An interview with Cory Hardrict

Interviewer: Tell us about yourself and how you got started in acting.

Cory: My name is Cory Hardrict, I’m from Chicago Heights, Illinois. I got started in the acting game, probably about in the early nineties when my mom took me to an open call audition, just to be a walk on for a movie and I was so excited. We got there, like three thousand kids are lined up on the west side of Chicago and it was a very long day you know so I waited and me and my brother stuck it out and what wound up happening was we got a phone call and we were able to become extras in that film and that was like the best day of my life. I knew what I wanted from that point on. I would do little things like walk across a street and I’d see the camera and I’d make sure it’s trying to get me a little bit and I just knew I wanted to do that for the rest of my life and I don’t see myself doing nothing else so that’s it.

I: How did you get involved in this project?

First of all I would like to thank Ellory Elkayem the director of this movie for giving me the opportunity and also Anatoly, the Producer of this film for giving me a chance to live out my dreams. It couldn’t have happened without them and God. I auditioned for this project a couple of times. I went in and I didn’t hear anything for two and a half, three weeks and then I got a call to come back in and audition again and it happened. The next thing I knew I was in Bucharest filming for about four months. At the time I was up for all the projects, just going in and out of auditioning and this came up and I had to go with the sure thing and it worked out for the best.

I: Were you familiar with the Return of the Living Dead Series before working on these projects?

I know we’re doing part four and five and I know there was three before this and I really wasn’t into the franchise until I came here and became aware of it and then I found out about a large following, people just waiting for the Zombies so that’s kind of cool right there. I grew up on HALLOWEEN, FRIDAY THE THIRTEENTH, Michael Myers and all those movies, Freddie Kruger so I did, I loved those horror movies. I’ve always been into horror and actually this is my fourth horror film that I’ve done since I’ve been in California. I moved out there in the early part of ninety nine, I had no money, I lost my mother, who’s up in heaven watching down over me and I moved with a hundred dollars to my name and I’ve been there ever since. I just hold my own and God has blessed me to the point where I can take care of myself working, and helping out my family from time to time and at the same time doing something that I love to do and I feel like this is only the beginning for me and the rest of the cast here.

I: How has Bucharest been treating you?

I’ve had a wonderful experience in Bucharest, Romania I feel like I wouldn’t trade it in for the world. Working in Bucharest, Romania for almost four months has been a great experience for me and I’m pretty sure for my other cast mates here as well. I’ve never left the country before to do a project so that was cool right there, again to do something that I love to do and just get away and know you’ll be working for four months. That’s always the best thing when you’re an actor because you know things come and things go and things are not definite so Bucharest has really taught me to appreciate the simple things in life. I don’t take things for granted, being from the United States and basically I wouldn’t trade this experience for the world. It was very tough, sometimes it would get strenuous, the scheduling and just working, but they say only the strong survive and I’m a strong guy and so are the other cast members. We’ve endured a lot here and I think everything turned out well. Castel was a great film company to work for, they do tons of movies. Just working with those guys is great. The support they’ve showed us day in and day out is so appreciated.

I: Tell us what it is like working with your fellow cast members.

First of all Jenny was great to work with, she just got here for the second film and she’s has a ton of life here, she’s been happy. Working with her and just getting to know her personality and getting to know her likes, dislikes. We sometimes go out to eat or go to a café so I’d say that was very cool meeting Jenny and I wish her the best and I wish her a very long successful career. Aimee played the role of Becky. She’s also a nice person, we have a fun relationship. She was also great to work with, her future’s bright. I was with John more. We would go play basketball, we would go get something to eat, we would talk about certain things and certain experiences we would have to go through so I was closest to John. He’s a great guy and he’s like more the father here because he’s a very intellectual young man, and he has a good head on his shoulders so John Keefe is a good man. Jana Kramer is a very nice young lady. She’s doing a great job as well. I was glad I met her and I wish her the best with her career. She’s always smiling, bright, that’s Jana.

I: What’s next for you? Will you do another horror film?

What’s next for me is whatever God has for me and I don’t know right now what that will be but I know it will be something great because all my steps are ordered by God and he never fails me, never lets me down, he always makes a way, he always provides for me and I’m confident. I trust the Lord with everything I do so I know that there will be an opportunity, another job soon in the near future for me so I’m just looking at things now and listening to what’s out there and listening to what’s going on back in California right now and I know I wont be disappointed so that’s what’s next for me.

I: Tell us a little about the character you play.

I play Cody Cavanagh, he’s a scientist. He’s an intellectual young black man and I find that rare for brothers in horror films because they always die in the credits, so that was great to last through a whole movie. I’m kind of like the mastermind of different experiments and they come to me with this substance that I wind up distributing to make extra cash. But, it backfires on everybody and all hell breaks loose man, people start turning to Zombies and what not. So, that’s basically my character, he’s not a bad guy at all. He’s a good guy but he just gets caught up in the wrong things and he wants a dime and pays a price for it so that’s my character, Cody.

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