At the beginning of Clayne Crawford’s new movie, “The Integrity of Joseph Chambers,” his character sports a bushy mustache — “my hunting look,” he says proudly — along with crisp new clothes that have never been drenched with sweat, covered in grime or splattered by blood.

By the end of the film, all that has changed. (Well, except for the mustache). And Joseph Chambers, a fledgling outdoorsman with rudimentary gun skills, has left his cockiness far behind.

Crawford, 44, an Alabama native, takes audiences on an emotional journey with “Joseph Chambers,” shouldering the primary role with care. He’s the star of the movie and its hands-on producer, bringing the project to his hometown of Clay, in northeast Jefferson County, for filming.

“We came to Alabama, and it was a blessing,” Crawford says in an interview with AL.com. “My entire family came and supported us, along with the community, and really helped us make this film in a tough time. It was 2020 or 2021, so COVID was at its height, and people were still kind of panicked. There was a bit of a challenge, but I’m super grateful that we came here and shot it.”

Crawford’s roots in Alabama run deep. He grew up in Clay, graduated from Hewitt-Trussville High School (where he played football and wrestled) and now owns a farm in Clay, nestled among relatives who live in the area.

RELATED: 9 things to know about ‘Lethal Weapon’ TV star and Alabama native Clayne Crawford

The actor — who earned fame for his work on TV series such as “Lethal Weapon,” “Rectify,” “24,” “Justified” and “NCIS: New Orleans” — also has several movies to his credit. Two of his recent projects, “The Integrity of Joseph Chambers” and “The Killing of Two Lovers,” have found Crawford teaming with writer/director Robert Machoian, producing both films for his own Back40 Pictures.

Originally, Crawford says, “Joseph Chambers” was scheduled to film in Utah, where he and Machoian had helmed “The Killing of Two Lovers,” released in 2020. But Crawford wanted their second movie — about an inexperienced hunter who stumbles into tragedy — to have an entirely different vibe. A new look and feel was important to the project, Crawford says, and he knew exactly where to achieve it.

Here’s what else Crawford had to say about “The Integrity of Joseph Chambers,” released Feb. 17 in select theaters and video on demand. (This interview has been lightly edited for length, clarity and spoiler info.)

How did the community in Clay support your movie during the filming? Did people provide food or locations? Lend you equipment or help with something else?

Clayne Crawford: All of the above. Outside of saying, “this individual made us this” or “this individual gave us this location for free,” it’s the enthusiasm surrounding the project. Even in Utah, because they shoot so many Hallmark projects out there, people are a bit jaded. They want to know how much money, and can their daughter be in the movie, and there’s many stipulations attached to these requests, right? You don’t get that in the state of Alabama.

Look, it’s going to change because of what’s happening [with the film industry] in Georgia. People are going to get hip to what’s happening, and everyone realizes there’s a piece of the pie to be had, and so forth. But right now, there’s still that raw enthusiasm and excitement of the movie business coming to town.

That’s the same reason I got into the job, that kind of excitement at Hollywood, and making a film. The energy surrounded us in Alabama, and just that overall support. Anytime we needed something, whether it be a Gator to load gear in and out, or I needed to get on a deer lease, it was just open to us, in every facet of this process. It’s just a testament to Alabama and the community that we have here.

You’ve called this movie a passion project. Why is that?

There are multiple reasons. But I will say this: One of the most important reasons is that, as an actor, I have been quite limited on the characters that I’ve been able to play. And (to play) vulnerable is just, it’s layered, as an actor, and you have so much to build off of.

And, you know, my kids are in this movie. My wife produced it with me. We bought every stitch of wardrobe; we cast every actor; we picked up meals; we dropped off meals. I mean, it was all hands on deck. It just fills your heart up, when you see people that you love, loving something that you cherish, and that you hold dear to your heart. I guess that’s what defines it as a passion project for me.

You filmed another movie, 2017′s “Tinker,” in your hometown of Clay. Did the filming of that movie set up the experience of doing this one?

No. That project was, with all due respect to the film itself and everyone involved, who worked extremely hard … It was a nightmare. It was something I wasn’t excited about doing. My son, at the time, my middle boy, was interested in filmmaking, and he was throwing around the idea of possibly wanting to be an actor at 9-10 years old. I kind of agreed to that because I’d known the director for 15 years, and my son wanted to be a part of it. I said, “Look, if you can shoot this thing in my backyard” — I’d just bought this little farm outside of Trussville — I said, “If you can shoot this thing in my backyard, then let’s give it a shot.”

It was a process, you know? It took two years, over two Christmas breaks, to shoot it. I didn’t have a lot to do with the creative side of it. I was still in a place to where, as an actor, I just enjoyed showing up and doing my job and going home. What I’ve realized as I get older, when you do these smaller films, you have to put your fingerprints on it. You have to observe it from all angles, and make sure that everything’s being addressed, and I just didn’t have the experience.

