MICHELLE TOMLINSON
IMDB - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1009589/
WEBSITE -http://www.michelletomlinson.net/
FACEBOOK ( fan or like page?)
CREDITS – The Cellar Door ,Itch , Mansion Rising ,the Seer , My Undeadly and many others!!
Thanks in advance for doing this - it means a lot to me to know you would do this ! I also want you to know that if there is any questions you would prefer not to answer- that is fine. Please - include any info you wish to be included that I might have forgotten ! If you have any questions for me about the “interview “ questions- pleas ask me- no problem at all!
JG- What put you in place to do horror movies? Was there a film in your past that grabbed you that you knew that you wanted to act and horror was the path?
MT -Just like so many others, I wanted to be an Actor since I was a little kid. Once I hit High School, I became a lot more interested in behind the scenes work and immersed myself in the world of Video Productions--it wasn't until I hit College that I got bit in the ass in a big way for Acting when I took a Theatre Class as an elective. I never had a strong path towards specifically Horror, though I loved Horror flicks as a kid and watched mostly those and war movies with my Dad. As an Actor, I fell into doing Horror when I booked the amazing Kevin Tenney's Feature Film BRAIN DEAD and very shortly thereafter THE CELLAR DOOR that was written by Christopher Nelson, Directed by Matt Zettell and produced by Hilary Six. However, I'm beyond grateful I've fallen into the genre!
JG- What is your favorite horror movie (old and or new) ?
MT -Hhhhhmmmm. I don't know if I have one absolute favorite. When I was little, I was completely in love with the Nightmare On Elm Street franchise. I also really loved The Ring, Hostel and Let the Right One In. (THE SWEDISH VERSION.) I'm also a sucker for vampire flicks (pardon the pun) and love the television show The Walking Dead.
JG- If you were asked to be in a remake of a classic horror- one that would be respectful to the original , the type that would make fans happy and feel good about the film, what movie would you like to do? Now what about directing? If you had this same opportunity as a director ???
MT- Ohhhh remakes. First off, let me just say I don't think I could ever bring justice to any well made film as a remake. When I love a film, I love THAT version of a film and have a hard time letting go of that love to make much room for a remake. Unless I'm able to totally separate out and view the remake as a film of it's own entity. With that being said... Maybe WITCHBOARD or PUPPETMASTERS, just so I can work my friends Kevin Tenney (Witchboard) and Kenneth J. Hall (Puppetmasters) and they can helm the whole thing and keep control of the direction the films would go in. :)
JG- If you had the opportunity to pick a cast and director to star in a movie with , who would they be? As above- also- but from an acting standpoint???
MT -I am a huge fan of Milla Jovovich, so she'd definitely be in there. Mixed with Jamie Lee Curtis, Meryl Streep, Jason Statham, Bruce Willis, Timothy Olyphant, Sarah Wayne Callies, Holly Hunter... That list is too long to properly add to an Interview, but clearly it'd be one helluva strange flick to add these Actors to the mix, so it'd have to be Directed by Catherine Hardwicke or Quentin Tarantino.
JG-What kind of film would you love to do ,not horror in any way shape or form and why ?
MT -A really gritty and/or solid Drama that has a strong morality tale intertwined in there somewhere. Something in the vein of What Dreams May Come, Thirteen and The Blind Side. Those types of flicks hit home in a personal way to an audience. I'd love to create something that'd leave people thinking about it for a few days afterwards and maybe make them think of the subject matter in a different way.
JG- What would you love to do if film was no longer an option , something else in the film industry or maybe a whole different career all together?
MT -Well, I'm also an Acting Coach. That is definitely THE only other thing I find joy in doing, other than Acting. It's really awesome to see an Actor grow and spread their wings and start to book projects. I love being a small part in their process of progress, it is truly gratifying. If it was a career not AT ALL related to the Film Industry, I would lean more towards being a shrink or life coach. When I coach Actors, it's one on one in private sessions. That ultimately brings up a lot of things they discuss that they'd not generally discuss if they were in an actual class. I'm someone who naturally wants to help others overcome their "stuff", so the aforementioned professions would likely be what I'd lean towards.
JG- Are you a reader and if so , what is your favorite book and author?
MT- I LOVE FICTION. I find most non-fiction to be incredibly depressing. Life is crazy enough, so I lean toward the things I can fling around in my imagination. Loved the Harry Potter series, I've read the first book in the Hunger Games, I'm in the middle of a crazy Michael Crichton book right now and I've been enjoying a series written by Karen Kingsbury. So much of the time I'm reading scripts, so sometimes it's hard to get to read a book, but I've always loved reading
JG - Now ,fun stuff, if I were to snag your IPOD - what music would be on it right now ???
