David Wysocki’s latest film Gold Dust is not like any other comedy. The adventure film centers on a pair of friends searching for a ghost ship and getting way more than they bargained for – like snakes, human trafficking, and drugs.
It’s also a labor of love for David, who has known the film’s writer, director and star David Wall for more than three decades. He recently connected with me to talk about the fun and wild experience of making Gold Dust in the desert, his longtime bond with his co-star, and the one scene that stands out the most to him.
Learn more about this quirky independent movie in my interview with David below, then give Gold Dust a watch on Amazon Prime Video or your favorite digital platform today.
Brittany Frederick: What originally got you involved in Gold Dust? Because this is such a different script that it could have been any number of things.
David Wysocki: David Wall and I have been friends for the past, I’d say, 32 years. We met way back in the 80’s; our wives are friends and we started hanging out together. We talked about making movies together. We kind of had the same vision in movies, about telling a good story, and we just liked quirky things. And so David and I were at his place out in the Mojave Desert, and he was telling me about a book that his grandmother had. It was basically a book telling stories about lost treasures that are buried in the desert. I was like wow, we should do a movie about that. That would be so much fun.
David started putting the script together and then he talked to me about it. He said, I’ve got a part that I think would just be perfect for you. He explained a little bit to me about what the character was like. And I mean, he’s been my lifelong best friend apart from my wife, and he’s just a terrific guy. So when he said he’s going to do a movie, I’m on board. Because it’s actually our second film that we did together [after 1996’s Joe & Joe].
BF: How much did that existing friendship help you since David was not only your primary co-star, but also Gold Dust‘s writer and director – the person who was really driving the entire film?
DW: There’s so much trust that you have as friends, and I just know David really well. We are really different people, but he’s a very intelligent guy and he tells a story really well. and he’s got an eye for detail. When we started working together [on Gold Dust], it was a little weird, I have to say, because I was like wow, we’ve always talked about doing this. I’ve done movies with him before, but he’s been the director and the writer and I’ve been the actor. And [now] we’re going to work opposite each other as actors.
When we went to do our first read-through, and that was about seven months prior to before we started shooting, we both laughed. And then he gave me some direction and he said, this is where I really think you should go with the character.” And I said, sounds great. I was on board, he was on board, and the rest is history. It really comes across beautifully on screen. The chemistry is there because our friendship is so close, and I think you’ll see that when you see the movie.
BF: Aside from the two of you, the film’s cast includes people like Darin Brooks and Chris Romano. What was the filming experience like with this group?
DW: It felt like a family. I’ve worked a lot in television and film for a lot of years, but this was the most fun project I have ever worked on in my entire life. I had a great time, because we were just a bunch of people that wanted to get together and make a movie. Having Darin and all the other people on board was great. Meeting new people, seeing what they’re doing with characters, and just watching it evolve and become a film. And David, again, I’ve got to give him credit because he tells a story so well. When he comes in, he knows what he wants and he’s very patient and he works with people in such a way that I think any actor would be pleased. It was just a great experience.
BF: Do you have favorite scenes or moments from Gold Dust? Because there’s a lot happening in this movie.
DW: When you see the trailer, you’ll see there’s a tiny little house. That’s what we live in, in the desert; we’ve been out there for a long time searching for treasure. There’s a scene where he cuts my hair, which is about five or six minutes with a single shot, and it shows our chemistry, it shows our friendship, and I think it’s a really, really special scene between the two of us. There’s scenes [where] we talk about certain things, like sparkling dust particles, and you’ll get to know the characters. I think that those scenes especially would stand out.
BF: The desert is another character in the film. So did the weather come into play at all?
DW: No, we shot it in October. I was concerned about weather, as was David. And David really formulated a great plan. We had kind of like a halfway house. We rented a location where we could actually put the crew on site. We brought in trailers, we brought in porta-potties, we brought in generators, and then everyday we would just head out to [the shooting] location.
But shooting in the desert was special. It’s like this huge canvas where your imagination can just go crazy. It was really special being out there and being able to just take this huge canvas and bring these two guys into it, and tell this story about their lives and what they run into.
BF: Is there another David Wysocki movie that audiences should watch after they’ve seen Gold Dust?
DW: I did a movie with David called Joe & Joe. I did that back in the 90’s, and it actually went to the Sundance Film Festival. It was accepted. It’s about two guys that mow lawns for a living, and that’s a really kind of cool indie movie. It shot on Cape Cod, and I think they show it annually at the Cape Cinema in Cape Cod every year.
It’s not every day that you get to make a movie with your best friend, but when you do, it’s an opportunity that you will always treasure, and Gold Dust is treasure.
Gold Dust is now available on Amazon Prime Video.
Article content is (c)2020-2023 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram.
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