By Emily Milling
Creedance Wright plays Hannah in Impossible Horror, a supremely daring and badass character, much like Creedance (Cree) herself. I asked Cree a few questions about her experience on the film, which will have its world premiere at Toronto After Dark Film Festival on October 16, 2017 at 9:30 p.m.
E: Hey Cree! What’s the haps?
C: Nothing new to report.
E: Thanks for taking the time to talk about your experience on Impossible Horror!
C: Of course, it’s my pleasure.
E: So you came onto the Impossible Horror project just after we had started production, and you took on the role of Hannah. What was it like to join a project already in progress and how did you get up to speed so quickly with your character?
C: It was pretty exciting to join a project already in the works, it meant I didn’t have to worry too much about any pre-production stuff, and I was just thrown right into the nitty gritty. Catching up wasn’t too difficult as long as I didn’t overthink anything, just listen to direction and try to read the script as quickly as humanly possible.
E: Had you trained previously for the action scenes you were asked to do? How did you prepare?
C: No previous training as far as actual fight choreography goes. Preparation ended up boiling down to just listening as carefully as I could to Alex and the other fight choreographers, taking things half speed when needed and always being aware of where the camera was to make sure everything looked good.
E: And what was it like to work with fight choreographer Alex Chung on the action sequences?
C: The scenes with Alex were the most exciting to film, those guys made me look good by really selling all the punches and kicks. Certainly made me look a hell of a lot tougher than I actually am.
E: What would you do to prepare each night before filming? Did you have any techniques you’d use to warm up?
C: I think the only consistent preparation was making sure I was actually getting enough sleep during the day so I could stay awake all night. I think as soon as I got to apartment every night during the bulk of filming I got into “shooting mode,” so really just getting into that mindset of (attempting) to be as professional as possible.
E: You’ve been extremely dedicated to Impossible Horror from the get-go, helping out with the crowdfunding campaign, coming in to re-record lines, even making sure that your character’s continuity was always on point. What does being part of this project mean to you?
C: This project means quite a bit to me as I’ve been on several film sets before, but always in the periphery, whereas on this set I truly felt like a part of the team. It was exciting to be working with people who I trusted, whose work I had seen and enjoyed in the past and have them also trust in me to perform. Plus who doesn’t love staying awake all night and slowly losing their mind!
E: What was the hardest thing you faced during the shoot and how did you overcome it?
C: I think first adjusting to the sleep schedule was the most difficult thing to get used to, and then just attempting to push through the bout of exhaustion that would inevitably come every night. That along with trying to stay on task when everyone was delusionally tired was probably the most difficult thing to overcome.
E: What was your favourite scene to shoot? And what was your least favourite? Why?
C: My favourite scene to shoot was the playground scene with Alex, and all the other stunt choreographers. It was certainly the most badass I felt on set. For me the worst scene was shooting the climax, only because it was so damn sticky. Along with the fact that we shot it after the bulk of shooting so I think I was out of that “shooting mindset” and the idea of filling my hair with oatmeal and black goo was no longer exciting.
E: What was the best experience you had on set?
C: Showering after shooting the climax. Seriously, it was so fucking sticky. But also most nights were a ton of fun, and full with laughs and a lot of screams.
E: Thank ya kindly, Cree! Have a marvellous day!
C: No problem!
By Emily Milling
What would you do if someone saw you in a play, asked you out for Affogato and offered you a part in an indie horror film? That’s what happened to actor, Haley Walker, who plays Lily in Impossible Horror which will have its world premiere at Toronto After Dark Film Festival on October 16, 2017 at 9:30 p.m. To get into her story, I wanted to interview Haley Walker about her experience with the film from start to finish, and how she developed the process to create Lily and keep her consistent throughout production.
E: Hi Haley, how’s it going?
H: Pretty good Emily!
E: So you were brought into Impossible Horror towards the end of pre-production as an actor playing the role of Lily. Can you tell our dear readers how you came to be involved with the film and what your first thoughts were when you read the script?
H: Well it was Nate (writer and producer) who first approached me with the role. We knew each other from high school, I was doing a play in the Toronto Fringe at the time and he came to see one of my shows. After the show he came up to talk to me and pitched the idea. We went to a cafe, got Affogato, sat in Trinity Bellwoods park for a long time…we talked for so long! He told me everything! I felt like this project was a big deal. When I first read the script I was like, whoaaaaa…this is unlike anything I’ve done before. I had never done a horror movie.
