Zane Holtz Talks From Dusk Till Dawn Season 2
Matt Boiselle
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It’s not every day you grab the role of a homicidal thief suffering from hellish images, all the while trying to pull off the score of a lifetime while fending off bloodsucking vampires…WHEW!! On top of that, to make the role look just as good (if not better) than the man who originally played it, is a feat in itself.
Zane Holtz, who portrays one half of the bank-robbing Gecko brothers on the El Rey Network’s “From Dusk Till Dawn,” was gracious enough to sit down with us to discuss his role of Richie Gecko and the upcoming season two – so grab a cold one, pull up a bar stool at the Twister, and enjoy!
DC: Take us back to the show’s beginning: when you’d found out that you’d gotten the role, what was your first order of business – did you watch the original film to prepare, or decide to make this character your own?
ZH: Well, all through the whole audition process I had to perform the material 3 or 4 times for Robert (Rodriguez) both by myself and with D.J. Cotrona (who plays Seth Gecko), and then once I had the part I then performed it with Eiza Gonzalez (Satanico Pandemonium), so I already had a pretty good take of what I was going to do with the character without watching the film. I was performing pieces of material that we actually ended up using in the show – the scene in episode 2 of Season 1 where D.J. and I are sitting at the park talking about chicken mole and all that stuff – I’d already performed that a number of times during the audition process, so my point being I’d already knew what I was going to do – I’d already found my version of the character without watching the movie, and after I’d gotten the part, I allowed myself to watch the movie as a fan, and to be excited to get involved with something that Robert was doing, and also a continuation of such a cult-film that so many people feel so strongly about.
DC: The show is definitely not short on action, and you’ve been involved in some pretty physical scenes. Are you the type to take on the stunt-work yourself, or are you happy to have the professionals take over?
ZH: I do as much as they’ll allow – there’s some stuff with cars that I can’t do, but I’m a martial artist, and I’ve been studying different types, also a Brazilian Ju-Jitsu guy so I’m fine with physical stuff, and I try to do as much stuff that I can get done myself. Insurance-wise, there’s some stuff they never let the lead actors do – maybe a big fall or something like that, we couldn’t do, but I’m definitely very gung-ho when it comes to me doing as much as I can.
DC: Without giving up any spoilers, what will we see as the biggest difference between Seasons 1 and 2?
ZH: It’s like a brand new version of “From Dusk Till Dawn” – I think people were watching the first season comparing the similarities and differences between the show and the film, but now season 2 is all completely new ground. It’s all stuff that no one will be able to expect or see coming, so whether you’re a fan of the movie or not, or a fan of season 1 or not, you can go into this season with fresh eyes and see it as an original piece.
DC: Last one- after the season wraps up, what else can we expect to see from you down the road?
ZH: I don’t know, man – I’m like any actor – I’m just there trying to get the best parts I can in the best projects. I’ve got the Fall off, so far – so I’m hoping that something kicks off, and that I can expand my career, and hopefully come back for a few more seasons of “From Dusk Till Dawn”. As of right now, I’m not set to act in anything, but I’ve got some stuff that I’m promoting – I’ll be heading to FrightFest in London, and I’ve got a horror film called Windwalkers that will be premiering there on August 28th, and we’ll see what else happens in the future.
“From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series” is a Miramax production in association with Rodriguez International Pictures, FactoryMade Ventures, and Sugarcane Entertainment. Executive producers are Robert Rodriguez, showrunner Carlos Coto, Diego Gutierrez, FactoryMade Ventures and El Rey Network co-founders John Fogelman and Cristina Patwa, and Miramax’s Zanne Devine and Daniel Pipski.
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