(re)Search my Trash

<body> <div align="left"> <table border="0" cellspacing="0" width="800" cellpadding="0" height="100%"> <tr> <td width="100" rowspan="3" background="../stylepix/square.gif" valign="top">  </td> <td width="4" rowspan="3"></td> <td width="592" height="1%" valign="top">  </td> <td width="4" rowspan="3"></td> <td width="100" rowspan="3" background="../stylepix/squareright.gif" valign="top">  </td> </tr> <tr> <td width="592" valign="top" height="99%">  <table align="left" border="0" cellspacing="0" width="155"> <tr> <td width="100%"><img border="0" src="../stills/ivy-head.jpg" width="150" height="175"></td> </tr> </table> <p><b>Your upcoming movie <i>Zombie Massacre</i> - in a few words, what is it about, and what can you tell us about your character in it?</b> <p>  <p><b>Zombie Massacre</b> is about a group of mercenaries who are sent into a small town to blow up the town's nuclear power plant in order to wipe out the infected towns people. But they get stitched up and end up stuck there themselves. The movie is about them getting out and the characters they meet along the way.<p>  <p>My character's name is Sam - the daughter of the scientist who is at the heart of the infection. She is the movie's closest representation of normality. The other characters aren't necessarily people you would meet in normal life - Tara is a red-headed ninja for a start (I like to call her the Ginger Ninja) <i>[<a href="taracardinal(7-12).shtml"><b>Tara Cardinal</b> interview - click here</a>]</i>.<p>Sam is a city girl, she gets into fights, is fiercely independent, confident, loyal and vulnerable. Even though she's not one of the "heroes", she has her own heroic moments like they all do.<p>  <table align="right" border="0" cellspacing="0" width="185"> <tr> <td width="100%"> <p align="right"><img border="0" src="../stills/ivy-zombie.jpg" width="180" height="240"></td> </tr> </table> <p><b>I'm next to sure you have never actually experienced a real life zombie apocalypse - so how do you prepare for a role like yours, what do you draw from?</b> <p>  <p>Well... I'm a bit of a zombie geek. There's this event that started in the UK last year called <i> 2.8 Hours Later</i>, and you basically show up with your friends, get given a map and then go from point to point, round the oldest, scariest parts of London being chased by zombies for a few hours. Its so geeky I know but it was absolutely terrifying. I may have used that experience to draw from. But Carlo and David made such amazing zombies, it wasn't difficult to put ourselves in that situation, as bizarre as the siutation was.<p>  <p><b>How did you get involved in the project in the first place?</b> <p>  <p>A really wonderful and seemingly accidental chain of events.<p>  <table align="left" border="0" cellspacing="0" width="205"> <tr> <td width="100%"><img border="0" src="../stills/ivy-couple.jpg" width="200" height="220"> <p align="center"><i>with Daniel Vivian</i></td> </tr> </table> <p> I worked on a movie at the beginning of this year and heard about <b>Zombie Massacre</b> through meeting Daniel who was already cast as Illic. We spoke a little about it and after I showed interest, he encouraged me to write to Marco and Luca <i>[<a href="marcoristorilucaboni(11-11).shtml"><b>Marco Ristori</b> and <b> Luca Boni</b> interview - click here</a>]</i>. So I did a bit of research, got their email and wrote to them. I was expecting a cool but non-speaking part as a zombie and so was really pushing my strengths as a physical actress in the email! I was surprised when they replied quite quickly with details of an audition for Sam. And this was such a testament to the way Marco and Luca work. They're so open and generous, they would give a complete random an audition. I haven't had that same direct feeling with directors in London, though I'm sure and hope it does happen.<p> <p><b>What's it like shooting in Italy, and to what extent does an Italian filmset differ from a British one?</b><p> <p>Italy was amazing and unbelievably hot. It's so close to England and yet England is incomparably shit in terms of weather. Great people, wonderful hospitality, amazing food! I definitely could see myself living there.<p>  <p>As this is my first feature film, I don't think I'm really able to comment on the differences of English/ Italian sets. I have a feeling this film set was unique amongst all others. A lot of the crew had worked together before or were already close friends, and so the set had a family environment. Marco and Luca have known eachother for years and have a very symbiotic way of working that never appears to clash in a way that is negative to the set. The people who were there were 100% passionate about what they do and lived and breathed this movie with total dedication the whole way through. The set was incredibly diplomatic, open to discussion, sociable and fair. Any kind of diva attitude from any actors would not go down well on this set - though I know it's tolerated and even pandered to, on others. We had dinner together almost all the time and I can truthfully say a lot of them will remain friends for a very long time.