wingman wednesday

Before the summer draws to a close, we’re going to be taking some time to visit the shores… “Chesapeake Shores.” The Hallmark Channel original series recently returned for season 2 and with it, even more critical acclaim.

We sat down with O’Brien family member Brendan Penny to discuss the pressures of creative praise, the scene that stretched him the most as an actor, and how he knew “Supernatural” was destined for greatness when he guested on it in season 1.

TrunkSpace: As far as your character Kevin is concerned, did you spend time with Sherryl Woods’ books or did you want there to be separation between the television world and the literary world that already existed?
Penny: Honestly, I didn’t have much time before accepting the role and shooting to read the books. Also, I knew that the character and the storyline were going to be slightly different, so I thought it best to work with the material that I was being provided for the show.

TrunkSpace: Where is Kevin’s personal journey taking him in season 2 and what part will he play in the overall storyline?
Penny: Kevin’s personal journey takes him to a point of reflection. He really finds out who he is and what he wants to accomplish.

TrunkSpace: You’re working alongside some incredible actors within the series, many of whom have had long, storied careers. What have you taken from them, either from personal advice or through osmosis, that you’ll carry with you throughout your career?
Penny: You know, whether it’s been people with long careers, or not, we all respect each other and trust in each other’s abilities. Everyone on the show has been at it for a good amount of time. I’ve been working for 15 years, and been very fortunate for that.

TrunkSpace: “Chesapeake Shores” was met with both critical acclaim and viewer acclaim upon its premiere in 2016. Does that put pressure on everyone involved to deliver on expectations in season 2?
Penny: I think it puts more pressure on the writers and the producers. (Laughter) As actors, we can only work with the material given, and I believe we have a very talented cast.

TrunkSpace: Does working on a series with such great things said about it make the job itself easier? In that we mean, does the recognition of great content/material make for a happy set?
Penny: When the content is good, it makes everything easier. People are excited to show up and play.

TrunkSpace: As you look over the first two seasons of “Chesapeake Shores,” what is the one scene or episode where you felt you really got to stretch as an actor and why?
Penny: The scene between Mick (Treat Williams) and Kevin in episode 8 of season 2. It’s where Kevin finally lets go and shares what he’s been through and where he is presently.

TrunkSpace: Where are you hardest on yourself as an actor?
Penny: I’m not. There’s enough people out there to be hard on you, so why do it to yourself?

TrunkSpace: As you look over your career, what job did you learn the most from in terms of how the industry works and how to navigate it moving forward?
Penny: A show called “Whistler.” It was my first series regular role, and I had many mentors on the show. It was still the best experience I’ve had, and will most likely remain that way. It was very special.

TrunkSpace: We’re suckers for the series “Supernatural” here. You appeared in the very first season. Having been involved with it at that time, could you have ever imagined that a show where you got stalked by a killer scarecrow would still be going strong in its 13^th season?
Penny: I could. Jared and Jensen were so kind and knew they had something special on their hands. They were smart about how to keep it going and turn it into the success it has become.

TrunkSpace: That show has one of the most rabid fanbases. Do you still get recognized for playing a small part in that very expansive universe?
Penny: Unfortunately… no. The odd time, but I should get recognized for it. It was such a small part, so long ago.

TrunkSpace: With the new season of “Chesapeake Shores” now reaching viewers, what do you hope fans will walk away with when the season finishes up?
Penny: A closer relationship to the family, and a closer relationship to theirs.

“Chesapeake Shores” airs Sundays on Hallmark Channel.

Welcome to the fourth installment of our LYCAN WEEK ongoing feature!

Opening Friday in select theaters, “Lycan” tells the story of six college kids who revisit an old Georgia legend, the strange and puzzling story of Emily Burt, the Talbot County werewolf. Based upon true historical events, the film stars relative newcomer Rebekah Graf (“Hawaii Five-0,” “Fat Camp”) as a spoiled Southern debutante who is not only unhappy about not getting her way, but we assume, werewolves!

We recently sat down with Graf to discuss showing up early for her audition, Texas ghost stories, and finding inspiration in other creative people.

TrunkSpace: How did “Lycan” and the character Blair first come into your life?
Graf: I got the audition from my manager and he was really excited about it. He loves Dania, so he was a really big fan and he loved the script. I went in and read for the casting director and Bev Land, and I loved Bev right away. I was really able to tap into the character.

I actually… funny story… I went the wrong day for the audition. (Laughter)

TrunkSpace: (Laughter) Nice!
Graf: (Laughter) I was sitting outside, and it was all guys, and I was really confused. I was there for about an hour and a half, and no one was taking me in, so I went and knocked on the door and asked the casting director. She told me I was supposed to be there the next day. (Laughter)

TrunkSpace: At least you were there a day early instead of a day late!
Graf: (Laughter) Yep. It could have been the day after and that would have been way worse.

So, Bev let me audition that day. We got to talk about Blair a lot, and then the next time I came in, he talked about Georgia and told me how excited he was and how wonderful it was. Dania was there and I got to meet her and really work on the character. When I got the phone call that said that I was going to be playing Blair, I was so excited. I’d never been to Georgia and I just loved Bev and Dania right off the bat.

TrunkSpace: And where you shot in Georgia was really set away from any major population centers, right?
Graf: Yes. It was really, really beautiful. I mean, unbelievably beautiful. Just gorgeous green, wide open fields. So it was kind of the perfect setting for a group of people who didn’t know each other to become really close over the course of a couple of days because there was nothing to do but talk to each other.

TrunkSpace: It sounds like even just getting away from the set to get supplies required a journey.
Graf: Yeah, exactly. It was very much a camp setting. There were days where I wasn’t working and I would just go on set and hang out anyway. It was a blast and everyone involved was just really great.

TrunkSpace: So where does Blair fall into things in terms of the story?
Graf: Blair is a very spoiled Southern debutante. She is in college with the rest of the cast, and Blair’s very entitled. I think everything has always come pretty easily to her in life. She’s not getting what she wants when we meet Blair, for probably the first time in her life, and she is not thrilled about that. (Laughter) Dania’s character is taking something away from her, and that’s probably all I can say. She does not handle it very well.

TrunkSpace: And what’s so great about the eerie factor of “Lycan” is that it is actually based upon historical events.
Graf: Yeah, which is so cool. I told people about it and they had no idea that this existed at all. The cast and crew had no idea that this was a true story and that it was something that could actually happen. We were pretty amazed.

TrunkSpace: Did you have any local legends like that of Emily Burt where you grew up?
Graf: Yes! I grew up in Corpus Christi, Texas, so it’s somewhat of a small town. Not too small, but there are definitely a lot of legends. There’s a train track in San Antonio, I think, where apparently if you stop, there are children that will push you off of the train track to save you. There’s a ranch that we used to go to, and there is the Lady in the White Dress who would come out at night.

TrunkSpace: Yikes! And that’s what’s so great about the movie is that everyone who grew up in a small town can relate to the local legend angle.
Graf: Definitely. I remember us staying up really late to try to see the Lady in the White Dress. It was a rite of passage. (Laughter)

TrunkSpace: What did your journey look like in terms of going from dreaming of being an actress as a child to where you are today starring in “Lycan” and in other projects?
Graf: Well, I started acting when I was probably five or six years old. I had a ton of energy and my parents didn’t know what to do with me, so they put me in local theater and I loved it. I just fell in love with it and I kind of knew from that point on that it was what I wanted to do. But of course, as you grow up you try to reason with yourself. “What can I do?” Your parents try to reason with you because they want you to do well in life. Maybe they suggest being a doctor, which was never going to work out, because I faint when I see blood.

TrunkSpace: (Laughter) Well, good thing you’re an actress then because now you can play a doctor on TV!
Graf: (Laughter) There you go!

So, then I went to the University of Texas where I was a theater major. After that I stayed in Austin for a little while, just kind of trying to do other things, and I finally realized that acting was really all I wanted to do. So I moved out to LA and found representation and kind of never looked back.

TrunkSpace: You went from a creative, hip community in Austin to another creative, hip community in Los Angeles. Does being around other creative people inspire you?
Graf: It definitely does. Austin has changed a lot since I left it. I think that it’s a lot more creative now. I think that there’s a lot more room and respect for artists and actors than when I was there. But yes, it is 100 percent inspiring to be surrounded by actors. My friends are all working actors and it’s incredible.

