One of the most respected indie actresses in the UK indie scene, Charlie Bond is one of the most recognizable names working with several prominent roles in several films over the course of her career. Now, in honor of Women in Horror Month, I talk with her about her early interest in the industry, working on several of her films and other upcoming projects.
Me: Hello and thank you for taking the time to do this. First off, when did you get into horror in general?
Charlie Bond: I can’t really pinpoint the moment when I decided I was into horror. I’ve been a little creepazoid my entire life - although I do remember a very pivotal moment in the 90’s when I discovered the ‘Atmosfear’ horror VHS/Board game, and, aged 8, was psychotically obsessed with playing the VHS tape over and over again, quoting the gatekeeper whenever I could, which was usually in the most inappropriate of scenarios. From then, a not too-unusual teenage obsession with vampires, and then the macabre.
Me: Were you into genre films growing up? What films specifically got you into watching horror movies?
CB: My mother was obsessed with Hammer Horror films when I was younger, she would swoon over the terrifying Christopher Lee, so my earliest horror movies were those beautiful old sleepy, period movies where the monsters weren’t gory 80’s creatures, but human, or a monstrous extension of the human personality.
Me: When did you initially discover a passion for acting? What aspect of this industry appeals to you?
CB: I’ve always performed, be it through music or acting, my whole life. I love to connect with people through art. It’s universal, and as a natural and excitable raconteur, telling stories through performance is where I am happiest. I was around 24 when I had my first ‘break’ in feature films, and I haven’t looked back - it’s a challenging, and a frustrating life at times, but it’s also worth everything to me.
Me: Is there any specific type of character you prefer playing?
CB: I’ve had quite a history of playing quite one-dimensional, ‘tropey’ characters, which tends to come with the territory of doing a lot of straight-to-DVD movies - traditionally the producers have needed bankable, easy sells, so there’s not generally a lot of room for experimentation. So now, when I get the chance to play someone more realistic, I really jump at it! I like to play characters that are close to my own personality because to me that’s the most real and rawest character of all. So in short - generally kooky, awkward types!
Me: What are some fall-back tactics you do to stay in character while on-set? When you're not filming, how do you pass the time between takes?
CB: I do find it fairly easy to switch from ‘off’ to ‘on’, as I think cutting my teeth on the indie industry you have to learn how to hit the ground running and be able to adapt to any situation, like waiting for a busy town to clear for a moment, then pulling on your character to capture the brief moment quickly.
For me, practice and preparation is everything when it comes to staying in character on set, especially as I’m the biggest class clown in between takes. I like to keep the energy up on a set and so I’m always trying to make people laugh - but that does mean I have to know how to snap back into it once we’re rolling! Knowing my lines back-to-front way ahead of time, and prior to even getting on set, having a clear discussion with the director to know exactly where they need me to get to emotionally, is very helpful. Rehearsal where possible, either in-person or virtually. You cannot prepare for a role too much!
Me: Initially appearing in gangster films and crime dramas early in your career, what tools and skills do you acquire working on those that transferred to future film projects?
CB: That’s a really great question! I definitely picked up my love of the ‘between takes banter’ on gangster films. You’re often dealing with some pretty dark, realistic situations, with no counseling offered, so you’ve got to find a way to detach. For me, it’s humour, and I have loved swapping quips and puns with some of the best in the genre on set.
I also learned the art of finding the realness of the character in details and nuance. Often in these movies, the female characters are secondary roles, afterthoughts to the main male characters, and the filmmakers behind them aren’t too interested in hearing or talking about your character’s ‘motivation’. So you learn to do it yourself, to pack natural emotion or real human nature into your scenes. Tiny little details about your character’s body language, which if you do it right, no one notices, but you’ve done your part to boosts the film’s realism. That’s something I do on every job to this day, and my bigger roles are better for it.
Me: While you’d been involved with several other genre films before, your first major role was as Detective Keyes in 'Hellriser.' What drew you to the film and character initially? Were you aware of it being a sequel-of-sorts to his earlier film 'Nocturnal Activity?'
