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Aldred Montoya is Apache/ Pueblo, and he has had roles on the television mini-series Comanche Moon and Into The West. He also acted in Kill Shot, Wild Seven, The Conquest of America, Ten Days That Unexpectedly Changed America, Massacre at Mystic, Taming the Wild West, The Legend of Jedediah Smith, Wild West Tech, Law & Order Tech, Biggest Machines of the West, Massacre Tech, and Native American Tech.
NCO: What’s your most recent project?
AM: I just finished a film in Phoenix, it’s an investment trailer. The Director Remi Vaughn, a real wonderful lady, wrote a film, and this is part of the trailer for investors. Because apparently she had shown it to a number of studios and they gave her money to develop it. The story is about a girl who has the power to see the future, the past, but also to be able to look at pictures and put her hand on it and see everything in it. It’s like opening herself to another world, and see what’s going on, but she really doesn’t know how to use it. My character has been waiting for her and has known she would be coming along. I instruct her as to what she can do. She kind of knows it, but not what for. There’s a lot of murder that’s unsolvable. She knows what’s doing it, because it’s not a person. It’s what’s called a shapeshifter. My character, Loki, knows it, and she eventually figures it out.
But in this extended trailer, you really don’t know yet if I’m good or bad. Because there are times when I’m kind of playful and there are times when I’m extremely dark. Just watching the playbacks myself, I’m like ‘Wow’. I remember when we would shoot the scene the actress who plays, Aella, we’d be shooting the scene and we’d be very close, and she would be like, “My god you are so creepy. You’re just really good at it.” You get into what you’re doing, building a character. It was fun, because I had gotten the script at least two weeks before we were going to shoot, so I had enough time to really build this character.
NCO: Which Director was the best to work under?
AM: Actually the Director I just worked with, Remi Vaughn. She knew how she wanted it, and she relied a great deal upon us to make it happen. It was mainly her setting up the scene. She didn’t micro manage it. Remi was great, because she knew who her audience was. The way she was able to direct and overcome any obstacles. She was very patient, very bubbly. Really understanding of a lot of things. I remember when I first got on set… They had already been shooting for about a week. We had to shoot this one scene in this store in Scottsdale.
There were like fifty people there. The scene is an introduction to this character, Loki, but it’s in a very public place. Since it was my first day, I wanted to make sure that I projected this character well. And there was just too many people. She came and asked me if I was okay, and I said everything is fine. And then I said, “Are all these people going to be here?” She goes, “Why, do you want them gone?” I said, “I think just for a little bit. If you could clear out the minimal amount.” She was very accommodating. And she did. She cleared the set. And that was so great. Since this was the opening scene for the character, it was important that I got it right the first time. And we only did it in three takes.
After we’d shoot a scene, if I asked her, “Can I see just a playback?” Those are very important I feel, because you want to see how you’re doing on the film. You’re basically watching yourself act, and then you critique yourself. In the next scene, you use what you saw. Either take away or add to or adjust in some way, because maybe that wasn’t what you wanted to project. She was very accommodating in letting me be able to do that. She was real wonderful to work with. Some Directors I’ve worked with, they will not let you watch what you just did. It’s hard to believe. You adjust yourself in the mirror, you want to see what you look like. When you shoot something, you want to see how it came out.
The interview of Aldred Montoya (role of Loki in the short film) by Oscar Hokeah for NATIVE CINEMA ON LINE. Click on the link to read the entire interview of Aldred Montoya about his passions and work experience.