Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Tale of Tails’ Yan Birch

Yan Birch has been a staple in the entertainment industry for over three decades. He’s starred in projects including The People Under the Stairs, Slumber Party Massacre III, Bless the Child, and dozens more, wowing audiences with his ability to disappear into any character.

This year, he can be seen starring in the crime-thriller Tale of Tails.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to chat with Yan about his impressive career, Tale of Tails, and more.

PC: How did you discover your passion for the arts?
Yan: My father was an entertainer in many different areas of the arts. I grew up exposed to the industry. My dad always encouraged me to pursue my dreams. He was my biggest fan and supporter. He encouraged me to move from Sweden to Hollywood thirty-four years ago.

PC: You’ve had a ton of success throughout your career. When you look back, is there a particular moment that stands out?
Yan: I would say it’s when I met the masterful Wes Craven at the callback for The People Under the Stairs. The second moment was when I received the phone call from him telling me I had booked a role in the film.

PC: In addition to acting, you’re also a producer. How has your work behind the camera made you a stronger actor and vice versa?
Yan: As an actor, it is astonishing and incredibly humbling to see how many people work so hard to make a film. It really raises the bar for me to give the best performance I can for everyone involved.

As a producer, the realization of all the work that goes into getting a film made gives me great respect for every single person behind the camera. It really does take a village to make a film a reality.

It’s mind-boggling how much preparation and work an actor must do just to be able to get a role and then to conduct all the background work that goes into preparing for the performance before shooting even begins. The work continues until the character is finished and the project is wrapped, and that gives me a ton of respect for all actors and what they go through to make their character and the film come alive.

PC: Tell us about Tale of Tails, your character, and what drew you to this project.
Yan: Tale of Tails is an edgy whodunit crime-thriller created by director Harley Wallen and currently streaming on Tubi. The story takes place in a rundown Gentlemen’s Club and shows some of the real behind-the-scenes situations and circumstances that dancers have to go through on a daily basis.

My character, Francisco, is what drew me to this project—and of course, also the fact that I have been able to develop a very strong and successful working relationship and friendship with fellow Swede Harley Wallen. This is the fourth project we have done together.

PC: You’ve shared on social media that Francisco is one of your favorite characters to date. What is it about this character that you’ve connected with?
Yan: The character of Francisco on paper was written pretty straightforward, but the blueprint and the story between the lines gave me the chance to add a lot of color to his personality. He is a hippie drug dealer in a strip club. Harley gave me so much creative freedom to come up with a unique back story. I was able to add many layers to make him the comic relief in this otherwise quite dark story. In my mind, I compared Francisco with the character of the janitor in the great sitcom, One Day at a Time. When Francisco shows up it’s like you can’t take your eyes off of him. He is a lot of fun to play.

PC: You have a few other projects coming out in the near future. Are there any you can chat about at this time?
Yan: I shot Waking Nightmare a while back with co-directors Brian Farmer and Steve Craig. I play a war veteran that comes back to the US with severe PTSD. The film has a nice surprising twist of circumstances in the end. I’m also involved in a project called 99 Problems with director Michael Kehoe, which was shot as a sixteen-minute proof of concept for a TV series. It’s similar in style to The Twilight Zone. To date, it’s received thirty nominations and awards from film festivals around the world. I’m very excited to be involved in this future series with Michael Kehoe. Another fun project that I just wrapped on is called Beneath Us All, again with director Harley Wallen. I play a viking vampire. In this film, I reunite with my good friend, actor Sean Whalen. This is the first time we’ve starred together since The People Under the Stairs, which is celebrating its thirtieth anniversary this year.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Yan: There are so many, but worth mentioning are Mayans, Ozark, City on a Hill, Poldark, Outlander, and Schitt’s Creek.

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Yan: The Shining. It’s a brilliant piece of cinema created by the genius of Stanley Kubrick.

PC: Favorite book?
Yan: Journey of Souls by Dr. Michael Newton.

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Yan: Hamlet.

PC: Who would play you in the story of your life?
Yan: If I can choose fellow thespians that are no longer with us, I would say Max von Sydow whom I admire tremendously. Still with us, I would say maybe Ewan McGregor, Julian Sands, or Donald Sutherland who are all amazing thespians I truly respect.

To keep up with Yan, follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Watch Tale of Tails today.