An upcoming actress with her first film role, Valeria Badiuc is making her mark in a huge way with a prominent role in indie filmmaker Brad Sykes' upcoming new "Transylvania Tapes" as her debut feature. In honor of the film's upcoming release, I talk with her about her early interest in acting, her time on the set of the film, and other plans.
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?
Valeria Badiuc: Hello. Thank you for having me!
I grew up watching horror films like ‘The Crow’ by Alex Proyas, 2002 “The Ring” by Gore Verbinski, and the “Scream” movies, as well, which seemed very scary for me at a young age. I would say one of my favorites was ‘The Others’ by Alejandro Amenabar, especially the plot twist at the end.
For me, the thing about horror films is that they do in fact scare me, and now being a part of a horror film myself, it almost felt like a healing experience to see that behind the scenes, we can have so much fun while filming the scariest scenes, but on the big screen, I hope people feel the tension of the moment.
Me: When did you initially discover a passion for acting? What aspect of this industry appeals to you?
VB: I always loved watching movies as a kid and always had a curiosity about filmmaking and constantly wondered what it would be like to be a part of the process. I grew up in Eastern Europe, where the film industry wasn’t as developed, so I feel like I got serious about it when I was able to travel outside of my country. I was definitely the kid who would learn monologues and dialogues from the movies I was watching and then recite them in front of the mirror, so I feel like the love for acting was always there. I just had to follow that instinct and see where it takes me.
Other aspects of the industry that I am interested in are definitely producing; I would love to, one day, be a part of a movie from start to finish.
Me: Growing up in Romania, did that hinder your interest in the genre or force you to turn to the local cinema for inspiration?
VB: I grew up in Moldova and then moved to Romania to do my bachelor's degree, and in all those years, I definitely saw a rise in local movies from Moldova and Romania, and that made me excited for the future of cinema in our region and an increased interest in local productions. In university, I would attend TIFF Film Festival every year and was happy to see more and more people show up to watch Eastern European films.
Me: When you moved to London for further acting studies, was there any kind of push towards a specific style or format?
VB: I needed to get into acting classes, and I am so glad I did. I attended so many in London and am so grateful for them cause I learned a lot, and a few months later I booked “Transylvania Tapes” which is also my first lead role. I definitely have certain film genres that I would love to be a part of, but being at the beginning of my acting career, I am very open to trying different ones.
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?
VB: I love characters that are not easily defined, the ones where you have to watch the entire movie to try and figure them out, the ones that stand up for themselves, their loved ones, and fight for what is right, much like the characters in my favorite fantasy books.
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?
VB: I would say specifically for my character, Mara, it was quite easy to slip into her shoes. I feel like she was very accessible to me because I connected with the story so deeply from the start and wanted to do the character justice. We had such a fun and light atmosphere on set thanks to Brad and Josephine Sykes, and so I didn’t feel the pressure to constantly be in character.
Me: So, that brings us to your latest project, “Transylvania Tapes.” What can you tell us about the film?
VB: “Transylvania Tapes” is a story about a young woman living in LA who’s set to travel back to her birthplace, Romania, in hopes that she will uncover the mysterious circumstances surrounding her mother's disappearance. While there, she is caught up in family secrets, curses, and the desire to get to the bottom of things in hopes that she will not lose herself in the process.
Me: In the film, you play the character Maria Enescu. What initially attracted you to the role of wanting to play her? How did working with director Brad Sykes help get you in the proper mindset during filming?
VB: The script was the first thing that drew me to the project. I read it all in one sitting, which is very telling for me. I loved the story straight away. I loved Mara as a character, she seemed like the perfect combination of curiosity and fear. She was determined to go on this journey and find out the truth for herself, no matter what, and I was happy to come along.
Brad Sykes is a great director, a true cinephile, and it was a pleasure working with him alongside Josephina Sykes. They came into the project so prepared that from day one, I knew I had to bring my A-game. He knew exactly what he wanted from a scene, and it made things so easy, it truly felt like a collaboration. The set was always light and fun with lots of conversation around my character or the story, so we were always on the same page.
Me: With the film being shot in a found-footage manner, was there anything you used that helped you get into the right performance while on set?
VB: The main thing about “found-footage’ movies comes down to the audience not being able to tell that there’s a script involved. So being in Mara’s headspace and reacting to my surroundings and trusting my instincts is what helped the most. I had almost two weeks to prepare before the first day on set, and I knew that once we started filming, I would leave all of it behind and be present. I felt like that’s what the story required.
Me: What was the set like while shooting the film? How did the cast and crew react to the type of film being made?
VB: We filmed the movie entirely on location, which definitely came with a few challenges, but we would always smile through, have fun, and find a solution to everything. We have so many incredible actors in this film, and everyone was so happy to be a part of it that it constantly felt like we were creating something special. And I hope people will love the film as much as we all loved making it.
Me: Do you remember any odd or funny on-set stories about yourself or any of the other cast/crew members?
VB: I have the most fond memories, I feel like every day there was a new joke or something funny happened. For example, the movie is primarily in English with a bit of Romanian language in it, and given the fact that my character doesn’t speak the language well, it was funny trying to pretend like I had no idea how to speak my native language. So we created the term “good wrong,” meaning that if I pronounced a word in Romanian the wrong way, it was good cause it fit the character.
Me: What are you most looking forward to with its upcoming release?
VB: I just hope people enjoy it, it was such a labour of love, and it is a pleasure to finally share it with the world!
Me: What do you do to keep your creative energy flowing?
VB: I constantly watch movies and try to keep up with what is happening in the industry. I felt the most inspired by the beautiful films I have seen recently, “Sentimental Value’ by Joachim Trier, “Hamnet” by Chloe Zhao, where Jessie Buckley’s performance left me speechless, and the movie “The Weight” by Padraic McKinley. The story and cinematography were incredible.
I also love reading fantasy books, which makes my imagination expand, and of course, I keep working on my craft and am constantly in class and workshops.
Me: Lastly, what else are you working on that you'd like to share with our readers? Thank you again for your time!
VB: Right now, I am auditioning for different things and hope I can share my next project soon. But also very excited to see people’s feedback and reactions to “Transylvania Tapes’.
Thanks for having me. It was a pleasure talking to you!
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