So making these films (”The Killing of Two Lovers” and “The Integrity of Joseph Chambers”) has been such an education, as it relates to how films are made. And working every job — you know, my Dad always said, “It’s best to start in the mailroom.” It’s true, and it allowed me to understand what’s necessary for success on every level. So when I’m fortunate enough to have individuals that work below me, with me, on these films, if there’s an issue that arises, instead of me just kind of shaking my fist at the air, [saying] “Let’s get it fixed,” I’ll be able to get in on the ground and make those adjustments myself, because of the experience I’ve gained.

You’ve described the character of Joseph Chambers as naive. He’s determined to test his survival skills, so he can provide for his family if doomsday happens. But he’s clearly unprepared. Is he a tragic hero or just an ordinary guy who’s in over his head?

Ordinary guy who’s in over his head. But I think it’s admirable what he’s trying to do. I don’t think it’s all ego-driven. We went through some editions of the script where it was more about him trying to compete with the men in this town who were different from him. He had not grown up with guns; he had not grown up in the woods. I think wanting to provide for your family is an honorable thing, and I think he just got in over his head.

I tried to approach this character as a 12-year-old boy in the woods that’s just having fun, excited to be out there, but not realizing the dangers, you know? I thought there was also something interesting about the way we designed it with Peter Albrechtsen, the sound designer, who is just brilliant. He did “The Killing of Two Lovers,” as well. I wanted to reflect the character’s inner thoughts with sound, building the tension through what he was feeling and the noises in his head.

I wanted to give the feeling that maybe Joe was being stalked, that there was an element in the forest that was a threat, and maybe he was in danger. Then as the film unfolds, you realize that he was the threat. He was the monster in the woods. His naive approach — his lack of knowledge as it relates to weapons and the forest, and how to go about this properly — made him extremely dangerous.

I think that touches on weapon violence, as well. I grew up in Alabama, my family is all here now, and I grew up with weapons. I was going camping with an M1 carbine that was an old Vietnam rifle that my uncle had. We would take that camping when I was a kid, with my other friends, and everyone knew the protocol. We were all extremely safe as we handled those weapons.

A lot of times in film, the characters are villains who are doing awful things with guns. I think sometimes, it can be someone who just doesn’t get it. That was very important for me, to show that it’s not a matter of taking guns out of people’s hands; it’s a matter of educating everyone that has one.

My hope was that whether you’re a gun enthusiast or you’re strongly against them, you can watch this film and everyone can agree: That guy shouldn’t have one in his hands.

If you grew up hunting and camping, did you have to turn off your outdoor instincts while you were playing this character?

Well, that’s what’s great about (director) Robert Machoian. Robert’s never held a gun; Robert’s never been hunting. In a lot of ways, I kind of played Robert in this movie — as someone who wants to do the right thing, whose heart’s in the right place, but just doesn’t have the knowledge. And that’s not a negative thing, right?

In the South, everyone wants to hunt; it’s kind of part of the culture. It was when I was a kid. I most certainly grew up here, and I’ve been sitting in a deer stand since I was 13. I don’t hunt now, just because it’s not in me to chase down a creature and gut it in the field and drag it back to the truck. Those days have passed. I’ll let my son-in-law do that for us, and he’s kind enough to share his meat.

But I definitely had to turn the brain off (while filming this movie), more than a couple of times, for sure. There’s one moment where I’m going up that deer stand, or coming down from the deer stand, and my dad is like, he can’t sit and watch it. He stands up and paces every time. He goes, “Buddy, I’m afraid you’re going to blow your dadgum head off every time you do that!”

I said, “Well, that’s kind of the point, right, Dad?” It’s for everyone, whether you love guns or you hate ‘em, you watch this and go, “Oh, God, it’s cringeworthy.” Especially (when my character is) swinging the gun, blowing into the barrel. These are things I’ve seen people do.

There’s been so much talk about gun safety on set, after the “Rust” tragedy. In “The Integrity of Joseph Chambers,” there aren’t many guns; it’s just you and a rifle. How do you approach gun safety on a movie like this? (Note: Crawford and Back40 Pictures are not affiliated with “Rust.”)

You know, gun safety — what happened to “Rust” — a majority of the films that I’ve made have weapons, have firearms. There is a protocol, as it relates to the armorer. There’s a chain of command. And I don’t know what happened on that film, and I know a few people that were on it, and I’m not going to respond, because I wasn’t there.

But for us, it just comes down to respect. You have to respect not only the weapon, you have to respect every single individual on that crew. There was never live ammunition anywhere near set. We never had to discharge the weapon, so that wasn’t something we had to navigate as it relates to blanks. So, the safety was, it was always with me. The weapon was, again, never loaded. But even though we knew there was no ammunition — we knew the weapon would never have a round chambered — we still had the conversations daily. “Hey, there’s a weapon on set. If anyone feels uncomfortable, if anyone wants to check this weapon, please feel free to come up before the scene starts.”

