Samuel L. Pierce Interview

In an exclusive interview, Film News sat down with Samuel L. Pierce, actor, writer, director and producer, to discuss his upcoming feature film ‘Off The Line’.

Can you introduce yourself for our readers please?
Hi! I am Samuel, an actor and filmmaker based in Seattle in Washington. I have always been interested in making movies. At age 15 I made my directorial debut with the sci-fi movie The Future of Us which is out and can be found on digital platforms.

What are some of the movies you have released to date?
So far, I have released two feature films. The Future of Us, and The Get Rich Quick Scheme. My next movie, Off The Line, is releasing on May 13th.

Can you tell us about the new movie?
Yes, so I wrote, produced, directed and acted in Off the Line. I made this movie originally because I have been a competitive speed skater for five years and learned there wasn’t really a speedskating movie that starred adults or older teens, so I decided it was time to make a movie to promote the sport.

At the time the rink we skated in was up for sale, and in jeopardy of closing, so I came up with the initial concept as a “save the rink story”. When the rink was purchased locally and saved, I pivoted the plot to competitive wheels, romance, and fictionalized corruption in the sport.

I had the help of my coach, who is the owner of the National Speedskating Circuit, a real-life professional speed skating circuit. He agreed to let us use their brand name in the movie and film the annual Battle in Seattle Competition. We didn’t need to make a “Hollywood” brand and had access to archive racing footage. With that, and inspiration from other racing and underdog movies, Off The Line was born.



What is the overall story for the film?
The movie follows Mark Stevenson, played by me, 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.

Explain your character Mark Stevenson and how did you connect with him?
Mark Stevenson is an inline speed skater who became very competitive at a faster pace than most skaters. Mark has reached the limits of his current coaching and is looking for sponsorship and a new coach to bring him to the elite level of skating. Mark wants to become the first US winner of the 24-hour team race in Europe.

My connection to the character is that I started skating about 8 years later than most skaters my age and improved to be competitive with some of the best skaters in the country in my age division. The pandemic came at the worst time for my skating development and our local rink I trained at went up for sale and was likely to close and be torn down. I wrote the story originally to save the rink, but after El Centro purchased it and committed to keeping it operating, I changed the story to what skating could look like in this country with more exposure and financial support and am hoping this movie will attract new skaters and new rinks to promote the sport.

Who else is cast in the film?
We have Forrest Campbell as Jake Flyer, Christopher Noordman as Tom Richman, Doran Danielson as Danny Peterson, Hana Hyde as Angela, Jeremy Moller as Winston Law, and Aaron Doran as Alex Richman.

Where did you end up filming?
We had so many great locations in this movie 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.

Can you share any fun facts from the set?
A fun fact on set I guess would be that the Racetrack and the bleachers / pits were actually two separate locations we bridged together using CGI. Another fun fact is I did all my own skating and racing in the movie instead of using a racing stunt double.

What did you learn from working on this project?
For this project I really got to learn action cinematography and how to basically film something that really has never been done before in terms of filming skating for a movie and how to make the audience somehow connect to the skating and feel the thrill and danger of it as if they are on the track. I feel like we captured that in the final edit.

How can we see it?
The film will be out on all digital platforms on May 13th. For more details you can follow IMDb, Instagram, Facebook and Website.