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Your new movie Bad
President - in a few words, what is it about, and what can you tell us
about your character in it?
It was a fantastic experience to
work with the great Eddie Griffin in Param Gill's hilarious feature film
Bad
President, which premiered at the 2020 Cannes Film
Festival.
Bad
President stars Griffin, Jeff Rector and Stormy
Daniels. Param Gill co-wrote and directed
Bad
President and Eddie
Griffin stars as Luther (the Devil), and Param, Eddie, and Jeff Rector as
Trump have garnered rave reviews. Robert Amico, Justin Shenkarow, and I
play Luther’s minions: Shame, Anger and Misery. Robert is a graduate of
the Actors Studio in New York and Justin won an Emmy and Golden Globe
Award for Pickett Fences, and both have served on SAG local
boards.
It was amazing to
work with Robert and Justin. I was a little intimidated before we started
filming because of their incredible resumes, but Param held rehearsals
before each scene. It is wonderful to work with pros like Robert and
Justin because their energy is contagious, and they give you so much to
work with. All of our scenes were with Eddie, who is an incredible talent.
He would keep us all laughing between scenes, and then instantly
become Luther as soon as the cameras started rolling. Jeff Rector does an
amazing job as Trump, and director Param Gill is a genius. The screenplay,
co-written by Gill and by the late journalist John Buchanan, is based on
real life events, so whether you are for or against Trump, you will love
this film.
Bad
President is slated to
be released to theaters nationally and internationally in 2021, and is now
available on Amazon Prime, iTunes, and other streaming platforms.
How did
you get involved with the project in the first place? I am grateful to my good friend and
great actor Robert Amico, who plays Shame and is a producer on
Bad
President. Robert is the most supportive friend that I have in
Hollywood. He came to the RoboWoman premiere and to the Nemesis
5 signing event at Dark Delicacies. He also attended Edward Payson’s
Anti-Hero Film Festival with me to watch my film Dark Classics.
Robert called me in July 2019 and told me to call director Param Gill
about the role of Misery. He had recommended me and Justin Shenkarow for
the roles of Luther’s minions, Misery and Anger, and I was hired during
my call with Param, who is also genuinely nice and supportive! We all
stayed at the Excalibur Hotel in Las Vegas during the August shoot, and
the film was shot at a studio in Las Vegas. I became good friends with
assistant director Meilani Wenska, who worked closely with Robert in his
position as producer during the shoot. It really opened my eyes to all the
daunting behind-the-scenes work that must be done on big budget SAG
productions. A major highlight of the shoot was attending Eddie
Griffin’s comedy show as his special guests with the rest of the cast
and crew. I am now a major Eddie Griffin fan for life!
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I just noticed
it's been 5 years since I've last
interviewed you - so any projects you've done in the meantime you'd
like to talk about?
A lot has happened in the last five years, all
good! I am much closer to reaching my goal of getting major roles in
quality projects. I am grateful and honored to have
received awards for my acting by international film festivals, including
Best Actress for playing Lady Macbeth in Dark Classics at the
2019 LANFA Film Festival, Best Actress for my role as the cyborg Barbie in
Dustin Ferguson's Nemesis 5: The New Model [Dustin
Ferguson interview - click here] at the 2018 LANFA
Film Festival, Best Actress for my role of Naomi in Jared Masters’ Teachers’ Day
[Jared Masters interview -
click here] at the 2014 Shockfest Film Festival, and Best
Supporting Actress for Gregory Blair's Garden Party Massacre
[Gregory Blair interview -
click here] at the 2018 Lucky Strike Film Festival. I have also won eight Best Ensemble acting awards for
Garden Party Massacre. In
summer 2020, I won Best Actress for Dustin
Ferguson’s RoboWoman at the first annual Cropsey’s Cadaver
Awards.
I was especially honored to win Actress of the
Year at the 2018 USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame Awards, and I am
grateful to Grand Master Dr. Jim Thomas, the CEO of the Awards. I was
privileged to serve as Mrs. Golden Global 2018 and as the Queen of the
2018 WIND International Film Festival. It was an amazing experience in 2019 to
be the Queen of Petra Deeter’s Hollywood Silver Screen Film Festival,
and to co-host the awards ceremony with Manu Intiraymi and Marle Schaefer
at the historic Warner Grand Theatre in San Pedro. My mentor Aki Aleong
was presented with the Trailblazer Award, and Academy Award winner (for
Visas and Virtue) Chris Tashima won the Innovative Artist Award.
I am
proud of having performed the challenging Lady Macbeth Act 5 Scene 1
monologue from Macbeth in B. Luciano Barsuglia's award-winning
documentary A Bard for the Ages: Shakespeare's Timeless
Effect [B. Luciano
Barsuglia interview - click here]. The scene was filmed by director Craig Railsback and
edited by Dr. Renah Wolzinger, and we were so happy with the resulting
video that we released it as a short film called Dark Classics. I was honored to win Best Actress for
Dark
Classics at the 2019 LANFA Film Festival. I play Ashley Flowers in
Barsuglia’s multi-award-winning psychological horror film Social
Distance, starring Vern Wells and Jed Rowen. I am also a producer on
Barsuglia’s upcoming feature film The Electric Man, starring Eric
Roberts, Tom Sizemore, and Vern Wells.
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I portrayed the character of Skye in John
Reign's war drama Finding Purpose, and I reprised the role of
Skye in Reign's big budget sequel Finding Purpose: The Road to
Redemption, which won Best Feature Film at the 2019 Hollywood Silver
Screen Film Festival. Legendary actor Aki Aleong portrays my father in
Finding Purpose: The Road to Redemption, which has received rave
reviews. The heartwarming action/drama was slated to be shown nationwide
through AMC Theaters before the pandemic hit.
