From the American Indie Horror Movie “The Wretched”: Interview with the Actress “Sophie Pâris”

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– Posted on 20/11/2015Posted in: -Home Page (Slide), Cinema e Film

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Sophie Pâris started acting in theater as a teenager,and has not stopped since,playing in France,UK,and even Dubai.We discovered her on the big screen in the indie horror film(Italian & French production) Phantasmagoria.Sophie shot this summer another cool indie horror film in the US,The Wretched,where she plays the charismatic yet psychotic Ilsa.

So what appealed to you about playing in the film The Wretched?

When Nathaniel Davis(director)sent me the screenplay of The Wretched,I fell in love with the film,I knew I just had to play Ilsa!I loved how he keeps on pulling unexpected twists to the genre(slasher and monster films),the psychoIogical and atmospheric build up to the massacre game,I also loved the throwback somehow to everything I love about John Carpenter films,the protagonists being anti heros,not really belonging in the clean politically correct platic world ,society would like to mould us all in.It is not your usual slasher film,where let us face it,the characters are so1dimension,stereotypes,we just can’t wait for them to get killed,because frankly they are boring clones,instead here there is such an attention to the psychology of the characters,they feel so real,so close to us because they are flawed,that we end up rooting for them having to face this horrific ordeal…I also loved despite the film having some dark fantasy elements in its story,yet most of the horror was deeply rooted within reality and humans,demented cult members sacrificing in part for their sadistic pleasure,but also mental,physical and sexual abuse…Also having grown up watching Hammer films,I loved how Nathaniel had managed to give an homage with a super modern twist to the old movies and actors who have given us so many haunting nightmares as kids,like the demented Dr Price(Dave Messinger)and his insane experiments,or with the pathetic yet murderous creature Ilsa has created,Bear(played by Michael Dobbs/I think he might traumatize a few people off teddy bears actually!)which is truly a nod to Boris Karloff’s Frankestein…In fact as I live on the same street where Boris Karloff was born in London,that was my way of convincing Nathaniel,he HAD to cast me as Ilsa,it was a sign!

wretched

Why did you want to play specifically Ilsa?

As an actor,I am drawn to playing morally ambivalent,complex women.I find especially psychopath like Ilsa fascinating to study,I am not afraid to dig into  my inner darker side,more savage,cruel&violent,in order to “become” Ilsa on the film set.To her,those victims are mere flesh puppets to be played with,to kill at her whim,pawns in her cruel,sadistic game of chess,as a psychopath,she has no moral qualms,and yet she is charismatic…But once things do not go according to her plans,she lets her rage&lust of violence wash over her,she has no self control left…I loved portraying those different faces/masks of Ilsa…

the wretched on set pic

You “become”Ilsa on the film set…Is it not a little scary?

(laughing) Actually no one on set trusted me between takes,with knives and chainsaws…!But yes I think as an actor,you get so emotionally and psychologically connected,involved in your role,you give a lot of yourself,your own inner demons,traumas,passion and fire to fully inhabit your role…So things sometimes can get a bit intense,in fact sometimes you realize there is a very thin line which is little too close to yourself,which is kind of disturbing for these kind of roles,as you are very vulnerable…As Ilsa is into necrophilia,I had this one scene,where I literally have an orgasm during a kill,I was kind of apprehending playing that particular scene,would I be able to pull it off,would I have to fake it….But actually what was disturbing,is I did not have to fake it,it just felt very natural,almost organic playing that scene, Ilsa was aroused and definitely having a thrill,and you have that little voice telling you,oops,schizophrenic actress closet…Maybe she’s getting a little too real…Watch out Sophie!(laughter)

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Is it true you shot in haunted locations The Wretched?

Yes!Nathaniel and his producers(Jeff Johns is actually a ghost hunter!)took great care with the locations where we would shoot the film,as this is a micro budget indie film,they wanted to make sure,to get the haunting,eerie cinematographic feel and authentic fear from their actors,to get it right,by choosing haunted spots,an underground stable for horses,and a mansion!It’s a nice way to keep your actors a bit unnerved on set,especially as it was a night shoot,so we felt like vampires already filming at night…I was concerned if the spirits would take badly to our story,but despite playing a few tricks on us on set(quite a few items disappeared and would reappear by magic a few days later,a pendulum broke itself into 2 with no reason,whispers in the dark..)I think they enjoyed our company,they were just sad ghosts…Anyway I think we were all,actors,crew and director,really united,closed during the shoot,almost like a family,we really bonded…I have made some incredible friends,who are talented,incredibly funny,and generous!Besides playing evil is kind of exhilarating, uncensored fun!

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Any upcoming projects?

I’m going to reunite with director Mickael Abbate (Phantasmagoria) on his second feature film:”Love Is All”,Im also working right now on a new screenplay with Nathaniel Davis,a very dark comedy/thriller,”Villains”,which we plan to shoot in the UK this summer,I’m going to play in the upcoming weeks again in the US in Steve Ciesiun’s (who plays in The Wretched one of my victims) feature film,”It’s Only Love”,a romantic drama,and I’m going to play in Nathan Ambrosioni (director of Hostile) 3rd feature film, and we are even talking with Gerry Nelson (also playing in The Wretched,one of the funniest scene of the film actually,his sense of humour and timing is perfect!)about working together on a film he is writing,so crossing my fingers as it would be more than lovely..So yes very exciting,especially as I don’t always play the psycho!(laughter)

wretched set photograph

Sends a greeting to our readers

Thank you so much for your support for our indie film,The Wretched,it really means the world to us all!And I sure hope to get the chance to see you and your readers screening The Wretched at film festivals  in Italy and right across the world,it would just be wonderful!

Napoleone Wilson

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