Clifton Collins talks Prison Ramen

Clifton Collins Jr. has been a staple on film and television for the better part of three decades, going all the way back to The Flash television show in 1991. He’s seen a lot of things and experienced even more and let me tell you he holds nothing back. He is passionate about what he does and just like anyone would, he gets in fanboy mode when working with some of the best in the business. He isn’t just an actor or a producer or a director, but he is now a published author with his lifetime friend Gustavo “Goose” Alvarez. Prison Ramen is about Goose’s time in lockup and has over 65 recipes with Ramen Noodles, yes those Ramen noodles. Clifton’s next entertainment project is the new HBO show Westworld that you will have see to believe.

Wingman Magazine: Your upcoming show Westworld looks like it could be a new sci-fi phenomenon. What can you tell us about it without getting yourself into trouble?

Clifton Collins Jr.: It is Westworld, and you’re gonna get what you think you’re gonna get and a whole lot more. It’s a great role, highly intelligent and action packed. There is a lot of just shock and awe and the attention to detail makes acting in this show incredible. But to call it a tv show is an understatement, it’s so much more than that. From the training to the experts on set, up and down the ladder, it’s like making a film. We have (Jonathan) Nolan and (J.J) Abrams, Ed Harris who is just iconic, Tony Hopkins, Evan Wood, Jimmi Simpson. We have so much F*#&ing talent.

Wingman Magazine: Have you ever been on set and just been starstruck?

Clifton Collins Jr.: That’s one of the great things about being in this business, I love what I do and the people in the business, these are my friends. I have had this conversation with Slash and Mike Judge and we are so blessed to be in a business where we can still be fans of the friends we have. Just because we are in the business doesn’t mean we don’t fanboy out. I had this moment that we shot on Vasquez rocks I was with the Man in Black and a certain character and we have this situation where we leave this person behind. The next thing we know the producers are telling us that we have some time until the next shot and that we can get off of our horses. I was ready to get off the horse and Ed (Harris) says “Hey pard, I think I am gonna check it out over here.” I was like “cool,” and I clicked my heals and took off while the crew was setting up. We got to the top and it was this giant plateau and we are up high enough that we couldn’t hear the crew. Ed then saw another mountain and went up that one as well, and we got up there and we couldn’t get close to the edge, because if the horse goes then it just goes. I had this real quiet moment on these rocks, just listening to the wind and out of the corner of my eye and see The Man in Black and think, “man if that doesn’t look like Ed F*#&in’ Harris next to me on the clifftop, where the f$*# am I right now.” It was a surreal moment up there for me.

Wingman Magazine: One of my favorite past films of yours was Mindhunters. Looking back at all of your previous work, and it’s pretty extensive. Do you have any favorite projects that you worked on?

Clifton Collins Jr.:  With a few exceptions that were just horrific experiences, which will remain nameless, I like a good majority of my films. If you go in having done your work, it’s like having a favorite kid. I love most of the films that I have done, of course some stand out cinematically award-wise like Capote and Traffic, and in my opinion 187. I had a blast on Mindhunters, met some great friends and a really truly amazing experience. The Terrence Malick Films that aren’t even out yet are going to be awesome. Those experiences of working with someone like that are really a benchmark in my career for me.

Wingman Magazine: Season 1 of Ballers just ended and you were on it as Maximo. Any word on if Maximo will be in season 2?

Clifton Collins Jr.:  They got me coming back for a few episodes of season two, we just have to work out the schedule with Westworld. Working with The Rock was great and Rob Corddry was funny as hell.

Wingman Magazine: There has been talk of a Terrence Malick movie with you, Michael Fassbender and Natalie Portman for a little while. It’s slated to come out supposedly next year. Any word on that, or anything you can tell us about it?

Clifton Collins Jr.: It was called “Project X” for a while. I think they gave it a name, but I don’t remember. Terry is very mysterious and magical mystical all at the same time, he was awesome to work with. The second film that they called and offered me this role, we improvised a whole entire scene that was just a magical day for me, personally and professionally. I hope it’s in the film, I really couldn’t imagine it not being in the film. I was doing a tv show and I had to ask, well more like beg to get written out. When I told them why, I didn’t have to tell them much else. The respect and admiration for Terrence Malick there is so far reaching and global. I had to literally mention to these people that it was Terry and they wrote me out of this episode. They told me that they couldn’t pay me and I completely got it, I was just glad for the opportunity for them to let me out of the show. I lost so much money because it was a scale gig, I couldn’t even tell you how much money I lost. I couldn’t care less, I was so happy to go and shoot with Terry.

