An Interview with Suzi Lorraine - By Joshua LeSuer

Interviews: An Interview with Suzi Lorraine - By Joshua LeSuer
Posted on Sunday, January 04, 2009 @ 11:42:31 Mountain Standard Time by Duane

Ever wonder what happened to all of those buxom, Hammer Horror beauties? The ones who put the "sin" in sinister, with their poisonous pouts and bodies so miraculously molded, Rapheal would take one look and shrug, "Not really anything more I can bring to that bounteous table." Where? Where could they be? Ah! Question answered: Suzi Lorraine. She's their genetic and soulful heir.

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Josh - I understand you favor villanous roles. What's the appeal of being evil, be it outright baddie or ambiguous anti-heroine?

Suzi - I really dig the ability to live vicariously through another character, and really, that's what acting is all about. It is really satisfying to lose yourself in a character, and really become someone else for a short while. All of the bad things you might think about in your head or even fantasize about doing from time to time - well, you can bring them to life and channel them into playing a malevolent or out of control character... Mwahhh!! Plus, ask any actor - it's just fun to be bad!

Josh - I noticed you have some connection with something intriguingly titled, "Claang: The Game". Since the Official Web site isn't in any language I can recognize, would you mind elaborating a bit on the World of Claang?

Suzi - Oh! You must check out the Claang website!! www.claangart.com or www.claang.com. Just click on the British flag at the top, and the website will be in English. "Claang: The Game" is a period-piece fantasy film that I shot in Italy last year. It was directed by Stefano Milla, who has a great eye for shot composition and art direction. He is very passionate about filmmaking, and it really shows in his work.  "Claang" is similar in mood and settting to movies such as "Gladiator" or "300". We filmed in many different towns in Italy, including Genoa, Susa, La Spezia, and others. The set locations were really breathtaking - medieval castles right on the sea, and unbelievable architecture with so much history.   I played the female lead - Princess Eleanor.   At one point, the gladiators fight over me in the ring, and "Claang" is the name of the brutal game that is played in the arena. Of course, fights are to the death, and winner takes all...

Josh - Why are you drawn to 'over-the-top' roles vs. quiet understatement?

Suzi - Well, for a few different reasons: There's something exciting about the energy involved - the adrenaline - in playing a crazy or bombastic-type character. It's just fun, sometimes, to channel those emotions. Think about it - in real life, you may want to beat the crap out of that obnoxious guy who cuts in front of you at the post office.  But, of course, there are laws and norms that most of us live by, so we don't generally act on it, unless you're Naomi Campbell. Well, in some horror movies, you get to take out your aggressions and break things and scream and, of course, make sure that guy at the post office never cuts in line again! Also, while I have a twisted, sarcastic sense of humor, I'm pretty soft spoken and low-key in my day-to-day life, so it's always a challenge to play something completely different onscreen.

Josh - What was it like being on "As the World Turns"?

Suzi - Great! I've played a recurring waitress on the show for many episodes now, although IMDb is not fully updated with all the show dates. It's generally a tiny part with few and, sometimes, no lines, but its fun to be on a TV set and see how effortlessly it all functions. Plus, they give you your own "green room" for the day. On set, there are three massive cameras that shoot all of the action at once. Each camera is focusing on a different angle or perspective (say, one is shooting a long shot, one is shooting one actor's closeup, and the other is shooting the other actor's closeup), so it is entirely possible that an entire scene can be shot and completed in only one take. This efficiency never ceases to amaze me. With film, you may shoot a scene, say, up to 25 times for many different reasons, but on a soap set, everything is just so controlled and organized. And each show wraps no later than 6 or 7 pm every night. It's like a well-oiled machine.

Josh - How does a really good, low-budget, splatter film differ from outright exploitation?

