It's about as unlikely a Hollywood discover story as you'll hear: One second, you're a tousled, twentysomething singer-songwriter paying your dues in Nashville; the next, you're hand-selected by Drew Barrymore from a pool of hundreds to play Ellen Page's love interest in her first new film since Juno. If you're Landon Pigg, it could -- and did -- happen to you. No stranger to the ups and downs of making a career in show business, we caught up with Pigg in L.A. shortly before Whip It's opening weekend, as he readied himself to get back in a van and head out on a very no-frills cross-country tour.
Landon, you sort of came out of nowhere to land the role of Ellen Page's love interest in your very first film. How did that happen, exactly?
Let's see. [Drew] said she wanted to find somebody who wasn't an actor but an actual musician, because it kind of gets under her skin when an actor plays a musician or something. So I was recording an album and someone was like, would you want to at least try out? So I was like, yeah.
Who said would you want to try out?
My manager asked me that because they had found out from the label, because I guess Drew and folk had contacted them. And they sounded like famous people so I was like, yeah! It sounded fun.
How did your audition go? Obviously pretty well -- but what was it like?
Well let's see. We were in the basement of this Nashville studio. Really '70s, dingy place -- stone walls, wood paneling, cream-colored refrigerator. All this gross but kinda cool stuff. My manager came with a handycam and a side that I was supposed to read; he was playing the part of Ellen, and I was playing Oliver. And it was somewhat of a romantic scene.
So you had to woo your male manager?
Yeah, and it was great, you know? Like, he couldn't keep it together -- it got to be too much for him, saying some of the lines. And this haphazard audition tape with people laughing was the one that got sent off to L.A. to Drew's office.
And they thought it was kind of funny. They were like, "It was pretty good, not bad. We're going to fly you out here to do a chemistry read with Ellen." And I guess we got along well enough. So there were several hoops to jump through, because even after that I had to do a proper screen test. So I just went where they told me to go, read the lines, and then I started pre-production in Detroit with everybody.
And the next thing you know you're swimming underwater with your clothes on.
Yeah. Yeah. That was in the rider. When they offered me the part, I said, "Yeah, but could you write this scene in? I've always wanted to do this."
Was it as dreamy to shoot as it was to watch on the screen?
I think to create something elegant, the creator kind of has to take one for the team. So for the shot to come out so smooth and swimmingly -- no pun intended -- I think there's a lot of, you know, opposite feelings that go into it. We were actually running out of breath, and not having that good a time. We're freezing, we've been in the pool for an hour and a half. Neither one of us were a mermaid or merman, so when we were kissing, no one was blowing oxygen into each other's mouths. So it was really difficult, kinda, but it's really neat to see the end product edited together and make it seem like that's possible to do -- and it's not. It was a blast to watch, that's for sure.
It seems like Drew Barrymore would be the dream person to sort of guide you through your first professional acting experience.
The kind of people she brought together for this project I think are representative of what kind of person she is. Part of what describes what you are is who you attract to you. And just roaming around this crew of people, everyone was a little eccentric, a little nurturing, funny and positive. I think the most positive of everybody was Drew. It was really nice having someone create that atmosphere, especially for me. I know there were a lot of veteran actors on this project, and it could have been a far more grave aura about the whole thing. So for me it was really great to have it be really professional and really efficient, but at the same time kind of bubbly and positive.
Do you record solo under your own name?
Landon Pigg. Couple of Gs at the end of that name. Worst part of that name is having to say it seven times when I'm trying to close my bar tab at the end of night. "IT CAN'T BE 'PIG.' WHAT IS IT?!"
And you have a song on the Whip It soundtrack.
Yeah, it's called "High Times." It was radical. We recorded it right there while we were filming the movie. And one day, in the same studio where The White Stripes recorded a couple of their albums, perfectly rock n' roll, roaches included, so dingy and disgusting, one take for everything. And it's really exciting for a solo artist from Nashville to get thrown into something where the recording process is so different. I hope to go back there sometime.
So where is home base now?
Home base is about ten minutes that way. [He points out of a window on the Sunset Strip.]
You live in L.A. now?
Ennnh -- I stay here. People ask me if I live in L.A., I rephrase the question. I stay in L.A. Similarly to Oliver, I'm in the middle of a van and trailer tour. So I'm going back to that, to DesMoines, Iowa. So I'm staying here for the time being. Sometimes it's Alia [Shawkat]'s couch, sometimes it's with friends.
I guess there's going to be a change of demographic when you hit the road again. Are you ready for that?
There might be, there might not be. You can't really predict. I know a lot of moms have always liked my sound. I refer to myself as Mom Rock. Kinda passionate and doing, but, you know ... I'm accessible with the moms. I can be played in the doctors offices if I need to, playing on the speaker when you're getting your teeth cleaned.