It was definitely a transition though. I mean, it’s a bigger city, but I think I was pretty lucky when I moved here. I fell into a group of amazing friends, a lot of them from Texas. It felt like home, probably, at the first year mark.

TrunkSpace: As you look forward in your career, what do you hope to achieve? Are there any items that you want to check off of your career bucket list?
Graf: Oh my goodness… I would love to do a comedy series. I really think that’s where my heart is. There are so many people that I would love to work with, I don’t even know where to begin. I just think that I have a long way to go. A lot of things to accomplish.

TrunkSpace: And you have a film called “Riptide” up next, correct?
Graf: I do. I have “Riptide” coming up, and I’m really excited about that. I think that will be a really, really wonderful cast. The director is a blast. The producers are amazing people. Yeah, that will be a really good time!

Then I recently did a Netflix original film called “#REALITYHIGH” playing Lana, a trophy wife. She’s a blast and very, very different than how I actually am in real life.

“Lycan” arrives in theaters this Friday.

 

Lovie Simone is mature beyond her 18 years. As the star of the family drama “Greenleaf,” which returned to OWN this week with a string of new episodes, the New York City native knows that her experience on the series is just as much an education as it is a job. She is learning and absorbing from her costars, including Lynn Whitfield and Keith David, and applying that acquired knowledge to what she hopes is a long and fruitful future in the industry as both an actress and content creator.

We recently sat down with Simone to discuss the emotional journey her character is set to go through, why it will be so relateable to viewers, and how her on-set life has changed since turning 18.

TrunkSpace: For you as a young actress, what’s it like returning to a series after a hiatus in production?
Simone: It feels different only because now that I know how things work, I’m going in with some knowledge of how things work and what I’m looking forward to doing. It’s fun, though. It’s like I’m working with my family. When I go back it’s like, “I missed all of you so much!”

TrunkSpace: “Greenleaf” was your first big acting job, but outside of the work itself, has it also felt like a classroom where you have been able to learn about the industry and the craft?
Simone: Yes, definitely. Every day there’s something new that I learned and it’s like I’m getting a firsthand tutoring.

TrunkSpace: Have you found yourself getting more and more comfortable in yourself as an actress and in the role of Zora throughout the process?
Simone: 100 percent, because now it’s like I’m growing with this character and I’m getting to know her more. I’m being taught by these great actors and actresses, like Lynn Whitfield and Keith David, who constantly show me with their acting how to do things and how to turn into this other character. It’s fun.

TrunkSpace: Being in film is great, but being on a series and being able to watch and experience your character grow as you do, that has to be an interesting dynamic?
Simone: It is. It’s amazing because you learn to love this character and you learn to love all the gray areas of your character. Right now in the show I’m not really a fan favorite. (Laughter) Nobody is a fan of me right now, but I love my character and I love her flaws and I love how she’s going through things. She’s me now.

TrunkSpace: Without giving away too much, can you tell us where we are going to see Zora go within the overall story this season?
Simone: You’re going to see her go through a lot of obstacles and you’ll see who she is based off of how she reacts to this because it’s going to be an eye opener. You would think something is one way and then when things get tough, she turns into this person that you’ll never even imagine. You gotta kind of see her go through these life events that are going to change everything.

TrunkSpace: But that’s totally a relatable life experience. We all go through rough patches and come out the other side a different person. At least, that’s the hope if you’re willing to grow as a person.
Simone: Yes, I feel like it is very relatable. That’s why I like that the show touches on certain things. We’re touching on homophobia. We’re touching on a lot of scandal. With my character, you’re seeing this strong, feisty teenager that everyone thinks she is, and then you’re going to see her weaknesses and you’re going to see how she’s used to being in a position of power. You’re going to see how everyone can have breakdowns and how she needs her parents and that she can’t be on her own.

TrunkSpace: As you build up for the release of the new season, is there still that same level of excitement for people to see it as there was when you were new to the industry and it was your first working experience?
Simone: Yes, it is, because I’m still relatively new to this business, so I’m still learning and I’m still wide-eyed and my mouth is open, like, “Oh my gosh! What is this? What is that?” I still have questions. I’m still going through that honeymoon phase.

TrunkSpace: (Laughter) That’s a great way to put it.
Simone: (Laughter) Yes. It’s a new love. We’re still going.

TrunkSpace: And what’s cool about your job is that each new project you start working on, there’s an additional honeymoon period because of new characters, new costars, and new experiences.
Simone: Exactly! You keep starting over and over again. It’s like you get a new-found love every time. Never fails.

TrunkSpace: Looking forward, you also have the film “Monster” due out soon, which stars some amazing, accomplished actors, including Jeffrey Wright and Jennifer Hudson. That sounds like another project where you could just sit back and absorb so much knowledge and skill from the people involved?
Simone: Exactly. It was a whole different kind of character so I like being able to go into people’s lives and create them. I’m blessed to work with these great people. I never get tired of it. It’s a blessing to work with such strong actors and such accomplished directors and writers. It’s really interesting and it’s really fun. I’m happy that I’m having fun and also being able to be in that creative space.

TrunkSpace: Does being around creative people inspire your own creativity?
Simone: Yes, because now that I know there are more people out there like me and that there are people who are willing to do everything and risk every single thing, it motivates me. Also seeing it every single day, it triggers this, “I will never settle.”

I’m constantly challenging myself when I have scenes that I’ve never done, especially now that I’m 18 and working the amount of hours that I’m working. It’s bringing out a whole bunch of new emotions that I’ve never seen before. I’m learning from people who are inspired and creative. It’s pushing my creativity. It’s amazing.

TrunkSpace: That’s an aspect that a lot of people don’t think about. Once you turn 18, it completely opens up how much you can work, right?
Simone: Yes. Now I can work longer hours and I have been working longer hours. (Laughter) I’m like, “Oh gosh, the 17 hour work days are crazy!” But it’s helping me with my work ethic. Now 17 hours is like nothing to me. Also no school on set, which is even more amazing. (Laughter)

It’s a big change. A lot of things are happening. Now I have more responsibility as an actress. I like that.

TrunkSpace: You mentioned how your character in “Greenleaf” was going to be going through some obstacles. What obstacles did you have to go through, especially being so young, when you were trying to break into the industry as an actress?
Simone: I doubted myself a lot because after a while it’s like, “How many no’s am I going to take?” Then it’s not about the no’s. It’s about the resilience. I gotta be like, “Okay, brush off the no’s, learn from them.” It’s kind of hard learning from stuff at such a young age when you’re just so closed-minded and you have this perception of how the world is and then for that to be shattered and for you to try and create that mirror again to see something.

It’s very humbling also. I feel like my mom keeps me grounded. I have a good support system with my family. I don’t have a lot of friends, so the friends that I do have, I’m very close to.

TrunkSpace: It seems like nowadays in the industry, more than ever, actors are diversifying to become content creators and control their own destiny in a way. Is that something that you hope to do in the future?
Simone: I definitely want to start creating my own films because I feel like there’s a lot of stories that need to be told that still aren’t being told. I do want to direct and I do want to cast the people that I want in my movies and my shows because I feel like there’s a problem in Hollywood. That problem is a lack of representation. When there’s a lack of representation, that leaves room for a whole lot of gray areas that people don’t know. I want younger girls that look like me to see themselves in the people that I cast. That’s when you get your sense of identity, from what you see. That’s what i want to do with acting. I want to be in the position to create.

Welcome to the third installment of our LYCAN WEEK ongoing feature!

Opening Friday in select theaters, “Lycan” tells the story of six college kids who revisit an old Georgia legend, the strange and puzzling story of Emily Burt, the Talbot County werewolf. Based upon true historical events, the film stars Parker Croft (“Big Little Lies,” “Once Upon a Time”) as a mischievous documentarian whose camera tells a portion of the thriller’s narrative.

We recently sat down with Croft to discuss how “Lycan” came into his life, the local legend embraced by his home state of Vermont, and how he’s transitioning into a new chapter of his career.

TrunkSpace: From an outside perspective, you seem to be on this great run of projects, both those that have already been released and a number that are currently in the works. Has the last few years felt a bit like a “pinch me” period in terms of where your career is going?
Croft: Yeah, this is a good time in my life, there’s no doubt about it. I’ve been really excited about directing lately. I started up a production company with my wife called Paper Horse Pictures and we’ve been directing a couple of projects and putting together a couple of projects.