Suzi - That's a great question. I think there is a huge difference. A great horror film can definitely be shot on a low budget. As long as the key pieces are in place, a brilliant, low-budget indie can be made.  You really just need a solid script with well developed characters that the audience can really care about, strong actors who understand the characters and what the director is trying to express through them, and a talented and dedicated crew who know what the hell they are doing.    An outright exploitation flick, on the other hand, only needs a young female--or two, or three--who is willing to get naked and pretty much debase herself onscreen. Plot is pretty insignificant. However, there's a huge market for this genre. Nothing wrong with it, of course, as long as all parties are consenting, but it's just not my cup of tea. If I'm going to spend time watching a movie, I'd rather it be something a little more fulfilling and intriguing. Ideally, something that makes you think or ask questions. I think the entire "Twilight Zone" series was well ahead of its time and ground breaking and brilliant, and still so relevant and timely, even today. Although, some of the special effects may look kind of hokey nowadays, but that's also part of their charm and humor.

Josh - Do you feel, as a scream queen, you've cultivated a screen persona apart from your actual personality? Does one ever slosh over into the other?

Suzi - Acting is such a personal thing that you're always drawing on your own deep emotions in some form. When acting, you draw emotions and feelings from personal experience, because that's all you've really got. So you take these emotions and you project them onto the character you're playing.  I think most good actors are incredibly emotional and that these emotions really run the gamut from deep love to deep empathy to, sometimes, deep anger or deep insecurity. I mean, as humans, we regularly cycle through different emotions any given day, or even any given hour. So, yes, I definitely think there are ties to the onscreen persona I create and my actual personality. There just has to be.

Josh - What was it like doing "The Haunting of Pearson Place"?

Suzi - We haven't filmed that just yet. It's in pre-production, and I'm waiting on a filming schedule. I think it will be sometime in the summer or fall of this year.  It's about a yuppie couple (in their mid thirties), who buy a vacant house in the country in order to convert it to a bed-and-breakfast. The house has other plans. I play the ghost of a nurse who used to live in the home. Am I a good ghost or bad ghost? You'll have to stay tuned.

Josh - How about "Witchmaster General"?

Suzi - This came about when the director, Jim Haggerty, e-mailed me and asked me if I'd like to play Delia Morgan, one of the leads in the film. I read the script and really fell in love with it. Delia is a conniving and manipulative gold digger, who is married, but having an affair with another man. She's evil and ruthless, and let me tell, you she was a blast to play! And it was a great group of people; I really loved working with all of them! What is particularly interesting to me about this film is the fact that Phil Lewis, of the rock band LA Guns, is in it, as well! I've been a huge LA Guns fan since I was about 13 years-old, so it is an honor to be able to say I've been in a film with Phil Lewis! Phil played Dr Gorgon, an eccentric, voodoo doctor who assists Delia's husband in solving certain "problems". Basically, Dr Gorgon is a murder-for-hire, voodoo specialist, who can do away with your unappreciative boss, cheating spouse or nasty neighbor, for a price.

Josh - So, what's doing lately?

Suzi - I am assistant directing a horror-comedy feature film called "Won Ton Baby!" in early 2009. It is directed and written by James Morgart. It's a story idea I came up with that is based on my love of the '80s film "Basket Case" and also the medical condition known as "fetus infetu". This is Latin and translates, literally, to "baby within a baby". It happens when twins are developing in utero and one envelops the other. One of the eggs does not develop properly and ends up being a parasite to the other, healthy twin.   Gunnar Hansen is starring in the film, along with a few other horror legends! It's a story about a broken family, who have good intentions and are are trying to make an honest living and make ends meet. They are oblivious to the fact that one of the daughters, Little Wing, has a bizarre growth protruding from her belly. While Little Wing is sweet and kind, her classmates mock the deformity and hurl insults at her on a regular basis. Soon enough, the growth starts causing some trouble and Little Wing is swept off to the emergency room. A half human/half monster "baby" is removed from her belly and proceeds to live an illustrious existence. The Chinese "baby", aptly named "Won Ton Baby," proves to be a small killing machine in the body of a midget sumo wrestler meets Elvis Presley impersonator. Much to the family's chagrin, Won Ton goes on a killing rampage in his eternal quest for blood and tasty meat.  The official website is www.wonton-baby.com .