Owen: Laura - you began your career in
1994 with 'Sorority Slaughter' for WAVE
Productions. And have done dozens
of films with them since then like 'Who
Wants to be a Vampire Bride?' 'The
Thirteenth Clone', 'The Defiant
Niece', 'Die and Die Again', 'The
Blind Date Strangler', 'The
Witches Feast', 'Revenge and
Death of the Chloroformed Model', 'Cannibal
Hillbillies', etc. What makes
working for them such a great gig?
Laura: It's great working for WAVE because, for
one, they're very local, so I don't have to
travel far to get there. They're very fun and
easy going to work for, plus they pay, which,
unfortunately, a lot of low budget B movie
companies are not able to do. We usually get a
lot done in one day of shooting (sometimes an
entire movie) and the movies are normally edited
and complete within a few weeks, so I get to see
the "fruits" of our labor rather
quickly and it's always fun to watch the movies
afterward!
Owen: WAVE also has a constant stable of female stars -
Pamela Sutch, Tina Krause, Debbie D, Suzi Leigh,
yourself. Is there a sense of camaraderie
with the studio and roles and filmings or is
there some competition amongst the leading
ladies of WAVE?
Laura:
The girls of WAVE always have a lot of fun
filming together! There's always laughter and
joking around and everyone gets along pretty
well!
Owen: I'm
also curious how scripted the average WAVE
production is. Are there solid scripts or
does the studio tend to go more by scenario
and then have it be more improv?
Laura: There are quite a few fully scripted
WAVE movies, but a lot of the videos rely on
improv. There is usually a certain scenario
involved and then we ad-lib a lot of the lines.
For example, in "Who Wants to be a
Vampire Bride?", Debbie, Pam, Dean
& I ad-libbed pretty much the entire movie!
There was a story outline we went by, but we made
up almost all of the lines and situations as
we went along and it turned out to be one of the
funniest WAVE horror/ comedies we've ever
done!
Owen:
You've also done some nice work with Phil Herman
in the fright anthologies 'After Midnight'
as well as the upcoming 'Always Midnight'. Tell
me about your work in those films?
Laura: My
husband & I filmed our segments for "Around
Midnight", "After
Midnight" and "Always
Midnight" from scripts that Phil
had written and we sent them to him to include in
his movies. We had a great time filming them and
I even got my husband and his friends to appear
in them with me! I get to play a vampire in the
films!
Owen: How
did you start working with Phil?
Laura: Phil contacted me and asked if I would be
interested in filming a horror short for "Around
Midnight". I said yes and he liked
my work so much, that he asked me to film
segments for "After Midnight"
and "Always Midnight"!
Owen: Those segments were also directed by you?
Do you plan on doing more work behind the
camera in the future?
Laura: Yes,
I directed those segments as well. My first love
is acting, but I don't mind directing once in a
while (as long as I get to be in the movie as
well!). I also direct the movies for my mermaid
video company, Mermaid Dreams.
Owen: I
also find it interesting that in your
movies often feature naked women and
yet you say you will personally never do
nudity? Is that a "carved in
stone" NEVER or does that mean gratuitous or
unless the price is right -- what if a great
role came along that required it?
Laura: It's definitely a "carved in stone"
never! I don't have anything against people who
do nudity in films, but it's just not something
I'd ever be comfortable with. I want to be
recognized for my acting, not for taking my
clothes off. It doesn't matter what the price is
-- I would never do nudity. I think there are
plenty of ways to be "sexy" in a film
without taking your clothes off. I don't mind
wearing sexy clothes or bikinis or showing a
little skin, but not going nude. There's
something to be said about leaving things up to
the imagination. ;)
Owen: As
you mentioned earlier, I also am familiar
with your film company Mermaid Dreams Videos
which specifically make "mermaid
based" movies starring yourself and
oftentimes Debbie D. How did that
production company come about and how solid is
the mermaid market?
Laura: I've always loved mermaids since I was a little
girl and I noticed that there were a lot of
mermaid websites on the Internet and people who
also love mermaids. I decided to start a
little production company that specializes in
mermaid movies. I ordered custom-made
mermaid tails from a girl on the Internet
who makes them (www.foxmoonproductions.com), and had her create a
website for me. I really wasn't sure if I'd get
any interest, but you wouldn't believe the
response I've been getting! Since I started
the company in 2003, I've gotten over 13
custom video orders from mermaid and underwater
fans!
Owen: So
what personally attracts you to mermaids?
Laura: I've
always loved fantasy creatures, such as unicorns,
Pegasus, fairies, dragons and especially
mermaids. I love the ocean and I've always
thought that mermaids represent the fantasy
aspect of the sea. There's something enchantingly
beautiful about them, being half woman, half
fish, gliding gracefully through the ocean and
singing on rocks. I love the stories surrounding
them and I've always wanted to be one! In a way,
now I can! :)
Owen: And
why don't you tell the readers how to check out
your Mermaid Dreams movie selection.
Laura:
You can order your own custom mermaid video or
one of my finished videos at http://MermaidDreams.FoxMoonProductions.com.
Owen: So
I also notice you seem to go freely in films from
being good or bad. Is it more fun being the
terrorized victim or the demon who
terrorizes? Warning: this is a not-so
subtle therapy question, which comes more
naturally to you?
Laura: There's something about playing the bad girl....
I don't know.... Its always fun playing the
evil character. But I enjoy playing the good
girl, too. I like playing a variety of roles!
Owen:
What has been your favorite film role to date and
what about that role or that film makes it a good
example of your best work?
Laura: It's
really hard to choose one role or one film that I
would consider my best work. I put my all into
every role I play!
Owen: You
are also a veteran of horror and scifi
conventions like Chiller Theater in NJ.
What do you enjoy most about that
experience...and do you have a favorite fan
meeting story?
Laura: I
love going to the conventions! It's always such a
great feeling when fans come up to me and ask me
to sign something or take my picture! It's so
flattering when they tell me that they love my
work or a particular role that I played!
Owen: What
are you currently working on or what do you have
coming out in the near future?
Laura: I'm currently working on finishing up my custom
mermaid videos for the summer. Falcon's "Always
Midnight" will be available in the
near future along with WAVE's "Just
Between Friends 2" and a few
others.
Owen: So
is being a cult film actress a dream come true
for this girl from New Jersey ?
Laura: It
is definitely a dream come true! I never would
have thought I'd come this far!
Owen:
Laura - Vampires, werewolves, mummies, aliens,
psychos, zombies, creatures, giant insects...what
does it for you and why?
Laura: I
love horror movies and all aspects of them! Let's
see.... Ive played a vampire, a werewolf, a
psycho, a zombie, a mermaid (good and evil), a
super heroine, an evil jungle girl, a ghost...
Bring it on! I'm up for pretty much anything!
Owen: What
scares you in real life?
Laura: I'd have to say, the horror stories you hear on
the news. Real life psychos and murderers....
thats pretty scary! |