"The Messengers" Special from the set - Q&A with Tatiana Maslany
Tatiana Maslany, a young actress who also played a ghost in Ginger Snaps 2, conjures up another phantom for Danny and Oxide Pang, directors of The Messengers, due out in 2006.
The movie was filmed in
Tatiana: The worst thing is trying to clean it from under the fingernails.
Q: How long does it take to have it put on?
Tatiana: About two hours.
Q: Do you ever feel tempted to go walking around town in full makeup?
Tatiana Maslany: No. [laughs]
Q: Do you have anything on your teeth?
Tatiana: [laughs] Yes. My teeth don’t normally look like this!
Makeup Lady: It’s a mouth-stain that we use, that’s made out of a vegetable-based food coloring.
Q: Was it hard to find the exact right color?
Makeup Lady: When we mixed up the color, the idea was that she’d be a red ghost in a sort of bruised-red tone. It took a little time to get the idea of how much red, and how much blue. There’s a little purple in there, too. Once we decided what we were going for, it didn’t take that long. We weren’t going for HellBoy. We just wanted her to have kind of a neat, interesting red.
Q: We know red is very bad. We know red is not good. Danny [Pang] told us that. Did he explain to you, Tatiana, about that symbolism in Chinese ghost lore?
Tatiana: Not really. I just take the direction and do whatever they tell me to do.
Q: Where are you from?
Tatiana: I’m from here, from Regina.
Q: What was the audition process for you, not having any lines?
Tatiana: It was just sort of following the direction of what to do, and I had to show a lot of reaction and a lot of [makes face] that sort of thing. It was really open and it was really fun.
Q: Is there any particular mannerism that your character has?
Tatiana: [laughs secretively] I don’t know, it’s just sort of… it’s not like a classic ghost. It’s pretty… It’s hard to explain. But it’s fun. It’s just sort creepy.
Q: Do you have to do any wire work, or any kind of stunts?
Tatiana: Yes, I do a little wire stuff. That’s a lot of fun. I’ve never done that before. It’s nerve-wracking though.
Q: Some actors say they really love it, while others say, ‘Never again!’ I take it you’re in the first camp… What do you like about it?
Tatiana: I don’t know; I always wondered how they did it in films, and I never realized how involved it was. So much work actually goes into, like, lifting somebody up off the ground. It’s pretty neat. I just like the process. It’s really amazing how everything works.
Q: Have you done some local theater?
Tatiana: I’ve done stuff across the Prairie Provinces, as far as film and stuff like that goes. So, I’m not only working here.
Q: I see your contact lenses there on the makeup table. Is it hard to see with them in?
Tatiana: This one [picks up vial] is like wearing red sunglasses. But when this one [large, cloudy lens] is in, I can’t see much at all out of that eye. It confuses my brain. It’s not bad, though. It’s just hazy, and I need help sometimes, walking around. It’s OK. It’s not so bad.
Q: Can you remove them between takes?
Tatiana: Not really.
Makeup Lady: It’s better to leave them in. We leave them in for a maximum of two hours. Preferably for about 45 minutes, though, keeps her eyes nicely lubricated. These are actually more comfortable than people realize, because they’re larger and they cover the sclera.
Q: What’s the hardest part for you — the contacts, sitting in the makeup chair, or what?
Tatiana: The hardest part? Hm. I’m not sure. I think it’s just a combination of all of it. There’s a lot of physical stuff to keep in mind, as far as keeping my eyes lubricated, making sure my mouth-stain doesn’t fade, and having a harness on. It’s just a lot of stuff to have on, but it’s just like… fun. It doesn’t bother me.
Q: And then you have to act on top of all that.
Tatiana: [laughs] Right! It’s pretty comfortable, though.
Q: Who are the majority of your scenes with? Kristin… the other ghosts…?
Tatiana: A lot of it has been just me on green-screen. However they place me in the other scenes, I’m not sure. I’ve been pretty much by myself for most of it.
Q: So not too many interaction with the other actors who are also playing ghosts?
Tatiana: Not a lot. No, not yet.
Q: How much more do you have to go?
Tatiana: I’ve got quite a few more days coming up. About 8 or 9, so it’s good. Fun.
Q: Does the makeup help you get into character?
Tatiana: Yeah, it totally [gives me a starting point]. It’s a lot just in your imagination, just what you’ve seen in other horror movies or what you imagine it would look like. I’m not having to act to a little ‘x’ or anything like that. [laughs] It’s not as maybe stressful as that would be, on green-screen, having dialogue with somebody who’s not there.
Q: Do people on the set steer clear of you, when you’re all done up like this?
Tatiana: At first I felt really awkward at, like, the lunch table. I could see bits of skin peeling off and stuff like that. But it’s OK. Everybody’s kind of over it now.
Q: Do you get to a point where you just forget that it’s on?
Tatiana: Yeah, totally. It’s very light and I can’t even feel it. People have given me looks, and I wondered why, and I see… [holds hand up].
Q: Do you employ any little tricks to help you in this role?
Tatiana: I just sort of thought about the things that scared me when I watch films… which is most things. [laughs] I’m not very brave when it comes to films, so yeah… It was just sort of looking at what I find creepy and what I’ve seen in horror movies. Not copying anything, but just looking at tone. I watched The Eye, just to get a feel for the visual style. That was very interesting for me to see.
Q: I don’t think we’ve seen a red ghost, at least not in western film.
Tatiana: It’s super-neat. I think it’s going to have neat effect because it’s so unconventional. It’s not just a grey ghost. It was a decision to have me this way, so it’s cool.
Q: How to they get your hair so stringy?
Tatiana: They put conditioner in it to make it limp and stringy. They don’t want it to look shiny or anything. There’s also plains dust in it.
Q: What’s your costume?
Tatiana: I’m not sure of the style. It’s [a] pretty light [gown]. It’s not super-heavy or anything.
Q: Your feet are bare.
Tatiana: yeah, for when I’m flying. I have to be all one color.
Q: What’s your favorite ghost movie?
Tatiana: I’m not sure I have one. I’m pretty squeamish when it comes to that stuff. I’m just starting to be not so scared. Watching the process has been the best way to get over it.
Q: How old are you?
Tatiana: I’m 19. So I should definitely be over it. [laughs]
Q: [to makeup lady:] Which is your favorite ghost to do the makeup on?
Makeup Lady: [chuckles] Her. It’s the most different and most innovative.
Q: Any anecdotes, or anything funny to share so far?
Tatiana: When I go home, I’m a little more wary. I keep picturing myself. [laughs] It’s weird.
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Staci Layne Wilson reporting