Meet Steve J. Palmer | Actor & Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Steve J. Palmer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Steve, is there something you can share with us that those outside of the industry might not be aware of?
The amount of complete and utter rejection you will endure as a maker of art within the realm of competitive entertainment commerce. Funny, I almost said “failure” as opposed to rejection, but that’s not necessarily true. True failure in this industry (as far as I’m concerned) really comes from within the individual completely giving up, and not dusting themselves off to have another go. Suffice to say I’ve been knocked straight on my keister many a time. I’m sure I’ll likely find myself on my ass again next week if not tomorrow. In those instances, when that happens, I remember something my former acting instructor, Dale Reynolds, taught me years ago; “Don’t look at a particular situation or scenario as RIGHT or WRONG, because then you’re putting immense pressure on yourself. Rather, ask yourself… what WORKED, and what DIDN’T.” So yeah, for anyone out there following along, I hear NO constantly. But when I get a YES… man, that makes up for all the NO’s.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I can definitely tell you what I’m most excited about currently; a project we filmed in Limerick, Ireland over 2 years ago, titled “Lulu & the Electric Dreamboat”. It’s a rock comedy akin to the works of 80’s directors John Hughes and Savage Steve Holland, and done on a “CLERKS” level indie budget. We had to “all-or-nothing” crowdfund the damn thing into fruition in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, so the fact that this film even EXISTS is a complete shock… and an honest to goodness miracle. What’s even crazier, is having our *World Premiere* right here in town at the L.A. Punk Film Fest just a few weeks ago, and winning *BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM*.

I suppose I should elaborate on how we got to this point in the first place. Though most folk wouldn’t recognize me on the street, video-game fandom best knows me for playing outlaw Marion “Bill” Williamson in the RED DEAD REDEMPTION series from Rockstar Studios. After the first game was released in May of 2010, I started getting attention where it had never been paid previously, which is what you’d think any character actor hopes for after years of side gigs gone awry and endless late night, black box improv. Someone who reached out to me for one of my first interviews was Paddy Murphy from Limerick, who -at the time- ran THE GAMING LIBERTY, Ireland’s biggest gaming website. He also reached out to my RDR co-star Rob Wiethoff (a.k.a. John Marston), for a similar interview. I just happened to gel EXTREMELY well with Paddy’s personality and sensibilities, and we stayed friends after the interview.

By the time the second game came out at the end of 2018, however, THE GAMING LIBERTY was defunct, but Paddy was still there online, lending his continued support and cheerleading the game’s massive success via his personal social media. The interesting thing though, is that between the time of each game’s release, Paddy had evolved into QUITE a creative force in Ireland’s indie film circuit; we’re talking around 20 producer/writer credits alone! At this point, coming off our own individual career highs, we expressed interest in somehow working together. We both had busy 2019’s, me engulfed in the gaming convention circuit and Paddy hitting the festival circuit for his horror feature “The Perished” under his production banner, Celtic Badger Media. Heck, maybe come 2020, we’d finally collaborate…

Then Covid-19 showed up at our front doors, and said to everyone on the planet, “%$&# your stupid plans!!!”

I think this is important for me to say now for the purposes of this interview: one of THE HARDEST challenges for me to overcome as an actor was simply navigating my fears and expectations during lockdown. Things here in SoCal were terrifying, and I lasted about 4 months before packing up my car and driving cross country in three days to hunker down with family in Florida. I luckily had someone look after my place here in L.A. and forward my mail to me, since I figured I would be there for a couple months, perhaps THREE if things got BAD. Well, I was there 10 months. Looking back, with the time passed, I am so fortunate I spent that valued time with my family. I know it helped me form an even greater relationship with my niece. That being said, the late night phone calls with other actor friends back in L.A. and elsewhere made me sick to my stomach. Questions like, “How long is this virus going to last?”, “How long will the EDD money last?”, “Did you hear so-and-so is in the ICU with it?”, “My block is closed and boarded up; every restaurant and private business GONE. Am I going to have to move?” I felt my creative side suffocating in a panic. How dare I even THINK of “creativity” right now.

Like I said before, my acting teacher told me not to rate on RIGHT or WRONG, or even SUCCESS or FAILURE, but simply, “Is this working or ISN’T it?” No, it wasn’t working. NOTHING was working. In addition to sorting out my own anxieties, I was trying like everyone else in my business to navigate the new world of the self-tape audition, but doing it with numerous family members barging in not knowing one’s routines… well, you can imagine. One “cool” thing about the lockdown experience (yeah, NOW I can say that), is reconnecting with Paddy in Ireland via zoom, and the fascinating if not heart-wrenching conversations we had. Now, here’s a guy with two young daughters, under the age of 10, asking him, “Daddy, this is scary. When YOU were a kid, what did you do during COVID?”, and realizing “HOLY CRAP, they think this happens more regularly!?!?” That blew his mind, absorbing his two daughters’ perceptions of lockdown. I don’t have kids, so I can only imagine. I certainly tried. It blew my mind as well.