We actually just got word that the first project that I directed with my wife is a semi-finalist at Los Angeles CineFest.

TrunkSpace: Congrats on that! It sounds like you’re really diversifying, which in this day and age, seems more important than ever for actors.
Croft: Yeah, it’s been very freeing to be able to make the work the way I envision it to be made, so that’s very cool.

TrunkSpace: Throughout your career as an actor, were you observing other directors and how they go about doing their job so that you could then apply that knowledge to your own directing future?
Croft: Definitely. One of my earliest projects was a project I actually put together, produced and wrote along with a director and that sort of got me rolling on the “make it yourself” style of filmmaking. And yeah, I would say I’ve been hurdling towards this in many ways for a long time, so I’m really excited to start this chapter.

TrunkSpace: There really is an exciting problem solving aspect of filmmaking that becomes addicting, right?
Croft: Yeah, it’s awesome. It’s totally, totally awesome. I absolutely love a lot of the jobs that go into making a film. I’m really interested in cinematography. I’ve been doing my own editing. I’ve been doing a lot of it and I’m really having a good time with it.

TrunkSpace: So how did “Lycan” come into your life?
Croft: It’s similar to how most of the acting projects that I’ve come across, which is that it was an audition. It went well and then the project came together and here we are.

TrunkSpace: It sounds like you and “Lycan” producers Crystal Hunt and Dania Ramirez are on a bit of a similar career trajectory because they are also transitioning to putting together their own projects and making the kind of films that they have always wanted to make.
Croft: Yeah, that’s cool. Certainly when you have a little bit more of a say in the process you can see some stranger and more risky things come to fruition in a way that maybe doesn’t happen when there’s a lot of money on the table.

TrunkSpace: And where does your character Kenny fall into things?
Croft: So Kenny plays the role of… I almost want to say he’s sort of a mischievous documentarian. A bit of the footage comes from a camera that Kenny is supposed to be shooting, so some of the narrative comes through Kenny’s camera, which is kind of cool. And he’s definitely a bit of a jokester, and a bit of a wiseguy, and a bit of a party animal.

TrunkSpace: The premise is steeped in the idea of local lore and it seems like every small town in America has its own legend. Do you think that makes the film relatable on a storytelling level?
Croft: Yeah, in the way that lore sort of connects us, for sure. That would be one of the ways in which it’s relatable. For me, at least horror movies, I don’t go on that ride to empathize my human experience. I like to be spooked. I like to see something jarring or scary. Not to say that horror movies can’t do that.

TrunkSpace: “Lycan” is described as more of a suspense thriller than a horror film. In your opinion, does it still deliver on those moments of jarring or scaring the audience?
Croft: Yeah, there is certainly a handful of moments that are really jarring, for sure. I think that’s something that people go to horror movies for. I think they like to get a little shock every now and then.

TrunkSpace: You grew up in Vermont. Did you have your own local legend?
Croft: In Vermont, the closest thing we have to something that’s lore is this Loch Ness Monster thing.

TrunkSpace: You’re talking Champy!
Croft: (Laughter) Yeah, I’m talking Champy. It’s not much, but it’s a mascot at the very least.

TrunkSpace: The people of Vermont really embrace Champy.
Croft: Oh yeah, Champ is all over the place. (Laughter)

TrunkSpace: “Lycan” shot on location in a very rural area of Georgia. Does shooting in seclusion… away from the big production hubs… does it help bring the cast together?
Croft: Yes, for sure, but you don’t necessarily need to be in a tent to come together. With the experience I’ve had on location, the cast bonds pretty quickly because everybody’s just got each other for the most part, and I wouldn’t say that “Lycan” was an exception. I love those guys. We got close quick.

TrunkSpace: When you’re shooting a film, particularly an indie, do you have to emotionally separate yourself from it after wrapping knowing that it could be a long time before it sees the light of day, if at all?
Croft: Oh yeah. I mean, I’ve had so many experiences where movies just didn’t even go and nothing happened. They imploded. If you’re not an integral player in every step of the process, you kind of just say goodbye to it once you finish your process. For me anyway, there are so many elements at play that I can’t control, so you think, “All right, it will come together or it won’t.” And it’s cool that this one came together, for sure. That’s no small feat for anything to come together.

TrunkSpace: As you’re now involving yourself more in the production side of things, how important is it for you to look at the ever-changing distribution landscape?
Croft: As I’ve begun the transition into making my own projects more and more, I’ve really been concentrating on different changing platforms and how they’re interacting with each other. The way that things are going, I’m actually really stoked because it seems that more and more people want original content and I’m in the business of making original content, so I have more buyers.

I think we’re entering a really cool new chapter of media because everyone can make it now.

“Lycan” arrives in theaters this Friday!

Welcome to the second installment of our LYCAN WEEK ongoing feature!

Opening Friday in select theaters, “Lycan” tells the story of six college kids who revisit an old Georgia legend, the strange and puzzling story of Emily Burt, the Talbot County werewolf. Based upon true historical events, the film stars and is produced by Dania Ramirez (“X-Men: The Last Stand,” “Quarantine”) who teamed up with best friend Crystal Hunt to turn a lifelong dream into a cinematic reality.

We recently sat down with Ramirez to discuss how the film was a family affair, the cultural importance of local ghost stories, and why the 1980s did such a great job capturing an authentic and suspenseful tone in the horror projects of the time period.

TrunkSpace: Our chat is very timely because it was just announced that you’ll be playing Cinderella in “Once Upon a Time.” Is there anything with this version of the character that will be different than what we have seen of her in the past?
Ramirez: I think every time you see a different actor take on a role, you’re going to see a different take on it. As actors, we bring our own flair to things. The world that we’re setting up for this particular Cinderella will be a different kind of world. The great thing is that it’s still a love story and so essentially the aspect of the Cinderella story will still be there, but there will be different circumstances in which everything sort of happens to her. It’s kind of how the love story goes. That’s the one thing I really do love about the creators of the show, Adam Horowitz and Eddie Kitsis, is that if you watch the show at all, you know that they are very committed to making female characters very bad ass and not damsel in distress types of characters. I think that in itself makes the Cinderella character different.

I also come from a different background with a different set of situations that I’m going to go through in the real world that are going to take my journey in a different direction. I’m also a mother, and I’m really dealing with different kinds of struggles in my life. But essentially, it’s a Cinderella story so we all want a happy ending.

TrunkSpace: Between “Once Upon a Time” and “Lycan” also due to be released, it seems to be a bit more of a happy beginning for you in terms of a new chapter in your life and career?
Ramirez: It’s been such an incredible journey in my life. For me, the journey with “Lycan” does feel kind of like a Cinderella story because I started my journey in the Dominican Republic in a very, very humble background just dreaming of something better. Coming to the States as an immigrant, figuring out the language, and then finally getting into the world of entertainment has been a journey within itself. I remember just at a very young age being in my acting class. That’s where Crystal Hunt and I met, who is one of the “Lycan” executive producers. We made a pact back then. We said, “Hey, one day we’re going to make it. We’re going to produce our own films.”

And we’re making it a family affair. My husband, Bev Land, wrote and directed it. His brother, Donnie Land, is one of the producers. Crystal’s mom really came in and helped us out a lot. It does feel like a fairy tale to be done with the film and then right before the film premieres, be able to get this role in “Once Upon a Time.” The journey feels like we’re writing our own happy ending. That’s kind of cool.

TrunkSpace: And from a work standpoint, it must have a special feeling attached to it when you’re so emotionally invested in a project?
Ramirez: I think every time I work on something it feels really special, but this particular project was our baby. I was pregnant when my husband was writing it. It’s interesting because I had just given birth about four months prior to starting pre-production for the film and then we started shooting about a month later. The hard work that it takes to really get something off the ground, and that persistence and work ethic to make an independent film work, it’s just really about not giving up. Every time something comes up, it’s being able to just tackle it and say, “Hey, we’re going to get this done! That’s talking from the pre-production aspect of it to actually shooting it, which by the way, we shot it in 13 days.

TrunkSpace: Wow!
Ramirez: I know. It’s insane.

