Pop-Culturalist.com

Bruce Bellocchi is a multi-talented storyteller who has built an illustrious tenure within the industry. With a career that spans over two decades, Bruce has done it all from acting to directing to editing to writing, but now he’s telling the stories that he wants on his own terms.

His latest project, The Legend of Jack and Diane, is an edgy, thriller that follows a young couple who are forced to leave Indiana after discovering secrets about the death of Diane’s mother. When their worst fears are confirmed by the chief of police, Jack and Diane create a “Hit List” and exact revenge on everyone involved.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Bruce about The Legend of Jack and Diane, the process of bringing this story to life, and more.

PC: Tell us about The Legend of Jack and Diane and the inspiration behind the film.
Bruce: I wrote a book first called The Legend of Jack and Diane which I never released. I always liked female revenge thrillers. Those are some of my favorite films. It’s really an underdog story. I used to be addicted to watching crime shows like Nancy Grace and things like that.

I wanted to write something about a woman who took control and took the law into her own hands. I always thought it would be cool to finish the story of Jack and Diane. Who are these people after they went to school? What did they do? I took liberties with whatever that may be, and I wrote the screenplay with my girlfriend. It was a fun experience.

The book and the screenplay went through a lot of changes because it started out as a television series that I was pitching before the pandemic. Then the pandemic hit and everything changed.

The original show was about a couple who moved out to Hollywood to become actors. They had to deal with the casting couch. The girl gets raped, and they decide to rid Hollywood of all the sexual predators. A lot of the executives weren’t ready to tell that story. So we toned it down and decided to make the film ourselves. That’s how it progressed.

PC: Like you were just saying, the script has had quite the journey from originating as a book then to a television series, and now a film. What does it mean to you to have it finally come out on the big screen? What did you have to account for as you adapted it for the film medium?
Bruce: It’s great. Any time you get to see your own words recited by actors and see it on the screen it’s kind of a high. I got that high a long time ago when I started writing for TV shows, but when you’re writing for a TV show things get altered and changed by like ten other people. It’s the same thing with studio pictures. I’ve sold and optioned several scripts over the years. Any time that it went to a studio, I had a difficult time. I knew a famous director named Noel Black who directed Quincy and all those popular ’70s shows. He told me, “Listen, let them do what they do. Get your movies made and be happy. Unless you’re an established screenwriter with lots of box office money under your belt, the studios who buy or option your scripts don’t really listen to what you want to do.”

Being able to do independent film is something that I really, really enjoy doing because everything is mine. It’s my story, and I even edit these darn things. You really get to pick what you want people to see. Jack and Diane is an entertaining piece. I always tell people I have a lot of different stuff. This wasn’t a passion project from my heart. I think it’s an entertaining piece. I love the story.

I just wrapped another movie called Love Kills. That’s a dark comedy in the Hitchcock genre. It’s based on the movie Rope, and I think people are going to enjoy it. In June, I’m directing a movie called One, which is a racially involved boxing film. That’s a passion project of mine where people can see a lot of drama and heart.

I think that one’s going to be a breakthrough for us. But Jack and Diane went through a lot of changes to get to the screen. It’s great to see it on the screen, and Tom Sizemore has been one of my favorite actors. Having him in the movie was fantastic.

PC: Like you were saying earlier, you co-wrote this script with your girlfriend and you’ve worked with some of the cast in the past. As you were creating these characters, did you have these particular actors in mind? How did knowing what they were capable of help elevate the material? Did you write it with the intention for Lydia to star in it?
Bruce: I did write it with the intention of Lydia to star in it. There are some actors like Carlo Mendez who I brought back for Love Kills because he has great comedic chops that people haven’t seen. I don’t think we got to see that in Jack and Diane, but they will in this next film. He’s really, really funny.

It’s also easier when you can put together a wish list in your head. For me, it’s definitely a lot easier if I’m writing for a specific actor because you know a lot of their traits. That’s helpful for an actor. If you can write a character that has some of their personality traits, it brings that character closer to them. It makes it easier for them to tell the story and portray that character.

It’s definitely easier. Any time that you have someone in mind ahead of time it’s definitely easier. I didn’t have Tom in mind ahead of time, but he’s such a versatile actor. He can play anything and make it real. It was fantastic having him.

