An upcoming actress and filmmaker, Sheryl Clark has created a solid career with her work in various indie efforts that has brought her skills to the forefront of her career. Now, in honor of Women in Horror Month, I talk with her about her early interest in the industry, her latest short film "Recalculated," and some upcoming projects.
Me: Hello and thank you for taking the time to do this. First off, when did you get into horror in general? What films specifically got you into watching horror movies?
Sheryl Clark: I started watching horror movies at a very young age. Around 3 or 4, but at that time it wasn't all the gore. I would watch Dracula, The Wolfman, and my favorite...Frankenstein. I wanted Frankenstein for my birthday present back then. I enjoy the paranormal and anything realistic as long as it's not too much gore. I don't like Friday the 13th and Halloween bc they're not realistic to me and I don't like saw bc it has too much gore.
Me: When did you initially discover a passion for acting? What aspect of this industry appeals to you?
SC: The first film I was ever in was A Time To Kill. I was standing at the top of the stairs when Samuel Jackson shot the guy who hurt his daughter and then I was in the courtroom scene every day. I always had an interest in acting since I was younger, but there were never any opportunities where I grew up. After being an extra in A Time To Kill and seeing how everything was done on set, such as how it's not filmed in order, but edited and how the green screen was used to get certain effects, I was hooked. I was also in O' Brother Where Art Thou and a couple commercials, but didn't take it any further as I was too busy raising my kids. Now that they're grown, I've ventured back into it along with my youngest son who has been in several movies as well. I enjoy acting bc it allows you to live an entirely different life than what you really are and to be so many different people. Being the same person and living the same life, doing the same thing can get boring, but through acting, you're able to experience so many different lives and characters.
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?
SC: I especially enjoy playing characters that are exciting and interesting. Roles in which the character is out for revenge or more dramatic, like the lifetime characters who are stalking someone and trying to kill them. I look for characters that are exciting and dramatic. I'm interested in roles that give me a chance to be someone other than who I really am every 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?
SC: I try to learn as much about the character as I can, including her past and her personality then put myself in that mindset. Between takes I usually go over my lines for the next take. Most of the time I'm on set with my "film family" so I'm catching up with them or I'm meeting new people when I get a chance.
Me: Having worked on plenty of short films early in your career, what tools and skills do you acquire working on those that transferred to future film projects?
SC: I've become more comfortable with improv, you're able to gain a lot of experience with portraying different characters. Being that the sets are much smaller you're also given an opportunity to learn other aspects such as operating a camera and working as a PA. You're also able to get film credits and reel footage for your resume and demo reel.
Me: That brings us to your latest project, "Recalculated." What can you tell us about the film?
SC: Recalculating is about friends who set out on a road trip to vlog haunted places and it's done as a found footage aspect. Maps, that we all love so much bc they never give us wrong directions, get them lost. They ultimately end up making their demise. It has a good twist to it that is not expected. We've been filming it entirely in my rural hometown of Louisville, MS. The people here have been great in letting me use their businesses and homes to film. A few of them have also gotten a chance to be on camera.
Me: Where did the inspiration for the film come from? Were there any unique stories about its conception?
SC: Recalculating is a story that I've thought about for a few years. I really like paranormal films and I thought being a found footage and a road trip, that it would be fairly simple to do as my first film. It turned out to be more than I anticipated, but definitely worth the extra mile with added scenes. We have a history here about Janie Sharp. She was a girl who was killed while walking home from the post office. The story I always heard was she went to pick up her wedding dress. People say you can see her walking down the road in her wedding dress and if you don't stop, she'll get in your car anyway. So I got my inspiration from one scene in Recalculating. I wanted to do something realistic and that people could relate to.
Me: With a cast of experienced and talented indie actors, how'd you settle on the cast getting involved in the film? What characteristics did you look for with each performer that they brought to the table that helped bring the production to light?
SC: I was looking for a cast who could pass as college age and I wanted them to easily interact with each other as friends. I also wanted a cast that normal everyday people could associate with. Having the ability to improv was a plus.
I wanted to involve my film family in it and I wanted to give the people of Louisville an opportunity to be in it. I filmed it entirely in Winston County and wanted to showcase some of the businesses there that fit the script.
I knew from the time I was thinking about this storyline, that if I ever filmed it, I wanted my son, Jordan A. Smith, who has acted in several films, to play one of the leads and the character who is vlogging the trip. He has film experience behind and in front of the camera. He'll be doing the editing for this.
