Q: Who contacted you for the role (casting director Lynn Stalmaster?) or did you apply for it?
A: I was represented by the ICM agency at the time, and my agent set up the audtion/meeting with Sam Peckinpah at his office in Beverly Hills.

Q: When were you contacted or apply? (Filming was found to have taken place between April-September 1977).
A: I don't exactly remember but I know we started filming within a month.

[Truck Driving]
Q: How much actual truck driving did you do?
A: I drove whenever the shot required slow driving, and a stunt man Mike Olney drove when high speed driving was required as I didn't feel confident in handling it.
Q: Did you know how to drive a truck or took training? Did you have any problems with your truck?
A: I had to learn to drive a truck, and because my character was poor, I had the worst truck with a troublesome gearbox.  My truck was old and the mechanics were just trying to keep it going.

Q: Do you remember the model of truck you were in?
A: Don't remember the model of the truck.

Q: (Do you remember)What was it your truck was scripted to haul?
A: I don't recall what I supposed to be hauling.  I don't think it was ever mentioned.
   
Q: Were you, (all), actually talking to each other thru cb's or was that propped somehow?
A: As I remember we actually were talking to each other on the CB's.

Q: Who titled your character "Spider Mike" or was that just in the script? (Did you know in BWL Norton's book and script your character was called "Motor Mike.")
A: Spider Mike was the name of my character in the script that I had.

Q: Apparently your character would be seen/become a racial plot in the movie vs "Dirty Lyle" (Ernest Borgnine). Was this Director Sam Peckinpah's idea, part of the script and did you have a problem with it at all?
A: Everything about the subplot was in the script as written, and I had no problem with any of it.

Q: In the "Diner Brawl" you smash a ketchup bottle over the state trooper's hand. How was that done?
A: The ketchup battle was a breakaway bottle so it wouldn't cause harm to the guy I hit.

Q: Your character leaves the convoy to go home, learning assumably on the cb, his wife is about to give birth. Do you know why your character was written to leave early the movie or was it due to it leading to the jail break scene?
A: My leaving the convoy early was to set up the jail break scene.

Q: If you remember, talk about the make up of the apparent beating you took from Tiny Alverez.
A: The make up for the beating took 45 minutes a day to do.  What was funny was that when were filiming those scenes, when we had to lunch I had to go to the cafe in the small town and eat looking like that, and some of the patrons were taken aback at the sight.

Q: Did you mind, having to leave half way into the movie and not appearing in the finale?
A: No, I didn't mind my character leaving the convoy early as I was there for the whole three month shoot.  I was just happy to be working in a major movie

Q: Did you enjoy your time/role in the movie?
A:  I thoroughly enjoyed my time on the movie.  I felt that I grew a lot as an actor as I was working with such accomplished actors as Ernest Borgnine, Burt Young, and Madge Sinclair who had all won or been nominated for Oscars and Emmys--so I could watch the way they worked.  Ernest Borgnine had everything thoroughly prepared even down to the smallest gesture which he would repeat at the exact moment every taike, while Burt Young would always do something different each take.  It was great to see that contrast in working styles in two such successful actors.  I was rather shy, so I didn't socialize as much as I
could've, but Kris Kristofferson, and Ally McGraw were very kind and made me wish that I had stepped out of my shell more at the time.  Sam Peckinpah was somewhat intimidating at first, but he liked my work, but I didn't like the callous way that he treated his hard working crew.  Over the course of the filming 65 members of the crew rebelled and quit, so there was a constant influx of new people.  I also liked being on location in Albuquergue and the whole "location experience".  It was a very freeing time--almost like a paid vacation.  But I consider it a great experience. 

Q: Among all the theatrical movies you appear in, how does Convoy rank in your opinion?
A: As a film I found "Convoy" to be pretty lacking due to a weak script and was surprised to find out that it was ultimately Peckinpah's highest grossing movie.  I certainly don't think that it ranks with his past notable films, as it was pretty obvious that he was no longer working at the top of his game.

Q: What was your opinion on director Sam Peckinpah and his control of this particular movie.
A: He was in bad shape physically after all the years of self-destructive hard living and not artistically sharp.
 
Q: I have two different stories on this. When Black Widow's (Madge Sinclair) truck over turned, was that planned or an
accident?
A: To be honest I don't recall whether it was an accident or planned.  I vaguely remember it as an accident. 

Q: Much of the book/script by Bill Norton appeared to have been rewritten by director Sam Peckinpah. Was it noticeable that
Peckinpah was rewriting all thru filming.
A: No it wasn't noticeable that Sam was rewriting, as my part didn't change at all during the shooting.   But the script definitely need a lot of work as the story was very thin--being that it was based on a song.

Q: Kris Kristofferson said, years ago in an online interview, he was not happy with "Spending four months in a cab of a truck but did the movie as a favor to Sam," Did you notice this from Kristofferson or others?
A: Kris kept to himself a lot during the filming but he was always affable.  He's not a temperamental guy at all, and was very uncomfortable with the whole concept of the stardom that he was experiencing due to "A Star Is Born".  I wish I'd gotten to know him better.  Near the end of filming I had a long conversation with him in his trailer which was very enjoyable.

Q: It was also said the movie went over budget, over due on scheduled filming and Peckinpah's drinking/drugs were heavy, did
you notice any this?
A: Sam seemed to have a willful disregard for budget and the studio's wishes.  The fight scene in the cafe was supposed to take a couple of days, but ended taking at least two weeks to film.  Why, I don't know.  Sam was capricious and truculent, and the crew was scared of him.  But he treated the actors fine.  I know he was supposed to be off the drinking and drugs for health reasons due to doctor's orders--though I don't think he did.   

Q: Do you stay in contact with the others stars, Kris Kristofferson, Ali MacGraw, Burt Young, Ernest Borgnine, Seymour Cassel or others?
A: No I haven't seen or talked to any of them since the movie ended.  I liked them all, it's just that our paths haven't crossed since then.


Thank your time Mr. Ajaye.
 
Cheers,
Franklyn.