Last Friday, October 8th, I had the honor of interviewing Allan Arkush, an American cult film and television director, who got his start in the industry working for the famous Roger Corman, a film producer. Arkush’s filmography and television biography are varied: Hollywood Boulevard, Caddyshack 2, Fame, Ally McBeal, Dawson’s Creek, Heroes, and now, Hellcats (of which he is the executive producer and has directed two episodes).

What made you venture into a show like Hellcats?
I have always loved musicals. I directed an episode of Melrose Place, and at a wrap party for the show I met a woman who works for the CW network. She was telling me about a pilot they were working on about cheerleading, that was much more than Bring It On. I liked the idea behind the show, in that it reminded me of old Hollywood musicals – the dance numbers resolve plot points. The show has an aspirational quality to it, with the characters taking charge to find a natural fit.

I saw on IMDB that there are only seven episodes listed. Please tell me there are more in the works.
There are. Episode nine is filming right now, episode ten is scripted and episode eleven is in outline form. There are six more scripts ordered beyond the first thirteen. Numbers are holding and the response is positive.

How does Hellcats differ from your other shows?
Hellcats is not a genre show. For example, Ally McBeal was a character exploration in the form of a legal show; Moonlighting was a detective show but I bet nobody remembers any of the cases we solved. Hellcats is like Fame, in that the actors have to learn choreography and like Heroes, in that it’s a challenge. Hellcats is a mix of a soap, a musical and a comedy. There is a lot of character growth throughout each episode.

There are some newcomers on Hellcats and two people who got their start on the Disney Channel. What made you choose Alyson Michalka and Ashley Tisdale?
Ashley auditioned before Aly did. She was really committed to playing Savannah right from the start and was really able to become the character. Her experience in Disney’s High School Musical was really an advantage because she could act and dance at the same time. When Aly auditioned for Marti, we knew almost immediately that she was it. All of the actors went through multiple auditions and screen tests; they also had dance tests to make sure they could stand up to the cheering and stunts. When Matt Barr first auditioned, we didn’t see Dan at all, but the more he read for the role the more Dan came through. The actors became the characters and vice versa. The show is really becoming what it is through discovery.

Read the full interview at Series.nu

Comments (2) »

hellcatsFan_com - October 11, 2010 @ 7:21 am

[Hellcats Fan] Q&A with Allan Arkush – http://hellcatsfan.com/2010/10/qa-with-a…

bostonFan - December 29, 2010 @ 3:55 pm

Only Hellcats can make cheerleaders unsexy. AND with some of the hottest! women on the planet. And I can tell that it is deliberate. I can’t watch the show.

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