TrunkSpace: Having just given birth a few months prior to production, how did you find the time and energy to both star in and produce the film?
Ramirez: My motto is that I’ll rest when I’m dead. For right now, if I have an opportunity to make something happen, I will. I’m just a hard worker and I’ve always had that work ethic in my life. Again, I come from a different kind of background. The way I see it is, I have nowhere to go but up. I just dedicate my life to doing something that I love. Being able to touch the masses with a story and have people relate to it, it’s a gift. I see it that way. Whenever I wanted to just take a nap in the middle of the day, I just thought, “No, we have something that we have to do!” We just kept trucking.

TrunkSpace: And you shot in Georgia, right?
Ramirez: My husband’s mom was amazing and let us use her entire land. She has acres of land in Columbus, GA near Talbot County, which is where the Emily Burt legend started. That’s how we ended up finding out about the legend of Emily Burt.

TrunkSpace: Did shooting an indie film in such a secluded location force you to think outside of the box from a production standpoint?
Ramirez: I remember at one point we didn’t have enough money to rent lights. Somebody said, “One of our guys knows how to build lights. If we just buy the parts and ship them in from China, we can build our own lights.” That’s what we did.

All these little challenges kept coming up. We just trucked on and made it happen. It’s really beautiful to be able to do that. That’s also what I want in my life, to inspire and show people that, “Hey, you can do it! Just say that you’re going to do it and don’t stop!”

TrunkSpace: You mentioned how your husband grew up around the area where the legend of Emily Burt first took shape. Did you have any local legends or ghost stories in the area where you grew up in the Dominican Republic?
Ramirez: In the Dominican Republic, especially where I grew up, we didn’t have much electricity, so we didn’t have TV. I didn’t even grow up watching television. I think I started watching television around the age of 5. So yeah, there are always legends when you’re growing up in a remote area like that, because that’s what people talk about. “So and so died and she was there and the spirit went inside her.” I grew up listening to ghost stories like that my whole life.

I’ve always been fascinated by the horror genre. The one great thing about “Lycan” that I really responded to was the fact that it was based on something that people knew about. You can research it online. The way I see it, “Lycan” is more of a Hitchcockian suspense thriller. It’s something that you can look up and inquire about. It feels a little more scary if you know that it is something that actually happened to real people.

TrunkSpace: They always say that something needs to be grounded in reality to connect with an audience and what better way to ground it in reality than with actual reality!
Ramirez: That’s what I mean. My husband, as a writer and as a director, is interested in those kinds of stories more than anything. He has an incredible mind. He was able to take this legend and then write a story around it. We kind of made it a little more interesting because we really wanted to put a face to the disease of lycanthropy. That’s what makes it a little more interesting than just the legend, the fact that lycanthropy is a disease that to this day is misdiagnosed as schizophrenia and is something that still occurs.

TrunkSpace: And that’s when people believe they are wolves?
Ramirez: Yeah, it’s when people believe they’re turning into wolves and believe that the hair is growing out of their faces and that they’re transforming. We wanted to really bring light to that disease as well as talk about this legend.

TrunkSpace: And in addition to all of that, it’s also a period film.
Ramirez: Yeah, our film takes place in the 1980s, which I love because I grew up watching those kinds of movies. The temperament of the film also has that old school feel to it as a suspense story, so that’s really cool. I do think that the 80s had a sensibility to the take on a horror film that I really enjoyed. It felt pure and youthful, but really interesting. I grew up and I was a teenager in the 80s, so for me it was really good to kind of go back and reminisce on all of that and watch all of the movies and see their take on all that stuff.

TrunkSpace: Even the poster has that great throwback feel to it.
Ramirez: Yeah, the 80s sensibility is great because, I believe, films have taken such a science fiction turn. As far as feeling that eerie suspense, I’ve always liked the tone of the way the 80s films were made, especially the idea of a bunch of young kids in the middle of the woods. There’s something really authentic about that. We wanted to really tap into that and bring that back. Even the look of it and the feel of it has that vibe and makes it a little different than other films that are coming out today.

That’s why I really loved tapping into the disease as well, because it’s more of a human psychosis film than it is a jumpy horror film. That’s what makes it not only authentic, but I feel, way more scary than just watching a movie where you’re fascinated by the effects.

TrunkSpace: As you look back over your first producing experience, is there anything that you would have done differently, either to make your own life easier as the producer or for the production as a whole to run more smoothly?
Ramirez: It was really challenging to do it independently and to do it for no money. As a producer and as a creative entity, if you ever finish a project and feel like you’re completely satisfied and that there’s nothing that you wouldn’t change, then you have stopped your mind creatively. There are always things that you’re going to end up, after the project, saying, “Oh man, I wish I did…” Not everything is going to be 100 percent exactly what you thought it was going to be.

The great part about this project is that there are things that I didn’t expect that came out even better than I thought and that’s a testament to the people that were a part of it. Not just in front of the camera either, but the people who really fought and worked in the trenches with us making sure that even after we shot the film that the look of it was great and that the color was perfect.

“Lycan” arrives in theaters this Friday!

Welcome to the first installment of our LYCAN WEEK ongoing feature!

Opening Friday in select theaters, “Lycan” tells the story of six college kids who revisit an old Georgia legend, the strange and puzzling story of Emily Burt, the Talbot County werewolf. Based upon true historical events, the film is the first producing effort of Crystal Hunt (“Magic Mike XXL,” “One Life to Live”) who teamed up with best friend Dania Ramirez to turn a lifelong dream into a cinematic reality.

We recently sat down with Hunt to discuss production speed bumps, the difficulties of shooting a period piece, and why “Lycan” is so much more than a suspense thriller.

TrunkSpace: “Lycan” is your first experience producing a feature film. What was it like for you as a whole and what did you learn when all was said and done?
Hunt: I gave it my best try. Dania and I have said ever since we were kids that one day, once we started working and had everything rolling, that we were gonna start making our own movies. So we kind of stayed true to that. There were definitely some more difficult things along the way that were just little speed bumps, but they were just that, speed bumps. You learn from every little one. Nothing was actually catastrophic. There are some different facets of it that you don’t really see as much of when you’re on the other side.

TrunkSpace: Dealing with the speed bumps seem to be the part that a lot producers love. Would you say that putting out the fires becomes sort of addicting?
Hunt: I’m a planner so for me, getting everything organized and in order so that everything runs smoothly… I get such pride off of that because I knew I had everything in order and planned out so well. Putting out fires is fine. I don’t mind it at all because I feel like… I’m from a big family, so I feel like it’s kind of a normal thing. I think the only thing that we were noticing was that because we shot in the middle of nowhere, if we did need something, we were like, “Oh crap, we forgot to get that!” And it’s a big deal to get to the nearest Walmart, which was the closest thing.

TrunkSpace: (Laughter) But in order to move forward with the production, you need that thing you’re missing so traveling to the Walmart becomes a necessary evil.
Hunt: Absolutely. We were in the middle of 5,000 acres and that 5,000 acres was also in the middle of nowhere. So once you go through the gates of the 5,000 acres, it’s still a trek once you get there. And Walmart was definitely the nearest thing, so you had to find anything and everything you needed there.

TrunkSpace: And what’s interesting is that the story of the film takes place in the 1980s, so you’re adding an entirely different layer of complications to your first producing endeavor in terms of making sure the physical look of it is accurate.
Hunt: Yeah, it was also wardrobe too. It was trying to make sure that everybody kept in the theme of the period. But also, even with the lighting because there’s so many different types of lighting we had to use to get the correct feel. Something that you would think might appear to be the correct period can look completely different once you actually see it on the feed with the lighting. It’s like you’re constantly making adjustments.

TrunkSpace: You mentioned how you and Dania always wanted to make your own movies. Was this genre always part of the plan?
Hunt: I think that Dania and I both love suspense movies and I don’t know of anybody really who doesn’t, unless they have bad cardiac issues and they just can’t watch them because of health reasons. I think everybody likes suspense movies.

It was about making a suspense movie that’s actually based upon a true story and not just a, “Boo!” with somebody creeping around the corner and scaring you type of thing. It’s not campy in that way. It’s actually not at all what you would think it would be. It’s all a very true story based upon actual events.

TrunkSpace: It’s one of those stories that’s been told and retold amongst groups of friends who grew up in the area it took place, right?
Hunt: My best friend’s husband… he’s actually from right near where the real thing happened, so it is a story he grew up hearing all the time as a kid. The real lady, Emily Isabella Burt, she is actually buried right down the street from where he grew up and where his mom still lives.

