KEITH COLLINS TALKS ABOUT 'MEAT PUPPET'

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THE TIMES SQUARE GOSSIP INTERVIEW

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 Keith Collins

Keith Collins is by far becoming the hardest, working man in show business. Producer, Advocate & Award Winning Actor, Keith is wearing all hats for his latest project “The Meat Puppet”. In this new horror / psychological thriller that is currently filming in New Jersey, Keith plays Andrew Shelton, a handsome playboy with an insatiable appetite for women and meat. He also is the movie’s producer and the premise of the film came from his deep seeded mind.

In a career that has spanned over a decade with way over thirty films under his belt, and many accolades, Collins feels “The Meat Puppet” will be his breakout role. In a recent chat with the veteran actor he revealed why he believes in this movie and what the future holds.

TSG: The Meat Puppet has a very original premise. Where did the idea come from and how did you get the project off the ground?

COLLINS: (laughs) I had this crazy idea in my head for years about a successful guy who seems to have it altogether but has this really dark secret where he is in search for the perfect meal and the only thing that will satisfy him is killing, cooking and eating beautiful women. So I just kept it in the back of my mind for a while I didn’t want to rush anything until I was ready to get the right people on board to do it right. I reached out to Joseph and Billy Pepitone who wrote a hilarious comedy I was in called “Stuck in the Middle”. I really liked their style and how they didn’t shy away from controversy and I thought they would be perfect for this. They turned in a first draft in about a week and I was amazed and loved it. I knew I was on to something.

TSG: Once you had the script, how did you move closer to getting the film made?

COLLINS: I wanted people with the same passion for this project as I had. Joseph and Billy definitely did. I reached out to Joe Valenti (Valenti Vision Films), a director I worked with on a movie called “Echelon 8” and Blaze Kelly Coyle (Silver Phoenix Entertainment), who produced it. That was the best decision I made. Valenti and Coyle jumped head first into this project and it really came together. Valenti added those extra needed elements and came up with some amazing twists in the story. I can’t tell you what an outstanding job he is doing shooting this film. He has a good eye and incredible vision in filmmaking. I always believed that “The Meat Puppet” could be a good horror movie, but working with this team, I believe it is going to not only be a good horror movie, but just a great movie all together, period.

TSG: The cast is very eclectic group. How did you go about casting this movie?

COLLINS: I was able to get a lot of my friends on board really early on in the process. They believed in me and what my vision was and they all loved the script and wanted to be a part of it. Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (Guns and Roses), Geri Reischl (The Brady Bunch Variety Hour), Billy Garcia (Survivor), former (New York Yankee) Billy Sample, Erick Chopin who won (The Biggest Loser), Gregg Valentino (TLC’s The Man Whose Arms Exploded), Jason Prager (Beauty and the Geek), Gary Garver formerly from (The Howard Stern Show), Brandon Ruckdashel (CO-Ed Confidential), Theresa Galeani (Cross the Line), Gervase Peterson (Survivor, Season One), John Fields (A-List DJ Unique), Jamie Kovac (American Gladiators), April Hunter (WCW / TNA), Cindy Fox (The Naked Cowgirl), Faith Stanek (Star Trek Phase 2 Web Series), Emilio Masella (Oxygen’s Love Games), Doug Bollinger (Waltzing Anna), and the list goes on and on. We had then searched for a while and casted for two of the lead roles and Daniela Rivera & Chris Wilkes landed them to join our cast. Everyone has been terrific so far and every day of filming has been a pleasure.

TSG: We’ve seen a change in horror films over the last ten years. There seems to be a heavier emphasis on gore and shock. Every film tries to out do the last? Is The Meat Puppet going to try to top other horror movies?

COLLINS: The way “The Meat Puppet” is going to out do other horror films is by having an incredible story. There is a lot in this movie that horror buffs will love but this is also a great psychological thriller that will take your mind on one heck of a ride. People are really going to be totally blown away by the story, by how great this film looks and the acting. I truly can’t wait for people to see this film and for me to see all their reactions. 

TSG: When can we expect to see The Meat Puppet?

COLLINS: We are slated to premiere it at The 2012 Downbeach Film Festival Atlantic City Cinefest in October and then a wide release in 2013.

TSG: What’s next for Keith Collins?

COLLINS: Hopefully “The Meat Puppet” 2, 3 and 4! (Laughs) I have a few more horror ideas I have been working on that I would like to start up before the end of the year and I know the Pepitone brothers have a comedy script they want me to take a look at for a lead role. I just want to keep doing fun, interesting work and working with great people. I’m just really enjoying making this movie and we will see what happens in the months to come.