A true renaissance man, Russ Parr’s career has grown since his early years as a stand-up comic. He has credentials as a recording artist and a top-rated radio host heard weekdays by 3.2 million listeners across America.
Lately, Parr has been working on his career as a filmmaker and expects his newest film “35 & Ticking” to amplify his filmmaking credentials. The Recorder talked with Parr about his new film.
Recorder: Though many readers know you from radio, you have a lot of credits on your name inside of the entertainment industry. What originally got you interested in filmmaking?
Russ Parr: I actually have a degree in radio, television, and film, though I know that doesn’t really matter unless you have skills to back it up. I decided seven years ago that no one was going to tell my stories for me so maybe I should tell them myself.
Can you tell me a little bit about your film “35 $ Ticking”?
It’s basically about people hitting that magical age of 35 and thinking, “Wow, I don’t have kids and I don’t have the right carrier. I need to get my stuff together.” I watch so many people get married around age 35 because they want that idealized lifestyle. I decided to write a story about it and I think the story is pretty funny.
Your film uses a comedic approach to take a look at relationship problems African-Americans face. What inspired you to make this film?
Everything in this movie is a dramedy (drama mixed with comedy). I had a guy come up to me after watching this film and say “I think I need to go home and divorce my wife.” I asked him “Why” and he said that he saw himself in my film. This isn’t a Tyler Perry movie; this is a real believable thing that people go through.
What makes this film different from other romantic comedies?
I think everyone who is watching my film will see themselves or someone they know in it. This movie isn’t over the top about a lady with two baby daddies. That’s what Black Hollywood likes, but that really doesn’t happen to everyone. I made my film totally out of real life situations that deal with a serious subject matter. It’s handled in a way that will make viewers both laugh and cry.
What do you hope people will take away from this movie?
For me personally, I want people to go see it and realize they can’t put me in a box. I want them to see I can do more than one thing. Everyone makes stories about how no matter how old you are you can still achieve your dreams. Not everyone’s story turns out that way. My movies are reality and in reality we don’t always get what we want.
Now that you are done with the process of filming “35 & Ticking,” what do you plan to do next?
I am shooting a movie that deals with the church and I think people will love it or hate it. It deals with things that go on behind the scenes including ego and greed.