TrunkSpace: Did you tap into those personal ties to the story and the area to get an inside perspective?
Hunt: Oh heck yeah! Absolutely! Anything we could find on her.

I was flying back and forth because I was working on two different projects, but it seemed like any time any of us were at a standstill and able to connect to Wi-Fi, we were emailing each other new things that we found on the Burt family. Anything more we could add, we’d just create a file with every single possible thing we could come across that pertained to the girl and her family.

TrunkSpace: Because the film is based on a true story with real people at its core, did you have to take a careful approach with how you presented them?
Hunt: I don’t know if it’s careful. As an actor, we all love to tell stories. Nobody wants to tell stories inaccurately. Even if it’s not a true story, you want to make sure that you’re portraying exactly what the writer had in mind and that you’re clear on what their vision was for the character. But, because “Lycan” is a true story, we didn’t want to come out with a bag on our face. We wanted to make sure that we covered every base and if there was ever any lingering question, we did our best to try to get that answered. I don’t think it was that we didn’t want to step on anybody’s toes. It was more of finding out more and more details because it made it so much more exciting.

TrunkSpace: And like they say, sometimes the most exciting storytelling is the real-life stuff because there are just some things that you can’t make up.
Hunt: Exactly. That’s my point. We were equally as curious and excited to find out so many more different things here and there. Yeah, absolutely… you can’t make it up.

TrunkSpace: Do you view the film as a horror film?
Hunt: We call it a suspense thriller. It’s not just a scary movie. Yes, it’s labeled a suspense thriller because of some of the things you’ll see in it, but it’s really not that. Everything you’re seeing is not something just made to be spooky or to get people scared. The entire thing spawned from a mental illness that was very real in North America until the late 1800’s or early 1900’s, but is still prevalent in Central and South America today. I can’t even fathom what it must be like to have something like that in your family or in your life. Once people know that it’s completely based on that, I think that they’ll see it from a different angle because it’s not just another scary movie that’s released in the fall.

TrunkSpace: The film is due out this week. What do you want people to take from it?
Hunt: I hope they like all of the choices and all of the things we did with it, but I also really hope that they walk away from it equally as excited as we were to delve into more research on this mental illness and the girl that the film is based upon. I can’t fathom them not Googling it on their phone, even in the theater, let alone when they’re walking out. I hope they get equally as curious and excited about the subject of the film as we did because that’s the reason why it all came to be.

TrunkSpace: You chose not to star in “Lycan.” As you look to produce more projects in the future, will you stay behind the scenes or do you see a situation where you’ll pull double duty and act in a project that you’re also producing?
Hunt: I definitely will. I just think that on both my behalf and Dania’s, we both really realized how important it was to stay focused, especially with all the last minute things and all of the things that happen in the couple of days before you begin production, and even on the first day. There’s so many things you’d never plan for that happen.

We definitely know moving forward that we need to have someone, if I’m going to be acting in it as well, that we can trust to make sure that all of those fires are put out and that everything is handled and handled correctly. Because I gotta tell you, those things are bound to happen and there’s no way to focus on a character with all of those fires having to be put out as well.

“Lycan” arrives in theaters this Friday!

One of the more murderous characters in the grindhouse series “Blood Drive” goes against everything procedural cop shows have taught television viewers regarding serial killer profiles. As the overbearing and emotionally abusive Domi, Jenny Stead brings a dynamite dynamic to the raucous show. Whether she’s figuratively smothering her onscreen husband Cliff or literally smothering yet another victim of her cruel cravings, she is a powder keg who is one short fuse away from going off… and she is glorious!

We recently sat down with Stead to discuss flying freak flags, judging Domi’s book by its cover, and why “Blood Drive” is so special.

TrunkSpace: We have been asking this of every “Blood Drive” cast member we speak with because, well, it just seems like an obvious first question. (Laughter) Did you ever wonder if the material you were working on in “Blood Drive” would ever make it to air?
Stead: Listen, when you read David Straiton’s IMDb credits you kind of figure that he knows what he’s doing.

But, um, okay, in the spirit of full disclosure (and at the risk of sounding like a complete doofus), I didn’t actually read the pilot until I was called back! I was contracted to do a play over most of the shooting of “Blood Drive,” so I didn’t think I had a chance to be anything more than (hopefully) a day player. When they called me back for Domi, I finally read episode 1 and all I remembered was Grace’s line offering a little extra adrenaline-inducing action, “Back door, Barbie. One time offer!” and I thought, “Woah! What!?! Oh, it’s some sort of soft core porn! Why am I reading for this?!”

I didn’t get the extent of James Roland’s genius and truly wonderful humor until the first table read. The entire cast was incredible, but Alan Ritchson and Christina Ochoa blew me away. Straight off the bat they had this great chemistry, but more than that they had already found the romance and the comedy so beautifully written into each show. It was really only after that read that I had a clear understanding of what we were doing and I was amped.

TrunkSpace: On the surface, your character is a fish out of water in the “Blood Drive” world, but in reality, she probably fits in better than most. Is she camouflaged on purpose or is Domi just who she is?
Stead: No one fits in in the Blood Drive, they are all misfits and weirdos and that’s one of the relatable aspects, right? Because we all have a freak flag, we just fly it at different heights.

I could write a solid thesis on my take on Domi’s backstory, but at the end of the day, it’s all just my own trajectory and I’m sure people like to imagine her beginnings for themselves.

I do, however, think it’s a lot of camouflage. I think Domi is trying very hard to pass for the average, suburban housewife. I think that dictates everything from the color of her lipstick to the shirts she, obviously, forces Cliff to wear. I think she probably grew up in a trailer and has worked very hard to become what she imagines society deems appropriate.

TrunkSpace: There’s that old saying, “It’s always the quiet ones…” Does that apply to Domi?
Stead: Sure, Domi can be an observer, but I wouldn’t describe her as quiet. Cliff can’t get a word in, poor guy! I do think the old saying about judging a book by its cover is pretty apt though.

TrunkSpace: Throughout the series your scene partner is your onscreen husband Cliff, played by Craig Jackson. Did having a static scene partner help you find a comfort zone, not only as Domi but in her role as not-so-loving wife?
Stead: I struck gold with Craig Jackson, he and I were like two kids in a candy store. We did not stop laughing and appreciating every minute on set.

Domi and Cliff have a particularly unique physical relationship. I don’t think Domi is fond of being touched at all. It takes a certain element of macabre to turn her on and Cliff is the only person who gets that. The fact that they’re often static physically and occupying separate spaces certainly played into the strained aspects of their marriage. It also meant that when they do become physically close, it’s with a very deliberate intention, which makes it kind of sweet, and hopefully, even a little hot. For example, one of the only times they become physically close is when they give each other massages. If you don’t understand how this can get steamy, you should consider watching adult massage videos. Massages can be very sensual, intimate and sexy.

TrunkSpace: When did Domi and Cliff’s relationship go sour? As they reminisce, they sure seem to paint a pretty picture of the past, but was it ever pretty or are their nostalgic brains skewing what actually was?
Stead: Unless you think a honeymoon shag requiring a bellhop bleeding out all over you is pretty, I don’t think that’s the most accurate word! (But hey, each to their own!)

I think they were probably really lucky to find each other. In my head, they met as children and started killing early on. Craig and I like to imagine that Cliff helped Domi kill her foster parents. That’s why Domi has no surname because she got rid of her slave name and likes to be known by one name, like all the greats… Stalin, Hitler, and, you know, Cher.

TrunkSpace: Domi clearly has a murderous blood drive of her own. What do you think Domi’s weapon of choice is?
Stead: Anything sharp. A scalpel, scissors, small blade… her teeth! She definitely prefers to take her time and is fascinated with the human body, but she can also be like a shark near blood and go into a complete feeding frenzy. But for her, murder is definitely art.

TrunkSpace: Your onscreen husband Cliff has weaknesses that are clearly visible. Domi, not so much. Does she have any weaknesses?
Stead: I think her weakness lies in her deep desire to fit in. I think she tries so hard to be normal but has zero aptitude for normality. Luckily she has no emotions, so she doesn’t feel too bad about it all.

