An emerging indie actress and model, Cayt Feinics has built her name on the strength of committed, enthusiastic performances in hardcore, over-the-top indie efforts over the last several years. Now, in honor of Women in Horror Month, I talk with her about her start as an actress, the difficulties of performing in such extreme genre films and her upcoming projects.
Me: Hello and thank you for taking the time to do this. First off, where did you get the urge to get into acting?
Cayt Feinics: I used to do theater and always loved it. I kind of stumbled into film on accident. Stephen Biro had reached out to my boyfriend and stated that he had the rights to the American version of the Guinea Pig series. I half-joking, half-serious said I wanted to be in it. I loved everything about being in an indie horror film and made so many great friends. It was from this, that I then appeared in Sean Donohue’s Death-Scort Service.
Me: Were you always into genre films growing up? What films specifically got you into watching horror movies?
CF: I actually grew up in a really conservative home. My parents didn’t let us watch anything that wasn’t geared toward kids, minus Harry Potter. They even had a machine that changed the “curse words” from the film.
I do remember watching Gremlins 1 and 2 at my friend’s house when I was about 6 or 7. I fell in love with Gizmo and now collect Gremlins toys as an adult. Overall, I truly didn’t get fully into horror until about 7 or 8 years ago but now I am hooked.
Me: Is there any specific type of character you prefer playing?
CF: I love playing the villain. There is something so awesome about playing a character that causes chaos for the heroes. Someday I would like to play a vigilante though. Wearing a hood and trenchcoat and kicking some ass.
Me: How did you initially get started in the acting profession?
CF: I kinda mentioned this before but I will elaborate on how I’ve continued. Sean Donohue was on set for American Guinea Pig because he got us the warehouse we used or something like that. From there he asked if I would like to be in Death-Scort Service. Every film I have been in pretty much snowballed from there. The most recent film I was in, Clownado, only happened because I attended Tampa Bay Screams and met Todd Sheets.
Me: Your first film, American Guinea Pig: Bouquet of Guts and Gore, was an incredibly hardcore film. How did you handle the type of film being made and what happened to your character?
CF: So I actually had so much fun on set. When I watched the film after I laughed because I knew what was going on behind the scenes. I remember when the blood and marrow were shooting out of my bone and how Marcus Koch was on the ground beside me with a pump making sure it was squirting out. I loved the effects of how everything was done.
Side note: I still own part of my outfit (shirt and panties), my vagina and the mold for my body.
Me: From there, you moved into films like Death-Scort Service, Cannibal Claus and Crackbaby Billionaire. Did that allow for a more noticeable ease with shooting extreme horror films in rapid succession?
CF: I think I was ready in the first film from my first moment on set. I think it did prepare me for the long nights and chaos on set. I had so much fun in every one of those mentioned. I think one of the grossest things that happened though was on Crackbaby.
We filmed behind an abandoned flea market building. There was human shit on the ground and it was hot as hell. I was covered head to toe in fake blood, chocolate, strawberry milk and with no place to shower. That was disgusting but I still had a ton of fun on set.
Me: How different from your real personality are some of these roles? Do you find it easy to get into the mindset required to act out what’s happening in these films?
CF: Me outside of film I would say is a goofy, slightly awkward human being who collects toys and plushies. I like to think I am pretty easy to get along with.
I adapt pretty well to anything that goes on. I think that’s due to all the moving my family did when I was young. I do love analyzing each character and like coming up with a reason they are in this moment.
Me: What is the typical set-life like while shooting films like these? Does that make for a fun time bonding with everyone in the cast and crew with everyone involved in the same situation?
CF: Every set was different. Some sets I only worked with a few people. Others I worked with the entire cast and crew. Each shoot I felt welcome and safe which is important for film, especially when nudity is involved. I’ve made so many friends from this which has helped develop my career in film. It’s great when you can network and make friends at the same time.
Me: Your most recently-released film, Clownado, saw you play the killer clown Satchel. What did you bring to the role to separate her from your past characters?
CF: Satchel is a crazy ball of psychotic chaos and I love her for it. Todd really allowed me to go all out and bring this mix of all these different emotions. I wanted her to stand apart from the Harleys. Satchel doesn’t need anyone to tell her what to do, but she follows John O’Hara’s character, Big Ronnie because she gets to collect her faces.
Me: What was the make-up process like getting into her costume and face-paint? Did that help flesh out how you portrayed her seeing yourself in that appearance?
CF: I think the gradual change in her face paint allowed me to create different levels of her crazy. I was able to tone it down at the beginning and then go all out later. We had a great makeup crew that did a fantastic job!
Me: You also have several upcoming roles in the next few months, such as Her Name Was Christa and Hell’s Bells. What can you tell us about those roles?
CF: So Her Name Was Christa was actually just a small photo cameo. But Hell’s Bells was a lot of fun! I got to meet some of the cast and crew of another film I will be a part of later this year. I can’t say much on it yet but the release will be a showing in Tampa on April 17 at 10:30 PM.
Me: You’re also involved in the all-star cast for another upcoming film, Death Care. Was being around so many indie scream queens inspiring or somewhat a case of starstruck being around them?
CF: So for this one, I won’t actually be in until later this year. I am super excited to work with all of the scream queens! I love getting to work alongside people I’ve never worked with before.
Me: When you’re not involved with acting, what do you do to keep your creativity flowing?
CF: I would say my creative hobbies are painting (which I am really bad at) and cross-stitching. I do write on occasion but I need to learn to be more disciplined in this area.
Me: Lastly, being that this is Women in Horror Month, what special message do you have for any women out there looking to join in the industry in any capacity as you are one yourself? Thank you again for your time!
CF: In the words of Shia Lebouf, JUST DO IT! I never thought I could do this and if you would ask younger me about it, I would say you were crazy. Also, make sure you feel safe on set and don’t be afraid to ask for references. Network with people like mad! It brings success. And at the end of the day, make sure you have fun. I honestly think my favorite times in sets are when I get to bond with fellow cast and crew members as we eat pizza at 4 am because we just wrapped for the day. Lastly, be excellent to each other!
This interview ran as part of our month-long Women in Horror Month celebrations. Click the banner below to check out all of our interviews and reviews we've conducted for the event:
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