Movies & TV / Reviews
Nick Baillie On Starring In The Wide West, Recalls Working On Witchblade
Image Credit: Alexander Nevsky and Joe Cornet
The 411 Interview: Nick Baillie
Nick Baillie is an actor and producer that has been working in TV and movies, according to his IMDB page, since at least 1996. Baillie has appeared in such TV shows as Twice in a Lifetime (2000), Witchblade (2001), Sue Thomas: F.B. Eye (2002), The Dead Zone (2007), Warehouse 13 (2011), and Taken (2017), among many others, while also appearing in movies such as Eternal (2004), Turbulence (2016), The Shadow Man (2017), Business Ethics (2019), and Malicious (2023). Baillie’s latest movie is the western The Wide West, starring Alexander Nevsky and directed by Joe Cornet and currently available exclusively on the Xumo streaming platform. In this interview, Baillie talks with this writer about making The Wide West, working with Nevsky and Cornet, and more.
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Bryan Kristopowitz: How did you get involved with The Wide West?
Nick Baillie: Alexander Nevsky and I were planning to shoot a horror movie back in 2023, but one day he told me about this real story about a Sumo champion who traveled to America in 1907 to showcase this sport for the first time to President Theodore Roosevelt. He and producer Andrew Freund had an idea to shoot a western that incorporated this historical event. I have always wanted to be in a western, so it didn’t take much convincing for us to pivot and develop this script.
BK: How did you approach your character Judge Dwight Ogburn?
NB: When I read the first draft of the script and Alexander wanted me to look at this character, the first thing I thought of was Gary Cooper in High Noon (1952). I had a vision of a man of high moral standing who is faced with the monumental task of saving his town, but he initially stands alone. I asked the costume designer for something similar to what Cooper wore. Then I began researching how someone became a Judge in the old west, which really helped me start to create his backstory. It was a really fun character to work on as he has to face his personal fears and overcome them, which makes for a more interesting and rounded character in my opinion. Hopefully I conveyed that in the movie.
BK: Describe your working relationship with director and co-star Joe Cornet.
NB: Joe was very easy to work with. He really trusted what I brought to the table, which I really appreciate. He was collaborative and always open to ideas if they made sense. Since Joe was also acting in the movie, it added a great extra layer to the work we did. He was great at seamlessly switching from director to actor, which is no easy task.
BK: What was it like working with Alexander Nevsky, who plays Max?
NB: Alexander was a true force to work with. He was coordinating and producing, as well as starring in the movie and making sure everybody was taken care of and happy. He always did it with a smile on his face. He made the set so much fun to be on, while also being professional and letting everyone do their jobs to the best of their abilities. He really put together an amazing team.
BK: What was it like working with Tatiana Neva, who plays Sybil Malone?
NB: Tatiana was such an amazing actor to work with. She was the prime example of an actor who prepares and is ready for anything. She was so professional and good at what she does, while also being light and fun between takes. She would even ask crew members if they wanted water or a snack. Meanwhile she was wearing several layers of hot clothing in the searing heat. But that’s the type of person she is. Always kind and thoughtful and thinking of others before herself. Again a very rare quality in an actor these days. Not to mention her talent and the depth of her portrayal of Sybil was really inspiring.
BK: What was it like working with sumo wrestlers Hiroki Sumi and Takashi Ichinojo?
NB: They were true warriors and wonderful to work with. We shot in 100 degree weather in the desert and they never complained once. We managed to communicate a bit as they spoke a few words of English, but otherwise we would communicate through an interpreter. They were so impressive to watch. Especially during the outdoor Sumo match they filmed.
BK: What was the hardest part of making The Wide West for you as an actor? What was the easiest?
NB: For me, the hardest part of making a movie is always the waiting. Sometimes you have to sit and wait for many hours before you get to do your scenes. That’s just the nature of movies as sometimes things take longer than expected, or you have to change the schedule due to unexpected issues. You have to always be ready to sit and wait. They call it “hurry up and wait” in the movies. There is nothing easy about filmmaking, but I can say that I always had fun when I was on set shooting. That makes the work that I do easy, in the sense that I really love what I do.
