James as Will Hayes

While writing the script for Chasing the Wasp I had no specific person in mind when I created the character of Will Hayes; his name is derived from Will H. Hays, former U.S. postmaster general and namesake for the infamous Hays Code in American cinema. Rather, the role of Will Hays represents to me the tragically conflicted villain who is not really a villain at all, and rather a victim swathed in  pattern of villainy by his society, rather than by choice. However, after the IP auditions, I knew that James would bring both a keen enthusiasm to the rather sinister role, but would also treat it with the respect deserved to something not necessarily definable.

Directing James is collaborative and a usually enjoyable experience—frustrations arose when he refused to read the script until several weeks into the rehearsal process. This however, was not enormously problematic, and in some ways, perhaps afforded him a strong empirical understanding of the story and associated emotional underpinning. In order to preserve his often lofty ego, it is usually necessary to give him some superficial responsibility (“James will be in charge of leading the rhythm”; “James is the leader of the dogs”; “James is the coolest student in the school.”). He likely understood my motives in doing this, however, I think it came through in his character, and a sense of ego proliferated the Will Hayes character in general.