Your upcoming movie Ayla - in a few words, what will it be
about, and what can you tell us about your character in it?
Ayla is a story about loss and obsession. It’s about what happens
when our minds are so taken over by an idea that it manifests itself. From
my characters POV however, it’s about what it’s like to date a guy
who’s obsessed with another woman but still being stuck in love. How
do you prepare for your role, and what will you draw upon to bring her to
life? I first try to find myself in every role. I explore
my own life experiences that correlate to the characters. Then I take
anything I may not be familiar with and explore what I would do if I were
in their situation, and I take it from there. Horror for me is about
social commentary. Why are we going to be disturbed by this film, what
does that say about us the audience, and how can I create this character
to help tell that story. How did you become involved with the project in
the first place? Elias [Elias
interview - click here] reached out to me on Facebook, and I
found that to be so bold a move that I was intrigued enough to read the
script and meet for coffee. I fell in love with the character, and so here
I am. To what extent could you identify with
the film's horror theme? I miss my grandmother everyday.
Now that’s she’s gone, I feel more drawn to her than ever, and it’s
almost eerie how much she comes to mind. I find myself talking to her.
What can you tell us about your
collaboration with your director Elias [Elias
interview - click here] so far? I’d like
to believe we’ve developed a friendship along with our business
collaboration. He’s truly one of the few good guys. From what
I know, the film's still in its fundraising stages as we speak - are you
in any way involved in the fundraising efforts, and any idea what the
schedule is yet?
I
hear we are shooting in the fall in Seattle. I just shot a short called Alastair
Tembylton directed by Sam Horton there, and I am really
excited to go back to that city. It’s an amazing place to film, and the
local crew we worked with was amazing.
As
far as fundraising, I don’t have any experience in that area, but I am
doing what I can to help!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/eliasganster/ayla-a-feature-film-about-life-from-death-reborn
Any future projects beyond Ayla
you'd like to share? I really wish I could! I have another
great project that I am shooting, but I’ve signed NDA’s. You’ll just
have to stalk my IMDb to find out when the production makes the
announcement. What got you into acting in the
first place, and did you receive any formal training on the subject? I
have my B.A. in Theater, and continue to train in classes. Actors should
always be in class. Genre
fans would probably tar and feather me if I didn't ask you to talk about
your involvement in American Horror Story for a bit - so please do!
It
was the most fun I’ve think I’ve ever had. To be in New Orleans where
the LaLauries lived and to actually see and touch the history is gold
for an actor. I could walk up to any New Orleans native and they would
have their own stories to tell about what happened in that house and the
ghosts they believe still haunt it today. There is so much
superstition surrounding the house, some people insist on crossing the
street rather than walk next to it. Any
other past film or TV work of yours you'd like to talk about? Horror
fans will remember me from Creature. An interesting story with that
film
is that we shot my scene in an actual swamp in Baton Rouge, LA that
contained actual alligators. I was naive back then and assumed I would be
going to a sound stage. You’d think I'd know better and ask more
questions but it was such a thrilling experience, I would do it again. You're
also a trained dancer and fight director - so do talk about these aspects
of your career for a bit, and how do they influence your acting and vice
versa?
I
train in Egyptian Belly Dance. I’ve always wanted to incorporate those
movements into creating an ethereal monster. It’s also my creative
outlet in between bookings.
I’ve
also always loved sword fighting. I worked for a summer with the Houston
Shakespeare Festival just because they let me fight twice a day.
How would you describe yourself as an actress,
and some of your techniques to bring your characters to life? It
depends on the role and the actors I am working with. I always prepare the
way a method actor does. I am a fan of doing as much relevant research as
possible. I prepare all the subtext and beats and break my scenes down.
But when I get on set, I am prepared to let all of that go. The director
or other actors can take the scene somewhere totally unexpected and you
need to be able to react authentically and be in the moment. But I will
argure you really can’t do that unless you’ve done all the preperation
on your own beforehand.
Actresses
(and indeed actors) who inspire you?
I’ve been a fan of
Richard Armitage ever since he did North and South and I thought to
myself, if I'm ever in a position to bring him on to an American film I
will do it in a heartbeat. Well, he beat me to it and I am thrilled for
him. Your favourite
movies? Titus is my all time favorite. North and South is
right behind it. Blair Witch Project and
Cloverfield are some of my
favorites too. ... and of course, films you really deplore? I
love true horror films, but I can’t do slasher films. Your
website, Facebook, whatever else?
Twitter:
@jenniferlynnwar
FaceBook:
https://www.facebook.com/jenniferlynnwarren
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2367311/
Anything else you're
dying to mention and I've merely forgotten to ask?
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Yes!
This is going to be an amazing film, and Elias [Elias
interview - click here] and The October People have
put together some amazing Kickstarter incentives, including the
opportunity to have an Executive Producer credit, which is generous and
almost unheard of. Check it out here:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/eliasganster/ayla-a-feature-film-about-life-from-death-reborn
Thanks
for the interview! THANKS SO MUCH, MICHAEL!!
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