TrunkSpace: Eyeball make out session! How does one prepare for something like that?
Stead: We were so lucky to have James Roday directing that block. He had this ridiculous stroke of genius that he wanted the eyeball scene to be an homage to John Hughes’ “Some Kind of Wonderful.” He wanted Cliff and Domi to be like teenagers who were making out for the first time. It was so clever because we played it with absolute sweetness and sincerity and then there was just this incredibly life-like, bloodied eyeball in the mix. The props department gave me one of the standby eyeballs as a keepsake. It sits proudly on a bookshelf in my lounge over a copy of “The 5 Love Languages.” It’s especially great for when my kids have friends over and their parents pick them up after a play date!

TrunkSpace: How do you share your new gig with family when said gig is a show with cars that eat people and a character who is mouth-swapping eyeballs? What is that conversation like?
Stead: I have the world’s greatest husband. He’s incredibly supportive and although he’s not a massive grindhouse fan, he’s really enjoying “Blood Drive.” My kids think it’s the best thing ever, especially when I had to do stunt training and they hear about me having to massacre an entire village. My mom’s just happy when I work and I haven’t told my dad that much about it. Hopefully I’ll never have to!

TrunkSpace: “Blood Drive” is so very unlike anything else on television. That statement is said a lot about a great number of shows, but usually it’s just said for the sake of saying it. It truly is the case with your show. Does that make being involved with it feel all the more special?
Stead: There is so much great television being made at the moment. Although on the periphery it might seem that “Blood Drive” would only appeal to a very niche market, I think they’ve managed to create something with a really broad appeal and given the genre that’s no mean feat. “Blood Drive” is special for so many reasons. The show is cool. It’s dark and gory and it’s funny and it feels particularly poignant in this day and age. I’m a genuine fan. I’m really proud of this show and it introduced me to some of the most incredible people. For such a gruesome show it was really filled with a lot of love.

TrunkSpace: Strictly from a career standpoint, is “Blood Drive” a game changer?
Stead: It certainly is a nice addition to my show reel. As far as game changing? I’m not sure I can expect a call from David Lynch, but if you’d care to put in a good word…

TrunkSpace: When you look at your career moving forward, what would you like to accomplish? Do you have bucket list items that you want to check off in your career?
Stead: It sounds corny but I just want to do good work that I’m proud of. I love what I do and I never take for granted how lucky I am to do it.

 

Juggling is a learned skill. When people master the art, it’s, well, masterful. Some juggle bean bags. Some juggle bowling pins. And there are a few adventurous ones who juggle chainsaws. The most impressive version of balls in the air, however, comes in the form of career juggling, and actress/comedian Janet Varney does it better than most. As the star of “Stan Against Evil” on IFC and “You’re the Worst” on FXX, as well as the host of the Nerdist podcast “The JV Club” and the co-founder and creative director of SF Sketchfest: The San Francisco Comedy Festival, she gives new meaning to the concept of working hard and takes nothing in her professional life for granted.

We recently sat down with Varney to discuss trunk varieties, finding balance in her busy schedule, and enjoying the cosplay diversity of comic conventions.

Varney: Are we in a trunk together?
TrunkSpace: Not physically, but we are in the essence of being in a truck.

Varney: Okay. Is it the essence of a car truck, or the essence of an old Chinese steamer ship trunk? Those are your only two options.
TrunkSpace: Definitely old timey steamer ship where you could open it and find anything imaginable inside.

Varney: Oh, fantastic. Let me get some mustache wax and we’ll get to work.

TrunkSpace: (Laughter) You do so much both inside the industry with film and television, and then just on the outside with the comedy festival and “The JV Club.” How do you manage your time and the individual projects to make them all work in unison?
Varney: Boy, that’s a fantastic question. It is a question that I think I find myself asking myself, almost as much as other people ask me. It’s tough. I think it’s one of those examples as any kind of parent would tell you or somebody who is a firefighter and works 48 straight hours with very little sleep, anything that feels like it’s a little bit out of the box, or out of the trunk if you will, from the basic 9 to 5. From the outside it looks like, “How are you doing that?” But it’s just evidence of human adaptability. I think that every time I go back to Tucson, Arizona. I’m like, “Who decided that this was a safe place to settle?” I just can’t imagine looking around the desert and living there for one summer before air conditioning, fans, coolers, before anything was invented at all, and saying, “I think we can do this. I think we got this.”

TrunkSpace: It’s like the first person who tried crab. Who looked at one and said, “I bet that’s delicious!”
Varney: I just said that! I just said that when I was eating crab! From what it looks like, and what it looks like when it’s raw to where it goes and how delicious it is…

I understand that we’re apes, but we’re not that different from the dog who’s like, “Maybe I’ll sample this piece of shit.”

That feels very sort of Gary Larson, Far Side-ish. Like some series of cartoons that just show the guy who tried the thing, the caveman who tried the thing that, in fact, did kill him. All the people who have sacrificed themselves by making epic fail decisions before there was an internet.

That’s a long way around of saying, “I’m just used to it.” It doesn’t mean it’s good for me all the time. I feel very lazy a lot of the time, which is to say I don’t necessarily just sit around all the time, but I know that I kind of wish I were sitting around all the time. There are definitely things that I put off, that I procrastinate over. It doesn’t matter how much or how little I have going on, I’ll just find a way to not do something until the last minute. It’s like you really wanna find that sweet spot of busyness. There’s a certain level of busyness where your energy is up, you’re not being totally sapped, and so it feels like you’re kind of on top of everything and you have this momentum. You don’t even wanna procrastinate, because it feels great to get stuff done and you’re working on what you love.

What a rare moment to find, but once you feel it, you kind of go, “Well, maybe I’ll just keep reaching towards whatever that thing is. And then, is this too much? Okay, now I feel overwhelmed and I just wanna have a nervous breakdown. Now I feel a little bit like I have only one thing to work on, and now I’ve come to hate that one thing, because it’s taking up too much of my time.”

TrunkSpace: There was a time where you would not see someone starring in multiple shows for multiple networks, but that is not the case anymore. The way that the industry has changed seems to have allowed for creative people to juggle more as well.
Varney: Yeah, it definitely has, especially in a business where you’re conditioned to be afraid to say no, which isn’t a good thing. There’s something very empowering about making the right decision for yourself and taking care of yourself, even if that means saying, “This project isn’t right for me.” Or, “I can’t juggle one more plate, I have to think about my family.” Or whatever the reason is. Again, that’s that balance we’re talking about striking.

In this business, because there is so much that’s up in the air and so much that’s out of our control, it does feel, I think, good and exciting to have the capability to be doing different things, because then your eggs aren’t all in one basket. Your heart isn’t shattered when the one show that you’re doing goes away, and you sort of look around with this existential conundrum going, “What is my purpose again?”

TrunkSpace: There was a time when a television show needed millions upon millions of viewers to be considered a success. Now a show is allowed to find an audience and grow, which is nice to see and it must help take the pressure off of everyone involved?
Varney: I couldn’t agree more. I’ve never liked anything that mainstream, so I can’t imagine creating or being a part of something that mainstream. Never say never, but I always like the stuff that makes it fun to go to places like Comic-Con. Not San Diego Comic-Con, where everything is huge and corporatey, but these smaller cons where people are cosplaying as things you’ve never seen before, and that’s okay. And they’re happy to tell you about this weird, random, Japanese Anime that they love and that you’ve never seen. And that makes me so happy, that there’s room for people with all kinds of different tastes to get a feel of what they like.

TrunkSpace: “Stan Against Evil” is set to return in November. From an acting standpoint, what’s the best part about returning to a series after a long hiatus?
Varney: What’s funny is we all kind of had the same experience, which is it felt like so much time had passed. I think it’s kind of like going back to school. It feels like all of these things happened in your life and that all this time has passed, and then you get on the set and it feels like, “Oh, I was just here. Did I ever leave?”

