Cowboys and Indians Trailer

COWBOYS AND INDIANS TRAILER

Cowboys and Indians movie poster

Cowboys and Indians synopsis

Cowboys & Indians is a breathtaking, raucous, Wild West adventure; a no-holds-barred story of the humor, action, and courage that encompasses the West.  The epic tale centers around Captain Bugle, a former cavalryman, who must rescue Patricia, a beautiful frontier maiden, and her greedy, gold-struck husband from a band of renegade Black Claw Indians, who have broken away from the tribe against the wishes of their Chief.  The band, hell-bent for war, is led by a frightening medicine man that believes Patricia is the key to driving the settlers from their sacred land.   The fragile peace on the frontier hangs by a thread.  Only Bugle, and his sidekick Hoot Cartwright, can scrap their way through outlaws, gunmen, gamblers, and the renegade Black Claws, to parlay for peace, rescue the girl, and prevent a frontier war.

Alvin Cowan talks about his new film, Cowboys and Indians, and his starring role as Captain Bugle

Q & A WITH ALVIN COWAN

(CAPTAIN BUGLE)

Q: BUGLE IS SUCH A MEMORABLE AND ICONIC CHARACTER, WHAT WERE YOUR INSPIRATIONS WHILE YOU WERE CRAFTING YOUR PERFORMANCE AND HOW CLOSE ARE YOU TO HIM IN REAL LIFE?

Alvin Cowan:  Well, growing up in Texas, you get to know the cowboy lifestyle fairly early on. As Willie said, “My hero’s have always been cowboys.” When I was young, there was a canyon behind our house that offered un-ending adventure for an 8 year old boy. I can remember imagining I was an Indian brave hunting for meat or a cowboy alone on the range. So, Bugle wasn’t a terrible stretch for me.

Q:  HOW IS PLAYING THE LEADING MAN DIFFERENT THAN ROLES YOU’VE HAD IN THE PAST?  DID IT AFFECT YOUR PREPERATION?

Alvin Cowan:  Absolutely. When you have the film on your shoulders, you have to be the most prepared actor on set. Other folks come in for a day or two, but you’re there pretty much everyday, and influencing the film in almost every shot. For me, I worked tirelessly with my acting coach to prepare me for that responsibility. The film was also very physical for me, so, I had to prepare my body for the pounding that it was going to take. I spend several hours training on horseback, practicing fight sequences and swordplay, and added ten pounds of muscle to give Bugle an authentic look and feel. I’ve always wanted to be the leading man and this was an my first opportunity to show that I am capable of doing it so I wanted to give everything I have to that effort.

Q:  BUGLE IS A VERY ROUGH AND TUMBLE CHARACTER.  HOW DID YOU PREPARE FOR ALL OF THE ACTION REQUIRED FOR THE ROLE?

Alvin Cowan:  I added ten pounds of muscle by lifting and running everyday, watching what I eat. I rehearsed the fight sequences regularly with the other actors and I think all this work paid off in the action scenes.

Q:  YOU SEEM TO FIT RIGHT INTO THAT COWBOY ROLE, DID YOU LEARN THAT GROWING UP IN TEXAS?

Alvin Cowan:  (laughs) Yeah. I mean, its just part of the culture down there. I was never really into rodeo or ranching as much as some of my friends, but I was certainly around it. I grew up loving country music, dancehalls, and pickup trucks so its hard not to be around the people who are actual cowboys. I felt like I owed it to all of them to give the most honest portrayal of their lifestyle I could. 

Q:  WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE MOMENT WHILE SHOOTING COWBOYS & INDIANS?

Alvin Cowan:  The first day on set is always great because theres an energy, an excitement to get under way. I always love the feeling of a new project. Yet, I think, if I was forced to pinpoint one moment, it would be difficult. The camaraderie of the cast and crew over the course of the film was what I will take away from this project. Sleeping on/near location was awesome because you saw the commitment of everyone involved. We weren’t staying in Holiday Inn with hot showers at night and it certainly wasn’t your mama’s cooking, but we bonded as a result of those circumstances.

