Razak: I’m really proud that Charles has a voice again
Bobby Razak: “I had to be real as a filmmaker and a documentarian and step out of the box of just being his friend.”
The documentary Mask by filmmaker Bobby Razak released on Tuesday on Amazon, Google Play, Hulu, iTunes, and more, with a NetFlix debut in the fall. It focuses on Tapout when TapouT was TapouT, and founder Charles Lewis, a friend of Razak’s for nearly 20 years.
Razak appeared recently on MMAjunkie Radio and talked about the seven-year struggle to complete the work.
“I’m really proud that Charles has a voice,” said Razak, as transcribed by Mike Bohn for MMAjunkie. “I felt like he did not have a voice after what happened with TapouT. It was being bankrupt and it being turned into basically nothing and not representing MMA anymore. I’m very proud I’ve given this man a voice. It’s very empowering.”
“One of the things I love about Mask is how I was able to show someone that was damaged and sexually abused and went through all these issues. We were able to channel that and show it to the world. I think if Charles saw this movie he would be very upset with me. He was very controlled in who his persona was. He was Mask. He wanted certain things to only be shown about him. For me to go deep into his story, he probably wouldn’t have liked it. But I think that’s also power.
“When you see someone’s struggle and they’ve been through so much then they crack $200 or $300 million, that’s kind of an empowering story. And it’s a complex story. That’s the power of the film. He would not like it, because I was brutally honest and showed stuff that was deeply personal, but at the same time I had to be real as a filmmaker and a documentarian and step out of the box of just being his friend.”
“It was very difficult in the beginning but once I began to do it I knew it was the right thing. I didn’t know a lot of the stuff that happened, like he was peeing the bed until he was 15 years old, and experiencing very bad sexual abuse, those are things I didn’t know about. I found tapes where he would speak about it after he died and a box was given to me. I knew with Charles he was in a persona. Everything was very controlled and strategic. He never wanted to show who his true persona was, which is why he called himself Mask. So it was a very difficult decision, because I knew he would have hated me for it. But I think at the same time I have to be true to being a journalist and a documentarian. I had to do it. And once I made that decision I stuck with it.”
“I’ve done over 300 commercials, I’ve done 12 documentaries in various action, sports, and music genres. Typically when you edit a film you’ve watched this film so many times that it gets to a point where you disconnect with the film. You’re just looking for edits and color correction and transitions. Mask is the only film I did where every time I feel like I’m almost watching it for the first time. It’s like a spear in my heart. It’s so bizarre. I’ve never felt that before. I’m happy to walk away from this now. Emotionally it will give me a break. I need an emotional break. It’s like every time I watch it, it’s a fresh wound being opened. I look forward to not watching it again.”
“The raw tape of Charles talking about his problems … will always stand out to me. It’s a movie where he self-narrates and it’s his profound statement at the end: ‘You’ll live long after you do.’ To me, that’s very chilling. Every time I hear that it chills me to the bone. In 20, 30, 50 years – God willing I live that long – it’ll stick with me. They say when you die your life flashes before you. I’ve got a long career ahead of me, but I believe when I’m on my deathbed and my life flashes before me, this will be one of the things that sticks with me.”
Image courtesy of Cristian Buitron.
