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Your new movie Pernicious
- in a few words, what is it about, and what can you tell us about your
character in it?
Pernicious follows
three girls who travel to Thailand to teach kids. In
the house they find a statue of a little girl, and the morning after their
first night out in the city, things take a turn for the worse. My
character Rachel is the bossy and outspoken one, she's the first one to
make plans and is usually seen as the leader of the group. What did you draw upon to bring your
character to life, and how much of Jackie Moore can we find in Rachel? I
noticed a lot of Rachel's dialogue sounded like stuff I would say,
and I liked that the character had depth and a backstory that I could
connect to. I felt that this was not just a typical horror story, and
in the film you learn quickly that Rachel and Alex lost their mother, so
Rachel became a second mom to Alex. I am also an older sibling, and
am very protective of my little sister, Noel, so I could relate to that. How
did you get involved with the project in the first place?
I
got an email from one of the producers about coming in to read for the
part, I read the script and completely fell in love with it. The character
I actually chose to read for first was Julia, but when James had me read
for Rachel I totally connected to her. After that it was pretty quick,
they called me back in and said, would you be willing to go to Thailand to
shoot this for a month? I was so happy, and grateful. I still can't
believe I got to do it. To
what extent could you identify with the film's horror theme, and is horror
a genre at all dear to you, and why (not)? Absolutely, I
LOVE horror films. I have been obsessed with the genre since I was little
and saw The Sixth Sense. Anything involving ghosts and mysteries
is intriguing to me. I love Saw,
Paranormal Activity, Let the Right
One In, The Shining,
Audition (even though I had to close my eyes for a
lot of it), House of a Thousand
Corpses... ahhh so many, seriously, if
there's a horror film out I want to see it. What can you
tell us about your director James Cullen Bressack [James
Cullen Bressack interview - click here], and what was your
collaboration like? James understands the characters he
writes so well, and always has an answer immediately if you have a
question about the script. He is also a very sweet, genuine person and
cares about the people he works with and what he's doing. When there's a
challenging scene, he's very good at connecting you to the specific
emotion that you need to bring in that moment, and he calls you out when
you're half ass-ing it. That's something that a lot of directors don't do,
he's not afraid to get real, and I loved him for that.
As Pernicious
was filmed in Thailand - what were the challenges here? And how does it
compare to filming in the USA? The rain. We shot this in
the fall of last year, which is the rainy season, so there were a few days
that were literally monsoons. I remember looking out of the makeup
trailer, and it was like someone was pouring gallons of water on the
windows it was so heavy. At the beginning of the shoot the house we
were filming at was in the middle of a dry field, and by the end we were
taking a boat to the front porch. It was crazy, but honestly one of the
happiest times of my life. It was also freeing to have very little cell
service and internet. I was able to live in the present without the
restraints of modern technology. I absolutely LOVED Thailand, I would go
back right now if I could. I also want to add that holding a baby
tiger is a life changing experience, and one of the highlights of my
trip.
Jackie, Ciara Hanna, James Cullen Bressack,
Emily O'Brien |
What can you tell us about
the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere? It was great.
We arrived to set every morning around 5am and everyone ate breakfast
together (there were Thai and American choices). Then we went to hair and
makeup and got ready for the day. Ciara Hanna [Ciara
Hanna interview - click here] and Emily O'Brien are the coolest
girls ever and we got along really well. By the end of filming we had so
many inside jokes between the three of us, and became really close. James,
Daemon, Rachvin, Kulthep, and all the producers, crew and special effects
team were the sweetest, most down to earth people, and were always
there for us every step of the way. They went above and beyond to
make it a memorable experience, and I can't thank them enough. It was
a special time in my life that I will never forget. Any future
projects you'd like to share? I'm playing lead characters
in some cool indie films coming out this year, Student Bodies, It's Gawd,
Deadly Famous, and School's
Out. I also shot a pilot for HBO,
Westworld directed by
Jonathan Nolan, and was involved in one of the shorts in Project
Greenlight. Those are premiering this year as well, and I'm very excited
about them.
What got you into acting
in the first place, and did you receive any formal education on the
subject? Since I was little I actually wanted to be a
director, I used to have my sister and the kids in the neighborhood act in
plays that I would write and direct. I took voice lessons for nine years,
and studied acting in New Jersey at the Phoenix School of Fine Arts. When
I was in high school I took chorus and drama classes. When I started
modeling in NYC, I auditioned for some projects, did some extra work, got
my SAG card, and then ended up playing two small roles in independent
films, Fugly! and Chlorine. I also trained with
the legendary Elizabeth Kemp, who taught me that anything you feel can be
a usable tool in creating a character. It wasn't until I moved to LA that
I started focusing primarily in film. A few weeks after I moved here, I
took my first lead role in a found footage movie, 100 Ghost
Street, that got me familiar with on-set life. I also auditioned and
was accepted into the improv school, The Groundlings, and still go to
acting class every other day. Additionally, I've been so lucky to study
with Greg Braun at the New Collective (Acting Club LA) since 2012.
