Interview with actor, producer and musician Courtney Gains: Part Two

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Actor Courtney Gains has played various roles in his time in the movie business, and had his hands in several different projects here and there. Known for his roles in some unforgettable flicks as, “Children of the Corn”, “Memphis Belle” and “Colors”, Gains has solidified himself as a credible actor. Acting is not Gains only talent though, he is a gifted musician as well. And in this second installment of a three part interview Convicted Artist conducted with Gains, along with other movie roles we talk about, we touch his music projects as well, enjoy.

Benny Henderson Jr.

What is the one accomplishment that you are most proud of?

Courtney Gains

Ah wow, that is an interesting question. For me in your career there are so many moments where you are tested to see what you can do. If you pull it off you hold them as badge of honors. I think one that comes to mind is guest starring on Diagnosis Murder back in the day. I had to play a character that was paralyzed on one side of his body, pretending to have cerebral palsy on the other half. And then of course in court he comes out of that and breaks character, and confesses to the murders and such. When you audition for TV, you usually have twenty-four hours to turn a character around, and try to come in and nail it, maybe forty-eight if you are lucky. So to be able to go in there and get that job, and then to pull it off with a week to prep, which is not a lot. As an actor, big time actors get three months to prepare a character. To have a week and to prepare and make it work, I pulled it off and felt pretty good about it. You may want to check that episode out; I think the episode was called, “Slam Dunk Dead”. It was quite a character to pull off so that comes to mind, but I tend to get tough characters, I like hard characters.

I am certainly proud of the movie “Memphis Belle”, being part of that.

BH
That was a great show.

CG
It was a really great script, great cast, working with the biggest producer out of England and getting to shoot in England for several months and going to boot camp and actually flying in a real B17 on July fourth. Meeting the real guys and had a dinner for them, it was a pretty exceptional experience.

BH
That was another movie you were in that I liked.

CG
It was one of the classer movies that I have been in, that is for sure.

BH
You were the guy with the lucky charm.

CG
I had the ST. Anthony’s medal and Eric Stoltz gave me his rubber band and (starts laughing) he gets shot and busted up.

BH
Eric, wasn’t he the first pick to star in “Back to the Future”?

CG
That is the true story, Eric was originally Marty, I had a small roll on that, and actually knew Christian Glover a bit, because the first thing I ever did was an AFI, that he starred in. So then he got his big break and that was good for him and he totally remembered me. I have worked a couple days on the show before Eric got fired, so they of course they were scrambling doing these reshoots, and forgot about me. I got paid for five weeks instead of three, and that was actually one of the biggest blessings I ever had in my career. That movie has gone on to make more money than anything else I have been in.

BH
I don’t know if you can tell me, but what happened to Eric?

CG
All I know was that they did not feel that he was funny enough, Eric is not particularly known for doing comedy, all though I think he is a very good actor. They just felt he wasn’t light weight enough for a comedy. That was obviously a huge blow for him; we certainly talked about that when we were doing “Memphis Belle”.

BH
To me it is hard to picture “Back to the Future” without Michael J. Fox.

CG
Oh at this point absolutely, how could you picture anybody else, what would be interesting is to see some scenes put together that Eric was in, as well as the same scenes shot with Michael J. Fox and see how they compare. That would be very interesting.

BH
I want to go back and ask another question about “Children of the Corn”. What was it like shooting the movie, if I am correct that was your first movie?

Well, it was an experience for me, I grew up in Los Angeles, haven’t really traveled much at that point, certainly never been in the Midwest at all. And to go to a small town in Iowa, where everybody was in t-shirts and jeans and really relaxed, was a completely different environment for me. And of course it was perfect for the character and story; I was able to get that Midwest feel as I needed as an actor. But I have been studying and working for a break for a number of years, so when I got that I felt that I had a chip on my shoulder and I needed to prove that I belonged. When I got the job my agents were excited, and they asked if I was excited and I told them I would be when I got the job done, I was that serious about it. When I finished it, I knew I was an actor and I knew that I belonged and I knew it was going to work. It was a life changing as well as a defining moment for me.

BH
How many times a day are you walking down the street and somebody yells out Malika?

CG
It doesn’t happen all the time but it certainly happens plenty, and it is really funny, it also depends on what has been playing lately, so lately it has been “The Burbs”, because that has been playing on AMC or something a lot here lately.

BH
Let’s get to the music side of your career, if I am correct you have a band?

CG
Yes, I have a few projects going, with the Benny Bliss project going, that band actually exits. I have CD out that came out years ago, called Gains, recording for ’88 t0 ’99. I have a new project, an alternative rock band called, “Ripple Street”. You can check that out on Ripple Street Band on My Space. That is a project that I have been working on for about a year, we have been playing clubs around LA all the way down to San Diego. We are going to start working on recording a record in November. In that band I play lead guitar front the band and co-write with the bass player. It is an interesting project, I have always had music on the side, I like to call it my hobby because it really not about have to make money at it per say. I also have one more project, it is a writing project, Mela Lee just got a publishing deal, and she has a band called “Magnolia Memoir”. A jazz band, it is really good so we are going to be attached with that, so I have a song writing partner, she is a great vocalist and lyricist. So I have always had my hand in music.

Writers Note: Stay tuned for the last installment of this three part interview with Courtney Gains, for more info in Courtney, check out www.courtneygains.net, for more info on his band, check out www.myspace.com/ripplestreetband