Actor and musician Rob Mayes chatted about starring in “The Neon Highway” film.
The synopsis is: Wayne Collins, a young singer/songwriter (Rob Mayes), was a heartbeat away from making it in Nashville when a car crash ended his dream. Now, seven years later, he’s a working man in Columbus, Georgia, trying to make ends meet.
During a cable installation, he meets Claude Allen, a drunken has-been country music legend (Beau Bridges), who hands him a guitar and listens to one of Wayne’s original songs.
Together, they return to Nashville, hoping they can shop the song and score a record deal. But the industry has changed, and no one is willing to take a chance on Claude. Not one to give up, Wayne outsmarts the system.
‘The Neon Highway’
Mayes noted that this movie was a “special” one. “It’s about getting to tell a story about songwriting and chasing a dream, which is what I do, every day, here in Nashville,” he said.
“The only reason I was a part of this movie in the first place was because I took a publishing meeting three years ago ,and the publisher mentioned the film to me, and then I chased this movie, and I got it myself. It feels good,” he acknowledged.
Portraying Wayne
Mayes opened up about playing his character Wayne. “Wayne is a particularly poignant character to play because his struggles reflect those, almost eerily, in my own life; from the car crash, to the broken dryer. New one is getting delivered this afternoon, in fact. Plus, Wayne tends to do things differently. So do I,” he explained.
Working with Beau Bridges
On working with Beau Bridges, Mayes said, “Beau is real down to earth. We had a great time working together, keeping in touch over the years. He said beautiful things about my performance, his words mean a hell of a lot more than any naysayer critics.”
Sharing the screen with country stars Lee Brice and Pam Tillis
Mayes spoke about sharing the screen with country stars Lee Brice and Pam Tillis. “I’ve looked up to Lee for years and I grew up listening to Pam [Tillis]. They are both legends. Would love to work with them both again,” he said.
Lessons learned from this movie
On the lesson learned from this film, Mayes acknowledged, “More than I’d like to admit, to be honest.”
Future plans
On his future plans, he shared, “I’ve got a single I wrote with Craig Wiseman, the founder of Big Loud, that will be out on April 5th.”
“Also, a comedy ‘Lost & Found in Cleveland’ with Martin Sheen, Dennis Haysbert, June Squib, Stacy Keach, and John Lovitz is coming later this year, which we shot in my hometown,” he said.
Closing thoughts on ‘The Neon Highway’
Mayes remarked about “The Neon Highway,” “With the lengthy Covid shutdowns, the recent historic simultaneous actors and writers strikes, and so many agencies are collapsing all around us, I hope this movie can be a beacon for keeping the faith in a dying landscape, and for maintaining hope, since hope is contagious and we need a hell of a lot more of it.”
To learn more about Rob Mayes, follow him on Instagram.
Read: “The Neon Highway” review
