We Speak Actors
Actor Travis Lee Eller appears in ‘Elkhorn’, a new TV series about the young Roosevelt
Travis Lee Eller is known for appearing in Westerns, but unlike other Hollywood actors he also supplies the costume department with authentic-looking outlaw hats! Originally from North Carolina and now based in LA, Travis started in entertainment as a TV stage manager and since 2012 has appeared in numerous films, many of them Westerns. He also has his own hat-making business, Ugly Outlaw Hats. He wrote and directed the short film ‘The Killer: A Fight in July’, which was nominated for Best Supporting Actor and Actress at the Wild Bunch Film Festival 2016. He also wrote and starred in the short film ‘Bad Men And The Devil’, for which he won a Best Actor award and the film won Best Western Short at the Genre Celebration Film Festival 2017. Now Travis is appearing in the TV series ‘Elkhorn’, about Theodore Roosevelt abandoning politics to become a cattleman in the lawless Dakota Badlands; it is available to watch on the INSP network and various streaming platforms from 11 April 2024.
What was it like working on ‘Elkhorn’?
“It was amazing!”
“The entire cast and crew were a pleasure to work with.”
“It was great seeing it all come together, from the audition process to the sets being built and finally to that first moment you hear the director call: ‘Action!’. I loved every minute of it. The Western genre is something I’m extremely interested in and having this opportunity to work in this environment again and tell this particular story got me really excited, especially knowing there’s a true history behind it.”
Can you tell us a bit about your role?
“I play Joe Ferris, who became a dear friend to Teddy Roosevelt. He’s a shopkeeper in the Dakota Territory town of Medora. Joe’s a nice guy, he knows everyone and everything about the town, but at the same time he’s no pushover and is stern when he has to be. He loves his town and wants to see it thrive. He also acts as the town postmaster and bookkeeper for Roosevelt’s business affairs. Joe was an interesting role for me to take on. I was so used to playing a villain in Westerns, that when it was time to be the good guy I had a moment of thinking: ‘How am I going to do this?’ Then I realised how ridiculous that sounded for an actor to say, and I screwed my head on straight again and jumped in.”
Who will enjoy this TV series?
“I hope as many people as possible will tune in. If you’re a history buff, interested in Theodore Roosevelt, or a Westerns fan in general, then ‘Elkhorn’ will be right up your alley. It’s great because there’s so much literature on Teddy Roosevelt and his life as President and conservationist, but there’s not really too much out there to watch. I’ve never seen any show or film about this particular time of his life.”
“I hope viewers have the same interest and sense of discovery I had when learning about this part of his history.”
What have been your favourite projects to date?
“I’ve had a few great projects I’ve been part of, including guest-starring roles on major network shows and lead roles in independent films, but I think some of my favourite roles were in smaller productions in my early pursuit of acting. It was all about the learning experience, and the knowledge I took away from each of those, be it technical or emotional. If I had to pick a film of mine that I really enjoyed doing, it would be the short Western ‘Only God Forgives’, which is available to watch on Amazon Prime.”
What are you up to next?
“Negotiations and auditions are happening, but other than that I’m continuing with my hobby, which is hat-making. I own a small business called Ugly Outlaw Hats, which allows me to stay busy with my hands. It’s also offered me an avenue into film and television, as I’ve made a few hats for various productions, including ‘Elkhorn’.”
To find out more about Travis, visit www.travisleeeller.com
Featured photo credit: Morgan Weistling
We Speak Actors
Chris Lemmon, Son of Legendary Actor Jack Lemmon Guests On Harvey Brownstone Interviews
Harvey Brownstone conducts an in-depth Interview with Chris Lemmon, Son of Legendary Actor, Jack Lemmon, Actor & Author, “A Twist of Lemmon: A Tribute to My Father”.
Chris Lemmon is an actor, producer and author who’s appeared in many movies including “Airport ‘77”, “Seems Like Old Times”, “Uncommon Valor”, “Swing Shift”, “Cannonball Run 2”, “Weekend Warrior”, “Lena’s Holiday”, “Roe vs Wade”, and 2 very special movies, “That’s Life” and “Dad”, in which he appeared with his legendary father, 2-time Academy Award winner Jack Lemmon, who’s been immortalized in movies like “Mr. Roberts”, “Save the Tiger”, “The Apartment”, “Irma LaDouce”, “The Odd Couple”, “The China Syndrome”, “Glengarry Glen Ross”, and of course, the greatest comedy film of all time, “Some Like it Hot”.
In fact, our guest portrayed his father in a re-enactment of his time on the set of “Some Like it Hot”, in the Marilyn Monroe biopic, “Blonde”.
On television, our guest has brought us many memorable roles including “Checko” in “Brothers and Sisters”, “Richard Philips” in “Duet” and “Open House”, “Jeff Cameron” in “Knots Landing”, and “Martin Brubaker”, better known as “Bru”, in “Thunder in Paradise”. On the stage, he’s starred in “Barefoot in the Park”, “Shay”, “Love Letters”, and his highly acclaimed one-man show “Twist of Lemmon”, based on his best-selling, highly compelling and heartwarming 2006 memoir entitled, “A Twist of Lemmon: A Tribute to my Father”.
He also wrote, produced and hosted the wonderful documentary film, “Magic Time”, which is all about the brilliant artistry of Jack Lemmon.
Harvey Brownstone is a retired judge of the Ontario Court of Justice and was the first openly gay judge in Canada. He is also the bestselling author of “Tug of War: A Judge’s Verdict on Separation, Custody Battles and the Bitter Realities of Family Court” and hosted “Family Matters with Justice Harvey Brownstone,” a television talk show on matters involving the family justice system.
After a distinguished legal career, Harvey was appointed a judge at the age of 38 in 1995. He has presided in family and criminal courts. He has been a trailblazer in several ways. He was the first openly gay judge in Canada. He was the first sitting judge in the world to write a national best seller and to host a TV talk show.
Harvey has been a role model and icon in the LGBTQ community. When same-sex marriage was legalized in Canada in 2003, he was the only judge to make himself publicly available to officiate at weddings for lesbian and gay couples travelling to Toronto from all over the world to get married. In 2007, he officiated at the wedding of Edith Windsor and Thea Spyer, the American couple whose marriage triggered the 2013 United States Supreme Court decision overturning the definition of “spouse” in the federal Defense of Marriage Act.
In February 2021, Harvey launched his online talk show “Harvey Brownstone Interviews” on his own YouTube channel. He saw this as an interesting hobby. Within several months, the show attracted hundreds of thousands – and then eventually, millions – of viewers. Because of the overwhelming success of the show, Harvey decided to retire from the judiciary on December 31, 2021 after having presided as a full-time judge for 26 1/2 years. Free from the constraints imposed upon judges regarding the expression of opinions and the endorsement of private enterprise, Harvey now happily devotes his full-time attention to hosting “Harvey Brownstone Interviews” as a regular member of the public – albeit one with a rather illustrious and unique career history.
Watch Chris Lemmon on Harvey Brownstone Interviews on Youtube here:
The official website for Harvey Brownstone Interviews may be found at https://www.harveybrownstoneinterviews.com
Get “The Talk Show Blend” – Coffee For The Modern Day Trailblazer! By Harvey Brownstone from Breakfast At Dominique’s available at https://www.HollywoodBlends.com
For more information about Harvey Brownstone, here’s his Wikipedia page:
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