MT -HAHA! A TON OF STUFF! Songs from Eminem, Dwight Yoakam, Portishead, Limp Bizkit, The Doors, Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Ani Di Franco, Enya, Motley Crue, Poison, Ratt, (note that as I'm writing this, Belinda Carlisle just came on.. Yes, it's true!), Enigma, Nirvana, Billie Holiday, Moby, Steppenwolf, Beastie Boys, Korn, Bob Dylan... Other Hip Hop Artists, etc. etc. I have pretty vast musical taste. There's even a tad of classical music on there. Oh, and Kenny Rogers. :)
JG- Any guilty pleasures? Music (secret Loverboy fan) , Movie ( loved Somewhere in Time perhaps?), maybe a Harlequin Romance (you know, the kind with Fabio on the cover ? Hehehe)
MT -I catch a lot of shit over my guilty pleasures, but I don't care! I love the Twilight Saga. Not because they're amazingly well written books or flawless films, but because they're so much damn fun to love. I am seriously a 12 year old in so many ways. And deep inside I think there might be an utterly hopeless romantic... I love the Transformers flicks because I have a huge crush on Bumble Bee. Yes, the yellow hot rod. I also still watch Some Kind of Wonderful on occasion just for the line: "You break his heart, I break your face." And there's a lot of not so well received Fantasty flicks I liked--for example the Last Airbender. I don't know why I liked it, I simply did. I am a DORK!
JG- Now that you have also done some writing for film with the Mis-Adventures of McT & A , has the writing bug grabbed you ?? Is this something you would like to pursue more of?? TV / Film ?
MT -Most likely NOT! I do not consider myself a writer what so ever. When I co-wrote part of Mis-Adventures with Kimberly Amato, it was literally me saying things like: "Dude, I should say this here and you should say this there, I think that'd be so silly!" I'm more of an idea person in that sense and someone who can execute getting things done and shot in a timely manner because my gift lies more in putting the right people together, rather than the right words.
JG - You have been able to do so many different aspects of film- actress , director, writer- me as a fan , I would think that from those standpoints that the approach and ‘frame of mind” would be different in each aspect. From those aspects- is there a diferent view in your opinion on the relevance of horror in society, or the impact the genre has in social aspects? Maybe bettered worded- what place does horror have in todays society? This is a tough one I think- I would not know how to answer this myself! Interpret how you feel it needs to be and answer from there!
MT -Firstly, YES, I definitely have to skip around to different frames of mind based on what I'm doing. I just coordinated and produced three teasers and a little ditty we're calling Zombie vignettes with both Kimberly Amato and Christopher Nelson. I created the Production "Bible" that had every single thing needed for every single shoot and handed it over to my long time friend and first partner in production crime Kelby Floyd on our shoot days so I could just focus on being an Actor on the days we actually shot. I learned the super hard way that it's WAY too difficult to try to wear the Producer hat as the same time as the Actor hat. It's too hard to focus on being in front of the camera when you're getting asked a zillion and five questions by everyone--not their fault, it was mine for not appointing someone to be the go-to person on days of production that first time around. Not only did things go well with the recent four shoots inside of three days, but we even wrapped early because of how much every single person kicked ass. I'm blessed with the humans I have in my life.
The place Horror has in today's society? Horror SELLS. In another interview I recently did, I mentioned that Horror is not only just on the Cable Channels, but Network Television as well. It's a hot commodity. Between True Blood, The Walking Dead, American Horror Story and now The River... Amongst anything else I just missed, Horror is clearly gaining speed in popularity. Not to mention flicks like Paranormal Activity more than quadrupling their production budget in Theatrical Ticket Sales. For whatever reason, a lot of us like the bajeezus scared out of us and will pay money to make it happen. And there's also a rise in the notice of women filmmakers thanks to Film Festivals like Shriekfest, Viscera and Bleedfest. The playing field is getting evened out and I think that Horror will be very popular for a long time to come, given the amount of creativity, original thinking and solid execution that a lot of people are putting into it.
JG- Last one- hahaha---- has there been a role that you feel somehow really challenged you personally in some way in your outlook on life ? Example- hearing about the folks who worked on Band of Brothers , a lot say filming that really changed the way they approached life in sincerity- knowing what the people in the film went through to end that war, to see the camps! IN that way- has there been a Michelle life changing role- or one that challenged you in some way that you will never forget that??
MT -I hope it's not twisted to say I'd love to be in a film about war. Not that there's anything glorious about war, per say, but it's a genre that I grew up watching and.. have a desire to check out as an Actor.
Thus far, I'd have to stick to Rudy from The Cellar Door. I spent several days shooting in a tiny space that's not any bigger than a shower stall at my gym. It got me thinking about our own personal prisons. The kind we build in our mind. And how so many of us don't do anything to try to break out--we often sit, resigned to what we perceive is our fate... Without realizing true freedom lies just past the walls we've created for ourselves. I say the words we, us, ourselves.. because of course I've been there myself--a zillion times. In the course of shooting the character Rudy, she tried several different ways to escape Herman's grasp. And finally she succeeds. She breaks through her fear, reaches a super "I'm gonna kick your ass" mode and just goes for it. The physical cage in the film, to me, represented our minds. And the power that we have to either stay caged up or to escape ultimately boils down to our choice in commiting to something and going for it--all balls going for it.
JG -Now- guiltless self promotion ,spill it all- new projects- conventions , websites ? Anything- anything at all!
http://www.facebook.com/mightymct
http://www.twitter.com/themightymct
In varying forms of Development and Pre-Production on Feature Films--2 with Kimberly Amato, 2 with Christopher Nelson.
Also shot a couple of Supporting Roles in Feature Films OFFICER DOWN and an Untitled Drama, Recorded a VO Gig for a Commercial and am mid-rehearsals for the Play ANGEL ACADEMY.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1009589/
http://www.michelletomlinson.net
http://www.facebook.com/mightymct
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