Q:  WAS THERE ONE SCENE THAT WAS HARDER TO SHOOT THAN THE OTHERS?

Alvin Cowan:  Yeah, surprisingly, it was the scenes with the horses and guns mixed. I remember, particularly, a scene where Steve and I come to find a wagon with loaded guns. We were supposed to run the horses up to the mark, stop them, get off, walk to another mark, then leave frame. To get a horse to stop PERIOD is difficult, much less on a particular three foot piece of land. I found keeping the horses in line, especially with gunfire, to be the most difficult part.

Q: YOU GET TO SHOOT A LOT OF GUNS IN THIS FILM.  WHAT WAS THAT LIKE?

Alvin Cowan:  Well, I’m a hunter. I’ve always enjoyed hunting, so, I’ve been around guns my whole life. My dad wasn’t a hunter, particularly, but I knew enough from summer camps and friends to know the basic do’s and dont’s. I’m enjoyed the stand off more than anything. I’ve never gotten to “kill” another man before.

Q:  WHAT WAS IT LIKE WORKING WITH THE BURK BROTHERS? 

Alvin Cowan:  Ty and Aaron were great. I was shocked at their communication with each other. Neither one of them had an ego about things…they both just wanted what was best for the project. They also always saw things as half full. No matter what the situation was, Aaron and Ty had an answer, had the vision for what we were doing. They truly led the film as directors should. As an actor, they let me do my thing…which was really cool to not be micro-managed, especially with such a large part of the film based on my performance. They also listened to my suggestions and weren’t tight to “roles” on set. If they liked what I was suggesting, they went with it…all while keeping their vision for the film.

Q:  YOU WERE THE STARTING QUARTERBACK FOR YALE, WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN QUARTERBACKING A FOOTBALL TEAM AND QUARTERBACKING A MOVIE?

Alvin Cowan:  Not much, surprisingly. When you’re on the field, you are given orders, ask to execute them, and ultimately responsible for the outcome. The team is looking to you to set the tone. I felt the same way on set. I felt it was my responsibility to bring everything I had everyday. To help in any way I could to make sure this film was a success. My history as a quarterback certainly helped me prepare for that type of responsibility and I’m hopeful that it helped make Cowboys and Indians a success.

Q:  WHEN YOU MEET A GIRL DO YOU TELL HER YOU’RE A QUARTERBACK OR AN ACTOR FIRST?

Alvin Cowan:  Tell me you guys are messing with me here. Haha. The answer? Whatever works J

Q:  TELL US ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE IN THE NFL?  WHAT LESSONS DID YOU LEARN AND HOW HAS THAT SHAPED YOUR LIFE?

Alvin Cowan: Well, I wasn’t “IN” the NFL for long, but I was able to take some of the lessons. The NFL is really not much different from Hollywood in that they are both highly competitive environments built on relationships. I was able to market myself well enough to get an opportunity in the NFL and I’ve been able to use some of those tactics to meet and work with some folks as an actor. At the end of the day, both require a lot of sweat, luck, and skill. Just like anything else.

Q:  YOU ARE SO BELIEVABLE IN THESE ACTION PACKED ROLES, DO YOU SEE YOURSELF AS AN ACTION-HERO OR MORE OF A DRAMATIC ACTOR?

Alvin Cowan:  I love the action and do believe that I’m well suited to doing it…given my background. I don’t mind throwing myself around a little bit to get the job done. I really want to be an actor who can do both though – that is, whatever the role requires. I admire those actors who can be deeply vulnerable and authentic on screen in one moment and kicking ass/saving the girl the next. If I was forced to choose though? I’d be an action hero while I’m young and transition into the drama later on.

  

Q:  WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE TO YOUNG ACTORS TRYING TO EMULATE YOUR SUCCESS?

Alvin Cowan:  Never quit. When I didn’t end up making it in football, I realized the power of a dream. If you really believe in what you’re doing, you can’t let anyone sway you from your path. Its never going to be handed to you, you have to work hard, but never give up. Things come back around and you have to be okay with the cycle of up and down or you’ll never make it in this business.