PC: In addition to writing and directing, you’ve also acted in the past. How helpful have those experiences been as you’ve collaborated with this cast? Is there a different shorthand that you develop since you have experience in front of the camera as well?
Bruce: Back in the day when I was in Hollywood in the early ’90s, I was taking every acting class under the sun. I wasn’t crazy about acting classes because a lot of really good actors were getting nitpicked by these teachers who aren’t really great actors themselves. The next thing you know, they’re frozen. They don’t know what to do. They’re overthinking everything. I do think having time in front of the camera definitely helps. But I also have some personal techniques from sports, from being a professional fighter, and from training. I had some great trainers and teachers in my life. That helps a lot, especially when I’m working with an actor and trying to get them to relate to what the character is dealing with. It’s a mental game. It really is. Being able to share that experience with the actors and being able to have them push through the boundaries, even seeing my girlfriend do it. It’s night and day. This was her first film. She’s in it with a guy like Tom Sizemore who has done legendary stuff. She was only 22 at the time. That can be overwhelming. If it was, she never showed it. She was calm, cool, and collected the entire time on set. She blew me away. We just wrapped Love Kills, and she’s even better in that one.

PC: Speaking of firsts, this is the first full-length feature that you’ve directed. Did anything surprise you about the experience? What did you learn from this project that you’ve been able to bring over to Love Kills?
Bruce: I’ve directed a bunch of shorts in the past. But quite honestly, there isn’t a lot different other than the magnitude and scope. Jack and Diane had a decent-sized budget. You’re in control of more people and responsibility, but it’s the same principles. There are certain directors who are more technical and know every single thing about cameras. I try to pick up as much knowledge as I can every single time. I’ve literally been studying this stuff for years, 24/7. I was just on the internet looking at different specs on new cameras and trying to pick things up. But working with the actors is my favorite thing.

I wish I could have directed ten years ago. I finally got to the point where I wanted to stop writing scripts and trying to sell them. You get an option, you get a nice check, and you get excited. But then through the process half your story changes, which always frustrated me. I never got the chance to see one of my stories on screen. I always wondered, “Would people like it? Would they hate it?” I didn’t get that chance.

Doing an independent film is being able to do it yourself. You’ve got to have a real sense of having your finger on the pulse. You get to be successful or fail on your own, which I kind of like, rather than attaching yourself to something that might have drastically changed and is no longer your story.

PC: This is such a wild ride. Is there a particular scene that you’re excited for audiences to see?
Bruce: The one where Tom Sizemore shoots me in the trailer. [laughs] When we were setting that up, Carlo Mendez’s character is supposed to throw a kilo of cocaine on me. They ended up having all this powder from all these different angles. When everyone threw that at me, it went up my nose and mouth. It was hard to breathe. But being shot by Tom was the highlight of the movie for me. There are some other scenes too, but I liked that one.

PC: Like you were saying earlier, you recently wrapped on Love Kills. Is there anything you can tell us about that project?
Bruce: Love Kills is a dark comedy. It’s kind of based on Rope where this couple has about twenty years between them. The girl is a little insecure. She decides that to bind their love together, they have to kill someone at the party that they’re having. There’s a character who steals the whole show. The character has MS, which isn’t multiple sclerosis. In the film, it means McConaughey Syndrome, where he thinks he’s Matthew McConaughey. He wears the Matthew McConaughey t-shirt. He looks like him. He talks like him. Several people are plotting against each other in the film. Very rarely, even if it’s something that I do, will I not laugh at it. I’ve been editing this and rewinding the scenes and cracking up. When I was directing this, I had to bite my shirt. I was fighting back my laughter.

PC: You’re such a dynamic voice. What’s left on your bucket list?
Bruce: I couldn’t live long enough to tell them all. I wish I had decided to go this route twenty years ago. I know the question isn’t about regrets, but I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently. I wish I didn’t waste so much time not pursuing my dreams. I was pursuing what I wanted, but I wasn’t putting 100% into it. I didn’t realize how satisfying it would be to get to this point where I’m able to write and tell these stories, even if they’re only known in the independent world. The landscape has changed so much. Everything is going to Prime Video and all these streaming services. It’s a different day and age, but I love what I’m doing. It’s fun. Hopefully, I’m telling stories that people will like.

To keep up with Bruce, follow him on Twitter and Instagram. The Legend of Jack and Diane is now available on Prime Video.