Actress Interview:

Brian: Did you have an early artistic inspiration? Princess Leia, the 'Wizard of Oz's' Dorothy, an older ballet obsessed sibling?

Raine: Not specifically. I just always loved pretending and dressing up. - Becoming more of myself by pretending to be someone else. I love creating, and acting was always a way to safely explore different sides of myself and learn more about what I think about things by stepping into someone else's shoes and situation.

Brian: Let's brush up on our Shakespeare! You've performed quite a bit of the old Bard. Do you have a favorite Shakespearian play? (Mine is 'Titus Andronicus'! It's bloody and twisted nasty!)

Raine: Wow crazy and untypical choice. I would have to say the romantic in me will always love Romeo and Juliet. I think it is the most perfect love story depicting first innocent love. I also have a fondness for Hamlet, such a well written play with lots of psychology. And there will always be a place in my heart for Midsummer Nights Dream. Maybe because I will forever be cast as Hermia, the petite, loud mouthed, opinionated, tough but loveable one.

Brian: Are you a traditionalist when it comes to your Shakespeare? Or do you think a little reinvention is necessary? (I just saw a production of 'Hamlet' that incorporated dance, Frank Miller like masks and modern alt rock music.)

Raine: I am not a traditionalist in the sense that I don't need to see a man playing Ophelia, and hey that puts me out of a job too! We have come a long way from where it is inappropriate for women to be actors on stage. I believe that Shakespeare should be done in a way that the audience will best relate to it. I hate it when Shakespeare is made to be all scholarly and academic, that makes it so boring and Shakespeare was made to entertain the masses, not just a select few who "get it". I am a big fan of cutting references that are archaic and shorting the plays so they will not drag on. I love when people put them in different setting and play with them. Each play has been done so many times, that it is great to have a fresh outlook on it. Even if in the end the choices don't always work, it is worth it to try something new.

Brian: Has it been hard for you to go from the stage to film? Film is a more subtle medium. Are there any tricks that you use?

Raine: Well, I believe that there is no replacement for learning your craft on the stage. I had to learn how to take it down and be more internal when shooting on film, but the basics that you learn from doing live theatre and being theatrically trained are invaluable and are the basics for good acting in general.

Brian: In your films the outdoors has been a common theme. You've been terrorized or hacked up in 'Woods of Evil' , 'Barricade' and 'Satan's Playground' (and possibly others!). Do the woods frighten you or is there something else that causes you to shiver in your sheets at night?

Raine: Yeah, they do kill me a lot don't they? Especially in the woods- can't it be somewhere warm and pleasant like the beach- well I guess that wouldn't be scary then. I do have other things that frighten me - but I am too scared to talk about them right now.

Brian: You've worked often with Dante Tomaselli who has gained quite a deserved reputation as a stylist. Is there something in particular that makes working with Tomaselli different than working with other directors?

Raine: Dante knows exactly what he wants both visually and atmospherically when he films a project. He won't compromise which has made his films of exceptional quality and also sometimes hard to get made. He doesn't rely on cheep come-ons like naked girls or over the top gore. He just loves the genre and wants to create a really special film.

Brian: Do you have a best moment and a worst moment on a Tomaselli set that you can share with us?

Raine: I always had a great time on set with Dante. The worst part was probably that it was always freezing whenever we were shooting; especially outside in like 7 degree weather in the snow, not fun. Best moment, is probably the actual filming and getting to be a part of the creation.

Brian: 'Barricade', one of your recently released films, is quite harsh in the violence department. Were you around to witness many of the gruesome special effects and how they were created?

Raine: No! If you watch my scenes from the film, you will see that most of them are character driven and I only really have bloody stuff at the end. Most of the really gory stuff was done either before or after I was in Germany with German actors. However, Timo is an amazing Special Effects artist- I have trouble watching some of the scenes.

Brian: You're the inspiration for a beautiful poster, Faustina , by the wonderful artist Jason Beam. How does that work? Did you actually have to pose for Beam or did he just use previous photos of you?

Raine: Well Thank you! I had some photos taken and then sent them to Jason. He picked the one he liked best and then came up with the concept of Faustina through research and the picture itself. He has a whole history of the picture which you can view at www.jasonbeamstudios.com/g_faustina.html I also posed for another print for him while we were both at the Chicago Fangoria Convention. It was a different experience then Faustina print because this time I came up with a Romeo and Juliet themed poster before the shoot and he outlined the poses and took the pictures to get exactly what he was looking for. I was great to do and I can't wait to see the results.

Brian: Some actresses naturally gravitate toward horror films. Has this been a plan for you or just coincidence, in that you're just going where the work is?

Raine: It was not the plan, but I love the genre and those who follow it. They really are crazy about the films and I have been able to build a name for myself more easily then if I was just doing romantic comedies. I would love to branch out and do more dramas and comedies, which I have in the works. However, the cool thing about horror films is that many of them are written as a drama or a comedy film, but you just get a little more bloody and dead.

Brian: Lastly, any thoughts, hopes, future projects or blank checks (hopefully!) that you'd like to leave us with?

Well, as I said, I have a few things in the works for this summer and beyond, and will be at the June Fangoria Convention in NJ. Keep checking the website www.rainebrown.com for more updates and become my friend on MySpace for constant updates www.myspace.com/rainebrown . And as for checks, as soon as I get the really big one, I will totally forget to send it to you.

Brian: Smart thinking, Raine! Thanks so much for doing this!