Marysia, why don't you start us off with a visual
and describe the room or place where you are
answering these questions?
I'm in my living
room which takes up the whole top floor of our
house. It's a very old house, sash windows and
dodgy parquet floors. If someone threw about ten
thousand pounds at it I'm sure it would be
stunning, but instead it's distinctly quirky.
Lot's of mismatched furniture, past their best
rugs, random pictures and way too many books.
Marysia
- you are wonderfully skilled in various forms of
combat - unarmed, knife, quarterstaff, rapier,
broadsword, etc. What initially attracted you to
master all these forms of weaponry?
I kind of
instinctively knew sword work was something I
would enjoy. When I saw the initial class at the
school I was studying acting at I knew I had to
take it. I signed up for a two week intensive to
get the basic qualification the BASSC (British
Academy of stage and Screen Combat) provides, ten
full days to learn the basic techniques in
unarmed and rapier & dagger combat finishing
with a final assessed performance of a five
minute dramatic scene with fight incorporated. It
nearly killed me, it was one of London's hottest
summers and although I always looked as if I must
keep fit I generally didn't. I would collapse in
a heap in the corner in between sessions. But I
loved the challenge of it, the technique of the
sword work, the opportunity to build the upper
body strength that women tend not to have, how
convincing a completely faked punch looks even
when you know it's not real. So I just kept
going, took advanced rapier & dagger over
half a year of evening classes and went on to do
all the other weapons the BASSC train in. I love
that a woman can challenge a man on equal footing
in a sword fight in a way that isn't really
possible in a lot of other disciplines. Strength
is just not an issue, at least once you've built
up the basic musculature to control the sword,
it's all about speed and timing and focus.
You have
amassed so many horror credits in such a small
amount of time - 'Colour from the
Dark', 'Zombie
Women of Satan', 'Karl
the Butcher vs. The Axe', 'Forest
of the Damned', 'Ouija
Board', 'The Scar
Crow', 'When Evil
Calls', 'Blood +
Roses', etc. Did you have a
moment in your career when you decided, I'm going
to take the horror route and make a name for
myself in indie fright flicks?
Not at
all. It was a combination of two things that led
to my working on so many horror films. First off
the first film I applied for and the first
audition I had were for a horror film that would
go on to get worldwide distribution including a
special metal covered edition in Germany (ha, I
bought a copy on Amazon Germany, apparently it
has extra scenes!). Needless to say I got a part
in that film, 'Forest of the Damned', which
raised my profile in the low budget horror movie
scene. The second factor has been the sheer
number of low budget horror films that are made,
the directors and producers well aware that there
is a market for low budget horror that there just
isn't for any other genre of very low budget
film. Probably 50% or more of the feature films I
apply for are horror films not because that's
what I'm choosing to apply for but because that's
what's being made.
Do you have a
favorite of your films?
Of the
films that are completed and premiered my
favorite is probably 'Colour from the Dark', I'm
very proud of the production values and look of
that film and it's had great reviews. There are
other films I've worked on coming up that may
take over the mantle, like Unwelcome and Made in
Dagenham, but for the time being that's the one.
I'm also very pleased with The Scar Crow (DVD
release Sept 2010) and short films 'Short Lease',
'Record & Erase' and 'Passenger X'.
What
differences, if any, do you see in the indie
horror world between the US and the UK?
I've
never worked in the US, only the UK and mainland
Europe and I don't see many low budget US
horrors. So I really couldn't say. What I do see
is the difference between the UK and mainland
Europe. I think European directors are more
visual, they also seem less concerned with
auditioning people but use show reels and
headshots to find the people they want. I am
going to be filming a short in Germany next month
and also another Italian feature at some point
this year, but the dates are not yet set.
Is it true you
are also going to be stepping behind the camera
and directing as well?
This is
the plan, eventually. I'm very interested in both
scriptwriting and directing. I have two completed
feature length screenplays and another five that
I'm working on. I've directed plays in the past
and a short film and worked as a 1st AD and a
casting director on small projects. I think I
have a pretty good grasp of what's involved in
making a feature film, it's not something to be
taken on lightly. I'm not interested in acting
and directing at the same time unless it was just
a small role, I don't think it's a good idea to
split yourself that way unless you're really
experienced.
What sort of
things have you learned in front of the camera
that you will be sure to put into use with
directing?
