Actors Rhett Giles and Eliza Swenson are set to take to take on vampires and more in writer/director Leigh Scott’s upcoming Bram Stoker's Dracula's Curse – a new film from The Asylum Home Entertainment that is a blending of action, horror and even some of the dark comedy.
In an exclusive interview with Monsters and Critics, Giles and Swenson discussed the movie and their roles, what continues to draw the two to Asylum Home Entertainment films, and what fans can expect out of Dracula’s Curse. The film also marks the second time that Giles will take on the role of a descendent of the vampire slayer Van Helsing, and Swenson will once again flex her musical talent as the film’s composer.
M&C: What can fans of Asylum and director Leigh Scott expect out of this film and how does it compare to Scott’s past films such as Frankenstein Reborn, Beast of Bray Road and the recent Exorcism: The Possession of Gail Bowers? From what I have read and seen in the trailer, the movie seems to be a blending of several genres - horror, action, and a bit of dark humor thrown in for good measure.
Swenson: It does have some of that dark adventure film humor similar to Indiana Jones. It is cool that you picked up on that even from the trailer. I think the common element in Leigh’s films is that they are all very intense and layered, but they are also just fun. I think this is exactly what Scott’s fans are waiting for and I’m sure that it will also introduce Buffy fans to Leigh’s work which is great. This movie is sexy, slick, funny, scary and something that you can watch over and over.
Giles: Leigh likes to have a stab, sic, at different genres - horror, gore, action, comedy etc. I think he gets bored easily and likes a challenge. In Dracula's Curse, he really brought a blend of all the elements he's covered in the past - and in true Leigh fashion, he's taken a classic tale and made it his own by taking certain elements of the traditional story and completely turning them on their head. Who's good and who's bad? I won't spoil it for you... but I had a great time playing Van Helsing. As for the look and feel of the film - I guess it's a cross of 'Blade' with the greenish feel of 'The Matrix' mixed with the industrial feel of 'Collateral'. Very cool.
Giles and Swenson are part of a group of vampire hunters
Swenson: Our version of Dracula, Dracula’s Curse is a combination of the action, horror, comic book, and science fiction genres. Some parts of it are dreamlike while others are very modern and seem almost futuristic. To be honest, I have never seen a movie like it. It is the story of a group of vampire hunters that must protect humans, and more particularly purebloods, from the fangs of rotten vampires but things aren’t always what they seem and some vampires are good while some of the humans are evil. Purebloods are humans that have the blood of Dracula and the scary thing is that there is nothing that vampires want more. My character Gracie, well, she just happens to be a pure blood. It is a hard life. There is romance, there are swordfights, there are the good natured one-liners, sexy girls, vampires being slaughtered right and left, come on, it is just a good time!
M&C: Ms. Swenson, without giving away too many of the movie's secrets, could you describe your character a little more, and her motivations in the film? Leigh Scott has described you as the female lead, but left it at that. So is Gracie Johannsen a good girl or a bad girl? How did you approach your take on the character and did it differ any from how Scott wrote her? How does the character differ from characters we have seen you play in other Scott films like Frankenstein Reborn and Beast of Bray Road?
Swenson: My character Gracie is probably the most complex. Her father was a great vampire hunter and taught her the business and yet she has always hated the idea. All of the hunters do it for different reasons, but Gracie just wants a solution. She also has a slight obsession with Rufus King, Jack Daniels, sweet rides, and Dracula himself - and not necessarily in that order. She’s a loner, a great fighter (not too flashy but solid), and she has very, very bad taste in men. I love her because she says what she thinks, exposes her flaws and hates politics. Leigh Scott and I discussed her even as he was writing the screenplay so I think we were pretty much on the same page we created her together. Even though I’m the lead in Dracula, I am a character actress at heart. So if you saw me in Frankenstein, I was the comic book, cold and collected, sexually aggressive, femme fatal, in The Beast of Bray Road, I put my brain on ice while I convinced audiences that werewolves are about as common in Wisconsin as rodents carrying rabies.