What a joy to see that crew again. It’s just such a great group of people. There are things that we learned about how to function in the short period of time that we have to shoot the show. And Dana Gould had the experience of writing a bunch of stuff with the writers without having seen the set or knowing what Georgia was going to be like, precisely, in the middle of the night in the swamps in July, and maybe regretted a couple of the decisions that he made. (Laughter)

TrunkSpace: (Laughter) Sounds cozy!
Varney: (Laughter) So he went in to coming up with season 2 ideas armed with a lot more information, a lot more on-the-ground information, and I think that’s reflected in season 2 and what happened during the production. I’m so lucky now that I look back at the stuff that I’ve done over the… I guess I’ve been doing this for 12 years maybe, something like that. And it’s not that I wasn’t proud of things I worked on in the beginning. I was, but there was just sort of a universal wash of delight and surprise that I was working at all. And I did love “Dinner & a Movie.” I loved Claud and Paul. And that shot in Atlanta, so I got to love that city over the seven years that I did that show.

But for some reason, in the last four or five years, there has been a different shift to feeling like I had just gotten even more lucky, and I’ve had more ongoing, long-term jobs that have just been real pinch-me moments of, “Why am I getting to work on this?”

I feel so incredibly lucky to get to work with Dana and John C. McGinley and that extraordinary group of people. I just don’t think I’ve taken any of it for granted. I have many, many flaws, but taking the work for granted, I think is not one of them.

TrunkSpace: You had mentioned that as a viewer you like shows that are not in the mainstream. The thing about “Stan Against Evil” is that tonally it’s a difficult one to find a balance with for a lot of shows, the horror/comedy mix. But your show does it so well. Did you guys have to do some massaging to find that tone and get into groove?
Varney: I think it’s Dana, as a show. He’s such a fan of old-school horror, zombie, Roger Corman, Elvira, and just everything from “Planet of the Apes.” He’s just such a nerd for that stuff, and has been his whole life. And then, you take his enthusiasm for that, that he’s had his whole life, and you take his enthusiasm for comedy that he’s been cultivating, and obviously had a lot of experience working on with “The Simpsons” and as a stand-up over the years and I just think that stuff was all cooking in his brain just as he was walking around being a human being in life. So when it came time for him to actually do the show, I feel like he just really, really knew the tone. And I think he did a tremendous job of communicating that really early on. And he loves to say this and I always get really embarrassed and now here I am saying it myself, but I guess it turns out he wrote the part of Evie for me. He wrote it with me in mind. I still can’t believe that. That’s outrageous to me.

So I was obviously on the same page with him from the beginning, and then as IFC and Dana were in search of their Stan, having John C. just get it and get it so quickly was paramount. It was so exciting for everybody to be locking in this amazing group of people who just got it from the get go. Because, again, we have such a little amount of time to shoot it, that was just imperative. Everybody had to kind of be on board for the tone from the beginning. And it does kind of feel like serendipity, it feels like, “Well how did that work out?” Thank God it did.

TrunkSpace: Do you feel like playing Evie has helped break any preconceived notions within the industry about you as a performer?
Varney: Gosh, I hope so. I don’t know that I can identify a specific situation where I would have gone in for something and had someone say, “By the way, I wouldn’t have brought you in for this if it weren’t for your role as Evie on ‘Stan Against Evil.'” I think, for me, if you think about the work you’re leaving behind, that and “The Legend of Korra” are the two things that have maybe shown my range the most. And that’s a tremendous gift.

That’s another thing where very few of us feel like we have the luxury of sniping about thinking we only ever get to play one thing. But typecasting is totally real, and it’s not even something that I can get mad about. That’s just how we are. As a producer, I know that I think of people in a certain way based on the work I’ve seen them do. And it doesn’t mean that I’m not open to seeing them do something else, but we’re creatures who like to put things in boxes because we take in a tremendous amount of stimuli. So I totally get that someone would look at me and go, “No, I don’t see Janet Varney auditioning as the lead surgeon on this procedural. She does this, this, and this.”

Maybe it’s just that I don’t feel like I’m not getting to stretch. With that said, to your point, it’s been great to have these roles that maybe dig a little deeper. And the same is true with “You’re the Worst,” to be honest with you. As outrageous as that character is, she is deeply wounded, and so there is definitely stuff going on inside that I think informs even how over-the-top she is and forms something human about it. And I think that’s what’s so great about that show, is that for all of these characters basically being some version of the worst, they really are arguably each one the worst, because they’re all different and peculiar at how awful they are. There’s something so vulnerable about all of them. And to me, that’s what makes you wanna come back to it, even with all the train wrecks, because you still root for the characters.

Season 4 of “You’re the Worst” premieres September 6 on FXX.

Season 2 of “Stan Against Evil” premieres November 1 on IFC.

You can listen to The JV Club here.

Many young people with aspirations of becoming a professional actor dream of one day having their talents recognized with an Emmy nomination. Not many of those future award ceremony scenarios involve zombies.

The “Fear the Walking Dead” companion web series “Passage” was recently nominated for an Emmy in the new Outstanding Short Form Comedy or Drama Series category. Even more amazing than a genre show being recognized is that series star Kelsey Scott was also nominated in the Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series category, a well-deserved nod for a performance that will hopefully create a change in the way horror and science fiction performances are viewed on a critical level.

 

We recently sat down with Scott to discuss her “Passage” experience, her writer grandmother, and what she’d develop in Hollywood if presented with a blank check.

TrunkSpace: Did you ever think you’d receive an Emmy nod for working alongside of zombies?
Scott: (Laughter) I think you just take the ride. I can’t imagine that anyone would ever anticipate that, so you just go with it.

TrunkSpace: In all seriousness though, it must be nice to have your work and the format recognized. It’s great to see these short form projects getting critical attention, especially at this stage when they play like mini-movies.
Scott: Oh, absolutely. I said to someone at some point that short form has been like a pioneer of different stories of different narratives of different perspectives. It is now much simpler to produce in terms of content, so you get a lot of voices that maybe would not have been heard before because now they can actually get recognition. Now they can actually get their content distributed in some way. I think short form has become particularly important to an overall narrative for the industry.

TrunkSpace: And for a series like “Fear the Walking Dead,” these companion pieces are also a great way to build out the universe even further.
Scott: Exactly. Any number of people have seen a character on a show or even in film and wondered about their backstory or wished there was more to view with that particular character. This gives a chance to explore that type of stuff. It’s kind of a litmus test, I think, also for the larger brand in that they get to see what the fan reaction is to a certain type of character and then they can make some decisions about how much more to show in the actual long form.

TrunkSpace: What does the production schedule on something like “Passage” look like?
Scott: We spent three days in Santa Clarita and shot the entire 16 episodes in three days.

TrunkSpace: Wow.
Scott: Oh yeah! And we got bumped and bruised and scarred. It was so much fun.

TrunkSpace: Is it a situation where you get to spend three days with a character and then head home and wish you had more time with her?
Scott: Yeah, but it was great. I think the kind of compressed shooting schedule also just allows you to completely immerse yourself because it’s like, “All right, we’re just going to go hard for three days. Just get in there and do it.” It was great. One of the stories that Mishel and I talk about a lot is that on the third day, they brought in stunt doubles. We were like, “We’ve been doing all the stunts. Why do we have stunt doubles at the end?” (Laughter) We were like, “No, we’re good. We’ve already bled for this, so we’re okay.”

TrunkSpace: (Laughter) They bring them in right at the end to do a wide on the characters looking off into the sunset.
Scott: (Laughter) Right! “We’ve got this from here.”

That was a lot of fun though because you don’t often get to do that kind of thing, especially as a woman. The opportunities to do action and to get all dirty and wield weapons and kick butt doesn’t come along as often as we would like. It’s nice to not worry about whether or not your mascara is running or just to get in there and really, truly, literally and figuratively, get your hands dirty.

TrunkSpace: After getting in there and getting your hands dirty, was it a pleasant surprise when you learned about the Emmy nominations?
Scott: It was. It was a very pleasant surprise. You know that you’re on the ballot, so you know there’s a possibility, but there are a lot of people on the ballot. (Laughter) You hope that you are one of the people that gets chosen for that select spot. Yeah, it was really, really nice.

TrunkSpace: And you don’t often see genre pieces getting recognized in that way, so it speaks to how views are changing.
Scott: Yeah, I think they’re getting much more character-based than anyone anticipated. They can no longer be dismissed in terms of their story, so I think people are latching on to that.

TrunkSpace: You are a director and writer as well. When you’re focusing on a project strictly from an acting standpoint, is it hard for you to take off those other hats and not think like a director or think like a writer?
Scott: Not really. I think that it’s most difficult to separate those individual specialties when I’m writing, because when I’m writing, I’m writing as a writer, as an actor and a director. When you’re in front of the camera, then I think it’s really about delving into the character. I always think so highly of actor/directors who can direct themselves. How do you step outside of yourself when you’re on camera? I have the utmost respect for people who can do that. No, when I’m acting, I’m all in it.

