‘Diverted Eden’ Director Prince Bagdasarian Chats with PopHorror!

Recently, PopHorror had the chance to sit down and chat with Najarra Townsend (read the interview here) and she told us a little about her new thriller, Diverted Eden. We just had to know more, so we sat down with the writer and director of Diverted Eden, Prince Bagdasarian, to find out more about his film, a movie that that looks to be an awesome action packed thriller. Read on to find out more!

PopHorror: Hi, Prince! Thanks for taking this time to do this interview and give us all the 411 on your upcoming film, Diverted Eden.

Prince Bagdasarian: Thank you for helping spread the word!

PopHorror:  How did you get into the film making industry?

Prince Bagdasarian: I spent my pre-teen years performing professionally as a kid magician on large stages in and around the US. Before long, I found myself more interested in being behind the camera instead. I enrolled in film school during my senior year of high school and began my journey into the film industry, initially creating any kind of attractive content I could, gradually working my way up. I soon found myself working in production and post on a variety of films, garnering an extensive list of experience and credits on studio pictures with A-listers.

PopHorror: That’s amazing! What inspires you as a director and as a writer?

Prince Bagdasarian: Growing up, I’ve always idolized master filmmakers Michael Mann, Ridley Scott, Scorsese, Spielberg, Tarantino, Nolan and so many others. Specific films that have inspired my work over the years have been films such as Heat, The Town, Gladiator, Alien, Prisoners, and dozens of others. I’m also a fan of film noir and crime films. Hence, my films, so far, have all been that genre, or have some resemblance to it.

PopHorror: Amazing choices to be inspired by! You have worked on some pretty fantastic films. What are some of your favorite highlights working on them?

Prince Bagdasarian: Flipping cars! Everyone laughs when I say this. But then they understand exactly what I mean after seeing the films that I’ve directed so far. I have a signature car crash/stunt in each one, recently done practically with my extraordinary stunt team, led by Sean Speedy Christopher. It takes a lot of planning to execute such sequences and stunts, especially with the utmost safety. Beyond that, I’ve had a blast creating meaningful films with beautiful people, and traveling around the world to share my films with others at festivals. It’s been a blessing.

PopHorror: Now I want to flip some cars! (laughs) Let’s get to the topic at hand. How did you come up with the idea for Diverted Eden?

Prince Bagdasarian: Frequently, I write down many ideas throughout the year which I believe would be suitable for an interesting film. One of those ideas was a story about a father searching for his missing 7-year-old daughter, and how he takes matters into his own hands to find her. I favor writing stories that I can connect with personally. With Diverted Eden, that was no different as I had just become a father to my own daughter, Elizabeth, and could relate to a character faced with such a tragedy.

So when Imaginating Pictures, who produced the film, approached me to write, direct and edit an action film, it was an apt collaboration. Together, we brainstormed ideas for the plot before I went off to write the film. I returned months later with an ambitious, but exciting, script with a collection of engaging characters such as a strong female protagonist in the form of a lead detective, military vets, a deaf character, and subliminal messages embedded within the story’s core. It wasn’t long before we began assembling a talented team of industry professionals who believed in the film, to bring the script to life. 

PopHorror: I love the ambitiousness and can’t wait to see it translated to screen! What was the most challenging aspect of filming Diverted Eden?

Prince Bagdasarian: One of the most challenging aspects of filming was indeed the action sequences in the film. We pulled off many impressive car and motorcycle chases, gun fights, crashes and such. The most difficult being the short military sequence, complete with explosions and shootouts — things you don’t often see in a crime drama. Another challenging aspect of directing Diverted Eden was working with a real deaf actor, played by Michael Spady, who plays a deaf character in the film. It was undoubtedly a rewarding challenge for both the actor and I.

PopHorror: This sounds completely badass! How long did it take from start to finish from writing to shooting to final cut?

Prince Bagdasarian: From concept and writing to the final delivery of the film, it took under 2 years — unconventional for an independent low-budget action crime film of its magnitude.

PopHorror:  Do you have any fun behind the scene stories to tell from Diverted Eden?

Prince Bagdasarian: During one of our shoot days, some of my cast disappeared from a section of the botanic gardens we were filming in, including Najarra Townsend and Trinity Valenzuela, who play mother and daughter in the film. We soon find them randomly harvesting and eating oranges from a nearby plantation! Another fun incident that occurred was during an aerial drone shot. The drone chasing lead actor Daniel Joseph crashed into a 50-foot tree at the edge of a cliff. Daniel and I spent hours trying to figure out how to get the drone down from the tree, ultimately managing to do so with a rope tied to a truck. The drone didn’t survive. But the footage did. In addition, something that wasn’t so fun behind the scenes was our production being trapped in the midst of a rain storm, which set our shoot back moderately, but also gave us an advantage of capturing some authentic visuals as the storm became a character in the film.

PopHorror: Rest in Peace to that drone! (laughs) Can’t wait to see how the storm incorporated into the film. Who are some directors or actors that you would love to work with?

Prince Bagdasarian: So many to choose from, and so many I look up to. I’ll continue working hard every day until I can hopefully one day work with some of my idols such as Robert DeNiro and Denzel Washington. Hopefully once more with Sylvester Stallone, also. Natalie Portman, Charlize Theron, Jake Gyllenhaal… please call me, let’s create. With that said, I’m thankful to have already worked with tremendous crews and talented cast members over the years on films I’ve made — most notably my favorite frequent actor collaborators Ken Davitian, Scout Taylor-Compton, Manu Intiraymi, Hunter Ives and many others.

PopHorror: All of those actors in one film would certainly be epic! Everyone seems to think this is the hardest question I ask, but I have to know… what is your favorite horror movie?

Prince Bagdasarian: This is hard, indeed. Mainly because there are just so man spectacular horror films. I’d have to narrow it down to… Classics – Alien and Carrie. And modern – Saw and Get Out.