Actor and filmmaker David Lipper of “Full House” fame chatted about his new movie “Hunt Club.”
‘Hunt Club’
Lipper served as a screenwriter, producer and co-star of the new thriller, which will be released on April 4 in the United States and Canada. He stars alongside such actors as Mena Suvari, Mickey Rourke, Casper Van Dien, Maya Stojan, Will Peltz, Jessica Belkin, Jeremy London, Jason London, and Kipp Tribble.
Elizabeth Blake-Thomas directed the movie, which was penned by a screenplay from David Lipper and John F. Saunders. “We just had the premiere, and it was unbelievable,” he admitted.
“As a writer, it was pretty easy for me to write for myself, and know what kind of dialogue I can handle,” he said. “There was an original script that was handed to me by John Saunders, and a lot of characters, framework and the basic idea was there, but when the other producer Mark Lester brought it to me, I told him that I had to rewrite it and make it more current.”
“I want the audience to leave having conversations. At the end of the day, it’s an old-fashioned revenge thriller so that wasn’t changing,” he added.
The synopsis is: Cassandra (Mena Suvari) just lost her girlfriend and daughter and is desperate to find help. In walks Carter offering her the chance to win $100,000 if she participates in the hunt on his island. She soon finds other women who are there for the cash have been tied up, only to be released as the hunted.
With the help of Tessa and Lexi, Cassandra turns the tables on the men showing that women can be better hunters.
“People are scared to make this kind of movie, people are scared that they are going to get canceled and that they are going to get looked down on. It’s tough, I’m probably the only one crazy to do this. I grew up with movies such as “I Spit on Your Grave” and I thought these were great films,” he explained.
He praised lead actor Casper Van Dien for his intricate acting work in this film. “Casper Van Dien is just so good in ‘Hunt Club.’ I think this is one of the best things that he has ever done. It was a very difficult role to pull off,” Lipper said.
“Also, I couldn’t imagine casting anybody else for Mena Suvari to take on a role like that. She is a new mother so this really hit home for her. Mena is the real deal,” he said.
The digital age
On being an actor and filmmaker in the digital age, Lipper said, “For me, I think of it more as a producer, and how my content is going straight to streaming now. As an actor, all I care about is that people watch me and like me, whether it’s online or in the theater.”
“You want to reach as many people as possible,” he said. “I want to make sure that the movies are getting out there, and that they are reaching people, and that people have a good time with some of these.”
‘Full House’
He is known for his portrayal is the global sitcom “Full House,” where he played D.J. Tanner’s (Candace Cameron Bure) boyfriend, Viper, in the final season. “Viper was a lot of fun to play,” he said. “I always find comedy in everything I do. I am always going to find comedic beats because it’s my roots coming from sitcoms.”
Lipper also had positive words about actors Tyler Johnson and Emmy winner Darin Brooks. “Darin is a good friend of mine, and so is his wife, Kelly. I’ve known Kelly for a long time, she is also from Montreal like me,” he said. “Tyler was in my film ‘My Favorite Girlfriend’ that I produced. That was our first film as a company.”
He also noted that he knows actor Sean Kanan very well from being a part of a celebrity golf tournament, and they both got the prize for the “worst golfers as a team.” “That was not the kind of prize I like to win, but I took it gratefully,” he said with a laugh. “Sean has had a nice resurgence with ‘Cobra Kai’.”
On the title of the current chapter of his life, Lipper said, “I Need a Vacation.” “I made 15 movies since the pandemic started,” he said.
Lipper concluded about the film, “I am really proud of ‘Hunt Club.’ It was not an easy movie to make. I think the audience is going to decide to see what happens. I am very curious to see how this does. I would like to see how the public takes in this film. We are going to see what happens. It’s disturbing but it’s also a lot of fun.”