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Can you still remember your first time in front
of a movie or TV camera, and what was that experience like? Oh
man... yes. I started modeling when I was seventeen, and I still remember
seeing my facial expressions on the computer screen during one of my
first test shoots. They were completely different than what I had
envisioned I was doing. My eyes were deer in the headlights insane. I
remember thinking, "chill the hell out with the eyes". So I
started doing this thing where I would squint to avoid that, but that didn't
look too comfortable or realistic either. I think after some time I
found a happy medium, but it was touch and go for awhile. As far as film, Chlorine was my first real film acting experience. I had done
some small projects, but this was opposite Vincent D'Onofrio, who is like
6'4" and an incredible actor, so I was really intimidated. But he was
super cool and easy to work with. My character was a bookstore owner that
catches Vincent looking at a Hustler-type magazine. It came out really
funny, and is still one of my favorite scenes today.
What can you tell us about your filmwork prior to
Pernicious?
I have done a lot of indie films, I also did a mockbuster for The
Asylum called Atlantic Rim. James had seen Atlantic Rim
prior to meeting me. I love everyone at The
Asylum, they believed in me enough
to give me two of my first lead roles. Without those experiences I
probably wouldn't have booked Pernicious, and some of the other work I've
done.
Besides films, you've also done quite a bit of television - so how
does doing a TV show compare to making a movie?
TV is great because it is a much faster pace, and if you're doing a
guest spot you're in and out. With a film you're with the project
from start to finish, and you have a certain amount of time to show your
character's growth. In a TV series, each episode is contained and the
character's journey can be spread out over time.
Over the years, you've also done your fair share of modelling - so
what can you tell us about that aspect of your career?
Modeling was fantastic training for me. It made me comfortable in front
of the camera. Just like acting, modeling is about creating characters,
and teaches you how important stillness is and what can be conveyed with
just a simple look. It also taught me about lighting and how to feel when
the light's hitting your face correctly, which is an underrated skill in
this business.
How would you describe
yourself as an actress, and some of your techniques to bring your
characters to life? I'm naturally a very emotional person
and I've always needed some sort of creative outlet. I definitely use
everything I've experienced when connecting to a character. There are
memories in our lives that shape who we are, whether they're good or bad,
and acting is a way to connect to all of those things. For me, that is
very therapeutic. Actresses (and indeed actors) who
inspire you?
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Geez, so many... I love actors and actresses
that have comedic depth. Some of my favorites are Lucille Ball, Marilyn
Monroe, Reese Witherspoon, Viola Davis, Julia Roberts, Paul Giamatti,
Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Forest Whitaker, Will Ferrell, Tom Hanks and
Sandra Bullock. Your favourite movies? This
is a hard one because I'm a HUGE movie buff. My favorite film this year
was Wild. It was beautifully directed and filmed, and
I connected to the character's journey. Some of my favorites over the
years are Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Before
Sunrise (and the others in the trilogy), Adaptation,
Big Fish, The Graduate, Breakfast at
Tiffany's, Stranger than Fiction, Mars
Attacks, City of God, Closer (actually
anything by Mike Nichols... or Stanley Kubrick), Blow, Barney's Version,
American Psycho, Sideways, Cast Away, The Sixth Sense,
500 days of Summer, and Jurassic Park of course.
I'm sure there's a lot I'm forgetting and will regret not mentioning
later. ...
and of course, films you really deplore? I don't like
anything that shows animals being hurt. I know it's fake, but I'm a
huge animal lover and I can't take it, even in a movie. Your website,
Facebook, whatever else? My website is
www.Jackie-Moore.com,
I put all the videos I edit and direct on
www.Vimeo.com/JackieMoore,
and you can also follow me on Twitter at @JacquelineMoore or Instagram
@MooreJacqueline if you would like. Anything else you are dying to
mention and I have merely forgotten to ask?
First of all, I want to say thank you for the interview, and
I'd also like to say hi to my Pernicious
friends... If you're reading this, I love you guys and I'm
so glad I got to share this experience with you.
Thank you very much again, and I hope you enjoy the film:)
Thanks for
the interview!
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