Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Disturbing the Peace’s York Shackleton

York Shackleton has pulled off one of the more successful career transitions from actor to filmmaker. Best known for his film 211, Shackleton has proven he’s an exciting new voice in filmmaking ready to make some noise. His latest is the action-packed Disturbing the Peace, which follows a small-town marshal who hasn’t carried a gun since his involvement in a tragic shooting. But he’s forced to pick up his gun again after a gang of outlaw bikers invade the town to pull off a brazen and violent heist. Pop Culturalist caught up with York to chat about Disturbing the Peace.

Career

PC: How did you discover your passion for storytelling?
York: When I decided that I wanted to study this, I realized that’s what we do. We’re storytellers. We take you on this ride. We’re pulling you away from your everyday life and showing you a different view on things. We’re bringing you on a journey that you’ll get lost in. That’s what I felt passionate about and was drawn to when I began to do this.

I remember when I was a child, I would go watch films with my parents or friends, and you would leave the theater and everyone would continue to talk about the movie. Why did that happen? What was that like? It always evoked conversation. It wasn’t until later on that I realized that doesn’t happen anymore. People watch these films and they either want to slam down a bottle of wine or go to dinner and forget about the film. Those things resonated with me and moved me. That’s where I put a lot of energy and time into studying the fundamentals of storytelling.

PC: Who or what would you say has had the biggest influence on your career?
York: I’ve been very lucky in my life to have a lot of mentors. Growing up mostly in Los Angeles, I came across a lot of different filmmakers like Randal Kleiser, who did Grease and Blue Lagoon, and Bill Phelps, who did North Shore. These are guys who worked with me on writing and stuff like that—through it all, studying film in genre. So guys like Stanley Kubrick, who’s done film in every genre and really mastered each genre. People like him who have made really well-rounded stories, no matter what genre they’re working on. Those are the things that I’m inspired by.

PC: You’ve done a lot of work in front of and behind the camera. How has your experience as an actor made you a better filmmaker, and vice versa?
York: It definitely makes you understand what the actor is dealing with. In the very beginning when I was doing acting, I realized pretty quickly that it wasn’t something that I would continue with, moving forward. But I really enjoyed the whole filmmaking process and wanted to be behind the scenes. I didn’t have a lot of opportunities at the time, so I took advantage of anything I could. Being in acting classes, I was observing actors and the instructors and seeing how they were manipulating these performances out of them. Rather than trying to take those skills and engrain those skills in myself to utilize them, I was getting those tools to convey them to actors on set. It definitely gives me a certain understanding of what they’re going through. It helps me help them and get them where they need to be.

Disturbing the Peace

PC: You have a new film coming out. Tell us about Disturbing the Peace and what attracted you to this story.
York: We wanted to do something that paid homage to the great ’80s action movies that we grew up watching. When we got the script, it was something that hasn’t been done in a while and something that we haven’t seen for some time. When it was pitched to us by the production company, they even pitched that they wanted to do a contemporary Western type of thing. We were looking to do something like a Road House, and it was right there on the page. That’s what I was drawn to, as well as working with an actor like Guy Pearce. It’s not an opportunity everyone gets every day. You know whatever’s on the page, he’s going to take to the next level.

PC: What was the collaboration like working with Guy?
York: When Guy got on set, we did a significant amount of work together. We talked about who his character was, where he was coming from, where he was heading, what the dialogue was about, what was important to say, what wasn’t. With someone like Guy Pearce, you’re getting a guy who has tons of experience with top filmmakers. He brings a lot of tools to the set. There are a lot of actors who will bring similar skills and keep them away in their trailers. They just want to bring it on set, and they can’t alter too much in their performance. Guy, however, is very limber. He understands what he needs to do and who his character is, but he wants to hear your views on what needs to be done so that we can make a collaborative decision.

PC: With the film out now, what do you hope audiences take away?
York: I just hope they have a good time. In today’s climate, we’re dealing with such intensity, stress, anger, hatred, and all these emotions. It’s more important than ever for us filmmakers not to be putting our opinions in movies. I just want to take you on a fun ride. I feel like it’s a film you don’t see every day.

To keep up with York, follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Catch Disturbing the Peace in select theaters, on demand, and on VOD today.