I want you all to practice saying Lauren Ashley Carter’s name now, because we will be speaking it a lot in the future. Having starred alongside Pollyanna McIntosh in The Woman (a good friend of the site), and starred in Jug Face (which many of you know I made my Best Of list for 2013), she is becoming an undeniable rising star in cinema. Thanks to the magical powers of Twitter and her kindness, she agreed to do a back-and-forth with me about some of the movies she has been in, some she plans on being in, and just why she has such a fondness for the horror genre. She also has a fondness for cheese, which I would come to find out later on, and only made me like her more. Sweet, honest, driven, and hilarious, here is my back-and-forth with actress (producer, and cheese connoisseur) Lauren Ashley Carter.
Lauren is the one in the hat.
Hi, Lauren. Thank you for taking the time to do this. You seem like you are in the middle of many projects.
Yes! I am. I just started a production company with my partners, Warwick Street Productions. It is a women-owned business, which we’re very excited about, and we are in pre-production and then I am producing a couple of projects separate from WSP to better myself as a producer and business woman (I am invoking the image of Lisa Kudrow in “Romy and Michelle’s Highschool Reunion” as she asks the waitress at the greasy spoon if she has any “business woman specials”.)
Well, so far, you are screaming business woman to me. Props on doing everything you just said. That is a lot of stuff. Warwick Street production sounds super intriguing, I am going to have to bring that up again later. First off, I am a huge fan of two horror films you were in, both of which I think did incredible things for indie horror and horror in general. One, you played Peggy Cleek in The Woman. A movie all my readers will know I am an unabashed fan of. Then, a few years later, you were the lead in Jug Face. A movie I actually placed on my favorites of 2013 list (before I ever had an inkling we would talk). You seem to have a natural affection towards the genre. When did that begin with you?
I always loved watching movies. There was something very magical to me about those VHS tapes and the process of renting a movie. Half the fun for me was just spending an hour in the rental shop perusing titles and checking the ribbon. My parents weren’t together, so I saw my dad on weekends and he let me watch scary movies. It was an unspoken rule that I wouldn’t tell my mother. And I loved them! I also loved outrageous mind-numbing films like “She’s Out of Control”, “Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead” (I still want petty cash), “Buffy The Vampire Slayer”, and all Disney films except “The Fox and the Hound”. I’m pissed about that movie.
I loved horror because I loved the drama and the special effects. I always knew it was fake, and I thought it was hilarious and fun! It wasn’t until we rented “Faces of Death” that I knew it wasn’t real horror I wanted, but the elaborate staged brutality. The masks, the demons, the dark magic. I had no interest in “Faces of Death”.
(editor’s note, I ended up shutting that movie off when I rented it as a kid. Really effed me all up)
The catch with Faces of Death is that some of it was snuff. Real deaths. No thank you.
Being with my dad on the weekends was everything good: staying in my pj’s all day, eating ice cream and pizza for breakfast, water parks, and scary movies. Horror films bring back really great memories for me.
Same story here, right down to the love of the ritual of renting tapes. The drive, the wondering if what you wanted would be rented or not. Hoping to God the last person rewound it. And being from split parents as well, I got my horror on Dad weekends, too. Was there any particular performance in a horror film that inspired you to want to act or be involved with filmmaking?
Movies in general made me obsessed with the idea filmmaking. It was so magical to me, and also so far away, it seemed. One of my grandmothers is a lover of classic black and white films. I think that when I saw all of the incredible actresses from the 30s and 40s, that’s when I knew that I wanted to act. But there was always a huge part of me that resisted the term “grace”. I was never a tom boy, I hated getting dirty. But I loved anything that was considered gross, creepy, or wrong by my peers. I would sleep like I was a corpse at sleepovers just to try to freak people out. I resisted the concept of how a “lady” had to act, and I decided that I never wanted to be one. I wanted to entertain, to command attention. I didn’t know if I’d be any good in front of a camera, all I had ever done were stage plays. When I finally had the opportunity to make a film, I knew that’s what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
I think the “sleeping like a corpse thing” you just told me might register you as the coolest kid ever. We would have gotten along, I think. It is also good you saw how silly gender norms were right from the get-go. Some of us don’t realize that until we are much older. It took me a long time to figure that out. Gender is a great way to lead into the next subject here, too. Regarding The Woman, there are some incredibly heavy themes and scenes in that film. Was there anything about the subject matter of that film that almost made you hesitant to take the role?
