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Your new series Barbee
Rehab - in a few words, what is it about?
The show is about addicted Barbees and Barbee addicted coming to rehab to fix their addictions.
How did the project come together in the first place?
My first series was called Can't Let It Go. It was about
former Hawaiian Tropic swimsuit models that can't let the dream
die. I used to be a Hawaiian Tropic model and then I ran the
Hawaiian Tropic model search in the West Coast and then worldwide
unitl Ron Rice sold the company in 2010. I got the
inspiration for this because I had a plethera of Hawaiian Tropic
promotional swimsuits and swag. Then what's next? My entire
life I had collected Barbie dolls in the hope that one day they
would be valuable and I could sell them to buy a house or another
investment. Well, when the internet came to be and Ebay
happened, the "collectors edition" Barbies I had became
not so unique. The thousands of dollars in collectible Barbie dolls I had bought were now worth pennies on the dollar. The
market was flooded. So... what do I do with over 100 Barbie dolls? I am now 42... I
thought, why not make fun of myself? I was
a Barbie addict. But what about the twist? What if the Barbies had
addictions too like a shoe addict or sex addict? One of my
favorite shows was Celebrity Rehab. I started writing and
the rest as they say is history.
What
were your sources of inspiration when writing Barbee
Rehab, and does it in any way reflect your feelings about actual Barbie
dolls?
The source of inspiration was being a 42 year old woman actress.
If I don't write AND produce my own work I won't work. It's
that simple. There 9/10 parts for men. I am not joking.
War movies, cop movies, superhero movies, really watch how many
women are in them. My partner Derek S. Orr [Derek
S. Orr interview - click here] really didn't understand until
he saw how many auditions he got per week compared to myself.
Same agent. Same level of talent. It's just fact. Not much has
changed even though people think they have.
What can you tell us about your Barbee
Rehab co-writer and director Derek S. Orr, and what was your
collaboration like?
Ha... we met in Stuart Rogers' acting class. We didn't really
like each other. When we were filming Barbee
Rehab we didn't like each other all the time. In post-production we didn't like
each other often. Many many times we had both threatened to
set all the drives on fire. He was a federal agent for 20 years. I
am a princess doing whatever I want to do for 20 years. Rules and
no rules are a tricky animal. Derek
learned to direct and edit and sound engineer. If it wasn't for
him the project would have never happened besides the first 3
shorts we had put on YouTube. Do talk about Barbee
Rehab's brand of humour! This is an adult comedy/ Parody. It is absolutely
not for children! It is not. It's a parody about Barbies,
but it also has a lot of pop culture references that our
generation would remember. A 6 year old isn't going to
understand why Janice has a wig between her legs in the opening
scene. You also appear in
front of the camera in Barbee
Rehab - so what can you tell us about your character, what did you
draw upon to bring her to life, and did you write Midge with yourself in
mind from the get-go?
Yes, I wrote the part for myself. I didn't want to be a Barbie.
Midge is Barbies' best friend and definitly never got the
recognition she deserves. Barbie is the spotlight. She
is in the wings, always second fiddle. She rates less than even
Ken. It is a lot of how I felt in the Hawaiian Tropic world when I
was a model. I knew I wasn't the prettiest. I didn't get
booked on the best jobs. Poor Midge always had the same issues in
"Barbee World". Do talk about the rest of Barbee
Rehab's cast, and why exactly these people? I wrote each part specifically
for people that I have worked with or were my long time friends.
All the Barbees I knew from my Hawaiian Tropic days. None of them
were actors. They were some of the best actors in the series.
They had zero fucks given and just had fun. I like writing with
the persons voice that I know. If I had a desire to work
with a certain friend or classmate I would ask them if they wanted
to be in my crazy project and then I would write the role
specifically for them. There were a couple instances that I had to
replace characters during the span of the show. It was hard
and it still bothers me. They were great, but it just wasn't the
same voice. A
few words about the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere? It was really fun. There were very few times when
there was a situation. Sometimes scenes took longer that they
should have so other actors had to wait. There was a disagreement
one time between a castmember and the director. However, 98% of
the time there were no issues. I threw oranges from standing on my
roof... enough said. Anything
you can tell us about audience and critical reception of Barbee
Rehab yet?
Well right now everyone loves it. I'm waiting for the haters
to come out. I am prepared. As I learned from Ron Rice, all
press is good press. Initially he supported OJ Simpson, they were
friends... that pushed the "all press is good press"
mantra... He ended up not being allowed at anymore Hawaiian Tropic
events. I know our show is wicked weird, when the haters
come out I'll know that people other than friends and family are
watching the show.
with Derek S. Orr |
Any future projects you'd like to
share? I shot a pilot entitled Mrs. Ed. It is a spin on the
Mister Ed series.
I am in post-production on that one. I wrote a feature entitled
Moment in Time and I am in pre-production and raising financing. What got you into acting in the first place, and
did you receive any formal training on the subject? I always wanted to try
out for plays in high school but I was a chicken. In college
I took and improv class and that's where it really started. I
also won an acting class session when I won Miss Illinois Teen. I
have since completed the programs at IOWest and Second
City. I
have also studied scene study with Stuart Rogers. Over
the years you have also stepped behind the camera as writer, producer,
director and whatnot time and again - so what prompted that move, and
which side of the camera do you prefer, actually? I had to write parts for myself and produce them.