BK: What is your favorite scene in The Wide West?
NB: I loved watching the sword fights. That is something I have never done personally, except on stage in theatre. It was so impressive to watch Kaz Kobayashi and the stunt performers use those swords. My favorite scene that I was in, was when Alexander and I walk down Main Street with our guns looking for bad guys. I really felt like I was a kid in the sandbox when shooting that scene. It was very technical, and of course we were using real weapons with blanks, so there was a lot of care put in to the execution of that scene.
BK: You’ve worked in both TV and movies in your career. Do you have a preference for TV or movies, or is it more about the material?
NB: Usually, I prefer working on movies because you have more time to shoot. TV is very fast paced and usually a bit more stressful. That can also be fun sometimes, but ideally I would chose to work in film. Historically TV pays better for me though, so that is definitely a good reason to want to work in TV. If the material is top notch, then I will be happy to work faster and for less money (ha ha).
BK: What was it like working on the TV show Witchblade (2001)?
NB: That was one of my very first roles in a big TV show about 25 years ago. It was a lot of fun for me to do at that time as I played my first bad guy, which I don’t often get to play. I have great memories of that time in my life.
BK: What was it like working on the TV show Taken (2017)?
NB: Taken was a wonderful experience as well. It was a very big production, which can be fun, but also stressful when you’re just a guest star. But the cast and crew made me feel right at home on that set. I also played a bad guy on that show, so I guess I got to play more bad guys than I remembered.
BK: How has the acting game changed since you started acting?
NB: Since Covid my work load dropped off majorly. I used to work all the time on big budget TV shows and commercials, and even some feature films. Now everything is done by self-tape, and sometimes you feel like you’re wasting your time auditioning. I used to much prefer auditioning in the room. Self-taping can be convenient, but it’s very impersonal and you can’t have the director work with you to help with their vision. It becomes a guessing game, and less creativity comes from it. Now I mostly produce my own movies and I’m grateful for that.
BK: Any moviemaking heroes?
NB: There are so many. Too many to list to be honest. If I had to choose a couple I would say Paul Newman as an actor, and Ridley Scott for a director.
BK: Any upcoming projects you can tell us about?
NB: Next on the docket is the 3rd instalment of the Rio Bravo franchise (The Last Heroes of Rio Bravo), where once again I will get to play a bad guy. We’re also developing a modern action movie as well, which I am super excited about. I have not done many action movies, so I’m really looking forward to it.
BK: What do you hope audiences get out of The Wide West?
NB: Mainly I hope they get entertained. That is the reason we do what we do. We love to act and create, and movie making is a lot of fun, but if the audience isn’t entertained then we haven’t done our job. I also hope they get a bit of a history lesson as this movie is loosely based on real events and people, so there is an educational aspect to this movie as well. We just had a special screening at The Japan Foundation Los Angeles and everyone loved our movie! It’s now available on NBCUniversal’s Xumo Play in North America.
BK: Would you want to appear in a potential The Wide West 2?
NB: Without question I would love to play Judge Dwight Ogburn again. That was such a great experience, and I loved working with everyone involved. We have talked about the possibility, so stay tuned.
BK: Would you have liked to live in the Old West?
NB: Yes and no. It was definitely a harsh environment to live in. I am quite used to my creature comforts. Having said that, there is such a beauty and simplicity to life in the Old West.
BK: Just how badass was it using that shotgun as Judge Ogburn?
NB: I’m not going to lie, it was a real rush. I grew up in Canada so guns were never a thing, but the power I felt when I was wielding that shotgun was definitely fun. We definitely had great respect for the weapons we used, even if they only held blanks. It was an experience I will never forget.
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A very special thanks to Nick Baillie for agreeing to participate in this interview and to david j. moore for setting it up.
The Wide West is currently available exclusively to stream on the Xumo Play platform.
Check out my review of The Wide West here!
Check out Nick Baillie’s official Facebook page here!
Check out Nick Baillie’s IMDB page here!
Poster image courtesy of Hollywood Storm. All other images courtesy of Alexander Nevsky and Joe Cornet.
