Q: When did you first get bitten by the acting bug? Who/What are your influences?
I don't think that there was a single defining moment where I just knew that acting was my thing. I've been naturally drawn to it for as long as I can remember. I've always wanted to perform. In high school, I did all the school plays and I was at the movie theater maybe three times a week. I'd go to see the same film five, six times, memorize every line, and make believe that was me up there! Looking back, I was probably a little nuts, but I had lots of passion.
In terms of influences, my favorites are Julianne Moore and Angelina Jolie. They've got it all down... they're strong, sexy... and pretty much dead-on with every performance they give. As for directors, I would love to be in anything that either Quentin Tarantino or Clint Eastwood directed. Their styles are all their own, and their visions are enormous.
Q: You've been in several horror movies, including DEATH FACTORY and AQUANOIDS. What did you like best about the characters you portrayed in each of those movies?
In Death Factory, I play Leticia. She's your stereotypical party girl. She has just basically graduated high school and goes to party with her friends at an abandoned factory, where they soon find out some kind of monster lurks and is trying to kill them. The crazy thing was, I was actually tripped out on-set. As Rhoda, I mean--I was seriously kinda creeped out. And I really couldn't believe myself! Like, what was I doing actually scared on a B horror movie set, you know? But it was great, because, you know, that really made it fun to play Leticia. So in that scene where Tiffany Shepis (as the monster) starts to come toward me and I'm hysterical, please know that was real fear in my face! (laughs)
In Aquanoids, I really enjoyed playing the character of Christina. I just loved her energy. She, along with the heroine of the film (played by Laura Nativo), goes to try and save their small town from a sea creature. And no, I wasn't creeped out in this one! I had to say that because I don't want all your readers thinking I'm a wimp!
Q: How would you compare being in a horror movie as opposed to a non-horror drama?
Oh, wow, they really are two different worlds. I mean, when I get up to go and do a horror movie, I have to prepare myself for the physicality of it--you know, running, screaming... oh, and dying in a lot of cases! I enjoy all that. I know it's silly sometimes, but there's a lot of fun in being splattered in blood and acting naive and foolish. Some people would say that there really is not a whole lot of character development going on in these kinds of films, but I say, just take it for what it is and enjoy the spirit of it.
In terms of the non-horror dramas that I've done, it's a complete 180! Of course, there's a lot more emotional complexity involved--and less physicality. To me, both worlds are equally challenging.
Q: What was your favorite horror movie to work on?
I would say the best time by far was AQUANOIDS, which was shot on Catalina Island. I just had a blast working on it. There was so much physicality involved. We were on scooters, on jet skis; we were in the water through most of it. Ray Peschke is a truly talented director. He just has this sensibility and this "eye" that is so uniquely honed and pumped full of energy.
Q: Tell us about the movie GALAXY HUNTER, in which you portray a half alien character…
GALAXY HUNTER is an action Sci-Fi flick that's due out on DVD next month. That was a real challenge to work on. I learned fight choreography and weaponry, which was a first for me! I used to do boxing training one-on-one for a couple years, and I loved it. I would box until my lungs felt like they were going to burst, and it was, to me, an amazing feeling. So I have always had this respect for fighters. And being trained as a boxer myself, when I went into the fight choreography sessions, I expected it to be a breeze. But it wasn't at all! There's this whole dance to it, this whole methodology that you really have to learn and make your own. You have to be patient with it. And it's not about strength or how far your arm extends. You have to have grace and excellent timing. Although it did help that I knew how to throw a punch or two!
Q: What are your future projects?
Recently, I wrapped shooting a supporting role in the film BAD PENNY. It's more of a drama, but its roots are based in horror. It's about a guy who is struggling to cope with the fatal mountain-climbing accident of a girl he was seeing. He starts to hallucinate horrific things in the world around him, as he veers further away from sanity and acceptance. I play his ex-girlfriend, who has amnesia. She basically got into a car accident and has remembered everything up to the point where she broke up him. So she still believes that they're together! He tries to remind her otherwise, but every morning she wakes up, she forgets all she has learned from the day before, so she never fully accepts the break-up. It was a great role to play. And I had the opportunity to work with director Jesse Kerman, who recently had a film selected for the third volume of "The Best of Tromadance." He's got loads of talent--wait until you see the movie!
Thank you so much for interviewing me. It was such a pleasure!
I don't think that there was a single defining moment where I just knew that acting was my thing. I've been naturally drawn to it for as long as I can remember. I've always wanted to perform. In high school, I did all the school plays and I was at the movie theater maybe three times a week. I'd go to see the same film five, six times, memorize every line, and make believe that was me up there! Looking back, I was probably a little nuts, but I had lots of passion.