It was at this time Paddy came up with the LET’S SURVIVE YouTube Channel podcasts, where he hit up all the actors he’d befriended from the video game genre, including Rob Wiethoff and me, and interviewed us; NOT just about our careers, which of course we chatted about… but also our mental health, and how we were coping with lockdown. He ended up getting pretty much the ENTIRE Red Dead cast, as well as other actors between 2020-2021, I think it really was refreshing for everyone involved. Knowing you weren’t as “isolated” as it first seemed. It was during this time that Paddy got reinvigorated with the idea of filmmaking, and went back to the Punk Rock/Rom-com script he was working on with frequent collaborator Michael Casey, “Lulu & the Electric Dreamboat”. A script about being creative amid severe anxiety, self-doubt and depression. He wanted me as both the Dad and co-producer, and I agreed without even reading the script. I was just ready to focus on creativity and less on fear.

Then I DID read the script that Mikey spear-headed, and it was better than I’d imagined. We even got Rob Wiethoff in a scene-stealing cameo. He was absolutely down to having fun with us! This film ended up being just what I needed. What WE needed.

We had so many obstacles once production and principal photography started, but we were so lockdown-seasoned, that we handled them like champs. There’s something to be said with the performances, as well; there’s something whimsically raw with each character, like they’ve all REALLY gone through something to get where they’re at. That’s so reflective of each actor, too, who came out of lockdown with a balance of steel resolve and a slight tinge of trepidation; and what a mix it made in the final product. I’m so proud of this film. I’m glad NONE of us gave up.

So, for anyone paying attention, know it’s okay to be scared and slightly doubtful. That certainly goes beyond the realm of entertainment. Remember, the isolation that fear creates doesn’t necessarily make the experience isolating. Folks usually to your left and right are probably freaking out in their own way, too. There’s a difference between just giving up, and craftily pivoting. People who take a step back to reassess are pretty much taking the advice of a seasoned acting teacher’s sage lesson: see what’s WORKING, and what ISN’T. Figure out, adjust, go for round two. Again, you can never FAIL if you keep trying.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Man, do I’ve THAT covered. In fact, I did a similar itinerary rundown 3 weeks ago with my co-producer Mikey Casey visiting from Ireland:

Their first night here, I tell them to stay hungry throughout the travel day, because we usually head down to Koreatown and go to Hae Jang Chon on 6th & Serrano; best Korean BBQ ever! On day one, I usually ask in the morning what they want to see first, and 9-out-of-10 times all my guests say the same thing, “Oh, I wanna do the Hollywood Walk-of Fame, see the Egyptian and Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, go to Canter’s, etc.” So I oblige, we do the touristy mainstream stuff, then they usually ask me for my ideas. I like to not say ANYTHING, and take them as a surprise to Hollywood Forever Cemetery. So many legends in one place, and my guests find it astounding. Of course, some chatter always comes up about Griffith Park and going to the Observatory or the HOLLYWOOD sign, but I like to detour them to the Bronson Caves, a.k.a. “The Batcave” from the 60’s BATMAN television show starring Adam West & Burt Ward. So many family members get caught off guard on that visit! They also can’t stop humming the theme song in the car once we leave.

So many great eateries here in Los Angeles, but here is a short list of “absolute MUSTS” if I’m your tour guide; Tam O’ Shanter in Atwater Village, Gilbert’s El Indio on Pico & 26th in Santa Monica, The Fox & Hounds Pub in Studio City, The House of Pies in Los Feliz, Porto’s Bakery in Burbank and Masa of Echo Park for AMAZING Chicago Deep Dish. As far as bars? I’d say Horses near Spaulding Square, Scum & Villainy on Hollywood Blvd., The Thirsty Crow in Echo Park, and Foreman’s in Burbank.

I’ve friends and family from the east coast, starting from the Carolinas all the way to Albany, N.Y., who usually prefer an atmosphere akin to the Blue Ridge Mountains or the Adirondack Mountains. In the summer, my “outdoor adventurers” aren’t thinking beyond Rodeo Drive, the Sunset Strip, or the smog-infested skyline they see portrayed in 80’s buddy cop flicks, so when I surprise them with a drive to Malibu State Park, and a dive in the swimming hole there, followed by a hike to the M.A.S.H. filming site, it really makes a solid impression!

People NOT in the greater Los Angeles region always have the same preconceived notion of this area due to film stereotypes. Look… I totally get it. I pretty much did the same thing myself 20 years ago. The longer I stayed, the more cool stuff I discovered. Places people DO NOT talk enough about are awaiting a visit that’ll prove absolutely entertaining.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d absolutely love Shoutout L.A. to assist me in giving massive props to some of the great acting instructors, both collegiate & professional, that I’ve had over the last 30 years; Reid Conrad, Jim Simmonds, Jack P. Benjamin, Dewey Scott-Wiley, Dale Reynolds, Eric Stonestreet, P.J. Ochlan, and two dear friends who’ve I’ve worked with professionally, Joe Ochman & Benjamin Byron Davis. Joe and Ben are VERY respected teachers in their own right, and I cannot tell you how many times I’ve bought them each lunch for helping me out with some major same-day auditions. Seriously… a LOT of lunches. Love those two guys!

Instagram: @steve_j_palmer

Twitter: @steve_j_palmer

Other: Follow the IG account to my new film on the current festival circuit: @luluandtheelectricdreamboat

Image Credits
Wide image from the set of the film “Lulu & the Electric Dreamboat” is by Darragh O’Flannagáin, Lulu film poster design by Paddy Murphy.