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! |