Jordan had been in a couple films with Jill Busby, so I knew they would have a natural repore as friends on camera. She also had the improv experience that I was looking for. I asked her if she was interested in playing the part of Lana and she accepted it. I now had friend #2.
While playing an FBI agent on the set of Red Bluff II, a film that my friend, Joey Traywick, wrote and directed, I met Gabrielle Keel. Gabby is also from Louisville and I wanted to involve as many of my hometown people as I could she fit the age and was an experienced actress, so I asked her to play the part of Cami.
The person I was originally interested in casting as friend #4 wasn't able to commit at the time, so I put out casting notices for the part of Kaleb. Several great actors submitted for the part, but Nathan Lott caught my attention because he looked the part of Kaleb and his resume was the most impressive out of everyone who submitted. So I cast him as Kaleb and now my lead characters were complete.
Naturally after being given the opportunity to work on so many of my friends, Joey Traywick, Curtis Everitt, and Jeremy Limbaugh's films, I wanted them to have a part so I reached out to them and asked them and a couple others that I had filmed with on numerous occasions to be part of the film. I had some other members of my film family ask if they could be in it, so I had to rewrite some of the script to add in parts, but that was ok. I wanted to give those closest to me an opportunity if they asked and I gave them all speaking parts.
Those with speaking parts other than my main cast are Joey Traywick, Rico Felder, Jenni Di Fatta, Jaylan Gooden, John Clark Packer (who plays the sheriff), Curtis Everitt, Jeremy Limbaugh, Joe Cumberland, my husband Jimbo Clark, Carol Fortin, Cyn Bonner, Elijah White, Que Hickman, Nikki Howard and Cody Landrum.
I posted a casting notice for background and I ended up with some awesome background actors.
Me: What was the set like while shooting the film? How did the cast and crew react to the type of film being made?
SC: The cast was awesome! Lana (Jill Busby) brought an unscripted personality to the character that was great. She was very annoying to some of the people in the scenes, and a couple people said if they were the killer, she'd be the first to go. Lol
There were several locations that we filmed, including a couple businesses and homes. There was a camping scene and while setting up Gabby took the opportunity to fish. Everyone got along really well and stayed in character a lot between takes. The girls especially liked the Rice Krispy treats I had in the snack basket. Lol
Me: Do you recall having any odd or funny on-set stories about yourself or any of the other cast/crew members?
SC: One of the funniest was the first day of filming when Seth was introducing everyone on camera and instead of saying her name was Cami, Gabby introduced herself as Gabby. It was really dark and creepy on our way to the road where they got lost. We should have been filming to get a real reaction bc they were a bit creeped out by the area. It was very dark and deserted.
Elijah White had submitted for the role of Kaleb, but didn't get it so I was originally casting him as background, but we had to change our film date and he was deploying in two days and wouldn't be here. I wanted him to have a part especially since he was serving our country and he was a hometown person. I asked him if he could film a speaking part the next day and I immediately got busy that night writing him a part. I reached out to Que Hickman, who had also submitted for the role of Kaleb. I asked Que if he could film a speaking part that morning and he met us a couple hrs later and did an interview with Elijah. Elijah had been cast as a friend of the group and Que interviewed him about their disappearance.
Me: What else are you working on that you'd like to share with our readers?
SC: I have a copy of other scripts in the works. One is a comedy about a woman who keeps trying to kill her husband and everything fails, another is a drama about addiction, and who knows, we may have a sequel to Recalculating. The only thing I have on the table right now to film in the future is playing the president of the U.S. in Joey Traywick's upcoming movie, Ameri Bot.
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!
SC: I would tell them not to give up. Pursue your dreams and don't let anyone discourage you. DON'T pay any money to an agent. If they ask for money to represent you, it's a scam. A legitimate agent will get their money from booking you. Take acting classes, and get good acting headshots, there is a difference between regular photos and acting headshots, get involved and volunteer for indie films, even non paying so you can get acting experience, network, build a resume and demo reel, and above all...submit, submit and submit. Keep submitting for roles. When you have acting experience, headshots, and demos, submit to an agent as well. You can always submit for roles yourself, but if you find a good agent then it can help. If you don't have a good agent then it'll be the same as not having one.
Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity!
This interview ran as part of our 2024 Women in Horror Movement celebrations! Click the banner below to check out our complete coverage:
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