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Your new movie Reaptown
- in a few words, what is it about?
Carrie is freed from prison under the conditions of a work-release
program in Reaptown. As she struggles to find her missing sister while
working the night shift as a security guard, Carrie soon finds herself
in the presence of evil.
What did you draw
upon to bring your character to life, and how much Brooke Bradshaw can we
find in Carrie? There's
a lot of myself in Carrie, my sad lonely self, but it's there. If we were
shooting a scene that was "emotionally heavy" our director Dutch
often would ask me questions about old loved ones, and what it felt like to
miss them. We found that really helped get me in Carrie's headspace. During most of Reaptown,
you appear on the screen on your own, without any co-actors to play off of
- so in what way did that influence your performance, and was that any
extra challenge for you as an actress?
It
was definitely a new experience. It really forces you to use what you
have, to be present, to work the camera, and pay attention to your
surroundings. The railyard and my flashlight felt like they were my scene
partners to play off of. Often before filming I would walk up and down the
yard alone. Just me, the yard, and my flashlight. I think this experience
has really gave me tools that I didn't know I had in my actor's toolbox.
How did you get
involved with the project in the first place? Dutch Marich,
the director, and I went to the college together in Los Angeles. I
had a small part in a project he directed a bit ago and we had a
great time together filming, really geled. A year later Dutch took
me out to lunch and asked me to be Carrie Baldwin. I was thrilled. To what
extent could you identify with Reaptown's
approach to horror?
I enjoy its
approach. Keep it simple. It looks great, it sounds great, and has
layered suspense. I've never been one for lots of gore. Talk about Reaptown's
director Dutch Marich, and what was your collaboration like? My experiences with
Dutch I always describe like dancing with a terrific partner. I
trust him to get the best out of me, not all directors I've worked
with have. Dutch has made me a stronger and more confident actress.
On-set there is free flowing conversation about the character and
the story, he knows what he wants, how to get it out of you, and
always has time for your questions. I was really nervous at first
knowing that my performance was the bulk of what we see in the
project and that I would be alone, but that melted away after our
first day on set. Do
talk about Reaptown's
main location, the railway museum, for a bit, and what was it like filming
there? We filmed in Ely,
Nevada. Dutch had been wanting to film the railyard for years
because it's such an incredible space. It opened in 1905 and it is
said to be haunted. Let me tell you as someone who spent hours
traipsing up and down it in the wee hours of the night, it
definitely is! It was often freezing and there were plenty of breaks
just to get warm, but even with that said some of my favorite
moments on railyard was shooting with the snow coming down on me.
What can you tell us about the shoot as such, and
the on-set atmosphere? The railyard
is so full of character it made filming there so much fun! We were
often pranking and scaring each other on set. At least once a night
some screamed in fright only for it to be followed with gales of
laughter. Never have a been a part of shooting something so stress
free. The only tough part about the shoot was filming two weeks
straight in the dark. When we wrapped our eyes were so sensitive to
the light, we spent a night in Vegas and the flashing lights sent us
into convulsions. Any future projects you'd like to
share? I have another
feature coming out shortly called, Happy Horror Days. It's a
collection of short horrors surrounding the major holidays, I'm in
the first short about New Year's Eve. It's about the legend of
Father Time, something I had never heard about before. I also have a
passion project, a YouTube show about my dog called Pugzytown. The
audience is geared towards children and families, but animal lovers
will enjoy it as well, I play her voice and myself in it. What got you into acting in the first place, and
did you receive any formal training on the subject? There was a
storytelling contest I was a part of in elementary school, and that's
when I got the performing bug. I graduated from high school, moved
to Los Angeles and attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts
where we studied acting, movement, voice, musical theater,
Shakespeare and stage make-up.
What
can you tell us about your filmwork prior to Reaptown? I have been a part
of a couple of TV projects that unfortunately never received a
greenlight. I've been in several commercials. If you didn't notice
in Reaptown, I am 6'3" and that often limits me from auditions
that are in my age range and that I'm capable of playing. Dutch and
our producer Daniel giving me the lead role in a feature is a rare
opportunity that I'm very thankful for. Besides
movies, you've also done quite a bit of theatre work, right? So how does
performing on stage compare to acting in front of a camera, and which do
you prefer, actually, and why? There's nothing like
the thrill and rush of being on stage, the immediate satisfaction
from performing. You get to be big, loud, and there's not a bunch of
room for subtlety when the people in the back need to feel your
feelings too. On-camera it's the total opposite, subtlety is your
friend. As someone with an expressive face I've had to learn the
hard way to tone it down, and I struggled with the camera more than I
ever did on stage. If I had to choose I'd pick on-camera because of
the way it has challenged me personally. How would you describe
yourself as an actress? I feel I have
evolved as an on-camera actress. In the beginning, I would have
described myself as tight, too aware, and scared of the camera. Like
anything though, you practice enough, notice your bad habits and
work on them. Now I'm more confident, open, listen, and embrace the
camera. It's a good feeling to see progress in my performances. Actresses (and indeed actors)
who inspire you? Since I'm a tall
blonde, I of course love Charlize Theron and Uma Thurman. Regina
King in Watchmen last year was terrific. Nicole Kidman in the first
season of Big Little Lies reminded us how talented she is, and since
we've been talking horror movies I'm a big fan of both of Jamie Lee
Curtis' performances in Halloween in the '78 and
'18 version. And
I've been really inspired by Steve Carrell since his performances in
The Big Short and Vice. Your favourite movies?
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I'm all over
the movie spectrum: Pulp Fiction, Fight Club, Steel
Magnolias, The
Color Purple, Shawshank Redemption, Godfather ll,
Anchorman, The
Other Guys, Ghostbusters,
Bridesmaids, Gone Girl, Eternal Sunshine
Of the Spotless Mind, IT, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing,
Missouri,
The Cowboys, Far And Away, Kill
Bills, A League Of Their Own, Thelma
and Louise, Seven, Tombstone, Drop Dead
Gorgeous. Toy Story and Toy
Story 3. And on and on. ...
and of course, films you really deplore? Deuce Bigelow
Male Gigelow, I've never actually watched it but have been tortured
by people saying some very unkind dialog from it to me because of my
height. Kids, it did its job too well, really bothered me. Dumb and
Dumberer. This one is tough. I know as soon as we're done, the list
will start flooding my mind. I hated all the Spidermans with Tobey
Maguire.
Your website,
social media, whatever else?
My Instagram
account: @golongandblonde Anything else you're dying
to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask? Filming Reaptown
was
a once in a lifetime experience, one that many actors won't get.
Chasing the dream of being an actor is incredibly hard road that can
often be unfullfilling. I recommend anyone pursuing it to start
writing and developing relationships with filmmakers. And most
importantly, be kind. One wrong sentence to the wrong person could
ruin future opportunities, in this business you never know who can
and will succeed. Thanks
for the interview! Thank you so much
for this opportunity to get my voice out there Mike. I really
apprecaite it!
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