In 28 years I have been a member of SAG but never made more that a
couple thousand Dollars a year. I was done waiting for the phone
to ring. What
can you tell us about your filmwork prior to Barbee
Rehab, in whatever position? I have a long resume. When I came
back to LA 13 years ago I did everything I possibly could; student
films, no paid roles, no paid pilots, infomercials for $100.
I have done and submitted for everything I could. With
Actors Access and LA Casting it is kind of life-changing if anyone
really wants to hustle. When I was out here in my 20s it
was stupendiously more difficult to find work myself. I would
look through Variety, Backstage West and submit a hard copy and
resume to any feature I saw that was in pre-production and
production. People are lazy. If you don't have drive or are
insecure you're not going to make it. To get agents and
managers I would mail my headshot and resume to every agent and
manager listed in the most recent book of them in... I have had
sketchy auditions where I was stupid enough to go into some weirdo's
house or be convinced to take off my top so he could see my tan
lines and film me. I was young and dumb in my twenties and
should have been in an acting class every week, but because of
pride I wasn't. I had great auditions in my 20s but I was not
prepared and always nervous.
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When I got my first role on
Silk Stalkings the make up person noticed that my hair was falling
out. So, just when I started booking things my pervious
stress resulted in losing 1/3 of my hair and my skin to break out.
This resulted in a major depression and confidence lost. It's a
long long road. When I came back in 2010 we had cell phones with
CAMERAS. There was YouTube. I started posting sketches and
scenes from my acting classes from the get-go. If actors didn't do
anything like that I do not have any respect for them when they
whine that their phone doesn't ring. Everyone that I thought would
be successful in any of my acting classes are. Why? Because they
are hustlers. The same people that were hustlers ten years
ago are slaying it today. The whiners and still whiners "Whoa
is me." I'm at the age that I have zero fucks given.
You either like me or you don't. Some people will think I'm great,
come into my life, then try to change me because I intimidate
them, I'm too nuts. Screw them. Get out of my life. How would you
describe yourself as an actress, and how as a writer? I take direction when acting. That is my best
quiality. I listen. I don't get butt hurt when a
director doesn't like what I have done. I just take the direction.
People can get really upset someone wants them to make a change.
It's ridiculous. As a writer, I really don't like it. It's hard
for me to procrastinate. I wrote a book. I'll never to
that again. It is such a process I'd rather jump of a bringe
and that is saying a lot as it is about my father's suicide and the
guilt that followed. Actresses,
writers, filmmakers, whoever else who inspire you?
Shirley MacLain, Helen Mirren, Dolly Parton, Robin Williams.
The number one person will always be Tom Sizemore. He took
me under his wing and imparted all his wisdom upon me. Number 1:
Take care of your skin. He says that's what Meryl Streep told him.
Number 2: Always leave the house looking like a movie star. Number
3: Make sure you tan before the red carpet. There were also some
"acting advise " as well...
Your
favourite movies? Pretty Woman, Titanic, all the
Twilight movies, Steel Magnolias. I have a penchance for true
love. I also will watch anything with Shirley MacLaine or Helen
Mirren. ... and of course, films you really
deplore? Inception, Tenet, and Everything Everywhere All at
Once. My brain just can
not see the legitimacy. I'm convinced some people just say
they like it to be cool. They don't want to be an outcast. I
don't think anyone understands what the hell is going on. We
should have just stopped at Back to
the Future. I was a
simple concept where you can actually go: "Ok... maybe" Your/your series' website, social media,
whatever else?
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Barbee
Rehab will come up on all social media sites. Plus, it's
streaming now on Amazon, Vudu, Cineverse, Google Play and Apple TV.
Anything else you're dying to mention and
I have merely forgotten to ask?
I play Margot Robbies mom in Babylon. Now she plays
Barbie in the Barbie movie and I play Midge in Barbee
Rehab. I
believe in synchronicity and coincidences, so I feel pretty pumped
about this. It is time after 28 years to really start to win
at this acting business.
We live in LA, there are so many game
shows. I can't believe people I know don't try out.
I've sit in the sun for HOURS numerous days to try to get picked
on Let's Make a Deal and The Price is Right. And I mean NUMEROUS
times over 25 years. I watched games shows everyday with my
grandma. I wish I would have her try to get on a show with me
before she passed. I've won a car on Let's Make a Deal and
The Price is Right. I've won
$2,200 on The Pyramid, a juke box and bowling machine on another episode
of Let's Make a Deal. A rowing machine from The Price is
Right. $400 on Family Game Night with my kids. I won $1000 on
Switch, and luggage on
Swaps in 1995. I even won pots and pans on Jay Leno's You
Bet Your Life.
Too many people I have cared about or cared how they thought of me
have died. I just don't give a shit about "propriety"
anymore. We're all going to die. Do everything now. Just
don't hurt anyone physically or emotionally.
I would not be where I am today with out casting director Cecilia Pleva
from Jimmy Kimmel Live. She put me in 17 sketched and really put me where I'm
at today. I am eternally grateful. Thanks for the
interview!
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