<p>  <table align="left" border="0" cellspacing="0" width="205"> <tr> <td width="100%"><img border="0" src="../stills/zombiemassacre-poster.jpg" width="200" height="283"></td> </tr> </table> <p><b>A few words about your directors Marco Ristori and Luca Boni <i>[<a href="marcoristorilucaboni(11-11).shtml">Marco Ristori and Luca Boni interview - click here</a>]</i>, and what was your collaboration like?</b> <p>  <p>Marco and Luca are supremo. Really talented, fun and passionate about what they do. They have hearts of gold.<p> <p><b>With <i>Zombie Massacre</i> being a zombie film - is that a genre you can at all relate to, and your genre favourites?</b><p> <p>I used to watch all the old <b><a href="../movies/nightofthelivingdead(1968).shtml"> Night of the Living Dead</a></b> movies when I was a kid, and we had all the <b><i><a href="../research/resultserieslinks.shtml?Evil Dead"> Evil Dead</a></i></b> movies too. I used to love being scared until I freaked myself out so bad watching <b> Child's Play</b> that I thought Chucky was going to kill me every night. <b> 28 Weeks Later</b> is possibly one of the scariest films I've seen.<p>  <p><b>Since zombie films are not at all un-prone to sequels - would you be on board for <i>Zombie Massacre II</i>?</b> <p>  <p>If Marco and Luca directed it, yes. (And if I got turned into a Zombie at some point!)<p>  <table align="right" border="0" cellspacing="0" width="285"> <tr> <td width="100%"> <p align="right"><img border="0" src="../stills/ivy-sequel.jpg" width="280" height="216"></td> </tr> </table> <p><b>Let's go back to the beginnings of your career: What got you into acting in the first place, and did you receive any formal training on the subject?</b><p> <p>I've always wanted to be an actor. We were such a movie household when I was young - I think that's where my love of film comes from. My brother was an actor when we were young and was in West End musicals, but I was shy and acting classes terrified me. My way into acting was through dance. I trained in ballet for 13 years and then when I went to university I auditioned for the musical <i>Cabaret</i> and got cast as Sally Bowles. I'm lucky I could dance, and I had short hair. I'm pretty sure I didnt get cast for my acting skills as I was still so shy they really had to work to get me going.<p>  <table align="left" border="0" cellspacing="0" width="185"> <tr> <td width="100%"><img border="0" src="../stills/ivy-acting.jpg" width="180" height="270"></td> </tr> </table> <p>I graduated from The Central School of Speech and Drama last year where I trained professionally.<p>  <p><b>What can you tell us about your filmwork/stagework prior to <i>Zombie Massacre</i>?</b> <p>  <p>Not much, though I suppose some of the work I've done has necessarily preceded <b>Zombie Massacre</b>, in the fact that it is an action movie.<br> <br> Last year, I played the lead in a production of <i>Lear</i> by Edward Bond, which has been described as the most violent play ever written. I have this horrific death where I'm desperately trying to run away while screaming and falling and being chased. We had fake blood bags made up before each show that were of varying sizes. It was choreographed so that certain 'soldiers' who I came into contact with during the fight would pass me the blood bags so that when I next got hit, I could burst it at the right point. It looked really realistic. Before we went on, on the final night, my friend who was playing one of the soldiers said "I've got a little surprise for you." There is a moment where after he's passed me the blood bag, I run and trip then get kneeed in the face by another soldier breaking my nose. The blood bag is supposed to be quite small, but he passed me a huge blood bag, which I popped at the right moment, exploding blood ALL OVER my face. There was an amazing gasp from the audience and my teachers were horrified. Success!<p> <p><b>Any future projects you'd like to talk about?</b><p>  <p>I am in talks regarding another feature at the moment, so we shall see.<p> <p><b>How would you describe yourself as an actress?</b><p> <p>I have no idea - always working on it.<p> <p><b>Actresses (or indeed actors) who inspire you?</b><p>   <p>Daniel Day Lewis, Tilda Swinton, Maggie Gyllenhall, Gary Oldman, Samantha Morton.<p> <p><b>Your favourite movies?</b><p> <p><b>Fifth Element</b>, <b> The Lost Boys</b>, <b> Io Sono l'Amore</b>, <b> La Vita è Bella</b>, <b> On the Town</b> with Gene Kelly.<p> <p><b>... and of course, films you really deplore?</b><p> <p><b><a href="../movies/wolfcreek(2005).shtml">Wolf Creek</a></b> and the <b><i><a href="../research/resultserieslinks.shtml?Saw"> Saw</a></i></b>-movies. The violence is far too realistic for me. Not enough suspense and too much violence. I dont have the balls to watch those kinds of films.<p> <p><b>Your website, Facebook, whatever else?</b><p> <p>Website is coming soon, so keep an eye out. And yes, I'm on Facebook.<p> <p><b>Anything else you are dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask?</b><p>  <p>Yes. I had the best cast members in the world!<p> <p><b>Thanks for the interview!</b> <p> <p>Thank you! <p>   </td> </tr> <tr> <td width="592" valign="top" height="1%">  <SCRIPT LANGUAGE="JavaScript"> currentyear = "2010"; </SCRIPT> <SCRIPT language="JavaScript" src="../scripts/endcreditsart.js"></SCRIPT> <SCRIPT LANGUAGE="JavaScript"> dosworsdonn(); </SCRIPT> </td> </tr> </table> </div> </body>