In my experience on set, the armorer brings the weapon. The prop department checks it, and it goes through the prop department to the ADs (assistant directors). The ADs check it, and I’ve heard this coming down the line, I’ve heard, “Weapon clear. Weapon clear. Weapon clear.” So by the time they hand it to me, and they say, “clear weapon,” again, being a boy from Alabama, I’m still checking that weapon. I’m going through my own protocol, because it’s now in my hands and it’s my responsibility. The last thing I ever want to do is is jeopardize, obviously, someone’s life, but most importantly the film. There’s a lot of people who are making a living,

Again, I don’t know what happened on that film, but I can tell you it’s extremely unusual. And I’m curious to hear what all the details are, because it’s just almost impossible for something to happen like that.

People have called your movie a one-man “Deliverance.” But it’s also reminiscent of Tom Hanks in “Cast Away” or Robert Redford in the shipwreck movie, “All Is Lost.” For a large chunk of the movie, you’re alone on screen and not talking. The audience has to figure out what you’re thinking and feeling, by watching your actions, your facial expressions and your eyes. Is that challenging for you as an actor?

Yes and no. It’s challenging in that you’re trying to hold an audience’s attention. Historically, outside of the films you mentioned, it’s about relationships. It’s us observing other individuals in situations that we aspire to be in, or maybe that we found ourselves in, and whatever the relatability is of that scene. When you’re kind of just going through things internally … I’ve been acting since I was 18, and I guess I’ve always wanted one of these types of opportunities.

I started making these films (”Two Lovers” and “Joseph Chambers”) when I turned 40, and I wanted to see where I was at as an actor. Also, I think I was at a turning point. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to continue acting. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with my life. It was one of those moments where I said: OK, can I hold an audience’s attention? Can I go through the gamut of emotions honestly?

That challenge, to me, was super exciting. When you’re kind of by yourself in the forest, it’s humbling. And to be in front of the camera, just exhilarating. So definitely not as difficult as one would think. It’s a little more freeing, because you’re not concerned about the other actor across from you, and making sure that you’re giving them what’s necessary for the other actor to have a great performance.

Which is kind of part of it, right? It’s like a tennis match where you’re not wanting to win; you just want to make sure the ball continues to go over the net. With this, it was just me against a wall, which was more exciting and more freeing.

It seems like “Joseph Chambers” could be happening in Anywhere, USA, through most of the movie. Then, at the end, the audience gets a locator moment. We see a sign that says, “Pell City Police” and “Logan Martin.” Was that deliberate?

I think for those who are familiar with the Birmingham area, Pell City’s gonna resonate. I think also, geographically, we realize that he’s east of the Mississippi, as it relates to the forest and the landscape. Nothing intentional for Alabama, necessarily, but it certainly can play here.

I can imagine someone from Colorado or Portland coming to Birmingham, or living in Oneonta, right, and not being a hunter, and them feeling the pressures of — I was going to say, of being a man. I think that’s something all men are kind of struggling with right now. What does it mean to be a man? What’s toxic and not toxic? What is taking care of your family and what’s not?

I think that sometimes those kinds of questions are more prevalent here in the Southeast. As the world continues to shift and change, and we all kind of grow and evolve, I think there’s a lot of guys who are kind of scratching their heads. It’s like: Who am I? What’s tough? What’s the difference in a nice guy and a good man? Is it still OK to be the kind of individual that’d rip the throat out of somebody who’s going to threaten their family?

I hope I am that guy. I hope that if I’m put in a situation, that I’m like a wild tiger, as it relates to protecting my family — while I try to become a very sensitive human being in this environment that we find ourselves in.

(SPOILER ALERT: Our last question for Crawford reveals a key plot point in “The Integrity of Joseph Chambers.”)

What were the physical rigors of filming this movie? At one point, your character is picking up a body and carrying it, and burying it in a hole, and digging it up again, and dragging it to a truck. Was that difficult?

Michael Raymond-James, he plays Lone Wolf in the film, and he’s such an incredible actor. I told him, “Dude, I know that we would never be recognized for an award because of how small this film is,” but to play dead like he did … He did me zero favors. Me in that hole, trying to jerk him out of that hole and he’s covered up. I’m telling you, the earth suctioned his ass in, and there was nothing I could do. I was so frustrated. I even whispered to him, I’m like, “Help me.” He wouldn’t even flinch.

So yes, it was physically challenging. … That was the most challenging aspect of this entire process: being out in the weather, in the cold, the body, the digging. That was challenging on everyone. Of course I didn’t dig that hole; we all worked together to get that hole dug. But yeah, it definitely pushed us.

I think it’s great, because you see that Joe is struggling to get Lone Wolf out of that hole, more so than when he put him in it. He’s struggling to get him back to the truck and I think that goes back to the point of the film. The word “integrity,” right? Do we do the right thing when no one’s looking? And to be reminded that, a lot of times, doing the right thing isn’t easy. Doing the wrong thing, that’s easy. That’s less sweat. But doing what’s right, that’s the real challenge.

How to watch: “The Integrity of Joseph Chambers” can be streamed on platforms such as Prime Video, Apple TV+, Roku, Vimeo and Vudu. As far as we can tell, the movie isn’t currently screening at theaters in Alabama.