‘You can’t help but reflect on your own life,’ New Canaan actor says about his film ‘The Climb’
By John Kovach
on November 20, 2020 9:26 AM
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"The Climb" features Kyle Marvin as Kyle, Michael Angelo Covino as Mike, Gayle Rankin as Marissa. Covino, of New Canaan, also wrote and directed the film.
Although the actors and their characters share first names, they are not reflections, Covino said.
“The characters not in any way based on who we are,” Covino said. “They’re just characters we created and were excited about.”
But the on-screen Kyle and Mike in “The Climb” are recognizable to most, Covino said.
“You can’t help but reflect on your own life, people you’ve lost touch with, and people you should have lost touch with,” he said. “Maybe we don’t have to question it. Maybe we just have to accept that some people never change.”
The trailer shows painful interactions among Kyle, Mike, and sometimes those around them. But Covino said every audience he’s been in a theater with has laughed with “The Climb.”
“The emotions of the characters are very real and they’re dealing with very real things,” he said. “I think what we were trying to do was explore dark situations and experiences people have in life and find humor in it. There’s darkness, but we find optimism and beauty.”
They made a short film by the same name similar to the opening sequence of “The Climb,” which opened at the Sundance Film Festival in Colorado to positive reviews. That experience taught Covino and Marvin how to seek out financing for other projects, now including their film.
lessPhoto: Zach Kuperstein / Courtesy Sony Pictures Classics"The Climb" features Kyle Marvin as Kyle, Michael Angelo Covino as Mike, Gayle Rankin as Marissa. Covino, of New Canaan, also wrote and directed the film.
Although the actors and their characters share first
... more
"The Climb" features Kyle Marvin as Kyle, Michael Angelo Covino as Mike, Gayle Rankin as Marissa. Covino, of New Canaan, also wrote and directed the film.
Although the actors and their characters share first names, they are not reflections, Covino said.
“The characters not in any way based on who we are,” Covino said. “They’re just characters we created and were excited about.”
But the on-screen Kyle and Mike in “The Climb” are recognizable to most, Covino said.
“You can’t help but reflect on your own life, people you’ve lost touch with, and people you should have lost touch with,” he said. “Maybe we don’t have to question it. Maybe we just have to accept that some people never change.”
The trailer shows painful interactions among Kyle, Mike, and sometimes those around them. But Covino said every audience he’s been in a theater with has laughed with “The Climb.”
“The emotions of the characters are very real and they’re dealing with very real things,” he said. “I think what we were trying to do was explore dark situations and experiences people have in life and find humor in it. There’s darkness, but we find optimism and beauty.”
They made a short film by the same name similar to the opening sequence of “The Climb,” which opened at the Sundance Film Festival in Colorado to positive reviews. That experience taught Covino and Marvin how to seek out financing for other projects, now including their film.
less"The Climb" features Kyle Marvin as Kyle, Michael Angelo Covino as Mike, Gayle Rankin as Marissa. Covino, of New Canaan, also wrote and directed the film.