Giles' Van Helsing differs from others on screen
M&C: Mr. Giles, this marks the second time that you will take on the role of Van Helsing - probably the most famous vampire hunter in all of literature. What is it about the role that seems to fit you, and why do you think he continues to be a favorite character among movie goers? Is there something about the character that you find fun to play and that sets him apart from just a guy with a stake?
Giles: Yes, I got to play Van Helsing for a second time - great fun. What about me fits the character, I have no idea. What makes him so popular? Simple - he's the guy you root for. You know it before you even put the DVD in the player. I think the interesting aspect of the character this time around is that Leigh looks past the classic 'hero' mask and explores his faults - which will really come as a surprise to viewers. The end of the film will especially surprise viewers when so many characters have their secrets revealed. They come one after another and will leave you feeling dizzy.
M&C: This also marks a return for you to classical literary character for you following your portrayal of a modern take on Dr. Frankenstein in Frankenstein Reborn. What do you feel it is about these classical cornerstones of horror that continue to draw audiences? Although your version of Dr. Frankenstein was a bit of a departure from Mary Shelley's creation, it was still true to the madness and driven nature of the character. Does your take on Van Helsing find some roots in Bram Stoker's original creation or is it a departure?
Giles: Yes, the character Van Helsing (VH) really draws from the classic Bram Stoker - in the beginning anyway. Like I said before, in typical Leigh Scott fashion he likes to turn things unexpectedly on their head and surprise the viewer - give them a new spin on an old story. VH is no exception to his rule. I think it's these interpretations of classic tales that keeps the audiences asking for more. I mean, if the directors and actors just kept re-hashing the exact same script we'd be throwing ourselves off a cliff. So would the viewers. Ultimately I think what makes the classics to popular is the audiences basic comfort of knowing what they're about to expect from the characters and the story, mixed with the new actors and directors interpretation. It's like your favorite comfort food that just brought out a new flavor.
M&C: The Van Helsing character has been portrayed a number of different ways - from the classic but stiff performance in 1931's Dracula to Anthony Hopkins over the top performance in 1992's Dracula to the popcorn take by Hugh Jackman - and has been cemented as the traditional vampire slayer by the vampire Hammer films. Does this type of film history for a character give you hesitation to take the role on or just add fuel to the fire to play the part? Do you try and borrow what has come before, or strike out and create your own take on the character? How do you prepare to take on the character, and will this version differ from the Van Helsing we first saw you play in Way of the Vampire?
Swenson blazes away in the film
Giles: This version is very different from the first. He's in complete control and either taking it to the bad guys, or pulling back when it's right. The thing he's not in control of is himself - which I believe is completely different to any of the great predecessors who've played this role. I believe that's what makes a good hero character, when they have to fight the devil inside. Each person that takes on this role just brings something different to it. I mean there's no thermometer taking temperature of what we do, there's no competition, so all we can do is appreciate what each person tries to bring to every role they play.
M&C: When taking on a character like Van Helsing and working with a director/writer like Scott, is there still room for you to have a hand at creating the character or do you pretty much follow Scott's lead on how the character will come across on screen? Do you have plans to return to the role for a third time or would you be willing to if the opportunity came around?
Giles: Funny you ask that. We're just kicking around some thoughts for a sequel to Dracula's Curse, and, well, as you might have guessed I love working with these crazy bastards so it's more than likely I'll be back. As for creating the character, Leigh usually lets us do what ever we come up with. Not saying he let's us get away with everything though - he's had to reign a couple of people in a few times, but he always does it with a cheeky ass smile and a laugh that no-one gets offended. What he's good at though is letting the actor bring the character to the table, then encouraging the strong aspects of that character, bringing them to the forefront, and then letting the actor know how he wants to use these strengths in relation to the overall story - sort of like adjusting the volume levels of the character throughout the film.
