Interview with Christina Moore, Co-Star, Writer, and Producer of “Running Wild”

Christina Moore is a talented actress who fans may know for such films as Without a Paddle, Delta Farce, and even the Disney series Jessie, where she plays the mother of the kids our titular character takes care of. Christina is the co-star, co-writer, and co-producer of the upcoming film Running Wild, which revolves around a widow who brings in convicts to help her rehabilitate wild horses in an attempt to save her ranch.

World Film Geek had the chance to talk to Christina about her experiences on the film.

Thank you Christina for taking the time out of your schedule to talk about Running Wild.
Well, thank you! I’m glad you’re talking to me about it.

I got to see the film and I have to say I really enjoyed it.
Oh that’s great to hear. I’m so glad.

You co-wrote Running Wild in addition to producing it and co-starring in it. What was your inspiration in writing the film?
Our financier Forrest Lucas, he’s a big billionaire oil guy. He grew up in a place with no running water and his mother was a former. He has a real heart for the American background, whether it’s ranches or farmers or dog breeders. There are a lot of people who don’t realize that and he wanted to do a feature, a movie specifically revolving around horses in the American West so I was called upon to pitch a couple of ideas.

I had a friend who had passed away from an unexpected car accident and I watched myself, friends, and his partner just reeling. Like “What happens when you have the rug pulled from underneath you?” So it was really kind of a pure story for me and that’s where the idea of Stella (played in the film by Dorian Brown Pham) came about.

And then my writing partner, Brian Rudnick and I went to a horse show in Fort Worth, Texas, and we saw an auction from horses in the WHIP Program, the Wild Horse Inmate Program. This was a real program and we both were like “What? Oh Wow!” and what we really wanted was the overriding theme from what I believe is redemption and second chances. So it all sort of fell into each other in terms of the wild horses and the inmates and Stella. A sweet tale of second chances with all these different creatures.

In your words, can you describe your character of Jennifer? I see her starting out as a best friend to Stella but showing a bit of that true color factor due to the misconception of convicts being used to rehab the wild horses?
(Laughs) Oh my God! I know right? I would say Jennifer is everyone’s worst nightmare. She is your “frenemy”. It was so easy for me. She was one of the easiest characters to write and one of the easiest characters to play because I know all those snarky women. I know the competitive nature of “Oh, I’ll be nice to you but turn your back…”, and like the mean girls from high school. She’s a mean girl, a frenemy.

She’s one of those girls who would be in the locker room and going (in a funny high school-like voice) “Oh my God, look at what she’s wearing!” She’s basically the grown-up version of that. She’s just pretty awful.

You have some notable talent in the film, like Sharon Stone, Tommy Flanagan, and Jason Lewis. What was it like working with the cast of the film?
The cast was extraordinary. I think what really defined them is that this is an extremely intelligent group of people. They understood the story. They understood the script and I think the world understands that Sharon is grand. And she did not disappoint. She asked for big script revisions in order to do the film and I believe she transformed it. For instance, the entire ending was part of what she wanted to do to create this character and for me, what I dreamed of it, in my head and in the script, the actors just took it to the stratosphere.

Each of them brought something unique, and so careful, and so kind and intelligent. I was wildly impressed with their commitment to the film. I found it in a way nobody else did (laughs).

What do you hope the people who watch this will learn from the film? Aside from the situation with wild horses, I see a lesson about fighting for what you love and learning a thing or two about yourself while you are in that fight.
I think what I would want people to take away from this is that for human beings, there really is a possibility for redemption. There really is a possibility for rehabilitation. It’s the right program. It’s the right person. I think we’re too quick to dismiss whether it is a convict or whether it is a drug addict or a homeless person. Or even a sassy 40-year old housewife. If you want it bad enough, you can put the right things in place and anyone can change. I firmly believe that and I hope that is what this story tells.

Finally, what do you have coming up in terms of projects and do you have a message for the fans out there?
Well, thank you fans! I love you! (Laughs)

Well, I have a couple of projects coming up. I wrote and produced another film for this company called Pray for Rain, starring Jane Seymour, which is a murder mystery. And my husband, John Ducey, wrote a script called Dirt, that is a hysterical truck racing romp. It’s a complete departure. We have the yummy yummy love story with Running Wild, the murder mystery with Pray for Rain, and then you have this buddy comedy truck movie starring Kevin Dillon and I play his wife. I produced that movie as well.

And you know because there’s only three people in Hollywood, I just did a television series for Country Music Television called His Wives and Daughters, starring Jane Seymour and I play her daughter. So it’s all about me and Jane right now.

Running Wild comes to theaters and on VOD platforms on February 10. Thank you again Christina for taking the time to talk about the film. I hope everyone gets a chance to see it and enjoy it like I did.
Thank you, thank you!

A Special Thank You goes out to Katrina Wan PR for setting-up the interview and to Christina Moore for taking the time out of her schedule to talk about the film. Look out for Running Wild on February 10, 2017 from ESX Entertainment.