TrunkSpace: Where did the bug bite you first?
Scott: It was definitely in the acting. From my first step on stage, though it was to sing not to act when I was three years old, so I’ve been doing the performing thing for awhile. My mother was very happy to refocus my energy out of her hair. (Laughter) She was just like, “Could you please do something with all of this energy that’s productive?”

I started on stage in Atlanta when I was just a child and then it grew from there. It was definitely acting, but my grandmother was a writer. That’s actually where I got the writing bug to begin with, when I was six years old.

TrunkSpace: That’s really cool.
Scott: She wasn’t a writer by profession, it’s something she loved to do. After she would write something, she’d let me read it, and sometimes I would actually go and perform her pieces around the community. She really sparked that in me, and then I kept going with it professionally.

TrunkSpace: It was great to have that focus so early in your upbringing because nowadays it seems more important than ever for actors to diversify and be able to create, write, and direct.
Scott: I could never have imagined the gift she gave me in sparking that interest in me because, absolutely, like I said, there are so many more opportunities to tell so many stories now, so you also need to be able to tell those stories. You can’t just depend on being in front of the camera, you have to be able to wield the pen. And that’s obviously a metaphor because nobody really writes out longhand anymore. (Laughter) You have to be able to figuratively wield the pen.

Then, if you’ve got even more skill sets in terms of the directing or the editing then that puts you in an even better position. The more you can do in-house, then I think the better the advantage you have.

TrunkSpace: Does being a writer/director also help you be a better actor and vice versa?
Scott: I think they all complement each other. Everybody talks about how theater is collaborative. That’s on somebody’s bumper sticker. I don’t know that people emphasize that as much in film and television, but it’s the exact same thing. None of this can be done on an island, so the more you know about the different aspects of the process, I think it just strengthens you in another area.

TrunkSpace: So if a studio came to you tomorrow and handed you a blank check to develop any kind of project that you wanted, what would it be?
Scott: Wow! A blank check? I’ve only ever seen those in movies!

Well, interestingly enough, because I am also a writer, I do have projects that are in different stages of development. You give me a blank check, and all of a sudden I’m financing a whole bunch of stuff. Oh yeah, I’d have so much fun with a blank check. Now you’ve got me dreaming!

TrunkSpace: So instead of putting it all into one project, you’d spread the wealth across multiple projects?
Scott: You did say blank check! (Laughter)

Watch “Passage” here.

In a post-apocalyptic world, being a survivor is not always a good thing, particularly for those attempting to outlast a zombie-geddon. Mishel Prada knows all too well about weathering that flesh-eating storm after being cast as a lead in the “Fear the Walking Dead” companion web series “Passage” where she portrays Gabi, one of the last hopes for humanity.

We recently sat down with Prada to discuss Emmy praise, her surprise casting, and immersing herself into the physicality of the role.

TrunkSpace: First we just have to say that it is extremely cool to see a genre series like “Passage” get recognized by the Emmy folks.
Prada: I know. It is really cool. I think the coolest part about it is that it’s part of this new media that’s coming out. I feel like new media is like this new generation’s rap music. People are like, “What is that rap music?” and then it ends up actually changing the game. I think new media and the online market, online web series and magazines, is the future. There’s an interesting change that is happening. It’s really cool to be a part of that.

TrunkSpace: Did you put more pressure on yourself as an actor stepping into something like “Passage” where you’re basically being folded into this massive universe/franchise that already has a huge fanbase?
Prada: I didn’t even know what I was getting into. (Laughter) I auditioned for it not knowing what it was at all and then didn’t realize what it was until the fitting. And then I didn’t realize that I was meant to be one of the leads of it until I got the script. (Laughter)

TrunkSpace: Wow. That’s a pleasant surprise!
Prada: I was like, “Oh, me and Kelsey are carrying this whole thing? Awesome!”

TrunkSpace: Discovering unexpectedly that you’re a lead in a high profile gig related to “The Walking Dead” seems like it might bring on a sudden panic attack. (Laughter)
Prada: (Laughter) Yeah, but it’s also exciting because as an actor, it’s fun to get to just dig into these stories. In addition to obviously being part of this big franchise, Lauren Signorino and Mike Zunic did an incredible job of writing a story that I felt really connected to. On set Kelsey and I really felt strongly about that, which was women coming together, doing their damn thing, and just surviving. In addition to being part of the franchise, it was this beautiful icing on the cake to get to also be part of telling stories that I think are very poignant for this time.

TrunkSpace: And from what we learned in talking with Kelsey, you guys got to do your own stunts as well, which must have made for some post-apocalyptic fun?
Prada: 100 percent. We had stunt people, but you kind of just get so deep into the characters that it almost doesn’t make sense to let somebody else take the fall or to feel the pain or whatever it is. In the moment, it was really just all-immersive. And then afterward, Kelsey and I went and had a margarita and we were sitting there just going, “Well, what was that?” (Laughter) We were all bruised and we went and had a spa day.

TrunkSpace: Much of the series looks claustrophobic. Did the shoot itself have that feel?
Prada: It wasn’t claustrophobic in the sense that you feel trapped, but it was definitely close quarters. The smoke and the dust and everything was very real. In between takes, we were having to wear these breathing masks. Just trying to also stay in it, which is the biggest thing because a lot of times an actor, you can kind of step away from the environment, but there’s also a beauty to sitting in the uncomfortableness of it because that is reality for the character. So there was a sense of making sure that you’re still honoring that.

TrunkSpace: Humans are always scarier than the zombies in “The Walking Dead” universe, but was it kind of weird to see the zombies standing near the crafty table in-between takes sipping a latte or whatever? (Laughter)
Prada: (Laughter) The makeup is amazing. The effects department does a really great job. They cast these characters with these really beautiful, interesting faces so that they kind of accentuate the angles. Yeah, it is a really cool thing to be a part of and see.

TrunkSpace: What’s amazing is that a lot of times these companion shorts/web series can sometimes feel like they’re shot on the cheap and not fully immersed in the umbrella of the universe, but with “Passage,” it seemed like they pulled no punches to make it look and feel just like what fans of “The Walking Dead” or “Fear the Walking Dead” have grown accustom to.
Prada: Yeah, the cinematography was incredible. They did a really great job. I remember seeing a lot of the stills and just thinking how beautiful it looked. We weren’t really wearing a lot of makeup and it wasn’t really about the women looking beautiful or looking poised. A lot of it was just about whatever the action was that was going on and the beauty of the sets, which was really cool.

TrunkSpace: When you learned that you would be one of the leads in “Passage,” did it feel like it could open more doors in your career?
Prada: As with anything in life, it’s always good to just experience what you’re experiencing right at the moment. I suppose that is the luxury of not knowing what the future is with the project. All that you know is just that moment and all of us could kind of take a lesson in that… just to really focus on what’s in front of you and whatever you’re feeling and tend to that.

TrunkSpace: Since it aired, have you felt the reach of “The Walking Dead” fanbase?
Prada: Yeah, the fanbase has been really cool. I have a friend that’s on “The Walking Dead,” Alanna Masterson. I’ve seen what has happened with her being on the show. It never really occurred to me when we were shooting it that it would be something that would carry over in that way.

I think what’s cool about “Fear the Walking Dead” is that it really embraces a lot of diversity with the way the Latin community looks at death in a different way. Whereas, in Mexico and most of Latin American, death is celebrated. It is feared to some extent, but it’s just a transition. There’s a compassion in a way.

TrunkSpace: It’s almost more of an acceptance of death and not fighting against it.
Prada: Exactly, and having to live with that death as opposed to being able to bury it away and forget about it.

TrunkSpace: Earlier in our conversation you mentioned that it is cool to be a part of this new media generation. Do you think the various platforms that are now available to viewers has enabled content creators to take a more creative approach to storytelling and tell the story they want to tell?
Prada: Oh yeah, 100 percent. That’s why it’s so incredible that there is this place that just eliminates the excuses of, “Oh well, a studio’s not giving me money so…” Even if you only have an iPhone, you can tell a story and put it up, and people might resonate with it.

Watch “Passage” here.