Interview with Kristoffer Polaha, Neal McDonough and Brock Heasley

TV Interview!

 

Kristoffer Polaha, Neal McDonough and Brock Heasley of the movie "The Shift"

Interview with Kristoffer Polaha, Neal McDonough and Brock Heasley of the movie “The Shift” by Suzanne 11/29/23

It was so great to speak to these three. I’m a huge fan of these actors from their past work.Ā  I enjoyed the movie, which is SciFi but also Christian.Ā  It’s not preachy, though, and it’s an exciting action drama. You definitely don’t have to be religious to like it. It’s a fun ride. The cast is very good. Besides these two, it also stars Sean Astin and Elizabeth Tabish. I hope you enjoy this video! I didn’t have very much time to speak with them. I could easily have chatted with them for a half hour each, or more.

 

MORE INFO: Official Site Trailer

Key art for the scifi movie "The Shift"

Film Synopsis:

The Shift is a modern-day retelling of the book of Job. Kevin Garner gets separated from Molly, the love of his life, when a mysterious adversary known as The Benefactor sends him to an alternate dystopian reality. Will hope and faith be enough to find his way back?

Logline:

After a tense encounter with a mysterious stranger with otherworldly powers, a man is banished to a tyrannical, parallel Earth where he fights to get back to the woman he loves.

Tagline:

Infinite worlds. Endless choices. One way out.

Fast Facts:

  • Kristoffer Polaha (Wonder Woman 1984, Mad Men) plays the lead role of Kevin Garner.

  • Neal McDonough (Minority Report, Yellowstone) plays the mysterious figure of The Benefactor.

  • Elizabeth Tabish (The Chosen) plays Molly Garner and Sean Astin (Stranger Things, The Lord of the Rings) plays Gabriel.

  • The film is produced by Ken Carpenter and directed by Brock Heasley.

  • The Shift will be distributed by Angel Studios.

  • The film will be released December 1, 2023.

  • You can Pay it Forward to The Shift to cover the cost of a movie ticket for someone who wouldn’t otherwise be able to see it.

Social Media Accounts:

About the Cast

Kristoffer Polaha

Kristoffer Polaha as Kevin Garner

Kristoffer can currently be seen in Harlen Cobenā€™s new series, Shelter, streaming now on Amazon. Probably best-known for starring in the critically-acclaimed CW series Life Unexpected, more recently Kris starred opposite Angie Harmon in the Lifetime movie, Barstow, and recurred on the cable series Get Shorty opposite Ray Romano and Chris Oā€™Dowd as well as the limited series Condor opposite William Hurt and Max Irons. He also co- starred with Rainn Wilson in the Fox series Backstrom, as well as a number of TV series over the past ten years, including North Shore, Miss Guided, Made in Jersey, Ringer and Valentine, in addition to a multi-season recurring role on the acclaimed series Mad Men and numerous guest stars on both cable and network series. Kris is also well known for his many starring roles in the Hallmark Hall of Fame series of television movies.

On the feature side, Kris stars as the lead in the film The Shift for director Brock Heasley, being released December 2023. He was recently featured as ā€˜Handsome Manā€™ in Wonder Woman 1984 for Warner Brother Studios as well as the recently released blockbuster Jurassic World Dominion for Universal Studios. Kris has appeared in numerous independent features, including Where Hope Grows, Back in the Day, Devilā€™s Knot and Petty Crimes. He recently wrote, directed, and starred in the short film, “A Work of Art,” which premiered at The Cannes Film Festival. Instagram Twitter Facebook Official Site YouTube

Neal McDonough

Neal McDonough as The Benefactor

Trained at the London Academy of Dramatic Arts and Sciences, Neal McDonough has been a fan favorite since his breakout role of Lieutenant Lynn ā€œBuckā€ Compton in Band of Brothers. and has been featured in popular shows like Justified, Van Helsing, Altered Carbon, and Suits, as well as films including THE WARRANT, RED, MINORITY REPORT, and his role as Timothy ā€˜Dum Dumā€™ Dugan in the MARVEL Cinematic Universe. Most recently, Neal delivered a standout performance as Malcolm Beck in Yellowstone, acting opposite Kevin Costner. Above all else, Neal prizes his relationship with his wife RuvĆ©, their five children, and his devout Catholic faith. Instagram

Brock Heasley

Brock Heasley – Director

Brock Heasley is a writer, filmmaker, and artist. After graduating from California State University Fresno with a degree in Graphic Design, Brock became a full-time Graphic Designer and, later, an Art Director. In 2006, he launched the online comic The SuperFogeys, and then co-created the online comic Monsterplex in 2010, which went on to win the DC Comics Zuda competition. In 2018, Brockā€™s YA Contemporary novel Paper Bag Mask (Pen Name Publishing) was published, reaching the top of Amazonā€™s Young Adult Fiction New Release chart in the first week. Brockā€™s debut memoir, The Other Side of Fear: A True Coming-of-Age Story of Murder, Forgiveness, and the Peace Only Faith Can Bring, released in Fall 2020 from Cedar Fort Publishing. His writing has appeared on the Independent Journal Review and at ForEveryMom.com.

