A beloved cult actress on the heels of her work with husband Mark Baranowski, Ryli Morgan has brought her skills to not only those celebrated projects but also features in several other works that make her as beloved on the indie scene as she is. Now, in honor of Women in Horror Month, I talk with her about her early interest in acting, working on films with her husband, and other 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?
Ryli Morgan: Acting was a goal of mine from an early age. I grew up watching films and TV and usually came away thinking of how I would have done a particular role differently than the chosen actor.
Me: Were you always into genre films growing up? What films specifically got you into watching horror movies?
RM: Yes, I’ve had a love for genre films for as long as I can remember. My father worked late hours, so on the weekends, I’d stay up late to share with him whatever (usually) low-budget horror was showing on cable.
Me: When did you initially discover a passion for acting? What aspect of this industry appeals to you?
RM: Though it was a goal of sorts for most of my life, the passion for acting began with helping my husband (writer/director Mark Baranowski - CreateToLive.com) in shooting a short film. He had been focused on screenwriting and the gears weren’t turning as fast as we’d like them to, so we took the reins and made a film ourselves. The bug bit, hard, and the rest is history.
Me: Is there any specific type of character you prefer playing? What do you look for in a character to be excited and interested in playing it?
RM: I like to play characters that push my personal boundaries. I’d love the chance to play someone completely unhinged. Maybe one day… ;)
Me: What do you do to stay in character while on-set? When you're not filming, how do you pass the time between takes?
RM: I usually just try to run my lines in my head between takes. That’s born of anxiety and a fear of flubbing and taking too much time away from the production.
Me: Having performed in many features for indie filmmaker Mark Baranowski, what about his style and approaches keeps bringing you around to work with him?
RM: Well, again, we’re married, so that makes it easy to work with him, in a general sense. I have always enjoyed his writing ability and the stories he comes up with, so it’s really a joy to be a part of his films.
Me: What do you remember about your first short, “Despair,” and how the project came to be?
RM: DESPAIR was our first, and honestly it came together out of necessity - we both wanted tangible, visible results from a script written by Mark, and we could tell that it wasn’t coming via his agent any time soon. I thought perhaps we could get a short either screened at a convention or viewed by the right people easier than waiting for the script to call into the right hands. So, we took my own advice, as well as from Bruce Campbell, and made our own damn movie.
Me: Continuing on with him in films like “Runaway Terror,” “Expendable” and “Sin by Murder” among other titles together, did you notice your relationship changing much over the course of your work?
RM: I wouldn’t say that our relationship changed much at its core, but there are occasional tensions on set between us that there aren’t with other cast members. When you work with someone so close to you, it’s easy to think they instinctively know exactly what you’re wanting, and it becomes frustrating.
Me: Considering some of the scenes you were filming, what were the sets like at these times? How did you and the rest of the crew handle the types of scenes being filmed?
RM: We always ran on the barest minimum of crews, as few people on set as possible, even with the less “sensitive” scenes. Mark handled as many of the jobs as he could himself, I would take up whatever slack I could, and then we’d film.
Me: With some of your films like “Heaven Help Me, I’m in Love,” “Mister Dissolute,” and “Hardly Beloved” furthering your relationship together even outside of the genre, what have these experiences added to your repertoire as an actress?
RM: The largest addition to my repertoire came behind the scenes, just chatting with the other actors and learning from their experiences and advice. Whether that translated onscreen or not, it’s something I carry with me.
Me: What has been the most memorable experience that you've had based on your collaboration together?
RM: Oh, gosh. The memories are all so wonderful, but the best ones are the moments away from the set, where you and the other talent are just people sharing drinks or a meal and just shooting the bull, so to speak. Having friendship moments with people you grew up admiring - it’s surreal and humbling.
Me: How do you do to keep your creative energy flowing?
RM: Writing, even if it’s just taking random scene ideas and expanding on them. Chatting with others about their projects.
Me: Lastly, being that this is our Women in Horror Movement, 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!
RM: If you have a dream, pursue it! It can be daunting, but if you tough it out, you can and will meet people who will be helpful and kind and share similar dreams. The right people will want to see others succeed as well as themselves. That will be your tribe. Once you find them, run with them until the wheels fall off! Most importantly, have FUN with whatever you’re working on.
This interview ran as part of our 2023 Women in Horror Month celebrations. Click the banner below to check out the rest of our month-long celebrations including various reviews and interviews:
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