’ll do anything for money. All the people who wind up playing this game are the ones who the devil came to them in the middle of the night and said to them “yeah, that’s a good idea.”
DC: You’ve played a multitude of roles over the course of your illustrious career – what do you see as the role of a lifetime, or have you played it yet?
KD: I haven’t played it yet, but I’m in the midst of playing something very close to it in “Greenleaf”.
DC: As we’re steadily rolling up on the 30th anniversary of John Carpenter’s They Live, yourself and the late Roddy Piper had what some call the “greatest fight in cinematic history” – what can you tell us about that scene – how long did you prepare to set that scene up?
KD: We rehearsed that scene for two weeks, and we shot it in three days. It was a lot of fun, and was choreographed by Jeff Imada, and I learned so much from playing with Roddy, and he was a great man – just a wonderful guy.
DC: Last question I’ve got for you is: what can your fans look forward to checking you out in down the road?
KD: I’m currently working on a Nat King Cole tribute concert, and I’ll soon be working on a Joe Williams tribute concert, so watch out and listen for those!
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