Wingman Magazine: Recent news of a potential Pacific Rim sequel arose and then died. When you read the script, did you have any idea of how big the first movie was going to be?

Clifton Collins Jr.: Yeah I did, which I couldn’t really say that about a lot of my films. Star Trek I was pretty certain about too. Don’t forget that when you get Pacific Rim, you are getting G.T.D (Guillermo Del Toro), that in itself is the number one star. You have the Kaijus and Jaegers and the world, but you go to get the Guillermo Del Toro experience, I can vouch for that. I ask people that are true Del Toro fans, “You are a Del Toro fan? How many of his films do you have?” They always answer that they have them all or I have three of them. I tell them that they have doubled that amount because of the amount of commentaries that are on the DVDs and then you can decide which you like more, the film or the commentary. It feels like you are hanging out with him, and you get who he is and he is a friend. He’s so passionate about film, it’s so infectious.

Wingman Magazine: Who has been your favorite actor or director to work with over the past five years?

Clifton Collins Jr.: Oh man, look at the resume`, how do you pick. Between working with Guillermo Del Toro to Terrence Malick. I would have to look at my resume`. ( He went and actually googled himself to see what else he has been in.) Triple 9, working with John Hillcoat (releases next year) was a great time, a huge collaborator. I did some directing myself, one of the projects was Slash’s video Gotten. Some of the proceeds went LAYN (Los Angeles Youth Network) it helps runaway kids. Edgar Wright from Scott Pilgrim vs. The World was great to work with as well.

Wingman Magazine: Prison Ramen…now I have had Ramen as most of us have. But you have 65 ramen recipes. Have you tried them all? Have any favorites?

Clifton Collins Jr.: I am so pumped for this book, and I had this aha moment that I am a published book author. We have been working so hard for the day where I could actually hold the book and now it’s a real book now. The picture on the inside cover is the day that ‘Goose’ pitched me the idea for the book, which was back in August 2008 after he got out of lockdown from the riot. So many surreal moments revolved around the release of the book. Mr. Cartoon did the lettering on the cover of the book for me and Estevan Oriol shot the photo. Estevan Oriol did the original LA hand sign signals. He is a badass, he did all of the layouts for GTA: San Andreas. He is probably one of the only photographers that can go into any gang area and have a green light to shoot whatever he wants to. Everybody loves him, Crips, Bloods, Southsiders, Northsiders, just everyone. We have received so much support from everyone on this book from everyone that was involved. All of the celebrities that were involved, Danny Trejo, Samuel L. Jackson was one of my greatest mentors. There is a whole feature that came out of Prison Ramen, called The Pawn. It is partially a true story on Goose’s life, and I let Samuel read it and he was all into it. While we are working on a script for it, we have offers to do some documentaries and even a season of Unscripted for Prison Ramen.

Goose ate all of these in prison. If you don’t know this, every Ramen in prison is worth a dollar, it’s currency. In prison if you wanted cigarettes, it’s two Ramen’s so it’s two dollars. The big thing for me is that we get to donate a portion of the proceeds to Homeboy Industries. It’s Father Greg’s charity that helps at risk gang youths. With the rate of people going in and out of jail, it’s so high today, by design. There are very few rehabilitation places like Father Greg’s. When you walk in there, the love in there is so tangible, it’s mind blowing. It will shake your soul. You have Crips and Bloods, kids with facial tattoos, people in wheelchairs that now finally think that they have a chance in life to do something. They have befriended their enemies in the most brotherly of way and the most humanizing experience to the core. It really shows people’s hearts when people actually care about each other.

Wingman Magazine: You have a 5K run coming up soon for Homeboy Industries. When is the run?

Clifton Collins Jr.: Now that we have the book out, I need to get the donations up there. It was October 24th (we just missed it) and I will be signing books there, and possibly run in the 5k. I am hoping to run it with Father Greg, it would be so cool. There are a lot of cops there that will see through the corruption and the bulls#*$. I was a little hesitant at first but these guys are very much involved, and all have good hearts. If you have never heard Father Greg speak, check out his TED talk. He is a cross between Santa Claus and Jesus, but he’s a real Santa Claus. Make sure to check out his book, Tattooed Heart. He would say, “ For the homeboys yes, I could go by myself and get that done, but when the homegirls are fighting, that one must bring backup.”

Check out Clifton’s new book Prison Ramen. Make sure to pre-order it here a portion of the proceeds goes to Homeboy Industries to help at risk gang youths.