|
Your new movie Easter
Bloody Easter - in a few words, what's it about?
Demon bunnies, blood, Easter, a giant jackalope, and a whole lot of fun! The
film takes place in Texas around the Easter weekend and follows an
ensemble cast trying to uncover the mystery of all the deaths happening in
town. Now how did the project fall together in the first place, and what drew you to
it to the extent that you also wanted to direct it? It
was years in the making as Kelly Grant who plays Carol, and Allison Lobel, our writer
and plays Mary Lou, were all in a play together and loved working together
so much we were going to take that play on tour. Then those plans changed
because the pandemic hit. I have been producing indie films for a long
time so I suggested we turn our passion of the play into a film. Allison
came up with the entire story and all of it happening around Easter,
having a jackalope as the killer and a demon bunny army, and once we read
it, we were off to the races. The script was hilarious and it was
something I knew needed to be made as there is not much for holiday comedy
horror for Easter. Allison asked me to direct and felt I could take what
she created and make it happen visually. It was extremely collaborative
and allowed us to all work together with our best friends. It has been an
amazing few years and we really are so grateful for this experience. What can
you tell us about Easter
Bloody Easter's writer Allison Lobel, and what was your
collaboration like? I love working with Allison, she is one of my best friends. She is quirky
and one of the funniest people I have ever known. Also extremely kind
hearted and talented as hell! It has been amazing working together and I
am excited to do many more. I really give her the credit and kudos for
giving me the opportunity to take her vision with the script and bring it
to life on screen.
A few words about Easter
Bloody Easter's approach to horror?
It is not typical horror fare. I did not want it to be. First, the script is
not written that way. I always tell everyone it's a true horror comedy,
which means the comedy is first and the horror is secondary. That is what
makes the situations and scenarios that are scary or gory also funny. Also
I am an old school and a practical effects fan. I wanted to make sure that
all those effects were done in camera and made as an ode to all the films
that inspired me as a filmmaker when they had to rely on the art of
practical effects and not something computer generated.
You also have to talk about your movie's brand of comedy for a bit, and to what
extent does it correspond with your personal sense of humour? The
humor definitely comes from both Allison and myself. We are both musical
theater nerds and enjoy laughing and being silly. The film knows what it
is and that is to say, it doesn't take itself seriously. We are a film
that has demon bunnies flying through the air and musical numbers at
Easter! The film was made to entertain and that's exactly what it does.
There is so much strife in the world and I believe my job as an
entertainer, among many things, is to take people away and entertain them.
I watched a lot of films growing up, and the ones that were my favorite
were the ones that I danced, laughed and sang along to. You
also play the lead in Easter
Bloody Easter - so what can you tell us about your character, what
did you draw upon to bring her to life, and how much Diane Foster can we
actually find in Jeanie? Jeanie
is much more aware of the bullshit meter than I am. I always give people
the benefit of the doubt and Jeanie has no time for that. Where we both
find each other similar is in overcoming the obstacles and powering
through. I have had a lot of things go on in my personal life and having
the ability to keep it moving isn't always easy. Do talk about the rest of Easter
Bloody Easter's cast, and why exactly these people? Kelly
Grant plays my bestie Carol in the film and is a bestie in real life.
There is a camaraderie that Kelly and I have like no other. We really are
the Thelma and Lousie, the Lucy and Ethel to each other. She is so easy
and fun to work with and will try anything that can enhance the film. She
is a beautiful person inside and out and I am so damn lucky to know her.
Allison Lobel plays Mary Lou and is the writer of the film. She is funny,
kind, and an amazing actor. She is so opposite of Mary Lou but has the
chops to pull that off and make it look so easy. She is such a great
person, really cares about the ones she loves, never ever in a bad mood,
and one of my very best friends. I feel so grateful to her for wanting me
to direct the film and changing my life. I can't say enough about Allison
and Kelly because I love them both so much and feel really blessed to have
friends that feel like my sisters for life.
