Quickly becoming one of the biggest names in the genre, actress Lauren Ashley Carter has amassed a nice catalog of roles in and out of the genre that makes for a fun time whenever she's on-screen. Now, on the release of her latest film "Black Site," I talk to her about her early career as well as the film itself.
Me: Hello, and thank you for taking the time to do this. We'll start at the beginning, where did you get an initial love of acting?
Lauren Ashley Carter: I always enjoyed performing for people. Usually singing or just being a ham and hurting myself for laughs. I'd fall over my feet, off sofas. I liked to do impersonations of cheesy commercial acting. The Ensure commercials were my favorite. I discovered Shakespeare in second or third grade and some of my friends would read it with me. We had absolutely no idea what we were saying, two 8-year-olds screaming "I bite my thumb at you!" in the Massillon Public library. I loved watching performers, and I think that's where it all began.
Me: What specifically attracted you to working in genre cinema?
LAC: I am a fan of genre cinema, so when I had the opportunity to act in it, I took it.
Me: Were there any other professions you considered before moving into this full-time?
LAC: I didn't consider them hard enough! I wanted to be a trial lawyer, but when I discovered it wasn't at all like A Few Good Men, I threw in that proverbial towel. I also could have been a damn fine golfer. A damn fine one. But I had to choose between golf lessons or singing lessons.
What a waste...
Me: Is there any specific type of character or genre you prefer playing?
LAC: New ones!
Me: That brings us to your new film, "Black Site." What can you tell us about your character in the film?
LAC: Agent Leonhart is an academic. She's kind and has a tough exterior, but she's physically weak. She overcompensates for her lack of skill with confidence.
Me: What specifically drew you to the role?
LAC: I actually auditioned for the role of Ren's boss! They offered me Leonheart, and I took it because I thought the script was fun and wanted to work with Tom.
Me: What kind of preparation do you take to get into the character? Once on set, what do you have to do to stay within that mindset?
LAC: It's different for every character. I don't like to stay in any mindset except a prepared one, really. With indie films, you never know when you'll actually start shooting. If you're in makeup at 6am and don't start shooting till after lunch at 3pm, and you're playing a person with a panic attack turning into a zombie whilst giving birth, it's gonna be a long day for you if you stay in that mindset.
I think if you know your character's body and background, your lines, and your scene partners, you should be able to get yourself prepared in a tidy amount of time.
I can't stress enough how important rehearsals are for EVERYONE. Make the time for rehearsals.
Me: Were there any qualities to her that proved difficult to capture during the shoot?
LAC: I don't think so, just wish she had more! <---- greedy
Me: Do you recall having any odd or funny on-set stories about yourself or any of the other cast/crew members?
LAC: The bunker was so amazing to shoot in, but freezing. Why are film sets always freezing or five thousand degrees?! Mike is hilarious. He's a gem in the film, but in person, even more funny. Sam and Phoebe were so fun to watch fight! They were such pros and lovely to everyone on set.
Phoebe and I have a confrontation, and I think everyone had a big chuckle when my character attempted to scare her off. I was a little nervous about getting too close to her. She kept reassuring me she wouldn't hit me. But I have absolutely no depth perception.
Hmm... maybe golf wouldn't have worked out for me after all.
Me: Lastly, what other projects do you have coming up that you would like to inform our readers about? Thank you again for your time!
LAC: Gags and Artik are my next films. They will be released soon, I hope! I'll tweet out once I hear any news. And working on getting a few new projects started, once anything materializes, I'll let everyone know.
Thank you!
Comments
Post a Comment