Exclusive Interview: Shane West Discusses ‘The Dirty South,’ Filming in Louisiana, and the Thrill of Independent Filmmaking

Shane West is a dynamic storyteller best known for the nuanced and grounded characters he has brought to life in projects, including A Walk to Remember, Nikita, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, ER, and dozens more. His latest film is the action-packed thriller, The Dirty South.

Sue Parker (Willa Holland) finds herself in a desperate battle to save her family’s struggling business, which is on the brink of collapse due to her father’s neglect. When a handsome drifter (Shane West) comes into town she sees him as the only chance to prevent their bar from falling into the hands of a ruthless local tycoon (Dermot Mulroney). What starts as a simple plan to save her family, quickly spirals into larceny, lawlessness and deadly consequences.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Shane about The Dirty South, filming in his home state, the thrill of independent filmmaking, and more!

Please Note: The Dirty South has been granted an interim agreement from SAG-AFTRA. Without the labor of actors currently on strike, the film being covered here wouldn’t exist.

PC: You and writer-director Matthew Yerby are both from Louisiana. The Dirty South is loosely based on the people and community that he grew up around. How has your home state influenced your own journey as a storyteller? Was that ultimately what drew you to this project?
Shane: I think that was ultimately what drew me to this project. A lot of times when you get an appointment or you get a script sent to you, it’ll give you details on who might be in it, who is producing it, who is directing it, who wrote it, where it’s shooting, the log line/storyline, and all of that stuff.

I didn’t know Matthew yet. I didn’t know the producers yet. But getting the log line/storyline and hearing that it was based out of Louisiana, filming in Louisiana, and was a story that I was hoping for with its Bonnie and Clyde-ish feel minus shooting people, it made me interested immediately, even before I read it.

From there, I saw that it felt like almost a modern western with this timeless feel. The character, Sue, is so powerful and very well-written. It made me want to connect with Matthew and this project.

PC: Life has forced both Sue and Dion to do whatever they have to do in order to survive. While on the surface, Dion has this tough exterior, there’s a lot of vulnerability underneath. How did you prepare to tackle that very nuanced journey?
Shane: It was pretty straightforward. Personally, I’ve gone through a lot growing up. I know that most people have all around the world. That’s what we do as actors. We take the things that we’ve been through and bring them to the roles and projects that we work on if it makes sense. In this case, it did. Being able to take my own past and sprinkle that into Dion made it a lot easier for me.

There’s also a scene that was very important to me when Dion finally opens up to Sue in his truck. That scene needed to be there, at least for me as an actor, so that I could show that he’s a little bit more misunderstood. He’s not necessarily this cold-hearted drifter. He’s got a heart, he’s got a soul, and he’s sensitive.

PC: He’s a victim of his circumstance and his past. Matthew wrote and directed this project, and he’s acted in the past as well. Is the filming experience different when the person who created this universe and these characters is also at the helm directing, and also has worked in front of the camera? What was that collaboration like?
Shane: I don’t know if it makes too much of a difference, but I think the most important thing is that he’s a great listener and talker, and a very good writer, especially with characters. I think it’s more just the awareness of being able to collaborate. It’s possible that him being in front of the camera in the past has given him the insight to do different takes and be like, “Let’s be a little more collaborative.” But Matthew himself was so passionate, energetic, and so excited to be able to film in this town that he grew up in. The bar in the film is the one he used to work at when he was younger. He brought that excitement every day.

PC: It’s such a love letter to Louisiana. You’ve worked on projects of all sizes. What is it about independent filmmaking that excites you as a creative and storyteller?
Shane: Let’s be honest, you get the best stories that way. You get the people who are willing to experiment a lot more. I wish we could get back to the ’60s and ’70s and some of the movies that were written back then. It harkens back to that old-school feel with the modern western. This is what makes it more exciting.

What makes it harder, and I mean that in a negative way, is that you get a ridiculous amount of days to film that project. It’s all hands on deck, and everyone’s fighting for each other in a positive way. It brings a sense of camaraderie a lot quicker than it would on a big studio film or even a television series, especially a brand new series.

Also, you get some magic sometimes. Sometimes you’re able to film something because an emergency happened, but you need to finish the day and get that scene. We had a lot of amazing things that happened. This was supposed to be a summer movie and it became a winter movie because of when we were filming. Natchitoches, Louisiana is known for their festival of lights. They had Christmas lights downtown. We were suddenly able to do awesome shots where we were driving around, which, by the way, I was actually doing the driving, where we were able to see the wonderful Christmas lights in the background, which we would have never gotten to do if it was filmed in the summer. You get these happy accidents that happen that generally only happen on a smaller film than they do on a bigger film.

PC: In the film, Sue’s younger brother is the reason why she’s stuck around and is doing everything in her power to protect her family. Having had such an illustrious career in this industry, what’s kept you going? What’s been your why?
Shane: It’s my family and friends who are able to talk you out of the dark periods and hold you up during the happier periods. They’re just there to listen. My family isn’t in the industry. I just happened to be a first in my family, which means they care because they care about my well-being and health. But they also don’t care because it’s not their world. [laughs] Sometimes they don’t even understand it, which is great because you just want to be around people who are happy that you’re happy regardless of what’s going on. Maybe you made a film and no one saw it. Maybe you made a film and it didn’t make as much as it was supposed to, or your TV show was canceled. They don’t care as long as you’re happy. That’s what you need in any walk of life.

PC: The film has made its way around the festival circuit, and it’s been incredibly well received. What do you think is resonating most with audiences? What do you hope they take away?
Shane: It reminds me of a film from the ’70s or ’80s where it’s built on the characters and how they react to real-life circumstances. As odd as this sounds, especially when we’re talking about a film, but this could happen in a lot of small towns around the world, especially losing a business. In this town, the poor remain poor and the rich get even richer. But I think it’s a story that can connect and hopefully resonate with a lot of people that have grown up in this way as I did, and show that there are struggles, but there’s hope out there. You get a positive ending without giving too much away and how family can help family.

To keep up with Shane, follow him on Instagram. The Dirty South hits theaters, On Digital, and On Demand on November 10th, 2023.

Photo Credit: Cinverse