Zuri Starks plays Megan, the
professional bunny slayer, and the moment I saw her I knew she was right
for the role. She added a sassiness and spunk that Megan needed to have,
but also a badass attitude of a woman who was taking control and wanting
to save the town. She exemplified that and so much more and is so
wonderful to work with. She also has the most beautiful smile and is a joy
to be around. Miles Cooper played Eugene and he is absolutely brilliant.
Bar none, Miles is one of the most talented actors I have ever met, and
his portrayal of Eugene had me laughing on set, in the edit, and now for
all audiences to see. He is one of my very best friends and like a brother
to me. We have a lot of history and anytime I get to work with him is an
incredible time. Zach Kanner played Sam, the town's conspiracy theorist
and truly loveable character. Zach is that loveable in person as well, he
is extremely talented and knowledgeable of his character and asks
questions about how he can bring authenticity to him. Some of the lines
that ended up in the film came from him making magic in rehearsals and
improvising, and we needed to make sure made it into the final version of
the film. Gavin Lee plays Jim, Carol’s husband and was fully committed
to bringing a real sense of kindness and relationship type goals to Jim
and Carol. He was also so willing to wear the caveman outfit with
enthusiasm and really went on the ride of this film with us. He is a very
dear long time friend, a good person, and an extremely talented actor.
From the second I saw D’Andre Noire’s self tape I knew he was Lance.
He has an understated self-assured way of being on the camera and I knew
that strength would be needed to play that role. He also stayed on set
when he was not required to help out with the art department. He was
willing to do anything needed to make the film the very best, and that is
something that is so rare and we are so lucky to have found him.
Working
with these tremendous actors was a dream come true. There was a genuine
trust between myself as the director with all these very talented people.
It was also amazing to get to be part of the ensemble with them. I am
truly inspired by each of them. They were all showing up bringing
everything to their A game every single day, ultimately finding
and bringing these characters to life in their very own ways and I could
not be more grateful. Working with great actors makes my job even more
amazing. A few words about the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere?
We filmed in the valley areas of Los Angeles on private ranches that
resembled West Texas. Filming was 17 days with six day weeks. It was
exhausting and exhilarating all at the same time. Every day on set was
like playtime, and that is always my goal when creating a set environment
so that it is friendly, open, and ready for magic to be created. Everyday
I would have a meeting at the beginning of the day almost like a football
coach. One of my favorite chants we would do on set is “We need MORE
BLOOD!” Anything you can tell us about audience and critical reception of
Easter Bloody Easter? It's
been incredible and beyond my wildest dreams. We have so many reviews and
mostly really great ones that really “get” the film. The audience
response has been unreal and the film even has a crazy great score on Rotten
Tomatoes. It is mind-blowing because we really are a tiny film that made
giant marks because of the amazing team involved. I am so excited for
audiences to continue to find us and watch us any time of year, not just
at Easter. Any future projects you'd like to
share? I am always working! I love creating so there is a lot on the docket. I have
the next installment of the Easter Bloody Easter franchise, so a lot more
demon bunnies ahead. I am directing a movie musical in development called SAT
- stupid ass test. Yes that test! That is with Mark Vogel that
composed Easter Bloody Easter. I am acting in and producing a female
comedy with two very dear friends, Maria Bertrand and Meg McCaig, called Got Daddy Issues, and I am working on my first ever solo record
- writing songs and singing!!
What got you into acting in the first place, and
have you received any formal training on the subject? I
started dancing at age 8, and it quickly became my passion and obsession. I
was early to acting at around the same age and took conservatory classes
at the Papermill Playhouse every summer. Anne Hathaway was a fellow
student of mine and we actually were both nominated for the “Tony Awards
of high schools”- the Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Award for Best
Actress in my senior year and her junior year both playing the role of
Princess Winifred in the play Once Upon a Mattress, just at different
high schools. I won the award and it gave me the confidence to create a
career around it. I moved to LA and continue to pound the pavement! What
can you tell us about your filmwork prior to Easter
Bloody Easter?
