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Writer and star of ‘Herpes Boy,’ Byron Lane prepares for his close-up
Growing up outside of New Orleans, Byron Lane always dreamed of becoming a writer and actor.
But with a mechanic father and a mother who worked in insurance sales, the bright lights of New York and Hollywood seemed unattainable.
Instead, Lane made the pragmatic decision to study journalism at Loyola University, settling for telling the stories of others instead of his own.
After a stint as a news reporter and anchor at a television station in Alexandria, La., Lane’s career took him to the deserts of Las Vegas. It was there that Lane began to change course.
“Things were getting a little odd out there, with the news quoting TMZ and things like that. The opportunity came up to get in some acting classes, and I started on that route and loved it,” Lane said this week by phone from Los Angeles.
What happened next is a creation myth that has been told time and again in Hollywood, but that makes it no less true in this case. In 2005, bitten by the proverbial acting bug, Lane packed up all of his belongings in a car and drove out to Los Angeles, where he had a few good friends.
Because of his work history, Lane had the ability to find something many Hollywood aspirants do not — a steady job. Working the night shift as a news writer for the CBS affiliate in Los Angeles, Lane had his days free to write and pursue acting gigs. He quickly realized that the life of an auditioning actor in a city littered with broken dreams is one rife with rejection. But after watching the Web series “LonelyGIrl_15,” Lane decided to take his career into his own hands.
“I just thought to myself, ‘You know, I can do that,’” Lane said about his experience with ‘LonelyGirl_15.’ “So I decided to just create my own character. And in the middle deciding what to do, I was at Starbucks and the barista had a big birthmark around her eye. And I thought, ‘That would be perfect.’ Because I did want to do a character who was unique, and I didn’t want to just do an interesting hair style or just do glasses, so I thought the birthmark was totally cool. Then I just thought about where I was going to put it. So I put it on the mouth and called it ‘Herpes Boy’.”
Lane developed a Web series around the titular character, a young man who spoke directly to the camera complaining about the trials and tribulations of his daily life, from the hassles of going to the coffee shop to the nuisance of his mother’s manic dog. “It’s just little everyday things about life from the perspective of a person who is just exhausted with it all,” Lane said.
After receiving modest traffic to his Webisodes, boosted by some serendipitous timing on Funnyordie.com, Lane received a phone call that he could hardly believe. Producer John Baumgartner had seen the videos and was taken by the writing and performance. He met with the nascent writer-actor and asked if Lane could develop a feature script.
Lane spent four months writing his first feature screenplay. Expanding on the life of the character from his short Web series, Rudolph, “Herpes Boy” tells about a young man coming to terms with his own fears and insecurities while working to love and accept the eccentric and aggravating members of his family. While the script is hilarious, “Herpes Boy,” — a movie filled with rich and absurd, yet realistic performances — does not aim solely for the easy punchline as many recent comedies. It has a subtlety and heart that reveals the complexity of its creator.
“I’m not sure I would be that good at writing something that is just laughs,” Lane said. “I enjoy movies that have heart. The funniest comedies for me are the ones that aren’t just slapstick; they’re based in reality. Sometimes life is so weird and horrible that it is just hilarious.”
Baumgartner liked what he read and showed it to his friend, character actor Beth Grant (“Extract,” “No Country for Old Men”), who also felt an immediate affinity for the quirky movie.
From there, things seem to snowball. Lane contacted director Nathaniel Atcheson, with whom he had previously worked on a short film, who agreed to direct the project and bring on a producer and cinematographer. What resulted was what Lane likes to call an “indie film miracle.”
While he prepares for the world premiere of a movie that will undoubtedly put him on the indie film map, the days of sitting at home and dreaming of emulating his heroes Lily Tomlin and Woody Allen seem like a lifetime away to the Louisiana native. “It’s surreal. I literally can’t believe it,” Lane said.
“Herpes Boy” makes its world premiere at the Austin Film Festival Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the Alamo Ritz. It also screens Tuesday, October 27 at 7:30 p.m. at The Independent at 501.
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By Karin Janin
October 23, 2009 2:29 PM | Link to this
As a former Austinite, I really enjoyed reading this article! What a wonderful story on so many levels. Clearly Bryan was not afraid to explore his potential! He believed in himself enough to just keep on keeping on! I can’t wait to see the “Herpes Boy.” Since I no longer live in Austin, I’m not sure where it will play. I will, however, tell my daughter who lives in Austin, to go and see this!
Cheers, Karin