CB: I’d been aware of Steve Lawson since I saw Killersaurus, his weaponized-dinosaur horror, and I knew I was probably going to get on with him. It’s a great movie, which he’s endearingly modest and bashful about, and I’d hoped we’d get to work together. I’d seen him post a casting call for Hellriser online looking for an actor local to his midlands studio. In the spirit of good actor’s Karma, I’d actually contacted him recommending a friend for the part - but Steve asked if, in fact, I’d consider the role. I was very happy to read the script, Detective Keyes was a fun, realistic, plucky young gun and when I realized there was a definite connection to the previous Annie Dyer movie, I had to take it. I love a good spiritual sequel - when filmmakers create their own universes, I am right on board, helping with links to props and creating canon! That said - Steve recently cast me in his beautiful victorian love letter to Hammer, ‘Bram Stoker’s Van Helsing’, and he refused to let me get any Hellriser references in. So you’ll just have to imagine that Lucy Westenra is in fact the great great great great great grandmother of Detective Keyes instead ;)
Me: As well, you were a lead in the short film 'Dead Air.' With the prominent practical effects-work in the feature, what do you remember about the filming involved?
CB: Dead Air was a very seminal project for me for many, many reasons. Everyone knows that it’s where I first met my partner, fellow horror actor James Hamer-Morton, but it actually taught me a really big lesson in on-set etiquette towards your fellow actors. For the first two days of my scenes, I was ‘as’ myself, as in, I looked normal, had my makeup done very prettily, and so I was very easy to interact with for the other actors. The team bonded quickly and everyone likes to talk to a pretty girl on set. However, for the full next two days, I’d had a full facial prosthetic sculpted to my face for 4 hours each day, which was gruesome. I couldn’t eat through it (though bless the filmmakers Geoff Harmer and Peter Hearn for bringing me coffee and protein shakes with straws to keep my energy up) and I couldn’t move too much in-between shots, to keep it attached. It was fascinating to get a glimpse into the makeup time a lot of iconic monsters have been through! But what was the most interesting thing was the way other people interacted with me. I’ve gone from being a cute jokester to being hideous (There’s another horror movie in there somewhere) and the fellow cast simply could not look at me. They couldn’t make eye contact, and gradually, after the initial novelty of the spectacle, they preferred to not interact at all. I felt immensely isolated and very lonely for a lot of the time. I vowed from then to make sure if I ever worked with an actor who was experiencing similar or perhaps wasn’t being treated like the rest of the cast in another way, well, I’d make myself their best friend for the shoot, and help make them comfortable. I’m blessed to have made some great friends with some fellow monsters since then! I am grateful for that opportunity in so many ways.
Me: Most recently, you had a prominent role in the Mycho film 'Pandamonium' as Cindy Glass. Given their reputation in the scene, was that an extra impetus to play the character?
CB: I have wanted to work with Mycho for YEARS! They are some of the hardest working, relentlessly productive teams out there, and they get better and better with every film. I just love the universe they have created! Anna Dixon is one of my heroes, a real dynamo on the scene. Perfectly complementing the genius talents of MJ. I love seeing how they work together. There had been a couple of moments in history where we’d nearly worked together, but nothing came off due to various false starts from both sides, but on Pandamonium, everything lined up. I was a bit of a convenience casting to start with - they had cast James as the evil villain Damien, and so I offered my services for the smaller role of Cindy Glass, selling myself on the fact that I’d share a car and accommodation with James. But when I was on-set, they let me really bring a lot to the character, and Cindy definitely has a lot of my own personality in her. I loved that gig and I am crossing everything back for the future that Cindy makes a return to the Mychoverse - or even another character who happens to look very much like her…!
Me: What was the set like while shooting the film? How did the cast and crew react to the type of film being made?
CB: I hate it when people say this, so I apologize in advance - but working on a Mycho film is a real family environment. So everyone is working together, occasionally messing about, but the whole way through, it’s filled with love. MJ Dixon is an unfalteringly enthusiastic filmmaker. Anything difficult to perform for an actor, anything embarrassing or silly, you had better believe that he will get in there quickly to do it himself first, to help you feel more confident. Anna is right there afterwards, to scoop you up, wrap a jacket 'round you and feed you a pizza.
