Samuel L. Pierce’s latest feature film has set its release date of May 13. We sat down with the actor, writer, director and producer, to discuss ‘Off The Line’.
Welcome Sam and congratulations on the upcoming movie release! Can you tell us about the title ‘Off the Line’?
The movie follows my character Mark Stevenson, a determined young inline speedskater, who is eager to establish himself in the sport. Upon learning that the circuit will finance and send a race team to compete in the prestigious European Grand Prix 24-hour race to beat their biggest rivals, Tropen Racing, Mark and his friend Jake Flyer embark on a journey of rigorous training and seek out a seasoned coach who is struggling with life. Their aim is not only to win the race but also to bring order to their lives. Amidst the backdrop of business, sports, romance, and adventure, the narrative delves into the intricate world of inline speed skating.
What was the inspiration behind the story?
Originally, I was looking for a new film idea coming off The Get Rich Quick Scheme that I released and came up with an idea for a skating movie but more as a save the rink kind of movie. My home roller skating rink was put up for sale during the pandemic, but a buyer was found who wanted to keep it a skating rink open to the public. So I decided to make it more about the sport of inline speed skating, and give the sport exposure in a movie which never really had been filmed before and what the sport could look like in the future with more sponsorships and exposure.
This project speaks a lot to me because of my connection to the sport. I started inline speed skating in Fall 2019 and I discovered a whole world I didn’t know about, which most people never really knew anything about, and I thought to myself I am in a unique position here to combine my film passion with my love of inline speed skating. So I recruited some of my teammates, including World Gold, Silver, and Bronze medalists, and the rink allowed us to film in it while closed and during the annual Battle of Seattle meet. We wrote the story about the intrigue that goes on behind the scenes and in the end had a successful well received local premiere.
You play the lead role of Mark Stevenson. How true to you and your own character is Mark?
My character Mark is a combination of me and people I have competed against across the country. Even though I was able to skate very fast very early, I was skating in a very competitive division and felt like an underdog. One thing I think I like about Mark is that he’s a classic underdog in the movie and I feel like most of us can relate to an underdog in a way because it makes us all believe we are able to do incredible things sometimes if we just believe we can and push forward. Mark is someone who has natural ability but can easily overthink things.
Where did you film the movie?
We had again so many great locations in this including El Centro Skate Rink, Emerald Downs a local horse racing track, Surf Incubator at the DocuSign Building in Seattle, the Anderson Home, Silver Cloud in Point Ruston, Spanaway Park, and many more locations.
Watch the Teaser Trailer
When will the film release?
The film will be out on all digital platforms on May 13th. For more details you can follow IMDb, Instagram, Facebook and Website.
