A popular name in the independent genre scene, actress Dilynn Fawn Harvey has provided plenty of memorable work with director Todd Sheets on top of her work on several other films over the years. Now, in honor of Women in Horror Month, I talk with her about her early interest in the industry, working on several of his 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?
Dilynn Fawn Harvey: About 7 years ago when I first answered a casting call for Amanda Payton’s short called The Crawler Which is part of the anthology film Sleepless Nights. I have done other shorts with various people KCMO before I met her and her particular short that I wanted to audition for would be my very first horror film experience.
Me: Were you into genre films growing up? What films specifically got you into watching horror movies?
DFH: Not really, when we were younger growing up with my biological father, my mom didn’t want us to watch hardcore scary horror movies, anything that she would deem inappropriate or cause nightmares, so it was mostly Disney or family type movies or whatever was playing on the T.V at the time. I remember one night when we were being babysat by a teenager, I think I was in first or second grade, the babysitter was watching Nightmare on Elm Street 1 and 2, I was very curious and wanted to watch it as well, so I did, it was towards the end of NMOES 2 when my mom came to pick us up and she saw me watching the movie, oh boy was she mad! My mom was right about the nightmares though, I ended up having the exact same dream about Freddy 3 nights in a row! So that was my first taste in horror movies. It wasn’t until she remarried to my stepdad when we could actually afford cable, I was a teenager by then and I would watch the cable channels when everyone else was asleep to see what was on HBO or Cinemax, I would watch movies like Night of the Demons and The Curse more Nightmare on Elm Street movies or random zombie movies. Those Zombie movies gave me nightmares for years, lol! When I turned 16 my Grandfather owned a Family Video at the time and he let me pick out a movie for my very own, I saw Nightmare on Elm Street 5 and I had not seen that one yet so of course I picked that one, so that ended up being my very first ever VHS to own as well as being my favorite movie of the series even to this day it is still my favorite of the series to watch!!
Me: What was the initial inspiration to becoming an actress? What aspect of this area of the industry appealed to you?
DFH: Entertaining people! I used to be an exotic dancer before I got into acting, I loved performing on the stage, I loved getting dressed up with tons of different costumes and engaging with the audience. I had to give it up thanks to my knees hurting after several years of dancing. I didn’t want to stop entertaining people, so I got inspired to seek out auditions for acting, I started auditioning for Independent short and feature films as well as our local theater, ( I never did get cast in my local theater, I live in Topeka, KS) but I did get cast in lots of projects in KCMO! What appeals to me in the horror industry is all the awesome people in the community! They have such big imaginations when it comes to horror, like anything can be the monster, from a human being, living or dead to inanimate objects ie cars, dolls, a chair and even a tire! As well as costumed creatures or puppet creatures which are my favorites to watch! It’s endless opportunities for a horror movie to come to life on the screen!
Me: Is there any specific type of character you prefer playing?
DFH: I love playing the strong type, the character can be good or evil, funny or serious, big or small as long as she is a strong character! I would love to do a superhero or science fiction type of character, I think that would be fun!
Me: Having worked on several short films early in your career, what tools and skills do you acquire working on those that transferred to future film projects?
DFH: For me, my biggest tool is Listening and following the director’s directions. The skill that helps me is communication and patience. Communicating to the director what I’m comfortable with and what I’m not comfortable with, they can’t read your mind, so don’t be afraid to say something and have patience not only with the director but with yourself as well. When you get flustered on a line, just take a minute to breathe.
Me: Having performed in many shorts and features for indie filmmaker Todd Sheets and his Extreme Entertainment Studio, what about his style and approach that keeps bringing you around to work with him?
DFH: The fact that he is so encouraging, not only does he want to succeed, he also wants you to succeed as well. He is very open-minded and will never make you do anything that you are not comfortable doing. He has such a big heart, he treats everyone equally, from the main lead to the extras, to him we are all on the same level, he does not like big egos. It takes a team to make a great movie and he cherishes us all!
Me: Your first film together, 'Sleepless Nights,' saw you play Enid in the segment The Crawler. What do you remember of your time filming the segment?
DFH: The long night, we didn’t get done filming until 6 am Friday morning. We were filming in KCMO and since I live about an hour and twenty minutes away, my hubby and I had to make a mad dash home to so that we could get our kids to school on time and he himself makes it to work plus, I still had to work that morning as well. I quickly showered and we all managed to get where we needed to be on time!
Me: Returning to work directly with him on 'Dreaming Purple Neon,' 'Bonehill Road' and 'Clownado' among several other projects, did that help to make you more comfortable not just with him but the rest of his stock group of actors and actresses?
DFH: Yes it did. Now instead of being completely nervous and shaking in front of the camera, I’m more relaxed and excited to get to started. It makes meeting new actors go smoother and they feel more like family being introduced even if they are complete strangers to me.
Me: What has been the most memorable experience that you've had based on your collaboration together?
DFH: Bonehill Road, there was so much work that went into the transformation scene, We tried to do all of the FX in KCMO, but for some reason, the face bubbling and the hand stretching with the fingernails ripping through just wasn’t going very well. Todd was talking with Joe Castro about the difficulties that we were having and he offered to lend a helping hand. So Todd flew me down to Burbank, CA to work exclusively with Joe for my transformation scene. I sat in his makeup chair for about 3 to 4 hours and I loved every minute of it!! I would do it again and again, he is such a talented FX artist!! We created a lot of magic that day, it was awesome!!
Me: Outside of his films, you've also landed roles in several other films. What have these experiences added to your repertoire as an actress?
DFH: This is where we come back to tools and skills, listening to the director and following directions and biggest one having patience, I learned that different directors have different views and different style of filming, so you definitely have to approach any new project with an open mind.
Me: What else are you working on that you'd like to share with our readers?
DFH: I wish I could talk about my newest project coming up, but we are not allowed to talk about it yet, but I am so excited for this to start soon! I can talk about a couple f recent movies I did in 2020, the first one was Final Caller, we did that one back in Feb/March and we got it done a week before the stay-at-home orders went into effect for Covid. Then in Sept. I was flown out to Virginia to work on Brad Thomasson’s movie Backwoods Bubba. Those will hopefully be available on DVD this year!
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!
DFH: Be yourself, don’t do anything that makes you uncomfortable, don’t be afraid to speak up. Follow your heart do what you think is right for you! Most of all. Have fun!!
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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