David Keith Talks ‘Walden,’ Emile Hirsh Collaboration, and ‘Heartbreak Hotel’

Now available On Demand and Digital, Walden centers on a stenographer named Walden Dean (Emile Hirsch) who is frustrated by the criminals who do not receive the justice they deserve. David Keith is the town judge and father figure who takes Walden under his wing. Keith, whose previous films include An Officer and a Gentlemen and White of the Eye, talked to Deepest Dream about his Walden experience.

Both Eric Holmes and I recommend Walden, which is an eccentric and well done thriller by filmmaker Mick Davis. Emile Hirsch is convincing as the socially awkward Walden Dean, and the talented ensemble also include Kelli Garner as Walden’s love interest and Tania Raymonde as a detective who is suspicious of Walden’s motives. We receive the Walden on this week’s CinemAddicts:

Eric Holmes’ interview with David Keith also features reflections on several Keith movies including The Curse, Behind Enemy Lines and Heartbreak Hotel!

I’m here with David Keith, star of the movie Walden. When I was talking with Tania, it just seemed like a drama piece about a stenographer and then takes a turn, and then I’m looking up your history. And you’ve worked to help protect children of child abuse, which kind of fits in with kind of where Walden goes. Did any of that come into play when reading the script or being brought on to the project? 

Well, no, the script was already written, but yeah, when I read it, I went, oh yeah, this is about my cause in life. I no longer am active with Protect, but for ten years we lobbied for stricter  laws on child molesters and child protection legislation all over the country and in Washington. 

I just think an adult who hurts a child for their own satisfaction is the worst form of evil on the planet. It’s always just that I just decided that was going to be my target in my give back. So when I read this, I went, okay, this is about some pretty serious stuff. 

I looked up one of your earlier jobs was you have a stunt credit for Terrorist Circus. 

David Keith: That’s that’s an incorrect credit. And I’ve never been able to get get that taken off. 

As for directing credits, I did see The Curse. And I did like The Curse quite a bit. 

David Keith: Oh, cool. Thank you. Yeah, I made that for 600 grand. I directed that, and I directed The Further Adventures of Tennessee Buck. Yep. Those are correct. 

With The Curse, Lucio Fulci was the one of the producers on that. 

David Keith: Man, we’re talking about 1986. I’m not sure that I can remember all the names that were involved back then. We had an Italian producer, an Israeli film company in LA. 

People were all over the place. We shot half the movie on my farm in Tennessee and the other half in a studio in Rome, Italy. 

When I was talking with Tania, we talked about working with a bunch of great actors, it brings everyone up at their top game. 

David Keith: Oh, it’s always great when you’re in there with somebody who has a deep well of ability. I’ll give you a case in point. I did a movie called Behind Enemy Lines and the three Hours that I spent shooting that one scene where Gene Hackman and I kind of go head to head was, to this day, the greatest three hours that I’ve ever spent as an actor. 

He is absolutely fathomless when it comes to digging deep. The  deeper the emotion that I would get into, he would go (there too). It was just wonderful. It was a joy. 

What’s something that you as an actor would pick up that layperson probably wouldn’t when acting with another person. 

David Keith: Not sure how to answer that question. This is a conversation I had with Emile because he is one of those actors that, you know, when you get the line right, when you really know you delivered a line properly, it’s like the ringing of a tuning fork. It’s like you know it. 

And Emile said he felt the same thing. I think that’s something that maybe lay people don’t, you know, I call them civilians. Maybe civilians are not privy to, but I’ve used it all my life. I know when the tuning fork rings and I’ve said the line right. And I generally say, you know, and that take I think I really got that right. Well you know when you feel it. 

You’re working with Emile Hirsch again on Degenerate. When is that movie coming out?

David Keith: That’s right. We’re in post-production on it now. It was great with him twice in a row. 

On CinemAddicts, we have a what’s in the box segment. In the segment we have people put in movies that they really like that they think are underseen. What’s a movie that you wish more people would see? 

David Keith: Of my movies, Heartbreak Hotel, where I played Elvis and sung a lot of the music myself, sung a lot of the songs myself. That’s kind of a sleeper film that I was in that that I would wish more people would see. 

All right, Walden is on demand and on digital December 12th. And this was a really good movie. Congratulations on another banger. 

David Keith: Thanks, man.

Walden is now out on Digital and available On Demand. The CinemAddicts podcast crew receive a slight commission if you purchase using our Amazon links!