In 2015, Brock left the Graphic Design world for the film world, working on and producing feature films for Tremendum Pictures, Blumhouse Productions, New Line Cinema, Warner Bros., and Lionsgate. In 2017 he released his directorial debut, “The Shift,” about an ordinary man receiving a job offer from the Devil himself. The short film earned him an Outstanding Filmmaker of the Year Award from the Hollywood Dreamz International Film Festival and you can watch it here. His second short film, “The Two Hundred Fifth,” about a young college girl with a dark past that comes back to haunt her on the day she chooses to reveal all to her best friend, had its World Premiere at the renowned Fantasia International Film Festival in 2019.

In early 2023, Brock turned his short film, THE SHIFT, into a feature film to be released theatrically by Angel Studios in December 2023. Expanding on the story from the short, it stars Kristoffer Polaha, Neal McDonough, Elizabeth Tabish, John Billingsley, Rose Reid, Paras Patel, Jordan Alexandra, Jordan Walker Ross, and Sean Astin.

Brock lives with his wife, three daughters, two dogs, and one cat in California. Brock didnā€™t want another dog, but his girls made a pretty killer PowerPoint presentation and he didnā€™t want to look like a jerk. Instagram Facebook Twitter

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

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Kristoffer Polaha and Neal McDonough in the movie "The Shift"

 

Y&R Character Description – Christian

Christian Newman




Christian

Christian has been described as a happy child, in spite of all the upheaval and revolving door of parental figures.

Christian had a complicated start in life. He’s the biological son of Adam Newman and Sage Warner Newman, but at birth, most people thought that Nick was his biological father. Sage had a DNA test while she was pregnant. Adam bribed the lab tech to say that Nick was the father. At the time, Adam had faked his death and had lead most of the town to believe his name was Gabriel. Victor knew Adam tampered with the results. Victor thought Adam didn’t he want the lab tech running the paternity test to notice he and Nick were related, which would blow his cover. Adam had been growing closer to Chelsea, under his Gabriel persona, and he feared that having a child with another woman just as they were connecting would jeopardize the connection he was building with Chelsea.

Christian was born prematurely, and Sage and Nick were told he died, but he was actually alive and well and being used in as a pawn in a revenge plot against Nick. Sandy Allen was a classmate of Sharon and Nick’s. As teens, she and Nick were hanging out, when he dared her to dive into a swimming pool from the roof. Sandy accepted the challenge and was paralyzed from the neck down as a result. Victor paid the family off, and Sandra disappeared from everyone’s lives. She made a full recovery and resurfaced as a psychiatrist working in Fairview and going by Sandra Anderson. Sharon checked into Fairview after a miscarriage that she was hiding from everyone except Mariah. She hoped to get pregnant again before anyone found out. Sandra found out about this and put her plan into motion. She lead Sharon to believe that she’d gotten pregnant again, and she kept her drugged and isolated so that no one would find out the truth. She tricked everyone into believing that Sharon gave birth, and she presented her with Christian.

Sharon and Dylan took “their” baby home and named him Sullivan. They raised him for months. Adam was seemingly killed in a cabin explosion, never knowing his son was alive. Prior to this, he’d come clean to Chelsea about Christian’s paternity. Sharon learned that Sully was truly Christian, but she couldn’t bear to lose the boy, so she hid the truth. Sage found out, and she confronted Sharon, but she was killed in a car accident before she could tell anyone else. Eventually, Nick learned the truth, and he took “his” son from Sharon and Dylan.

Chelsea told Phyllis that Adam was Christian’s father, and the information got back to Sharon. Sharon felt that she owed Nick the truth, even if it hurt, so she let him know. Nick was crushed, but he still saw Christian as a son. It turned out that Adam was not dead, and when he returned, he fought for custody of Christian. The judge was unhappy with Nick and Adam’s behavior, and Christian was temporarily placed in Victoria’s care. During a court ordered visit, Adam told Christian that he was really his father. Christian was too young to understand, and he thought Adam was making a joke. In the end, Adam withdrew his petition for custody, and Christian went back to Nick.

Due to being raised by his biological uncle, his siblings are his biological cousins, and his cousin Connor is his biological half-brother.

Parents – Sage and Adam Newman (biological), Nick Newman (legal), Siblings – Cassie, Noah, Summer and Faith Newman, Aunts – Victoria and Abby Newman, Uncles – Adam Newman, Cousins – Reed Hellstrom, Johnny and Katherine Abbott, Connor Newman

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Christian, Nick, Sharon and Dylan