Alabama native ClayneCrawford is the star and producer of the film 'The Integrity of Joseph Chambers,' bringing the project to his hometown of Clay, in northeast Jefferson County, for filming. “We came to Alabama, and it was a blessing,” Crawford says.
Originally, Crawford says, “Joseph Chambers” was scheduled to film in Utah, where he and Machoian had helmed “The Killing of Two Lovers,” released in 2020. But Crawford wanted their second movie — about an inexperienced hunter who stumbles into tragedy — to have an entirely different vibe. A new look and feel was important to the project, Crawford says, and he knew exactly where to achieve it.
That’s the same reason I got into the job, that kind of excitement at Hollywood, and making a film. The energy surrounded us in Alabama, and just that overall support. Anytime we needed something, whether it be a Gator to load gear in and out, or I needed to get on a deer lease, it was just open to us, in every facet of this process. It’s just a testament to Alabama and the community that we have here.There are multiple reasons.
No. That project was, with all due respect to the film itself and everyone involved, who worked extremely hard ... It was a nightmare. It was something I wasn’t excited about doing. My son, at the time, my middle boy, was interested in filmmaking, and he was throwing around the idea of possibly wanting to be an actor at 9-10 years old. I kind of agreed to that because I’d known the director for 15 years, and my son wanted to be a part of it.
Ordinary guy who’s in over his head. But I think it’s admirable what he’s trying to do. I don’t think it’s all ego-driven. We went through some editions of the script where it was more about him trying to compete with the men in this town who were different from him. He had not grown up with guns; he had not grown up in the woods. I think wanting to provide for your family is an honorable thing, and I think he just got in over his head.
A lot of times in film, the characters are villains who are doing awful things with guns. I think sometimes, it can be someone who just doesn’t get it. That was very important for me, to show that it’s not a matter of taking guns out of people’s hands; it’s a matter of educating everyone that has one.
Well, that’s what’s great about Robert Machoian. Robert’s never held a gun; Robert’s never been hunting. In a lot of ways, I kind of played Robert in this movie — as someone who wants to do the right thing, whose heart’s in the right place, but just doesn’t have the knowledge. And that’s not a negative thing, right?
Clayne Crawford stars in "The Integrity of Joseph Chambers," a movie filmed in Clay, Alabama. Crawford, who grew up in Clay, also is the producer of the movie. . In “The Integrity of Joseph Chambers,” there aren’t many guns; it’s just you and a rifle. How do you approach gun safety on a movie like this?
Again, I don’t know what happened on that film, but I can tell you it’s extremely unusual. And I’m curious to hear what all the details are, because it’s just almost impossible for something to happen like that. I started making these films when I turned 40, and I wanted to see where I was at as an actor. Also, I think I was at a turning point. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to continue acting. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with my life. It was one of those moments where I said: OK, can I hold an audience’s attention? Can I go through the gamut of emotions honestly?
I think for those who are familiar with the Birmingham area, Pell City’s gonna resonate. I think also, geographically, we realize that he’s east of the Mississippi, as it relates to the forest and the landscape. Nothing intentional for Alabama, necessarily, but it certainly can play here.
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