In the film The Neon Highway, which is now in select theaters, singer/songwriter Wayne Collins (Rob Mayes) was about to make it in Nashville when a car crash put an end to his dream. Seven years later, working as an electrician in Georgia, he meets Claude Allen (Beau Bridges), a washed up country music legend. After playing his original song for Allen, the two return to Nashville hoping to score a record deal, but things the industry has changed since Allen was last there, and no one is not interested. They are out of luck unless Wayne can find a way to outsmart the system and get the song released. 

Last week, stars Bridges and Mayes spoke with SciFi Vision about their work on the film, including why it spoke to them, what it was like singing live for the movie, what they’ve learned about themselves, what it was like for Bridges working with his son Ezekiel in the film, and more. 

Watch the interview or read the transcript below. 




SCIFI VISION:   To start out, for people who haven't seen it, can you talk about your characters, and also, what was it that made you decide you had to do it? We’ll just go Beau then Rob.

BEAU BRIDGES:   Yeah, I think the story itself was got me interested. It's about to two lost souls, really, who are looking for a survival in what is for them a crazy kind of existence. They're not happy, and they come together in a very strange way earlier in the movie. He's coming to my house as an electrician to fix my phone, and that's how we get to know each other. That's my son, Ezekiel, who's in that scene as Rob's partner. Yeah, and they come together, and they need a purpose, both of them. They need some passion in their life, something to excite them again, and they find it through their relationship with each other, and they go to Nashville and chase their dream. 

ROB MAYES:   Yeah, I mean, for me, it was the same thing. It's the truth of the story and the truth of the circumstances and country music in general. I mean, that's what I do on a day to day basis living in Nashville, is write songs, Monday through Friday, sometimes twice a day. You're constantly chasing a dream, and then oftentimes doing it for not much money. So, it's about keeping the hope and the faith and the dream alive. That's what this movie was about. And the character of Wayne was just so close to home, because, like I said, this is how I spend my time, and it's how I spend my time praying and hoping and dreaming. 

SCIFI VISION:   You both sang in the movie, and [the singing] was filmed live, I think? Can you both talk about that? What was that experience like? 

ROB MAYES:   Yeah, I mean, I've had the good fortune to do a handful of films and TV shows where I get to play in the project, but most of the time it is pre recorded, so you're kind of just singing along to a track, which kind of ensures that it's polished and ready to go, and in this case, that wasn't the case. Everything was recorded live. So, I think there's even more more maybe truth to those performances because of that. 

SCIFI VISION:   What was it like for you Beau singing in the film? Was that something you found difficult or easy or fun? 

BEAU BRIDGES:   Well, I was kind of unhappy that my first song that I sing, I'm sitting on a toilet, [laughs] but as I my character says, it's good for the what do you call it? What is it? 

ROB MAYES:   The acoustics.

BEAU BRIDGES:   The acoustics. Give it a little Elvis twang, I think I say. But no, I enjoyed it. It was great. It was a little daunting for me, because music has been a hobby, not a professional thing for me. I did Broadway and How to Succeed for six months. So, I got a taste of that then. That was a long time ago. But this was fun, and because it's a movie, it's recorded live, but if you screw up, you’ve got take two and three and four if you need it. So, that was good. And I had a lot of support from the real guys, from Rob and Lee Brice, who's in the movie; he’s a wonderful singer. And Chuck Mead, our music director, was really helpful. So yeah, it was a good experience. 

SCIFI VISION:   I did want to ask you, because you mentioned that your son said is in the movie. What was it like playing alongside him? 

BEAU BRIDGES:   My son Ezekiel, yeah. Not unique for our family. My dad started that tradition. When we first started out, he gave Jeff and I our first jobs. Then, after that, once we got going, he'd call us up and say, “Hey, I hear you, you got a gig. Is that true? What is it?” I’d tell him, and he'd say, “Is there anything in there for me? Or anything in there for your brother or your cousins?” So, we've all enjoyed working together. I especially like the scene that I do with Zeke in the very beginning of the movie where he is so in awe of me that his jaw just drops, and he looks at me with such respect and everything, and that's kind of nice to get from your son, [laughs] [which] you don’t always get. 

