An accomplished actress and producer of various indie films, Chelsea LeSage is looking to make her mark on the genre where her work in several capacities fueling her along. Now, in honor of Women in Horror Month, I talk with her about her early interest in acting, working with Charles Lincoln in their collaborations together 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?
Chelsea LeSage: I first realized that horror held a special place in my heart when I became an adult and was still terrified that Sissy Spacek was covered in pig’s blood watching me from the closet while I slept in my childhood bedroom.
Me: Were you into genre films growing up? What films specifically got you into watching horror movies?
CLS: My mother loves films such as Silver Bullet and The Lost Boys. Being a Masshole and all, also seeing everything Stephen King as a child was a sort of right of passage. I was terrified of them all but grew to love them when I moved to New York City. Overall, I’d say it’s my mother’s fault that I am the horror queen I have grown up to be.
Me: When did you initially discover a passion for acting? What aspect of the industry appealed to you?
CLS: I grew up playing the clarinet and wanted to go the classical musician route until I got to high school where they had an amazing program called The Fall Festival of Shakespeare through Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, MA. I got hooked on Shakespeare and then musicals soon after. The most appealing thing to me about the industry is the gift of being able to inhabit these other people and their worlds. The freedom that it brings to me as a creative is unparalleled.
Me: With plenty of short films and TV shows early in your career, what tools and skills do you acquire working on those that transferred to feature-film projects?
CLS: Being a theater person, learning to tone down my expressions and vocal projection is certainly something I learned doing short films early on in my career. I learned everything I could about every job behind the camera and that has helped me grow as an actor working on feature films.
Me: What are some of your fall-back tactics to stay in character while on-set? When you're not filming, how do you pass the time between takes?
CLS: It may not be a fall-back tactic but something that is in the foundation of my training: always think about the given circumstances and what your character wants and needs. That is my go-to. When not filming, I enjoy cracking jokes, playing harmless pranks and reading Shakespeare or whatever else I can get my hands on.
Me: Your first genre film, 'Zombie with a Shotgun,' saw you playing the lead Angela. What do you recall about working on the film?
CLS: I love that ZWAS was my first genre film because the cast and crew all felt like a big family. Angela was a blast because witches are so fun to play. It was also my first on-camera threesome, so the fact that I grew friendships with the actors definitely helped me feel less nervous. I’ll never forget that when I wrapped one day, I went to my first day with a new therapist in full makeup- feathered eyelashes and all.
Me: From there, you moved to the series '21st Century Demon Hunter' as the lead Julie. What was your mindset while playing the character?
CLS: Ah, Julie. Julie, Julie, Julie. What an enigma that lady is. She’s a force of nature- and a destructive one at that. If she is not destroying a demon or another supernatural creature, she is destroying herself. She has brought out my more dangerous qualities, but wow is she the most fun role to play. My mindset is to focus on her task at hand and to not let myself get too lost in her. That feels almost silly to say because honestly, I wish I could play her all the time.
Me: What was intriguing enough about the project to want to continue developing it further under your own production company CL Squared Productions? How much involvement do you have with not just the universe but the other projects created with the company?
CLS: So, to answer this I should go back a bit. When I first met Charles Lincoln (the other half of CL Squared Productions), I was auditioning to be an Irish vampire for another production and in the audition room, Charles told me that how I put down a chair and my overall demeanor reminded him of the lead of his novel, 21st Century Demon Hunter. From there, I suggested we make the web series that became the TV show. Since I also came on as a producer for Theresa and Allison, it simply made sense to make our own production company. Charles and I make every decision from casting to location to wardrobe to score and post-production. Charles created the universe and I am there to bring it to life. It’s a blast because every story and tv show and movie all exist in what we call the CLU (CL Universe).
Me: Returning to acting, you played Dani in the recently-released slasher effort 'Yield.' What can you tell us about that project?
CLS: I did several non-genre films before coming back to the slasher 'Yield.' I made some good friends, got covered in blood, killed some cannibals and met the love of my life on the film.
Me: Do you recall having any odd or funny on-set stories about yourself or any of the other cast/crew members?
CLS: My favorite was when we were shooting the first season of 21st Century Demon Hunter guerilla style and Julie was naked in the woods after being teleported there. I had to pee and just popped a squat in the woods and told Charles to record it. It made it into the episode.
Me: You're also heavily involved in the upcoming effort 'Bishop's Cove.' What can you tell us about that project? Where did the inspiration for the film come from?
CLS: A few years back, Charles came to me with BC. He had started writing it a while ago and we were going to shoot it but an investor wanted to change so much about the production that we bailed. Now, we are producing it our way-with lots of blood and violence. It’s going to be (hopefully) every horror fan’s wet dream. In it I play a demon called The Nameless. It has been a blast to shoot so far and we cannot wait to continue production.
Me: What else are you working on that you'd like to share with our readers?
CLS: I started another production company named Golden Grand Piano with my partner, Dan Guindon. Even during the midst of this horrible pandemic, we have shot and produced several things that will be released this year. First, we did Sarah Villegas’s apocalyptic short The Rest, then moved onto film a feature version of Macbeth. We are calling it Macbeth: A Cursed Film and I directed it alongside Joshua Koehn and also played Lady Macbeth. Next up, Golden Grand Piano is producing a John Wilkes Booth biopic The Curse of Booth written by John Ramaine, where I will again be directing opposite Koehn. Dan Guindon was the Director of Photography on all projects. We are also working on some non-genre projects and cannot wait to share all of these with everyone. Lastly, I recently booked a couple big things that I cannot tell you about yet!
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!
CLS: Every month should be women in horror month! I’d say celebrate the opportunity to work in such an incredible genre of film and television. The blood is worth everything. Thank you for having me!
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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