Never. Not for one moment. It was well-written, for starters. And it was real to me. Apart from capturing a feral woman and “civilizing” her, the relationships and the violence of these characters is no worse than any news articles that my mother sends me on a weekly basis (and I’m just talking about news from Ohio).
So Ohio is where all the feral women are at? They seem to be lacking in New England. The Woman was a sequel to The Offspring, and feels like there should be a third film in that series. An ending of the trilogy, where she (the Pollyanna character) teaches the younger girls how to be feral. A cool sort of “full circle” aspect to it. Would you be against that if the chance ever arose?
I would do just about anything to work with the lovely Pollyanna. We had talked about it a few times, we’ll see if it ever happens! I know that the next book would be a good chunk of years after The Woman, so we still have some time.
Lauren as Peggy Cleek in The Woman.
Just the fact that you both have told me that it is possible fills my black heart with more joy than words could do justice for.
Do you remember the reaction of family members and friends who saw you in the movie? Did (or do) you ever feel like you had to justify the movie to people who don’t understand horror or some of the dark places horror goes?
My family knows me very well, and even my mother loves dark content. One of her favorite movies is “Downloading Nancy”. She called me and said, “You have to see this movie! I’m not going to tell you what it’s about, but just watch it. It’s incredible. It’s really great.” I watched and I called her back and said, “Great? You could have given me a little bit more information before I saw that.”
My grandma who watches the black and white movies was pretty repulsed. But no more than when she watches my father and I howling during South Park marathons.
Did you know Downloading Nancy is based on a true story? I don’t recall if the movie touched on that aspect, but I knew the story well before seeing the movie. Melted my face. Your Mom sounds awesome.
I have to ask, what was it like to work with Lucky McKee, one of the greatest horror directors out there? Also, what was it like to work with Pollyanna McIntosh? The performance she gave in that film is mesmerizing. Hell, all of you were mesmerizing. You even worked with Angela Bettis. Not even sure this is a question anymore. That is a female horror trifecta.
Angela Bettis and Lauren in The Woman.
I was so stoked to meet Lucky and Angie. “May” is one of my favorite films. Lucky is very intense, and he is a surgeon with his scripts. He knows where every artery, nerve, and vital organ is. It was fascinating to me to see what came out on-screen. I didn’t really understand lighting and camera moves, but after working on “The Woman”, I started to pay attention.
Polly was fantastic, as you well know. The most incredible thing was her overwhelming calm presence. She was incredibly patient and focused. It is something to aspire to, I think. She’s also wickedly funny. And beautiful. Sheesh, get a flaw, already!!!
And Angie, well. I’ve been a fan of hers for a while. I looked to her for my role as Peggy. We were both victims of abuse, she was just gone, whereas Peggy had a microscopic bit of fight in her. Angie was a pleasure to be with on set, but when I saw her performance in “The Woman”, it made my heart hurt. She’s so beautiful and vulnerable in that movie. Just a tragic story.
May changed my life. Horror at its most fine tuned. Same with the Woman. Angela Bettis just conveys a fragility in life few can. And Polly, yeah, don’t even get me started on her. She is divine. There are few other words that fit.
I noticed you were in Premium Rush. Please tell me you are one of the bikers in the “bike flash mob” scene at the end?!!! Also, did you get to meet Joseph Gordon Levitt in real life, and is he as dreamy as he seems? He seems dreamy, and this is coming from a straight man.
Ha ha ha ha!!! Oh, lord. No: I was not involved in the bike mob scene. My character was actually added after they had started production. I had auditioned for the role of the secretary who hits on Joe (that’s what he said I could call him. Or was I dreaming?), and I didn’t get the part. A couple of months later, I found out that David Koepp wanted to add the role of Phoebe, the bike courier service’s secretary. I had a few lines and a close-up, so that was cool. Joe was very nice. He was always hanging out with everyone, and the day after I left was when he had the accident doing his own stunts. My favorite person, after David Koepp (“Death Becomes Her” is a masterpiece script) was Aasif Mandvi. That guy had me in stitches. A hilarious and giving actor.