E: Do you think that you and Lily have any similarities? What are they? What are the big contrasts between you and your character?
H: Lily feeds off of the art that inspires her. I totally relate to that. I need creative outlets, too! She likes to bury herself in it, it’s like her energy source. There’s almost always a movie playing in her apartment, much like how I’m almost always listening to music. Sometimes I lose meaning in an album I love or a book I’m reading and it’s hard to get back into it. I feel disconnected, it’s like I’ve lost a bit of myself. But then I find something new, attach myself to that, and then after a while I can go back to where I was before and find new meaning where I couldn’t previously. I think Lily goes through a similar process. But I think she’s more gutsy than I am. She gets pushed to the point of exploring these things that haunt her, and she enjoys it. I couldn’t do that. If something was haunting me, I’d run away.
E: How did you begin to build out the character of Lily before we got to set? What techniques did you use to prepare? OR How did you build out the character of Lily throughout the shoot? What techniques did you use to prepare for filming each day?
H: I did a lot of staring at myself in the mirror, practicing facial expressions and saying lines. I do this a lot, actually. I talk to myself a bunch when I’m alone.
E: We shot the film over about a year and a half, and recorded some ADR and extra lines for your character here and there as it developed. How did you keep Lily consistent throughout this long timeframe? Even last month we had you in to record a few new lines – what did you do to get back into the Lily headspace?
H: This was so hard. Oh my god. Conversation with the director was super important for me & my process. There wasn’t much that I could do beforehand, just being in the space where we were shooting was what helped me. The fact that we did ADR and other sound stuff in the same apartment where we shot a lot of it was good for keeping me consistent. We’d always meet in that apartment regardless of where we were shooting, so I’d get into costume and do my makeup there. I became Lily in there every day. Just being in it brings me back to her.
E: Now that we know how you work – fill us in on what it was like for you to perform with the mental constraints of working in the middle of the night for two and a half weeks?
H: Wild. Just wild. I am not one for pulling all nighters anymore, at the time it wasn’t as hard as it is for me now. It was still hard though. I remember being totally content with napping on a cold, hard floor. That process was my first time working on a feature and also working with a cast & crew that doesn’t consist of my old friends or classmates, so I got early exposure to a different and, in some ways, more difficult process!
E: What was the hardest thing you faced during the shoot and how did you overcome it?
H: It was very hard to stay focused when everyone is running on a lack of sleep and we’re seeing each other basically every day for weeks straight. It got loopy. We all got loopy. There’s not much you can do in a situation like that besides check out after leaving the set. Leave it at the set and come back to it later, don’t take it with you. Even that was hard to do, but you do your best. And we had days off so I’d just relax on those days.
E: What was your favourite scene to shoot? And what was your least favourite? Why?
H: My favourite scene to shoot was the first scene where Lily and Hannah meet. It was really exciting to shoot! All the running scenes and fighting scenes were so fun. My least favourite scene to shoot was probably that creepy doll scene, where everything in the apartment starts moving. That one was done in one shot and the doll kept falling over, I was so annoyed.
E: There’s a pretty significant dynamic and character shift in Lily from the start of the film to the end which is remarkable to watch on screen, it’s almost as if Lily becomes a completely different person. Can you walk us through the choices you made to bring Lily to such a dark place?
H: Well I think a lot of it came from outside factors. Despite shooting scenes out of chronological order, the jumps in time weren’t too drastic which helped me stay in touch with Lily’s transformation. The very first scene in the movie was the first scene we shot, and the very last scene was one of the last scenes we shot, so by that time I had been through so much. I had become comfortable in the apartment, comfortable with the cast & crew, I knew the story well…I had spent so much time with this film. I had time to get comfortable with Lily which made playing the shift easier. Plus, I was running on a messed up sleep schedule and my diet consisted of mostly bagels, so that definitely changed something in me. As I grew and changed, so did Lily.
E: What was the best experience you had on set?
H: Getting absolutely soaked in goo, blood, and whatever else you guys threw on me. I really love getting down and dirty for a film. And you guys were always very professional and adamant about health & safety so I felt comfortable!
E: Thanks, Haley! It was lovely to speak with you today! Regards!
H: Always a pleasure, Emily!