Danielle Harris is without doubt one of the true modern day Scream Queens'. From Halloween 4 & 5, through to Michael Biehn's The Victim, with many more inbetween, she has been a mainstay in the horror genre. Recently I put forth a few questions to Danielle, which she kindly answered, and you can read what she had to say below!
Lair of Filth (LoF) - Danielle, you have embraced horror movies since your role
as Jamie Lloyd in Halloween 4&5, starring in many horror flicks, both big
and small, and now we are set to see you in the Blu-ray and DVD release of
Michael Biehn’s The Victim. What can you tell our readers about The Victim and
your role in it?
Danielle Harris (DH) -The Victim is a throwback to the old
grindhouse movies that’s filled with intense dark moments that will crack you
up as much as disturb you! The story is solid and fun and well acted and
directed. I play Mary, a coke head stripper who’s looking for love in all the
wrong places. Only to find herself at the mercy of her boyfriend who just so
happens to be dirty cop supplying me with drugs. Unfortunately it doesn’t end
well for Mary…actually, it doesn’t end well for most everyone in the film!!
LoF - The Victim is Michael Biehn’s
directorial debut; how was he to work with as a director?
DH - Crazy, passionate, fun, intense and
honest. Let’s just say, I’m glad I knew his intensity before he hired me!!
LoF - Speaking of directorial debuts, you
yourself have recently stepped behind the camera to make your debut with the
upcoming Among Friends. How was this experience? The preview that I have seen
looks like great fun! What can you tell us about the plot of the film? Is there
a release date confirmed yet?
DH - Let’s just say it was an awfully amazing
wonderfully exhausting and inspiring experience! I just wanted to make a movie
that my friends and I would wanna get together and see. Something to pop on the
TV and make popcorn and crack open a bottle of wine or three…
LoF - Your co-star from The Victim, Jennifer
Blanc, along with AJ Bowen both star in Among Friends. Like yourself, both of
these actors have seemingly embraced the horror genre. How was it directing
these two terrific actors?
DH - They are home runs. There was an
enormous amount of trust and I just encouraged them to go for it. I think their
characters are incredibly fun and I just wanted them to feel safe enough to go
big and trust that I would pull them back if need be.
LoF - Going back to the Halloween movies, both
parts 4 and 5 have recently been released on Blu-ray in the States. Do you ever
revisit these films? Personally I think your character of Jamie Lloyd is one of
the most iconic of the series after Michael Myers and Dr Loomis.
DH - They play non-stop during the month of
October on TV, so it’s hard not to catch a few scenes here and there. I don’t
sit at home and put in the DVD and reminisce if that’s what you’re asking!!
LoF - You also went back to Haddonfield for
both of Rob Zombie’s Halloween flicks. Was this a strange experience for you?
DH - It was awesome and gave me a new found
career back in the genre, so I am forever grateful to RZ for the opportunity. I
had been steadily working as an actress after Halloween 5 until rob zombies
Halloween, but most people didn’t realize that it was me. Basically Halloween
gave me a career in 1989 and another chance at one in 2007.
LoF - In Hatchet 2 you took over the role of
Marybeth, and are set to reprise this role in Hatchet 3. It must have been
tough to take on a role that had previously been played by another actress. How
did you approach this?
DH - I never thought about it as taking
someone else’s role. I approached it as I would with any character. Knowing
where she has come from and where she wants to go.
LoF - I could talk about any number of the
many great flicks you have appeared in, especially the likes of Stakeland,
Chromeskull and Cyrus, but I fear we would run out of space! Is there any
particular role that stands out as a favorite for you?
DH - Stakeland is one of my absolute
favorites. It is a role that I had very little to do and say, but am in
throughout the movie. It’s incredibly difficult to feel like you’re doing your
job as an actress when you don’t have a lot of dialogue. There’s no way to tell
if its right and its working. I just let my guard down and was myself true to
my core as Danielle in this movie. I always play the tough chick and badass and
while I can be sassy, I am mostly warm and sensitive and a caretaker of my
friends and family. Belle, my character in Stakeland, is all the things that I
am that I have yet to show on film.
LoF - Back to The Victim now. Anchor Bay is
releasing the movie on both sides of the Pond within a few days of each other; how
would you sell the movie to genre fans?
DH -Do you think Michael Biehn would write
and direct something for his first film that wasn’t awesome??!! I mean, come
on….
LoF - Slightly away from the movies now. A
friend of mine, Brandon Hardesty, asked me to say hi to you; if you could say
hi back, I am sure that would make his day!
DH - Hi Brandon;)
LoF - Finally, as an incredibly busy actor,
and director now, what are your plans for the future? Any plans to direct
again? Or will you continue to focus on acting?
DH - Looking for the right thing to direct.
Acting will always be there and I’m a little burnt out at the moment on it, so
I’m only acting in movies that inspire me or characters I’m going to play I’ve
never done before. I really just want to be creative…and maybe even get married
and start a family. Those would be my main plans for the futureJ
LoF - Thank you, once again, for taking the time out to answer
these questions. Good luck with both The Victim and Among Friends!
The Victim is available now in the UK and US on Blu-ray and DVD from Anchor Bay. Among Friends has yet to receive a release date.
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