Everyone involved was so on-board, and it flowed beautifully - most of the cast were either Mycho alumni already or horror veterans so it was just a case of everyone getting on with it, and having fun at the same time - exactly how making a low budget horror movie with your mates should feel.
Me: Do you recall having any odd or funny on-set stories about yourself or any of the other cast/crew members?
CB: We shot the whole thing in a functional office block, and occasionally would have to deal with the odd lurker, staying late to try and catch a glimpse of the group of strippers teetering around their workplace. They would soon scurry home once they caught a glimpse of David Hon Ma Chu, who played the Panda-headed serial killer the film is named after… He spent a lot of his free time trying to spook any onlookers unfortunate enough to be hailing the elevator that he’d lurk in, in his bloody shirt, mask and knife get up!
Me: In addition to acting, you’re also a co-owner of the Deadlocked Escape Room. How did the creation and conception of that come about?
CH: Deadlocked is an interesting, huge part of my life, and an extension of my love of storytelling. I have done a lot of jobs alongside being an actor, including the classic waitressing gig and being a firebreather at nightclubs, but I wanted to build a career outside of my acting work so that I could pick and choose the gigs I wanted without worrying about the often pretty low day rates. I also wanted to have a side hustle that I could engage in without feeling like a stopgap, and so we pulled every penny together we could find and we started hand-making puzzles. James and I wanted to create intricate, artisan experiences that would give the audience a chance to feel like they were in their own movie, to experience what it can feel like for us at times. We took out rental on our first venue after some smaller pop-up events we’d created, and quickly progressed to multiple venues, an online escape room video game company, and now we take commissions to create gamified, interactive experiences for large companies as promotional tools. We integrate a lot of our filmmaking background into our games, creating realistic characters in immersive environments, and we’re very proud to say that our favourite game, ‘The Cyphstress’, won the Bullseye award for ‘Best Digital Escape Room’ out of thousands of games worldwide last year. It’s been a lot of hard work, but I’m immensely proud of it. I think it’s time for my two worlds to collide though - I’ve got to make a horror game!!
Me: What else are you working on that you'd like to share with our readers?
CH: This is the bit where I plug my projects, isn’t it? I’ve been blessed by the gods of gigs the past year, so I’ve got a few things on the go:
-I’ve got ‘Bram Stoker’s Van Helsing’ coming out, via DVD at all your favourite stores and then on Amazon Prime,
-I’ve got some additional shooting to do on my wonderful friend Liam Regan’s ‘Eating Miss Campbell’, in a part that I just adore,
-Some post-production is just being completed on a Star Wars Fan Film I worked on, where I play a disgruntled Twi’lek bounty hunter
-And I’m just gearing up for my own project’s shoot - I’m producing my own horror film with genre legend Pat Higgins directing it - called ‘Powertool Cheerleaders Vs The Boyband of The Screeching Dead’.
It’s a musical - much in the style of Anna and the Apocalypse - via Bring It On, with a hint of Evil Dead 2.
We’ve got a fantastic crew together, and principal photography started a few weeks ago, with the bulk shooting in March. I’ve been behind-the-scenes producing on quite a few projects, but this is the one I get to pin my colours to. It’s been a real drive for me, and we’ve worked so hard to give the world something ambitiously silly and scary. Follow us on @CheerleadersV ! (And me on @MissCharlieBond, whilst you’re at it)
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!
CB: Hello, potential women in horror! You’re coming in at a very exciting time. The roles are changing for us in every sense, and there are opportunities like never before. Your biggest asset is the support of other women. We are more powerful together and when we assert that power, and drive, wonderful things happen! If you’ve got a project, get at me, I love seeing women on their way up to smashing the glass ceiling and I like to help where I can.
And my favourite piece of advice goes to people of all genders - when you get your foot in the door of opportunity - jam it open, so that others can follow behind you. We are better when we help each other!
This interview ran as part of our Women in Horror Month celebrations. Click the banner below to check out all of our reviews and interviews about the occasion:
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