Born and raised in Los Angeles, Patrick Fischler is a successful working actor in both film and television.  Having had memorable roles on two iconic television shows – as Jimmy Barrett on the Emmy Award-winning series Mad Men and as part of the Dharma Initiative on Lost – he also had Big Sur, adapted from the work of Jack Kerouac, premiere at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and the action-thriller 2 Guns, starring Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg, opens later this year.  On top of all that, Fischler and his actress wife, Lauren Bowles (she plays Holly Cleary on HBO’s True Blood) decided to star in and executive produce their own short film (which she also wrote), called The Test, about a couple at a critical juncture in their relationship.

During this exclusive interview with Collider, actor Patrick Fischler talked about what inspired them to make a short film, how being a real-life couple only added to the experience, the process of finding the right director, how one of the musicians in Snow Patrol ended up writing an original song for the short, how emotional it was to see the finished product, and how he’s inspired to create another project again, in the future.  He also talked about the experience of working with Denzel Washington on 2 Guns, making Big Sur, being a part of both Mad Men and Lost, and what his dream role would be.  Check out what he had to say after the jump. 

Adding to the growing list of Jack Kerouac depictions onscreen is writer/director Michael Polish’s adaptation of Big Sur.  The film, which chronicles the author’s struggle with alcoholism and depression in the years following the publication of On the Road, made its world premiere at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.  It’s a very “Kerouac” adaptation, and star Jean-Luc Barr turns in an impressive performance as the troubled author.

I had the chance to speak with co-star Kate Bosworth during my time in Park City, and the actress talked about the daunting task of tackling such a beloved property, how she prepared for the role, conveying her character’s emotions within the context of Kerouac’s untraditional narrative, what it was like to find out that their film had made it into Sundance, and more.  Read on after the jump.

One of the many films premiering at that 2013 Sundance Film Festival this week is writer/director Michael Polish‘s Jack Kerouac adaptation Big Sur.  The film is a wild ride as we’re taken through the author’s struggle with alcoholism and depression in the years following the publication of On the Road.  Tackling the character of Kerouac would’ve been a daunting prospect for any actor, but Jean-Marc Barr brings an intimacy to Kerouac’s manic tendencies in the film that convey to the audience exactly what’s going on in his head.

I had the chance to speak with Barr earlier this week in Park City about his work in the film, and he talked about Kerouac’s influence on his life when he was younger, nailing down all the rhythmic Kerouac dialogue, how the principles behind the author’s beatnik movement are lost on the younger generations of today, and more.  Barr also talked quite a bit about working with Lars von Trier on the much anticipated Nymphomaniac, describing the film as an ambitious working tackling all facets of sex.  Read on after the jump, and click here if you missed by interview with Josh Lucas and Radha Mitchell about the film.

One of the many films making its premiere at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival is writer/director Michael Polish’s adaptation of the Jack Kerouac novel Big Sur.  Though his work has long been described as unfilmable, there has been a bit of a boom in Kerouac feature films in the past year or so, and Big Sur marks a very faithful adaptation of one of the author’s darkest works.  The film stars Jean-Marc Barr as Kerouac and chronicle’s the author’s struggle with alcoholism and depression in the early 1960s following the publication of On the Road.

This week in Park City, I had the chance to speak with Josh Lucas and Radha Mitchell, who play Neal and Carolyn Cassady in the film.  The actors talked about the pressure of tackling such a beloved property, vocalizing Kerouac’s distinct dialogue rhythms, portraying the complexities of the Neal/Jack relationship, and more.  Read on after the jump

We finally saw a feature film adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s “unfilmable” novel On the Road hit theaters last year, and in 2013 another of Kerouac’s novels is coming to the big screen.  The first trailer for writer-director Michael Polish’s adaptation of Big Sur has been released online.  The film tells the story of Kerouac’s move from New York City to Northern California, and stars Jean-Marc Barr as Kerouac, Josh Lucas as Neal Cassidy, and Kate Bosworth as Billie, the love interest of both men.  Polish shows a strong eye for visuals in this trailer, and Barr looks to give an impassioned performance as Kerouac spirals into depression.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  The film also stars Radha Mitchell, Anthony Edwards, and Henry Thomas.  The pic will premiere at the upcoming 2013 Sundance Film Festival, which runs from January 17 – 27th.

Today, Sundance announced their stellar Premieres line-up and we have the first images from a few of the movies playing in the category:

• Big Sur – Written and directed by Michael Polish, starring Jean-Marc Barr, Kate Bosworth, Josh Lucas, Radha Mitchell, Anthony Edwards, and Henry Thomas.

• Breathe In – Written and directed by Drake Doremus, co-written by Ben York Jones, starring Guy Pearce, Felicity Jones, Amy Ryan, and Mackenzie Davis.

• The East – Written and directed by Zal Batmanglij, co-written by Brit Marling, starring Brit Marling, Alexander Skarsgård, Ellen Page, and Patricia Clarkson.

• jOBS – Directed by Joshua Michael Stern, written by Matt Whiteley, starring Ashton Kutcher, Dermot Mulroney, Josh Gad, Lukas Haas, J.K. Simmons, and Matthew Modine.

Hit the jump for the images and synopses.  The 2013 Sundance Film Festival runs January 17 – 27.

Last week we saw the 2013 Sundance Film Festival announce lineups for its competition and Spotlight/Park City at Midnight programming, and today they have unveiled the list of films that will screen as part of the Premieres lineup.  It’s one hell of a program, as films that will screen include the Ashton Kutcher-fronted Steve Jobs biopic jOBS, Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s directorial debut Don Jon’s Addiction, director Richard Linklater’s trilogy-completing Before Midnight with Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, the ensemble comedy A.C.O.D., director Park Chan-wook’s English-language debut Stoker, and much, much more.

Hit the jump to check out the full lineup for the narrative and documentary premieres.  The 2013 Sundance Film Festival runs January 17 – 27th.

Filming has commenced on director Michael Polish’s (The Astronaut Farmer) adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s Big Sur. The film stars Jean-Marc Barr as Kerouac, Josh Lucas as Neal Cassidy, and Kate Bosworth as Billie, the love interest of both men. Deadline reports that production just recently began on the film, which tells the story of Kerouac’s move from New York City to Northern California.

Polish wrote and is directing the film, which features a supporting cast that includes Anthony Edwards, Rahda Mitchell, Balthazar Getty, Patrick Fischler, Stana Katic, John Robinson and Henry Thomas. This marks the second Kerouac adaptation in a year, as Walter Salles recently filmed an adaptation of On The Road. That film stars Kristen Stewart, Garrett Hedlund and Sam Riley, Kirsten Dunst and Viggo Mortensen. Hit the jump for a synopsis of Big Sur.