Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Paydirt’s Mike Hatton

PC: Tell us about Paydirt, your character, and what drew you to this project.
Mike: Paydirt is a fun action crime-heist movie. I play Geoff Bentley, whose nickname is “the Brain.” When you meet him, you don’t really think that he’s the brain. He’s a goof. He’s a bit of a stoner. He’s out there. He’s eccentric and he’s a lot of fun. He was a lot of fun to play. It was a nice mix with Val Kilmer’s curmudgeon sheriff and Luke Goss’ suave British leading man. It was a lot of fun working with these guys.

PC: Not only are you starring in the film, you’re also producing it. This isn’t the first time you’ve worn multiple hats on a project. How have your past experiences prepared you for Paydirt?
Mike: Paydirt was the easiest project for me as a producer. We’ve done so many of these together now. I’ve finally gotten to the point where I know how to staff something, so I can easily step in front of the camera. My producing partner, Jack Campbell, made that really easy for me. Christian Sesma, my partner, who’s the writer, director, and fellow producer, had everything lined up. It made it a seamless transition to step into the role. Obviously, he writes these roles for me too. These are characters that are easy for me to play because he knows my range. We’ve worked together so many times. He doesn’t even have to tell me who I’m playing when I read the scripts. I’m like, “I’m playing Geoff, right?” He’s like, “Yeah.” So it was a really easy thing for me to produce.

I have a lot of ties to Coachella Valley. I used to be a TV reporter out there. That’s where Christian and I met. We’ve always tried to do B units to most of our movies out there and shoot little pieces there. But this time, we said, “Let’s do the whole thing there.” It was awesome. The whole community stepped up. The city of Coachella was super cool and gave us so much.

PC: Like you were saying, Coachella Valley is the backdrop for this film, which you and Christian both have ties to. How beneficial is it to work in locations you’re familiar with, both as an actor and producer?
Mike: As an actor, it’s great because these are places that I’ve known for a long time. Like the Salton Sea is absolutely beautiful. To be able to go there and showcase it made it a lot of fun. When I get out of the car, I’m not so obsessed with getting to know this area. I get out and worry about my performance on the screen. It was nice to not have too many distractions. I’ve lived here for fifteen years now. You get lost in the city going, “Where am I going? Where is the stage? Where is the studio?”

The community stepped up and wanted to help in every way. They’re not looking for a handout. The film was done on an independent budget. We’re not Marvel. We were calling a lot of friends, family, and people we’ve known for years to say, “Do you know where I can get these assets? Do you know where I can get a bunch of extras to come out?” It just made it a lot of fun.

PC: You’ve screened Paydirt for potential buyers and have gotten a really great response. What do you think is resonating most with viewers?
Mike: It’s a lot of fun, man. I’ve known Luke Goss for years. We’ve worked on a couple of projects together, and Luke’s just awesome. He’s such a gentleman, an incredible actor, so fun. He’s a great guy. It was a pleasure to work with Val and become friends with not only him but his daughter, who is incredible in the film. It’s her first feature film. If you had told me that I’d be working with the guy who played Doc Holliday, Batman, Iceman, I wouldn’t even believe you.

Christian and I were driving a year ago and we said, “We should do a movie with Val Kilmer before the end of the year.” To make that happen, it’s been such an honor. I adore him, and I’m so grateful to have been in his presence. I mean, look, I’ve shared the screen with Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali, and now I’m putting Val Kilmer in there. I sit here and I’m like, “Man. I’m really building up the ranks here.”

PC: With the film out now, what do you hope audiences take away?
Mike: I hope they have fun. I think we’re living in a time when people need to let loose and escape reality. I hope they sit back and have a laugh. There’s a cool little mystery involved where I don’t think people will know what’s going on until it’s all put together. That’s really cool. I hope they forget about what’s going on in the world and escape. That’s the reason we watch movies, right?

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