Brian Landis is a graphic designer on Richmond’s North Side who also has a thriving side gig as an actor and director.
His latest project, “American Dreamer,” which filmed in Norfolk last fall, is a dark indie thriller starring comedian Jim Gaffigan.
Gaffigan plays a former computer programmer, down on his luck, who loses his job and family and becomes an Uber-type of cabdriver for a low-level drug dealer.
Landis portrays Greg, a former friend who has it all — family, job, nice car — and shows up when Gaffigan’s character has hit rock bottom.
Working with Gaffigan “was an enormous opportunity to work with a genuinely great guy and performer,” Landis said. “I pulled up, shook his hand and we almost immediately started running lines and working out our blocking.”
Landis’ scene was filmed on the first day of shooting in Norfolk, and he described the experience as intense. He even brought along his kids, Charlie, 9, and Ella, 6, who appear in the movie as his children.
“It was really invigorating. I think that’s part of the fun of filming. Everyone is running around like crazy: setting lights, getting the camera setup, rehearsing blocking, working through the dialogue, and then all of a sudden ‘Action!’ gets called, and you’re in the thick of it,” he said.
Directed by Derrick Borte, who is best known for the 2009 film “The Joneses” starring Demi Moore and David Duchovny, “American Dreamer” debuted at the LA Film Festival on Sept. 27.
Landis has had roles in the upcoming Netflix feature “Juanita,” which filmed in Virginia; PBS’ “Mercy Street”; and the Fox Broadcasting historical mini-series “Legends & Lies: The Patriots.”
Landis also writes, directs and films his own short movies while running his graphic design company, The Hatchery.
Last year, with the help of Ryan Bedall and Curtis Brown at Metro Productions, he wrote and directed “Kill Jar,” a 10-minute film that was screened at the Brooklyn Film Festival and the Cleveland International Film Festival, among others.
Most recently, he wrote and directed “Song of the Common Loon,” a 25-minute film about an addict living on the street and what brought him there.
An outgoing family man in his everyday life, Landis is drawn to darker roles with his own material.
“I think I’ve always been attracted to villains and dark characters because there are profound reasons why someone could turn that way. Plus it’s just plain fun to be the bad apple and the character standing in the hero’s way,” he said.
In between acting gigs, Landis said, he spends his time “writing, producing, filming, editing, scoring. It’s a never-ending list until your film gets done and then you send it out to film festivals. It is so fun, challenging and all-immersive.”
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