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Support Indie Flix speaks with actress Chloe Brown, one of the headliners in the Australian horror thriller LURKING WOODS.
We will also discuss Chloe's background and what the future holds for this refreshing and charismatic starlet.
Support Indie Flix~ How did you first find out about the Lurking Woods production? Did you audition for the role of Alice?
Chloe - Yes, I did audition. There’s actually three lead female roles, and I auditioned for all three; Arlene, Andrea, and Alice -- all A’s as well. And Alice was actually my preferred role to play. Finding out about the role, I was invited by the producers, and yeah, the rest is history.
Support Indie Flix - What would you consider Alice's greatest weakness as a person in the Lurking Woods universe?
Chloe - The amazing thing about being an actor is the fact that you can play people that are totally unlike yourself. For me, Alice’s greatest weakness would be the fact that she is very much in her own universe, in her own world, and I feel like even though she’s in her mid-twenties, she hasn’t truly learnt who she is. And from that, not truly understanding her actions and those around her. That’s why a prequel for this movie would be awesome to really get into a lot of the characters heads and situations. And why it is that they are where they are. Not just because they’re catching up because they haven’t seen each other for a long time, but what had happened in their past and why things happen. And I feel like her past actions have gotten her into situations that she finds herself in.
Support Indie Flix - Have you always had a passion for acting? What was it that convinced you that this was a profession you wanted to pursue?
Chloe ~ I’ve always been in the performing arts industry. Growing up from a very young age, I was on stage dancing, doing musical theatre and drama productions. I then got into child modeling, and did commercials and print advertisements, and then moved into film and television probably about five years ago. So it’s always been in me, it’s always been in my heart that I really, really wanted to express myself creatively. It’s always going to be something that is so special to me.
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Support Indie Flix ~ A quick question about your process. What do you take into account when determining if you should play a certain character? What draws you into their world?
Chloe ~ First of all, well, Alice I was more drawn to because of my own personal preferences in terms of what was required of the character as an actress. So certain things like that will be, for me, a staple. What is expected of that character for me to create is always going to be the number one thing for me. And I guess, as well, there’s always going to be that little X factor in there. When you read a script, and this also, obviously comes from excellent writing. There’s always going to be something in there that draws you in. You want to trigger something in you where you relate to this character, and you can hear their voice. When you have that combination it’s like that character becomes your child, and you just want to nurture it and support it. And you want to be that person who brings it to life. As I’ve gotten on in my career, I found that I wait for those scripts, and do my best not to stress so much about what I’m doing or not doing.
Support Indie Flix ~ Were there any points during the filming of Lurking Woods where you were legitimately scared for one reason or another?
Chloe ~ Yes, Alice has some pretty epic scenes. I would say there’s one sequence for myself where you really have to, as an actor, get into that space. Of course you have to make it as authentic as possible. What really happens for myself is that when you’re coming out of a scene, and you have got all that adrenaline you just created, and you have all those memories that you’ve now imprinted on yourself, that is when you start to get a bit scared. Because you’re like, “Wow, I’ve just experienced all of this. My body has gone through all of this.” And then you take yourself away from it. You just need to have some time on your own. It probably took me a good day to get out of that space. After I had filmed a big day. There are a couple of weapons in this film -- and I can say this because it’s in the trailer -- I have an axe thrown at me, and that was really scary. But everything is really safe on set. So that was all good.
Support Indie Flix ~ I heard that you're very involved in behind the scenes work as well. Which do you enjoy more: Being in front of the camera? Or behind it?
Chloe ~ I love being behind the scenes. I love being behind the camera. Being able to lead a team to orchestrate and create, I love it, I love it so much. Both are great.
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Support Indie Flix ~I also read that you grew up in Perth, Western Australia, and that you were exposed to the arts at a young age. What was it like growing up in that environment?
Chloe ~ Growing up in that environment was amazing. My parents were in the industry somewhat. My dad has a radio background, so he’s always been around that entertainment and media world. And my mom was a model and music journalist. I never felt like I was being pushed into anything. It was just lifestyle for us. So it was a really easy transition for me to be in that environment. And then of course, take that from childhood to adulthood. All of the skills that I learnt as a child really helped me as well coming back into the industry. Yeah, I thought it was just so much fun. Like I had an awesome experience growing up. I would repeat being twelve, always. I think it was a great learning environment. I think that all children should do something that helps them with their skills of interacting with others, and exploring themselves. And I think the arts are an amazing community to be a part of. I do hope we can continue to see funding be put into these sectors. Whether it be in school or in community youth programs all around the world.
Perth is just a wonderful place to grow up in. It really is home. And I feel like whoever comes and visits us here in WA (Western Australia), they would say the exact same thing.
Support Indie Flix ~ As an actress, you've probably traveled to a few unique locations to shoot specific scenes. What's the most interesting location you've been so far in your career?
Chloe ~ For one film, I had to travel about seven hours inland -- I think it was -- There was no reception, it was quite a trek, and literally middle of nowhere. They had like one road, and it had a pub, a petrol station (or gas station, if you’re in the states). And it had this abandoned restaurant that we used to film in, and that the crew totally revamped for a few scenes. There’s like nothing there. So that was a bit eerie, a bit freaky, a bit weird. So that was interesting. It might not have been the most glamorous, but it was definitely an interesting situation and location.
Support Indie Flix ~ Now that the social stigma surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic has softened a bit, what are your plans now that this crazy year is behind us?
Chloe ~ I was meant to be in Canada, so I’m still in Perth at the moment, in Australia, and just before the pandemic, I was planning on moving to Canada. Now that things are softening, I can hear Canada. But now I am still working on a couple of scripts that I’m developing, writing, and producing, and I’m just really excited for everyone in the industry around the world to see what’s going to manifest from this. You know, people are now realizing that we are taking these opportunities to really embrace what it is that we want to do, and how we can do it. And even just creating films and content on things as simple as your phone.
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Thank you very much for taking the time to speak with us, Chloe.
Thanks Support Indie Flix. Thanks for having me, and to everyone else, don’t forget to check out Lurking Woods.
LURKING WOODS is now available from Midnight Releasing.
Attention bloggers, horror magazines, and freelance writers, for follow up interviews with the cast and crew, be sure to contact Sharry Flaherty of Samera Entertainment at: SameraEntertainment@Gmail.com or AcortAcquistions@Gmail.com
Founded in 2009 by Darrin Ramage, Midnight Releasing is a premiere home entertainment distributor of quality independent genre films released only in the North America Region. With a following of thousands on social media outlets, Midnight Releasing continues to draw attention with each release.
Sharry Flaherty CEO and Founder of Samera Entertainment is a seasoned and well known film producer and Acquisitions Executive for Midnight Releasing. Samera consults with filmmakers on their projects that are either in development, pre-production or post-production. Filmmakers are welcome to submit their horror and thriller titles to: SameraEntertainment@Gmail.com or AcortAcquistions@Gmail.com