I was a professional dancer and did a ton of theater growing up but always
wanted to do film. In 2001 I moved to LA not knowing anyone. I first
started dancing to make my rent and landed a gig in the original PussyCat
Dolls show at the Roxy. It was before they became a girl group.
Then I did a film with Katherine Heigl and my first starring role and producing
job was the Tribeca Film Festival official selection Iowa with
Rosanna Arquette, and John Savage played my father. After that, I starred
in and produced The Orphan Killer and its sequel. Got to star in
Glenn Danzig's video for Last Ride and his directing feature Verotika, and then in
2018 started my own company, WallyBird
Productions. Since 2018, we have successfully produced 17 different projects.
Do talk about your production company WallyBird
Productions, and the philosophy behind it! WallyBird
Productions is committed to fostering
equality and diversity on every project with an emphasis on high
entertainment value and substance. For years, I was the only woman on set
or on set with mainly no diversity. I wanted to change that so the sets we
work on and the films we make reflect the world we live in and can move
the needle forward for inclusion. When you see it, you can be it. I firmly
believe that. When we are given an opportunity to put people in leadership
positions, we choose to highlight underrepresented communities in front
and behind the camera at WallyBird.
 |
Under the WallyBird
banner, the
company has made the films SHIRi, winner of the prestigious
Stage 32 Short Film Contest which screened at the Oscar qualifying
Hollyshorts Film Festival and Raindance in the UK, Make A Wish,
accepted at over 130 film festivals worldwide and seen on Bloody
Disgusting TV, the documentary I Am America about the
Immigration Center for Women and Children (ICWC) and awarded a 15K grant
to give back to the ICWC for underprivileged and undocumented youth as
part of the Women Excel Project, the short Dissonance that
donated fundraising efforts to The Trevor Project, the leading
national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention
services to LGBTQ+ young people under 25, the feature My Home
Unknown that premiered at Dances with Films at the legendary Chinese
Theatre with a harrowing and deeply real look at the homeless epidemic,
Sorry Dumpling, short film and official selection at BAFTA
& LA Shorts Fest, the short film and winner of the Grand Jury Prize at
Brown Sugar Days, Cut Me If You Can, and the original horror
comedy feature film Easter
Bloody Easter. How
would you describe yourself as an actress, and how as a director? I
am open and flow easily. I am a true collaborator and know how important
it is to give and receive in both areas. I love getting to do both on a
project and find it fits my personality perfectly because I enjoy coming
up with solutions and really getting to the nitty gritty of a scene or
character. I always come from the emotional place of what it is really
saying. Filmmakers, actresses, whoever else who inspire you? Ava
DuVernay, Lena Waithe, Melina Matsoukas, Reese Witherspoon, Oprah, Ryan
Holiday, Carolyn Myss, Marilyn Monroe. Your favourite
movies? Dirty Dancing, A
Nightmare on Elm Street, Gremlins, Singing in the Rain, any
Italian horror, Marvel movies, any Christmas movie,
Easter
Bloody Easter :)
Your/your movie's website, social media, whatever else?
Check out wallybirdproductions.com
On Instagram:
 |
Feeling lucky?
Want to
search
any of my partnershops yourself
for more, better results?
(commissions earned) |
The links below
will take you
just there!!!
|
|
 |
@dianefosterofficial - https://www.instagram.com/dianefosterofficial
@wallybirdproductions - https://www.instagram.com/wallybirdproductions
@easterbloodyeaster - https://www.instagram.com/easterbloodyeaster
Diane Foster Official on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dianefosterofficial
WallyBird Productions on YouTube https://youtube.com/@WallyBirdProductions
Anything
else you're dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask? Thank
you all for supporting my film and the amazing group of artists it took to
make. It's a miracle to get a film done and out in the world, and your
support of it and me means the world. Thanks
for the interview!
|
amazon.com
amazon.co.uk
amazon.de
eThaiCD.com