SCIFI VISION:   Rob, you obviously say this character is a lot like you, but how was he different from you? Was there parts that you had trouble connecting with on that level and getting into? 

ROB MAYES:   Man, good question. Trouble? I don't know. I mean, there're always nerves, especially when I'm working with this guy. The bar is set pretty high. But I just really wanted to approach it just as honestly and as truthful as I could. Sometimes I can put some tricks and stuff in there, but I didn't want to do that this time. I just wanted to kind of just give a very honest, as honest as I could, performance, and just trust. 

SCIFI VISION:   Beau, after doing so many different things, is there still things to learn now? After you've done so much, do you still learn from each project something new? 

BEAU BRIDGES:   Absolutely. I mean, my dad told me early on, when I first started, getting ready to go off to my first day's work, he said, “Just relax.” He said, “You don't do this alone.” He said, “This is a collaboration. You're going to be joining a whole new family that’s much bigger than your own family of entertainers and actors, and the crew and all the people that make these movies, tell these stories, and so, relax and just be a part a part of the team.” And when you're acting, like when Rob and I are doing a scene together, we're listening to each other and responding. We don't have to have it all in our own head exactly what we're going to say, what we're going to do. We're bouncing off of each other. And I think the little that I know about the music world, there's a lot of collaboration in that as well, with musicians working together; they bounce off of each other. So, it's comforting to know that you don't do it alone. 

SCIFI VISION:   What about you, Rob, what did you learn from this, and did you learn anything from [Beau] acting-wise is my other question? 

ROB MAYES:   So, so much, so, so much. I mean, it was such an honor to get to work with with you and to learn by your side, you know, your humility and your zest for making films. It's just really, really powerful, and it really does come down, I think, to listening and being as present as you can be. That's one of the reasons I wanted to get into this industry, even as a young kid, was for that very reason, because we don't really listen well in our day to day normal lives. It takes energy, a lot of energy, to listen and to be present, but there's a lot of gratification that comes from that, and I hope it ends up being reflected on the screen. 

SCIFI VISION:   That was that was going to be my next question. What do you both hope that [viewers] take away from the movie? 

ROB MAYES:   Well, I'm just so grateful that people are going to see this movie, and I hope they do, because there's a lot of truth to it. You know, it's not a lot of CGI. It's a story that's - I don't know, kind of as old as time, right? I mean, it's about the song. It's about truth. It's about relationships. It's about hope and redemption, passion -

BEAU BRIDGES:   Forgiveness. 

ROB MAYES:   I'm sorry. 

BEAU BRIDGES:   [laughs] Yeah, forgiveness is a big part of it. These people, neither one of these characters could have moved on without forgiving and being forgiven themselves. It’s an important part of it. 

SCIFI VISION:   Do you both have a favorite scene that you can talk about without spoiling too much of the film, a little little tease? 

ROB MAYES:   I’ll let you take that one. 

BEAU BRIDGES:   Yeah, I don't want to screw it up for people who haven't seen it yet. One scene that I enjoyed is getting in there with all these guys in the control booth and laying down - we did it in an actual recording studio, and laying down a tune, that was kind of exciting. Being a part of a professional music scene was kind of fun for me. I enjoyed that. 

ROB MAYES:   I'll piggyback on that. There's a scene where I jump up on stage and I perform one of my own songs, and I'm playing it with the great Lee Brice, and he's actually singing high harmonies above me on that song. I'll never forget [it], because he's, I think, one of the greatest out there. He was like, “Man, this is a high song.” I said, “Well, if anyone can do it, anyone can hit those notes, it's you, man.” 

BEAU BRIDGES:   And you're gonna release that song pretty soon, aren’t you? 

ROB MAYES:   There's another one that comes out soon, yeah, March 22nd. The song that I performed in the beginning of the film at the showcase, “Dirt In My Life” comes out on the 22nd of March. Also written by Dallas Davidson, Tommy Cecil, Chris Jansen. Just a heck of a song.