M&C: This movie also marks a return for both of you to an Asylum Home Entertainment film. For Mr. Giles, this is about your seventh film with Asylum and about your third with director Leigh Scott. For Ms. Swenson, this is about your fourth film with Asylum and I believe they have all been directed Leigh Scott. What is it about Asylum and Scott that keep bringing you back to their projects?
Giles: The Asylum started strictly as a horror genre house - literally pumping them out. But over the last 12 months or so, things have started to change. Strict horror genres have moved to lower budget thrillers, adventure and 'higher brow' horrors rather than the slasher, cheap thrills of earlier. As the team has worked hard together, we've all gotten much, much better at our games and so the films have gotten much better. I actually wouldn't be surprised that if in the next year or so a couple of these films might even make it to the big screen. As for the team, it's like when you're in school and going from team to team, from season to season, from school to school - you know a good team when you're in it. There's a great bunch of people around you, you're doing what you love, and you're having fun. Why would you want to swap teams?
Giles "teaches" a new vampire hunter
Swenson: What we have with these films is great because we are all given opportunities to play whatever we want. Hollywood today usually has such a small-minded view of what people can play. We are actors and we love to be at every extreme of the scope. With my career, I have worked on a lot of films inside and outside of The Asylum playing just about everything and I love it. I have proactively stayed away from most TV, because: A. I don’t watch TV, I don’t even have a TV, and B. Film was my first love and I am very loyal!
M&C: Also, Asylum fans will spot a lot of their favorite actors in the film - including Tom Downey, Noel Thurman, Tom Nagel, Jennifer Lee Wiggins, Christina Rosenberg, and newcomer Erica Roby. Most of these actors have appeared with you in other Asylum films. This is another area where Asylum draws comparison to the Hammer Studio - which was known for having many of the cast, crew and sets in its pictures. Is there a theater troupe feel to working with the same actors on several pictures? How does this help with creating an atmosphere where everyone is at the top of their game?
Giles: Like I said - it's a team. New players come in all the time and the ones that stick out, not just in terms of acting or camera work or lighting or whatever, but in terms of tenacity and putting in the extra yards and genuinely enjoying what they do are the people who you want on a team and tend to be the ones that get invited back. And to have all these passionate, good people around you only helps everyone else do their best - again, be it acting, camera, set design etc. I think it's becoming clear that as the team has grown, so has the quality of the productions.
Swenson: It has been great to work with this tight group of people. They are some of my closest friends and I think our ability to make awesome films so quickly is only possible because of this history that we have together and where else does the lead in the film also score it! It has been cool for me because I was there in the beginning with Frankenstein, which was the film that started this family. I hope that it is just as fun for people watching to see us play radically different characters as it is for us. Noel Thurman and I are actually currently working on a screenplay together. We met on Bray Road, but I really fell in love with her work when I watched her in Exorcism as I was scoring that movie.
There is more to Gracie than meets the eye
M&C: Now that is something some fans may not know about you. Not only do you star in Dracula's Curse, but you are also the film's composer. As you mentioned, you were also the composer for Exorcism: The Possession of Gail Bowers. How did you decide to compose the film, and what can we expect from the movie's music? How much time is spent putting the music together for a film like Dracula's Curse?
Swenson: Yes, the fact that I am a film composer is a little known, but I will assure you ever time consuming fact. I actually have no idea how much time I spent on the music, scary thought, but since we were on a tight schedule there were a lot of sixteen hour days. I think that actors are like sprinters and film composers are marathon runners. I guess that makes me a hybrid in a three-legged race. It is surreal. One day, I am starring in a movie that millions of people will see, and the next day, I go without talking to anyone while I work away at my computer. The music for Dracula’s Curse is very comic bookish. It is modern in the approach, incorporating the big John Williams orchestral sound with romantic Goth rock. There are so many great themes that I am really interested in fully developing and lengthening each cue to have a soundtrack. Just like the score for Gail Bowers, I use my voice as an instrument which is sort of my signature. I think that I will have a sample of some of the music up on my website in a few days.