My type is closer to Michael Shannon, AND I NEVER GOT TO MEET HIM! I was bummed, and everyone was bummed for me because I never shut up about him after I was cast in the film.
::sad trombone::
So you like dark, tortured, layered men? *giggles like a school child.
NO, but seriously, Michael Shannon is a f*cking machine. Bug made me fall for that dude, and everything he has done since is just as good. I can see your logic in that.
Alright, enough about all these other people. Time to talk Lauren Ashley Carter with Lauren Ashley Carter. Talk to me about Jug Face. I loved that film, and your portrayal of Ada is layered and kind of heart breaking.
Thank you. It was pretty heartbreaking to be in that world, but it was one of those things that I didn’t notice until I was in it. Reading any script, I have a very objective feeling. It’s not unit l am in the location, with the other actors, and the weight of that world is tangible that I enter the head space. It’s something that I can think about, visualize, and research: but the heavy feelings come from the world. When I read it I thought, “Wow! This would be crazy to do! I want it!” Then I’m in it and I think, “Damn, this girl can’t get a fucking break!”
Jug Face dared to be original in a world filled with carbon copies, which set it apart.
She really couldn’t. From scene one to that heart breaking final act, Ada was amazing because you made her real. We felt for her.
I talked to the director of Jug Face awhile back and asked him a question about Ada that I really want to ask you. Pardon if it seems too forward. Jug Face, for all intents and purposes, begins with you having consensual incestuous sex. That is a lofty, heavy subject matter that is obviously very taboo to even discuss in our society. How did you manage to do something that taboo, right away, yet still win over the audience and have us rooting for you? It is like starting a marathon with a broken leg. But you f*cking pulled it off. How did you do that?
Ha ha ha ha! Well, thank you. I do know what you mean. I believe it had more to do with Chad’s direction and the editing within the story. First of all, the audience doesn’t know he’s my brother right away. If they did, it may have been a bit harder. Second, we’re seeing a lot of imagery at this point. And I think there’s a lot being processed in addition to the sex on the tree (which was a pretty funky tree). Leading up to the sex, the moment that we have together, it’s obvious that something else is happening. It’s not a titillating sex scene. It’s not romantic or particularly sexy, either: unless you’re really into white panty hose and bark rash.
Later, when we realize that they’re related, a lot of other questionable things are happening: this girl is being forced to marry someone, she’s isolated, she has no power over her own life. It’s fear and silence that drive Ada. It is fascinating, and sometimes horrifying, what people will do when they feel they are being silenced.
It is amazing to see Ada as a character realizing she has more strength than she thought across the course of the film. It is like an evolution. I also wanted a chance to congratulate you (way late) for your award you got for Jug Face at the Nocturna Film Festival in Madrid. You played a very different kind of heroine in that film, and deserve more accolades for it.
Thank you again. That was pretty sweet, I have to say. It’s really heavy, too! It looks like the black knight from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, after he’s just a torso on the ground. I’ve moved so many times, I keep having to super glue his shield and sword.
I would rather have a black knight award (glued or not) than golden popcorn, but that’s just me.
You did something pretty remarkable in Jug Face, that I have only seen a few other times done really well in film. Much like Pollyanna had to do in The Woman, you act using your eyes. You have these huge, expressive, brown eyes, and you seem to convey so much with them. Is that conscientious on your part?
Ada is a heart breaking character, brought to life by Lauren.
Some actors have these rubber faces that I just adore (i.e. Michael Shannon). I feel like I could absolutely watch them watch paint dry and weep.
I make a lot of faces in the mirror, and when I first saw myself on film, I did take note of things that read and things that did not read. It upset me that I didn’t know what was happening on my face, so I am much more aware now. We must be in tune with our bodies. For many years, I was afraid of my body. Unfortunately, many women are. Working with Polly helped me want to be more one with myself, as corny as that sounds. She’s very much in touch with her body, femininity, vulnerability, and strength. She and Angie made me want to be a better actor.
You worked with some amazing women, and that has already reflected itself in you and your body of work. Talk about ideal mentors.
