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Nathan Waxer On Producing New Film Bag Lady, Favorite Sci-Fi Films
Image Credit: Eric Jacobus
The 411 Interview: Nathan Waxer
Nathan Waxer is a producer that is currently working with martial artist, stunt professional, and filmmaker Eric Jacobus. The short film Bag Lady, a sci-fi action comedy that is currently out on the film festival circuit and recently played at Big Bad Fest and Haymaker Fest, is their first project together. In this interview, Waxer talks with this writer about the making of Bag Lady, working with writer/director/star Eric Jacobus, and more.
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Bryan Kristopowitz: How did you get involved as a producer on Bag Lady?
Nathan Waxer: About fifteen years ago I told Eric that I wanted to make a movie with him. I don’t know if he remembered that conversation or not, but Eric told me last year that he was planning on making a new film. So I said, “Let’s do it!”
I technically was not a producer for the making of Bag Lady but I have been involved with helping screen Bag Lady on the festival circuit and will be involved in the production of the eventual full feature film.
BK: What don’t people understand about producing a short film like Bag Lady?
NW: I think the difference between producing a short and producing a feature is that they are two different animals. Shorts often take more risks and can be more experimental compared with full feature films, which is refreshing. Shorts can also help display a filmmaker’s talent and can help attract attention without the larger budget necessary of a full feature. But most features require a level of depth that can’t always be captured by a short.
BK: Describe your working relationship with writer/director/star Eric Jacobus.
NW: Eric is a one-of-a-kind humble superstar. Or, rather, he would have been a superstar, but he chose a path of less recognition and family life over the bright lights of Hollywood. But I am hoping to personally change that to a certain degree and put his name on the map where it belongs. Eric is an incredibly talented athlete, stuntman, actor, and director. He also has an insatiable curiosity about humanity and the human condition which fuels his avid reading. He reads more books than anyone else I know! Eric is also a gifted writer and has a mastery of the English language that allows him to tell stories in a unique voice that is energetic and profound yet easy for anyone to comprehend. Eric and I can talk about anything and everything. No idea is too crazy or too deep to potentially explore. And I think being able to speak openly is important and necessary to get truly honest feedback.
We also happened to go to high school together with a lot of incredibly smart people, which I believe helped push us to always want to improve and be better. Since then, we have both had our own life’s journey which I believe allows us to bring our own unique perspectives to the screen.
BK: What has the film festival experience for Bag Lady been like? How have film fest audiences responded to the film?
NW: So far the audience reception has been extremely positive! You never know what to expect when you put a film in front of an audience, but Bag Lady, and Eric’s films in general, tend to have this perfect balance between serious action and humor.
BK: Bag Lady is expected to be expanded into a feature length film. Explain the process for making that happen. Are you going to essentially add footage to the short film, or do you expect to start fresh?
NW: This is a great question and we actually have a plan in place for both scenarios. We have a plan where if we get the stars we want attached we will remake the entire feature with a larger budget. If the talent we want is not available, then we plan to finish the feature film with a smaller budget and will use footage from Bag Lady to complete the feature.
BK: How did you get into the movie making business?
NW: It has always been my dream to make movies since I was a child. I must have been seven years old when I thought the coolest thing in the world would be, to be Han Solo. That feeling can only be made with movies. So, for me, it wasn’t a matter of if I would make movies, just a matter of when and how I would contribute for each film. For this project I am a producer.
BK: Any moviemaking heroes?
NW: Tom Cruise, Harrison Ford, Clint Eastwood, Jackie Chan, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Stanley Kubrick, James Cameron, and Eric Jacobus.
BK: Any upcoming projects you can tell us about?
NW: We have plans to work on many things, which I am excited about. But I can’t wait to work on the sequel to Eric’s film Contour (2006).
BK: What do you hope audiences get out of Bag Lady?
NW: I just watched Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil (2026) and the whole time I kept thinking how much his direction style reminded me of Eric’s in many ways. Cregger found this perfect balance between horror and comedy much like how Eric finds the perfect balance between action and comedy. After watching Resident Evil I am now certain that Eric was ahead of his time. Bag Lady is the perfect appetizer to showcase Eric’s style in a truly enjoyable way.
BK: Will the short film version of Bag Lady be available once its festival run is complete?
NW: I believe so.
BK: Do you have a favorite science fiction film?
NW: I have so many, but if I only can pick one then Aliens (1986). Such an amazing sequel. Builds upon the first film’s story, and expands upon it in so many ways into an incredible action adventure epic!
BK: Does the idea of humanoid robots freak you out?
NW: If the robots are like Terminators, then yes. But if we can get friendly C-3PO robots, or androids like Bishop or Data, then that would be amazing.
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A very special thanks to Nathan Waxer for agreeing to participate in this interview and to david j. moore for setting it up.
Check out my review of Bag Lady here!
Check out the official Eric Jacobus website here!
Check out the official Eric Jacobus Instagram page here, official Twitter page here, and official YouTube page here!
Check out the Eric Jacobus IMDb page here!
Nathan Waxer headshot image courtesy of Nathan Waxer. All other images courtesy of Eric Jacobus.
