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Your upcoming movie The Scarehouse
- in a few words, what is it
about, and what can you tell us about your character in it?
The Scarehouse is about two sorority girls who are out for revenge against
their "sisters" - if I was to describe it using existing movies I'd
go with Mean Girls meets Saw with the witty banter of
Cabin in the Woods. I
play Caitlin Bowden, and I think she's the only truly innocent girl in the
film. Caitlin may not be the brightest bulb but she's positive and always
tried to make the best of any situation, but she's not a pushover.
What
did you draw upon to bring your character to life, and how much of Ivana
Stojanovic can we find in Caitlin?
When I read the script, prior to auditioning, I fell in love with
Caitlin immediately. There was something about this girl that jumped
out of the page and made my heart flutter. To be honest I don't
think that I needed to do anything to bring her to life, I felt
connected to her very being from the moment I read the script, all I
needed to do was let Caitlin shine through my performance.
As for things we have in common, I think we both like to see the
best in people and look to the positive rather than dwelling on the
negative. I also loved that Caitlin is an honest person, neither of
us like to lie, nor are we any good at it.
How did you
get hooked up with the project in the first place, and to what extent can
you identify with the film's horror theme?
I learned about the project from a friend of mine, read the
script and then put together a self-taped audition to send to the
director Gavin Michael Booth [Gavin
Michael Booth interview - click here].
From there, I went in for a callback and soon after learned that I
had gotten the part.
As for the film itself, I LOVE all genre, but especially horror films.
As a kid I grew up watching, reading and writing horror, nothing
captivated me more than gore, blood and monsters. I was reading Stephen
King when all my friends were reading Baby Sitters' Club. So I always
get excited when I'm cast in a horror film - I'm a horror junkie.
What can you
tell us about your director Gavin Michael Booth [Gavin
Michael Booth interview - click here], and what was your
collaboration like?
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Gavin Michael Booth, Teagan Vincze, Ivana
Stojanovic |
I loved working with Gavin! Gavin
knows what he wants and he communicates with his cast and crew about his
goals, while at the same time giving us the freedom to experiment and
collaborate with him. I think it's so important for an actor to feel the
freedom to just dive into a character and trust that the director will be
watching to ensure that everything is coming across visually, because I
can't see myself when I'm on camera. Gavin was just a dream. He'd give me
the freedom to explore and bring my own ideas to set and be honest if
something I tried wasn't working. I loved it! What
can you tell us about the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere? The Scarehouse
set was literally a scarehouse, which was pretty incredible but
also a little frightening. When I first arrived to set I was even taken
for a tour of the building including rooms that we weren't using - and
I'll be honest they were pretty creepy. Luckily there were always
plenty of people around, and to me set sorta felt like camp.
The Scarehouse literally just premiered, right? So what can you
tell us from that event?
The Scarehouse premiere was incredible! We filled 5 theatres at Lakeshore
Cinemas in Windsor - we pretty much took over the entire cineplex complex. It
was fantastic to be surrounded by so much positive energy and support. I don't
think it would have been the same in a bigger city like Toronto, where it can
be cool to be apathetic. I think that everyone involved in this film is truly
passionate, proud and excited and it was such an amazing feeling to premiere
the film to audiences who felt the same way! Any
future projects you'd like to share? I'm currently in
rehearsals for a one-act play festival which will be performing at Buddies
in Bad Times Theatre from Oct. 23 - 26, called Onesies, which is being
produced by Daisy Productions. This is my second project with the company,
and I'm in a comedic play called Sometimes Looking Up Isn't Good for
your Health, written by Gavin Harrison. What got you into
acting in the first place, and did you receive any formal training on the
subject?
I have been captivated by stories for as long as I can remember.
When I was a child I'd watch fairy tales every day and then approach
strangers pretending to be Cinderella or
Snow
White.
I've studied acting since I was a kid too. I took lots of classes and
participated in community theatre projects. Eventually I went to Bishops
University where I received an honours in drama. I've also taken a lot
of on-camera classes as well.
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photo by Denise Grant |
As far as I know, before you got into movies
and TV, you did a lot of theatre. So what can you tell us about your
career on stage, and how does performing on stage compare to acting in
front of a camera - and which do you prefer, actually?
Film and theatre are two very different beasts and each have
their own draw. There's nothing more exhilarating than a live
audience, it's an electrifying energy.
At the same time, I've been doing theatre almost all of my life and I
only transitioned to film and TV after graduating from University. So
for me, there are so many challenges in film, it's new and exciting. I
also think that film is more personal than theatre. In film you can
express your thoughts in a more natural and realistic way because they
translate through the screen - in theatre you need to vocalize your
soul.
As for choosing a preference, I'm not sure I'd be able to do that.
Theatre has been a part of my life as long as I can remember, but film
and TV challenge me in ways that make me a stronger performer. It's much
more nuanced than theatre.
Can you still remember your first time in front
of a movie or TV camera, and what was that experience like? My
first professional television acting gig was actually for a pilot that was
never picked up. I was a host of a "reality" type production
that would provide people with the opportunity to do something wild and
crazy from their bucket list. It was very surreal because I didn't really
have a script to dig into, the show relied on interviews and improvised
introductions. It was a great experience but I felt far too inexperienced
to be acting like a leader in a situation I knew nothing about. I found
the crew very intimidating as well, because I was worried I'd be in their
way and they all knew where they were supposed to be and what they were
supposed to do and I knew nothing.
photo by Christopher Frampton |
What can you tell us about your filmwork prior
to The Scarehouse? I love working in genre films!
And I've had the opportunity to work on a number of horror films and a
successful web series about superheroes that was eventually picked up on
television. Overall I just love working in film and TV and feel privileged
that I can be passionate about my career.
How would you describe
yourself as an actress, and some of your techniques to bring your
characters to life?
To be honest that is a very difficult question to answer. I think
that the best part of being an actor is the fact that there is no
end to growth. I continuously take classes and read books about
various acting techniques and I take bits and pieces from all of
them. I also find that a big part of acting is primal and so I think
every role requires a different mix of techniques.
At the end of the day an actor is someone who brings a story to life in
a tangible and relatable way for audiences. So before any choices can be
made, an actor must work to understand the script and what role they'll
play in progressing and enriching the story. After you discover a
character's role then you can start to apply bits and pieces of
techniques and build a three-dimensional character out of pieces of
yourself and your imagination.
Actresses (and indeed actors) who
inspire you? Susan Sarandon is my idol, she is incredible. Your favourite movies?
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photo by Denise Grant |
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That's a hard one... I'm a film buff and I love it all. In the
horror world I'm a fan of classics like Evil
Dead, The
Shining, A
Nightmare on Elm Street, but also new masterpieces like Cabin in the
Woods and The Conjuring.
My favourite comedies include Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Wedding
Crashers, 10 Things I Hate about You, Clueless and Bridesmaids.
I also love dark movies. Requiem for a Dream might be one of the best
masterpieces of our time. Chinatown is also a fantastic film.
I'm going to stop myself now, because I could keep going.
...
and of course, films you really deplore?
Hmm... this is a
much shorter list because I even enjoy some horrible films. But I'd have
to say that I really detested Observe and Protect. I regret that I
didn't walk out of the theatre when I watched it. Your website, Facebook, whatever else?
www.itsivana.com
www.twitter.com/itsivana
http://instagram.com/itsivanas
Anything else
you are dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask? Nope
that's it! Thanks
for the interview!
Thank you for interviewing me.
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amazon.com
amazon.co.uk
amazon.de
eThaiCD.com
find Ivana Stojanovic at adultvideouniverse.com
