Posted in: Exclusive, Interview, Lionsgate, Movies | Tagged: Dominique, exclusive, interview, Michael S. Ojeda, Oksana Orlan

Dominique Director Michael Ojeda on Bond Inspiration, Columbia Filming

Director and writer Michael S. Ojeda (The Russian Bride) spoke to Bleeding Cool about his latest Lionsgate action-thriller Dominique.

Michael S Ojeda has been active for over 20 years since his debut in 2002's Lana's Rain (2002), which starred Oksana Orlan, who would become a favorite in his projects, including his latest in the Lionsgate action-thriller Dominique. The writer, cinematographer, and director worked with the actress, including the 2015 short Rise of the Phoenix, which she would debut as her action protagonist, Dominique, before the 2024 Lionsgate feature. The two also collaborated on the 2018 indie film The Russian Bride. Dominique follows a brilliant assassin (Orland) left for dead in a small South American village. After the only man she cares about is savagely killed, Dominique sacrifices herself to protect his innocent family and trains them to wage a war against the bloodthirsty authorities and brutal drug cartels responsible for his death. Ojeda spoke to Bleeding Cool about the film's inspiration, working with Orlan as a co-writer, getting acclimated to the Columbian filming day, casting, and more.

Dominique Director Michael S Ojeda on Trying to Build a Franchise Around Oksana Orlan's Character

Bleeding Cool: What's the inspiration behind Dominique?

The inspiration behind Dominique. I grew up loving James Bond films, and I have always wanted to do one. That was my goal since I was a child. As the years went by, that opportunity seemed more distant. I decided, "Why don't I come with my own character? That can maybe achieve the same level. On top of my love for Bond, I loved the Bond women even more. I said, "Why don't I go with a lethal character?" She's Eastern European and Ukrainian. That was how Dominique's character came to be, and then I developed her with Oksana, whom I've known for a long time. We started the process with a different and bigger screenplay with more action and location. We tried to get that going about seven years ago, but it became difficult because it was too big of a film. We decided, "What can we do that can set the stage to introduce her to the world?" We came up with a new story when she first arrived in Latin America, and that's what it is and how we came up with it.

What's it like having Oksana as a creative partner?

She's amazing. She was the inspiration for the character. Like I said, she embodies all the elements of Dominique, right? She's a sweet person in real life, but she also has this strong and mysterious side. It came naturally to incorporate her personality into parts of Dominique's personality. She's great, falls out, and puts everything into the role. She is a star waiting to happen.

How was it filming in Columbia, and did you have any problems?

There were always problems, but the biggest issue we had was shooting in Columbia, a lot of great stuff, don't get me wrong, but the biggest thing was they shot a different kind of schedule. This is a low-budget independent film, believe it or not. In Columbia, they're not used to shooting guerilla-style or run-and-gun. They do things the way the studios do them here with lots of semi-trucks and the whole kit and caboodle, traveling to each location, which I'm not always accustomed to.

They only work a certain number of hours a day within a certain number of days. It was difficult to adapt to the way they do things. It was a big film that needed to be approached by an independent guerrilla-style approach. Shooting 12-hour days and these guys would like to take the first two hours off at the beginning, then they get started, and later, take another hour off. I ended up having eight-hour days when I expected to have 12 and a break and then, a lunch break, that was the most difficult part was adapting to a schedule I originally thought was a lot bigger and longer. The latitude is 8000ft in the air in Bogota, so it was a little bit physically taxing at times, especially shooting the scene on top of the mountain where the movie ends. The language barrier wasn't that big of a deal, most of the crew spoke English. I don't speak Spanish so that was a little bit of a challenge, but that was about it.

Was there a particular scene that was the most difficult to film?

It's funny. It's only as difficult as you want to make it. I had to pick my battles, but certain scenes needed to be strong, and I had to get my vision. The whole night battle at the house, the siege on the house was complicated. I set aside two nights, but it still wasn't even enough. When we returned to L.A., I had to shoot inserts and put guys in black suits to get close-ups. It was pretty and you must work late hours. That was the most challenging scene overall, the whole battle.

Can you talk about the casting process and how others like Jose Conejco Martin, Sebastián Carvajal, Alanna De La Rossa, Gustavo Angarita, Maurice Compte, and what they brought to the production?

They're amazing. I don't think there was a weak link in the chain. Everybody delivered, and the kids were phenomenal. Columbian actors are well-trained, and they know their craft. They made it easy, especially because a lot of it in the movie is in another language, Spanish. I had to rely on what I could see from them from an emotional standpoint, not necessarily their exact words at times. If Sebastian makes a mistake, he goes, "I got to do that again." They were amazing, Maria [De La Rossa], Sebastián Carvajal, and the kids. The one actor, Gustavo, is the old man. This guy is like "Robert De Niro" of Columbia. His original role was small. When I met him and saw how amazing he was and his presence, I added a bunch of dialogue and a bunch more to the film for him. They're all amazing from this, from the cops in the smallest cop role to the family and everything.

How does your work in the film compare to the stuff you've done performing? Would you say it's particularly more ambitious than what you've done before?

I wouldn't say it's more ambitious. The only thing that makes it more ambitious is it was in another country. My film Savaged, called Avenged in America, was an ambitious film, and then The Russian Bride was also ambitious on a different level. I wouldn't say [Dominique] is "more ambitious." I say this plays more to my strengths. All my films have action, but one was a horror film. One was a thriller with action at the end with 'The Russian Bride' I had action throughout the horror film, which was a revenge film. It had a smaller audience, but this one is an all-out action drama, so it reaches the most people I believe will enjoy it. [Dominique] plays to my strengths in this one.

Are there other genres you want to do in the future?

Sci-fi, we have a sequel planned for this movie I'm hoping to do next, but also have a big film that's post-apocalyptic and a sci-fi hybrid I hope to do. I plan on shooting a proof of concept in the next two or three months. I don't want to get into further details.

Dominique is in theaters, digital, and on-demand.

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