I
play Connie in my first faith-based film, Richard Rossi’s Canaan
Land, which stars Richard and Rebecca Holden of Knight Rider
fame. Canaan
Land has been accepted for Academy Award consideration
and was released for streaming in January 2021. Director Craig Railsback and editor Renah
Wolzinger recently filmed me doing the Act 5 Scene 1 monologue from
Shakespeare’s Hamlet for filmmaker and actor Tony Mardon’s
The Witches of the Sands [Tony
Mardon interview - click here], which came out better than we had hoped
for. We are immensely proud of the results and may release it as a short
film in the future.
I
also play the annoying Winney Swinney in a scene with Bishop Stevens in
Adam Steigert’s The Horrific Evil Monsters [Adam
R. Steigert interview - click here], Medusa in Albert
Pyun’s Cyborg: Rise of the Flesh Eaters, Two Gun Annie in Rick
Groat’s Copperhead Creek, and Lucifer’s powerful wife Esmeralda
in William Lee’s Black Mamba [William
Lee interview - click here]. I was honored to be the first card
in a new line of Scream Queen Dead Cards from Mark Roberts, even though I
mostly work in action, dramatic and comedy films these days. Artist Chris
Baldwin has also designed some amazing artworks for me this year.
Any future projects you'd like to
share?
I
play a Clinical Trial Nurse in Christopher Baiza’s film Xmas,
starring Christian Calloway and James L. Brewer; a Venusian Warrior named
Alcyone in Mikey Tiffany’s television series Time Girl, and an
international spy named Ling in Brenda Daly’s comedic web series Mom
Squad.
I am excited to be playing Dr.
Epstein in award-winning screenwriter Rod Smith’s Distortion,
which has an amazing, all-star cast including Sadie Katz, Helene Udy [Helene
Udy interview - click here],
Lainee Rhodes and Tatiana Larrea. Distortion is a mystery suspense
thriller, which is based upon lies and deceit and the desire for power. It
is the story of five women, who are each hiding their lives behind a
distortion of reality. Dr.
Epstein is a psychologist, but she is also a Gnostic Witch, who wants the
obtain the power of a demon.
My
character of Dr. Epstein invites five abused and tormented women to the
home of the man who once tortured and brutalized them, ostensibly to cure
them of the evil that haunts each of them. But Dr. Epstein herself is
shrouded in mystery and may be withholding her own sinister intentions. It
is a fantastic role, and I am very honored that Rod Smith cast me! Rod
wrote Mayday and Lockdown, both of which were released by Lionsgate. He says that he’s wanted to work with me since he saw me in
Gregory Blair’s Garden Party Massacre. I am very flattered that he
liked my work, but my character of Crazy Melanie is the polar opposite of
the Gnostic Witch Dr. Epstein!
I
have the lead role of Nikki Carter in Walter Hochbrueckner’s feature
film The Paradise Motel. The film
is scheduled for release on Halloween 2021, and follows an abused wife as
she traverses Route 66 and escapes to Paradise, which isn’t always. The
story is a twisty tale of murder and terror in unexpected ways, and I
am excited to play the challenging role of the abused wife.
I will also be working with Aki Aleong and JJ Stomp
on an action martial arts film in spring 2021, where I will be playing
Aki’s wife, tentatively called The Assassin Unleashed. I am super
excited to be playing a villainess in Michael Dailey and Rod Smith’s
family film about a mermaid this Summer. The film is called Adrina,
and Rod wrote the incredible screenplay. Aki will also have a role in the
film as a protector of the children who lives on the beach.
Some of your goals for the future?
My goals for the future are to be the best daughter, wife, mother, and
grandmother that I can be. I also want to become the best actress that I
can be, and I will continue to study at South Coast Repertory with Matthew
Arkin (Alan Arkin’s son) and with Shakespearean expert Carole Foreman
when the pandemic ends. I am also training online with my Sabumnim Master
Rick St. Clair. I have been taking Tang Soo Do for five years, and this
year I have learned how to use the Jo Staff and Kali Sticks as well.
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My main goal in the entertainment industry is to do lead roles in
quality feature films and on network and cable television. I have signed
with talent agent Diana Carter, the CEO of the Arykas and Ybots Talent
Management Company, which is based out of Hollywood with offices in
New York City, Atlanta, and London. Diana is a United States Army Veteran
and is a force of nature! She is highly educated, with a master’s degree
and PhD, and she has been nominated for 2021 Forbes inaugural Top Next
1000, inspiring entrepreneurs on their way to great success. Diana is a
high-powered Hollywood film producer, talent agent, casting director,
distribution rep and senior public relations analyst. Diana is as achievement-oriented,
focused, highly motivated, hard-working, and driven for success as I am,
if not MORE so, and I am certain that she will help me get where I want to
go!
Your website, social media, whatever else?
My demo reel:
https://youtu.be/u-3mEYpXr6U
IMDb
Pro link:
https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm3148014
My website:
https://dawnaleeheising.me/
Links:
https://www.youtube.com/c/eyeonentertainment
https://www.facebook.com/dawnaleeheisingactress
https://www.instagram.com/dawnaleeheising
https://www.twitter.com/dawnaleeheising
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawnaleeheising
https://www.lacasting.com/dawnaleeheising
https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/dawnaleeheising
Thanks
for the interview!
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