I actually already talked to Chad Crawford Kinkle, director of Jug Face, in an interview not too long after Jug Face came out. Strange how there is an odd circle to this. Talked to Pollyanna, whom you worked closely with. Talked to Chad Crawford Kinkle, who you worked closely with. It almost sounds like some stalker horror movie where I have been secretly interviewing everyone around you SO I COULD GET TO YOU!
*Cue Hans Zimmer music
Such is not the case, though. Just the universe being awesome and random.
Don’t fuck with me! Kidding.
But you really shouldn’t.
I’ve dealt with stalkers: I’m well-equipped.
This is her “don’t stalk me or I’ll stab you” face.
I work too much to stalk anyone. I promise.
Alright, so Hollywood is horrible to women. It really is. I talked to Pollyanna a little bit about this fact. Some writers treat females better than others, but for the most part, it seems to be wife, girlfriend, or someone who needs saving. Rumor is behind the scenes it is no better. This is all an elaborate set up for me to ask you more about Warwick Street Productions and what sets it apart from most production companies out there?
Ah, yes. Unfortunately, it’s still one big boys’ club. Warwick Street Productions is a women owned production company based in NYC. Marlene Shapiro, Arthur Shapiro, Natasha Kermani and myself are all partners.
Arthur worked in the booze business for a long time, and in all that time he maintains that it was a woman who was the mentor that taught him the most. Similarly, it is the women I have met in this business that have pushed me to learn, to ask questions, and to take charge.
Natasha held my hand through our first film (my first film as a producer), a short starring Mark Linn-Baker (as you know). I never wanted to wait by the phone: none of us did. And while we are interested in a variety of film, we are decidedly particular about the quality of product that we are accepting and putting out there. Having well-written and diverse female characters is extremely important to WSP. We want women of all ages, races, and types to be represented with the work that we do, and we will seek out material that does just that.
I watched Bereavement (the first short Warwick Street produced) and it was darkly comical and very nicely done. It also featured you and Cousin Larry (Mark Linn-Baker) from Perfect Strangers. Neither of those things hurt it. Are there any future plans you want to tell us about? You should give me an exclusive, that would be awesome….
No pressure, though.
Thank for the compliment! We had a lot of fun. Mark and I did a play together called One Slight Hitch written by Lewis Black and directed by Joe Grifasi. Lizbeth Mackay (also in Bereavement) played my mother.
We are in pre-production right now for a mock-reality micro web series, which I will absolutely give you the exclusive on once we finish the shoot! (Sweet!)
I wish I looked this cool when I was deep in thought. I tend to look scared and slightly gassy.
Was One Slight Hitch the play you guys did down the Cape (Cape Cod?) I was actually sad I missed that (I am not far from there now, and grew up there). Heard great things about it.
So I am also hearing a buzz about your next movie, Pod. Written and directed by Mickey Keating (who I will be talking to quite soon, thanks to you!). Can you please tell us a little bit about the movie and who you play?
Yes, indeedy!
Pod is a quiet family drama-
jokes. All jokes. I’m a joker.
Pod is a family intervention that goes completely off the rails against the backdrop of a beautiful Maine winter wonderland. It revolves around three siblings: Ed, the oldest brother (Dean Cates, Ritual also by Mickey Keating), Martin, the middle brother (Brian Morvant, The Den) and Lyla, the youngest (Moi!) Lyla was closest with her brother Martin her entire life, seeing Ed as a father figure, and loses her way after their parents’ untimely death. Lyla is torn between her brothers in this film. She has a few monkeys on her back and is no way equipped to handle the severity of this intervention.
Ah, the family dynamic just does not get mined enough, in my opinion. There is so much there. Speaking of which, The Woman, Jug Face, and now Pod all seem to have heavy themes of family. Very interesting. Pod sounds creepy. I hope there are pod people involved. What drew you to the film?
I loved Pod because it immediately made me think of Invasion of the Body Snatchers with Donny Suths. Also, I love intimate pieces like this one with just three characters: the tension is already so palpable. I also loved that Lyla is a smart girl, a caring girl, but she has a stinger on her and she can be rotten. It is a character I’ve never had the chance to play before.
Everything is better with pods.
I think you may have just hinted at pod people. Man, this is going wonderfully! So are you telling us that we need to keep our eyes on Lyla? There may be more to her than first appears? Don’t answer that! I want to save some of these questions for Martin!