Pre-plan
everything. Storyboard everything. Scout your
locations thoroughly. Write for your budget. Make
sure you have a really good sound guy and a
really good DoP. Don't skimp on the details and
the extra shots because you want to get it done.
Unless you are planning to come into a much
bigger budget, no, you will not be able to fix it
in post. Make sure your actors understand the
overall feel of what you want to achieve, don't
use them as lighting stand ins if they have an
emotional scene coming up. Cast a name,
unfortunately. It would be nice to pretend that
it wasn't a cardinal rule, but it's enormously
hard to pull of a success without adhering to
that one. Have a good 1st AD unless you're really
good at telling people what to do while
remembering everything else at the same time.
In smaller budgeted
horror movies some very interesting things can
happen on set. What is the craziest, scariest, or
simply most unusual thing that you've ever
witnessed on a movie set?
The
craziest is the DoP putting his camera where he
was warned not to and it being splashed by a wave
on the beach. To which he reacted by stealing all
the equipment and footage and demanding 10,000
Euros from the director to return it. But that
actually wasn't on a horror film; I won't tell
you which project it was. The scariest thing I
think I've done is lie right in front of a car
while someone who didn't have a driving license
reversed it away from me. Low budget films
sometimes take a lot of risks they really
shouldn't, especially since they often don't have
insurance.
Marysia,
you're considered a top scream queens and I am
sure lots of women would love to follow in your
stilettos. If you were to run a school for >
future scream queens what sorts of courses would
they need to take and what would you have them do
as a final exam?
I find it
strange that I would be considered a scream
queen, since for a start I don't scream well. I
have a naturally quite low speaking voice and I
always trash my throat if I try and do one of
those traditional high pitched girlie horror
movie screams. The main things you need are the
ability to stay awake all night, no allergies to
prosthetics or fake blood, a lot of self
confidence in your body and a sense of humor.
Do you have
any other upcoming projects you would like the
racksandrazors.com readers to know about?
I'm just
doing a few more scenes to finish off on
Unwelcome, which I shot in France last year. It's
a fantastic film about the danger of letting
strangers into your home, I play the lead role.
Also The Scar Crow, in which I play the eldest of
three sisters who are cursed by their father to
remain trapped on their family farm for eternity
and try to use witchcraft to escape. That comes
out on DVD in September.
Zombies,
werewolves, vampires, witches, creatures, aliens,
psychos --- what does it for you horrorwise
Marysia and why?
The
supernatural definitely. The less defined it is
the more scary it is. Vampires and witches I
don't find scary although I do like movies about
them. I guess I find ghosts and unnamable
creatures scariest. I'm not so much into slasher
films, and zombies just aren't quite my thing, a
zombie movie has to have something special to
catch my eye.
What was the
first movie you saw that scared the shit out of
you?
'Ghostbusters'.
The ghost librarian at the beginning terrified
me.
Okay, we're
pulling the car into the Marysia Kay Drive In.
What three horror flicks are on the triple bill
for tonight and what goodies are they going to be
serving up at the concession stand?
'Poltergeist',
'The Company of Wolves' and 'Planet Terror'. And
toffee popcorn all round, I love toffee popcorn.
I could eat a sack of the stuff.
Do you have a
horror dream role?
I'd love
to play a sword wielding vengeance demon. Or a
really kick ass heroine like Milla Jovovich in
'Resident Evil'. Perhaps if we could take Uma
Thurman's character in Kill Bill and put her in a
vampire film.
What is the
best Halloween costume you ever had?
I think
the best costumes I had were as a kid, because
I'm too lazy to make a really awesome costume
these days, but back then I had my Mum to help. I
think the most impressive was a crow costume; we
made a big papier-mach'e crow's head.
Do
you have any collections, obsessions, or true
loves?
Not so
much any more. I used to go from obsession to
obsession. Star Trek to Babylon 5 to Harry Potter
to Lord of the Rings with all sorts in between. I
think eventually I'd just done so much of it I
ran out. These days my obsessions are my friends
and my family. As to true loves, I'll keep that
one to myself.
What scares
you in real life?
The
unknown. I'm not afraid of real life stuff like
plane crashes and axe murderers. I'm scared of
mysterious noises in the night and not
understanding what people want... I'm also kind
of scared of getting run over, but that's cause I
ride a bike in London and if you do that and
aren't scared then there is something wrong in
your head.
Thanks
Marysia, and all the best to you. For the latest
info about Marysia Kay check out her site http://www.marysia.com/ |