Exclusive Interview: Anthony Ferrante & the Cast of Sharknado 2: The Second One

Shock: What sort of cool stunts do you get to do in Sharknado 2?

Kari Wuhrer: It’s a lot of running and avoiding and bike riding and things like that. I think my character, Ellen, really uses her wits to keep her daughter safe and escape from the Sharknado.

Shock: If Finn has a chainsaw, does Ellen have a weapon of choice?

Wuhrer: Ellen has a weapon but I’m not going to tell you what it is. She’s got a little weapon. I think the important thing to remember here is that New York City has weapons all around so you can always just grab something and use it against an angry and ferocious, very hungry Sharknado.

Shock: What cool New York locations did you shoot in?

Wuhrer: We were on the fairy to Liberty Island and we shot at Liberty Island which was really, really fun. I know the guys shot in a subway,  down in a subway which was very New York. Just in and around the streets of New York. Times Square.

Shock: What is the tone you have to strike? We celebrate the ridiculousness of Sharknado but we also buy into it.

Wuhrer: Right, well, that’s really important. As an actor, no matter what farce that you’re playing, you still have to have some gravity and keep it real, and keep the suspension of disbelief going for the audience. You don’t want to break that fourth wall. So as crazy as it seems, you take your imagination and your knowledge of fear and panic and you just use it.

Shock: Who is Ellen before the Sharknados hit?

Wuhrer: Ellen, who is a New Yorker with two kids, has become sort of a suburban mom. So life has changed a little bit and her kids think she’s old and not cool. The Sharknado proves them wrong, so it’s really fun to see her grow in the eyes of her children. Mark McGrath was also a big fan of Sharknado 1. The Sugar Ray frontman has made a name for himself on television as the host of “Extra” and “Killer Karaoke,” and he had a good sense of humor about appearing in the Sharknado sequel.

Shock: Are you going to do a theme song for Sharknado 2?

Mark McGrath: It’s funny. A couple people have asked me that but the director, Anthony, is a musician and he’s a darn good one and he did a lot of the music on the first one. It’s great. He’s a very accomplished musician. He and his buddy play all sorts of instruments and are really adept at writing songs, so if he asks me to come on and help, I’m willing to. If I get the call, I’d absolutely love to write a few songs but if not, it’s in good hands.

Shock: Right, but they didn’t have you on the first movie. Now they could have a chart topping pop song.

McGrath: You never know, it couldn’t hurt. It’s funny, because there are a bunch of musicians on board. Biz Markie is in the movie. Vivica Fox can sing pretty well so you never know. It’s out there. It’s being discussed as we speak as they’re ramping up editing the movie, making it happen and adding the music. Fingers crossed, we’ll see.

Shock: Did you have your choice of characters to play in the sequel?

McGrath: I was offered the choice of Martin who’s a big role. It’s Ian’s brother in law who is married to his sister, and we grew up together. We were homies hanging out. We were wingmen together so he knows my past and I know his. He’s not so completely happy that I married his sister. There’s a deep love between us but he knows what kind of dog I was so he’s coming back, A, to get some peace and quiet from the original Sharknado, but B to have some resolution with some old family and friendship dynamics.

Shock: Did you get the acting bug?

McGrath: Absolutely. There wasn’t a lot of heavy acting, heavy lifting for me in this movie but there was enough to carry story along and a little bit of emoting. We weren’t making My Left Foot here. Ian and a lot of the other professional actors really helped me with the shortcuts I needed. Judd Hirsch was very great to me in a taxi scene. I remember him. That was one of my greatest moments. I’m getting acting tips from Judd Hirsch in a taxi on Broadway and 54th in Manhattan. The irony in that was incredible.

Shock: What did he tell you?

McGrath: He just gave me a note of his because I asked him, “Should I go big, should I go small?” He goes, “For something like this, why don’t you go smaller.”

Shock: What cool Sharknado fighting action do you get to do?

McGrath: I get to do a little, not so much. There’s some in the cab which is great, out of the cab. Lots of mine, I’m with Ian’s character, Finn, and I’ll let him do all the ass kicking. There are some sharks where I’m avoiding and running away from and I kick a shark or two.

Shock: Did you get to be the wisecracking sidekick?

McGrath: I’m not much of a wisecracking sidekick. There’s a little dynamic I have with Finn’s character where we have an old sort of unsaid history. Obviously we were wingmen growing up and we have an shorthand we speak in. A lot of that is being rectified as he’s come back and I haven’t seen him for a long time. And of course I married his sister which he’s not too happy about.