But in keeping with the theme, let’s talk horror as a genre.
Horror is f*cking amazing. You are f*cking amazing in horror. Thank you for that. But tell me, why does it get shit on and ignored as an art form? It infuriates me, simply as a writer and someone who adores the genre. It must make you want to tear your hair out.
Yes, horror is amazing. And thank you, again! Horror forces people to confront their worst fears, so I understand why people refuse to watch it. What I don’t understand are film and art lovers who are fine with exploring the sexually bizarre, but not the bloody bizarre.
Then you have films like Antichrist that mine BOTH and really f*ck people up. Thank God there are still artists who are brave enough to go there. So regarding horror and its state of affairs and life span, what needs to change to ensure its evolution?
In the US, horror seems to be looked at like porn. Sometimes even less accepted. But then I’ll hear someone who “hates” horror talk about what a great movie Se7en is. And I ask them, “What kind of movie do you think that is?” They’ll respond, “Oh, that’s a thriller.” No. A thriller is Taken. Or Gaslight. Se7en is horrific!!! I mean the LUST bit alone qualifies it: he screws her to DEATH with a RAZOR STRAP-ON!!!
(Editor’s note, have made this exact argument myself. Thank you!)
I think what a lot of horror movie makers and fans are doing is, whether they are conscious of it or not (or perhaps it’s merely an effort to organize their massive horror movie collection) is re-branding horror with sub-genres: Art-horror, thriller, rape-revenge, psychological horror, supernatural, demon-ghost, monster, slasher, etc. This allows people to really confront what they don’t like, which usually turns out to be slasher or home invasion, and then they are more likely to say, “Oh! I remember Serial Mom from when I was a kid! I loved that!” or “But Jaws is a classic!”
The big HORROR dripping blood scares the crap out of people. And not everyone loves to be scared like we do. But I know that most everyone has a sub-genre that they watch, or at least one horror film that has marked their life.
And that’s worth it.
I try to dig deeply with people to find that one movie, and then some of them even watch my movies! And if they don’t have even one film? I tell ‘em to go kick rocks.
Ah, Funny Games. All you have to say is home invasion sub-genre and my mind goes there, and I fold up like origami and weep in the corner. Also, you get twenty extra points for saying “kick rocks”. I love that term, and it is not used enough.
Sorry I didn’t let you know there was a “point scale” until now. Don’t worry, you are in the high thousands so far.
So I ask everyone this. I am interviewing you, five years from right now. Tell me about what you’re working on and why we should be excited about it.
Stop reading this and watch Jug Face, right now. Well, after you finish reading this.
That is one thing I cannot answer. Every thing that has brought me to the moment where I am now, is nothing I had ever predicted. It has been a long, winding, terrifying, and exciting road. And I imagine I will still be driving down that road, but hopefully with some better wheels.
Please tell me I can use that “better wheels” line in my own life? Like, seriously?! I wont steal it and put it in print like it’s mind, but I want to use it, for myself. I hope that is okay. That might be the best answer I have gotten to that question. Wow.
Now we get to the insane, random, shorter questions that publicists hate, but real people tend to appreciate.
NOW we get to the insane?!
Lucky for you I have no publicist, so let’s begin, shall we?
Hahahaha, touche’.
If you could work with a dream director, who would it be and who would you be acting beside? Trust me, the questions get worse from here.
Oy va voy! There are so many. David Lynch is someone, who when mentioned, makes me stop breathing for a half, or sometimes full, second. But the list is truly endless. Gillian Robespierre did a beautiful job as the director on Obvious Child. I’m thrilled for her, and looking forward to where she is going. I would like to work with her.
Ellen Burstyn is my absolute favorite, Steve Buscemi (I also would love to be in a film directed by him as well), and Tom Hardy’s performance in Bronson made me fall in love with him.
THE PERFORMANCE! THAT’S IT! STOP LOOKING AT ME!
Also, Bronson has the greatest screen capture ever, which is, this moment right here.
Lynch, Carter, and Hardy. Mark my words, it will happen. That would yield an amazing end result. You just might need to learn to talk backwards is all. As for Hardy, you don’t need to justify it with me. Bronson is an utterly brilliant film (the “paralyzed” scene is one I forget to breathe through). Those are stellar choices.
