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Your new movie B.C. Butcher
- in a few words, what is it about, and what can you tell us about your
character in it?
A post-feminist band of pre-historic women struggle with dominance hierarchy as
they face unexplainable disappearances from the tribe.
What did you draw upon to bring your character to life?
The San Fernando
Valley, 1989. (Pause) And the cool girl, Leanne, from my 7th grade
class.
What was it even like to run around the woods in campy costumes like yours?
This film was
shot in the summer, so running around in scanty animal print was
basically what I would be doing whether we were filming or not. So,
seemed normal.
How did you get hooked up with the project in the first place, and
to what extent can you identify with the prehistoric and the slasher
genre? I identify with the prehistoric slasher genre the
way I identify with William Golding – there’s something a little Lord
of the Flies about our tribe. Besides trying to survive the wild,
there’s an underlying competition for rank - Anaconda would for sure
take over first in command given the chance. There’s also something
irresponsible about the way the girls handle problems that is reminiscent
of the boys from Lord of the Flies.
What can you tell us about your director Kansas
Bowling [Kansas Bowling interview -
click here], and what was your collaboration like?
Kansas is such a surprise. She’s like 18 Again or something
– like maybe she switched bodies with someone older who also happened
to have a lot of filmmaking experience? She has a sort of multi–era
personality that adds to her maturity – I promise that Kansas knows
more about The Ramones, The Monkees and The Beatles than most people who
were actually alive when those bands were touring. She is a soul of a
different era, maybe even multiple eras, and it shows in her work and
personality!
Do
talk about the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere!
We all helped
each other a lot. If an additional reflector was needed - an actress
would hold it, if someone needed help dressing the set – the
sound team would do it, if someone needed underwear – Kato
would give up his loincloth. No one was above any job and we
all wanted to make this film happen.
Any
future projects you'd like to share?
I ran with the
whole animal theme and went from Anaconda with a live snake to Bella in Toby
Goes to Camp with a live tiger! A tiger! A real tiger! Toby
Goes to Camp is the creation of Animal Family Films, directed
by Michael Sarna, that follows the story of a tiger that goes to summer
camp and has a few adventures. I’m mostly looking forward to Toby
Goes to Hawaii, which is the obvious next step in the Toby
series. On that note, I think a pre-historic slasher sequel in Hawaii is
probably in order.
What got you into
acting in the first place, and did you receive any formal training on the
subject?
When I was two,
I snuck onto a stage at a pancake breakfast and put on a show, so I
guess, attention? But seriously, it’s a chance to explore what it is
to be a human through a story. It’s a chance to share that
exploration with everyone so we can all go through that emotional
process together and understand each other just a little better.
I have a
B.A. in Dramatic Art from UC Davis (along with a B.S. in Biology for
good measure). I’ve trained and performed continually throughout my
life and have found a permanent home to explore story through the
empathetic imagination at The Imagined Life Studio created by Diana
Castle along with Steve Teitsort.
What can you tell us about your filmwork prior
to B.C. Butcher?
The first
feature film I worked on was a comedy called They Want Dick
Dickster created and starring Robert Ray Shafer aka the
"Vance Refrigeration Guy" from The Office. This
cast was amazingly gracious and welcoming. I’m so glad to have
worked with these people on my first film because it set a precedence for
me as an actress to always be gracious and generous in the way Bobby
Shafer, Tim Russ, Darin Cooper, Tim Abell and the entire cast was on the
Dick Dickster set.
How
would you describe yourself as an actress, and some of your techniques to
bring your characters to life?
Awesome.
Actresses (and indeed
actors) who inspire you? Right
now I’m loving Krysten Ritter. We clump people into comedy and drama,
especially women! I love that Krysten has gone from a comedy like Don’t
Trust the B—— in Apartment 23 to a very dark dramatic role in Jessica
Jones. I love her as a comedic actress, but I’m blown away with her
work in Jessica Jones and love watching the struggle of that
character through Krysten Ritter. Your favourite movies?
My favorite
movie changes all the time, but I can tell you the movies that I repeat
in my head the most: Zoolander, The Shining, The
Lion King, Whiplash, oh and on music related movies, Love
& Mercy this past year – amazing performances by
both Paul Dano and John Cusack that gave me a whole new understanding and
respect for the creativity and genius of Brian Wilson.
...
and of course, films you really deplore?
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I have never had
more respect for films in my life.
Your website,
Facebook, whatever else?
Website: http://tashahalevi.com
IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm6381958
Instagram:
@tashalitas
Twitter:
@tashalita
Anything else you're dying to
mention and I have merely forgotten to ask? I
often eat a pint of ice cream for dinner. Thanks for
the interview!
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