M&C: What role do you feel a movie's music plays in helping to craft a scene, and how do you go about getting it right for the film? Do you feel as an actor that your musical side helps in developing your character or are they two separate parts to your performance?
Swenson: I think music can make a scene go from cheese-fest to celestial. It is so important! The music is a narration of how the images speak to the artist emotionally. There were even a couple of instances when the music dictated the edit in order to give enough time for a music sentences. In order to get the right mood, I get inside the characters heads one at a time and then I also look at the movie in broad strokes so that the music, just like the characters, has been affected by what preceded it. I think that my musical side naturally makes my actor self look at the whole film contextually and not just my small little person in it.
M&C: This film will obviously draw comparisons to recent vampire films like Underworld, and even to John Carpenter's Vampires. Does this type of automatic comparison concern you when you are making the film or deciding to take the part? Or do you feel that is more of a marketing concern?
Giles: It doesn't really concern me. If something's working for a specific genre then you let the guys in charge incorporate it into the film and your job as an actor is to create a believable character within those boundaries. "We want a smooth, cool look without moving?" You give smooth and cool for the close ups. "We're after a nut job on the wide angle?" You give frenetic energy bouncing off the walls. It's really up to the director and DOP as to the look and the feel of the film, who of course answer to the producers and sales departments. As an actor our job is about character - sure we can throw some suggestions around - but ultimately it's out of our hands and we just have to trust that everyone else is great at their jobs.
Van Helsing helps hold the hunters together
Swenson: Some people have been giving The Asylum a hard time for mirroring the studios, but if you actually watch the films, story wise, they are usually nothing alike. It is just a way to get an audience and to be profitable and it usually is. Now in saying that, I would prefer to do completely original things, but this is it! Dracula’s Curse is that movie. So for anyone that wants to support creativity, original ideas and The Asylum, give this one a chance. We didn’t really market it in the angle of Underworld or any other movie for that matter. We just marketed it for what it was - which is awesome. Put a back story more complex than Star Wars, take away the cardboard out of Underworld and show this movie when the clock strikes midnight at the Alamo Draft house, costumes required, Ill be there!
M&C: With Dracula's Curse now in post production and the DVD release date set for April 25th, what do you two have next in store for your fans? Are there any new projects on the Asylum front or otherwise that we can look forward to seeing you in?
Swenson: I just finished shooting an art film in Austin Texas called Pineapple. I play an endearing stripper that makes a man face his demons. I know that it sounds, well familiar, but come on every art film needs a stripper. It was raw. There were some very real emotions captured. For The Asylum, we are slated to do a fantasy film about Avalon and, unlike most of the silly recent commercially glossy attempts, it is going to capture The Wicca, the magic, and the complexity of the mythology. Also, a horror film that I did with Lions Gate, Satanic, was just released. They, like The Asylum, had me on contract for several films last year. I play Dalia - a conflicted teen drug addict that is in a juvenile facility. Tragically, I found out two days ago that one of my co-stars, Rick Dean, passed away about a week ago. I send out my condolences to his family and friends. He was a great actor and wonderful person.
The film blends different genres
Giles: We've actually just finished shooting a pirate film - which I'm not sure it was intended to be but ended up being a comedy and one of the funniest shoots I've been on. I've also just shot an episode on 'Alias' and am about to shoot a romantic comedy 'Rain for Two'. There's a 9/11 script for May, then I'm off to Melbourne (Australia) to shoot a feature there starting the end of June. Crap - when did I become this busy?
Bram Stoker's Dracula's Curse is available for pre-order at Amazon for an April 25th release. As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD’s database for more information.
whittnieSep 14th, 2006 - 23:03:50
1. what training did you have to be succesful?
2. why are you dedicated in your craft?
3. where do you go to do research?
4. what motivates you to excel?
5. who inspires you?
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