I warned you about this question ahead of time, and I bet you thought I was kidding. If you could be one cheese, what cheese would you be? What does that cheese say about you as a person?
I’m obsessed with cheese. I have it for dinner with wine and various meats most evenings. But to think of myself as cheese is a wee bit cannibalistic, I suppose.
I would be the Stinking Bishop. It’s a soft cheese made from cow’s milk from Britain. Because I’m a softy and a goody, but you’d never know unless you get through the rind which is one of the stinkiest things you’ve ever experienced.
She is pungent, but well worth getting past the smell. The cheese, people. Not the actress.
I have a cheese obsession, too, obviously. So this is the part where we are obviously friends now. I interview in such a way, I am told, that it disarms people and by the end we are like, best friends. But you disarmed me and I am all confused now. Well played. Now that we are best friends, you have to (not really but for the sake of this interview) take me to your favorite place on Earth. Where do you take me and why is it significant?
Wow: my second best friend! You’ll have to karaoke with Roger and I now that you’re in the club.
(editor’s note, I wanna sing Africa by Toto)
I will take you to Harrod’s in London. It’s Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory for grown-ups. I love fancy cheeses, meats, caviars, pickles, snacks, hats, and bags, and ahhh!!!!!!!
I grew up in a small town, and my parents worked very hard to give us everything that we needed. I always had champagne taste on a beer budget. I went there once when I was fortunate enough to be taken to England for a wedding. I couldn’t afford anything, but it sure did motivate me to keep working hard so someday I can go back and get myself some cheese and big fucking hat.
That is me being kinda sounding like James Lipton, I think. I hope you appreciate that. I don’t bust out my James for just anyone.
Is that what you’re calling it?
*Cries for about a minute and a half.
Now that I am done crying, I wrote a piece the other day about the pet spa at Harrods, and it dawned on me that the pets who go there have better lives than me. So you bringing this up to me right now is very poignant. I, too, want a big hat, gender expectations be damned.
You seem youthful and fun. Tell me the best album you have got in the last five years. I need new music in my life, and am relying on your for that, right now. Again, no pressure.
I’m actually a fuddy duddy when it comes to music. I tend to listen to a mishmash of classics from every genre. Superchunk’s I Hate Music, 2013. I really like Noah and the Whale’s album Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down because it makes me happy, but that was from 2008. And I’m a huge Neko Case fan.
I’m not too hip, sorry about that!
But there is one song that will make you hate me because it’ll haunt your dreams: Love Karaoke by this person, Blaire. And speaking of all things IBS related, Man Boy by Eric Saade. You really need to watch a live performance of Man Boy.
You’re welcome.
I just watched a performance live, and um, is it weird I want to play with his tussled hair, and at the same time, slap him? I think it might be. You’re right. Thank you. I am inserting it right here so the rest of the world can know, too.
Wow. Just wow!
Finally, tell me three things that make you really happy that people might not know about you.
They aren’t terribly surprising things, but here goes:
-watching George Carlin videos
-any time “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” or “Always Be My Baby” comes on a radio. I immediately stop the conversation so we can focus on the sing-along.
-a good Oprah gif
-Getting a much-needed surgery to relieve myself of the carpal tunnel syndrome I have developed after finishing this interview.
Here, Lauren. Got this one specially for you. You earned it.
Carlin is one of my heroes. Also, included an awesome Oprah gif for you here. Thank you so much for doing this, Lauren Ashley Carter. You can forward all medical bills for your wrist to my webmaster, who will probably ignore you like he ignores me. I am genuinely looking forward to whatever strange, surreal, and wonderful things you may have in store for us in the future, and this was a blast.
Thank you, Remy! Have a great weekend, darling.
Follow Lauren Ashley Carter on Twitter here, and her own site here. Also, keep your eyes peeled for Pod and my interview with Pod’s director, Mickey Keating, coming soon. Also, feel free to join my cult of REMlins here. We are good people.
The post My Interview With Lauren Ashley Carter (of Jug Face and The Woman) About Hollywood, Gender, and Cheese appeared first on Remy Carreiro.
