The first thing you notice about Evalena Marie is her eyes. Wide and bright, and telling a story. They grow big with fear, and then smolder with fire. Just a glimpse from her and your imagination runs wild.
The second thing you notice is that she can kick your ass! Holy crap is this girl rock solid killer!!! She's Joan Jett, all leathered up and raging with hot
angst. She's Milla Jovovich, sleek and long and battle tested. She's Audry Hepburn sweet and smart. She's Rooney Mara, recondite, and quiet beauty. She's the whole deal.
Born
and raised in the Puget Sound area of Washington State, Evalena had no aspirations for the acting life. It was while studying architecture in Boston that she happened on fashion photographer Kim Kennedy and became the subject for his
work. Once in front of his camera, she began to fall in love with performing. Her modeling quickly led her to her first acting role in Kevin James Barry's femme fatale feature
Serena and the RATTS. In 2010, she was
awarded BEST ACTRESS at the Los Angeles Cinema Festival of Hollywood for her
role as Desiree in the short film Asleep in Child's Park. Since then, Evalena has been busy acting, producing, and writing. Her most recent
role as Tori in the film adaptation of Steve Niles' (30 Days of Night) graphic
novel Remains is on the Chiller channel.
Evalena has
enjoyed playing many unusual characters, and with several exciting projects in
development for 2012, Evalena is looking forward to even more challenging roles. I know I'm keeping an eye out for her.
BadRonald: You can now be seen in Steve Niles' Remains on Chiller
TV, and you are featured in a number of other genre films this past year, including
Exhumed, with Debbie Rochon. Are you a horror fan? And what is it
about horror you enjoy?
Evalena Marie: I am a horror fan. I am a sci-fi fan. I am an action fan.
Fantasy, comedy, drama, romance, I'm just a movie fan period. I love a
great story and a fun ride, and I love getting that from a horror film because
the characters and the circumstances are usually intense and visceral, and I
just happen to really enjoy playing those types of characters in those types of
extreme circumstances. I love imaginative people doing their thing,
finessing their craft, and the horror genre in an excellent playground for them
to dream bigger and really flex their muscles. Everyone gets to work
together to create something maybe only previously known in dreams. And
of course, if doesn't hurt that I happen to love chainsaws and shotguns and
prosthetic skin!
BadRonald: Whatever role you're playing, you have this vulnerability about you. Of
course it works well when you play a victim or a troubled soul, but it's most impressive
when you're the tough tomboy ass-kicker. Your performance in Serena and the RATTS, reminded me of what was so great in
the performances in Le Femme Nikita, Run Lola Run, and the Lisbeth Salander
movies. Where does that vulnerability, juxtaposed with guts come from?
Evalena Marie: First of all, wow. Thank you for even mentioning me in the same
sentence with those films. That juxtaposition that comes through
successfully is the result of a beautiful collaborative partnership between
myself and a brilliant director, whether it be a photo shoot or a feature
film. It's that relationship between myself and my director that provides
me sanctuary to approach and balance on the ledge with knowing I won't
fall. It's kind of like being able to fly while Superman is holding you
up!
BadRonald: You've now taken a role as producer. What did you see in Serena and the
RATTS that attracted you to the role, and how did you use your position as
producer to pull it all together?
Evalena Marie: Being a producer kind of just happened, but then again, so did being an
actress. I met Kevin James Barry (writer and director of
Serena and the
RATTS) on my first gig ever, playing a background concentration camp prisoner
in Shutter Island just for fun. He was a film
student at the time, and thought it would be fun to make a skinheads short
since he now had access to all these bald people, and he asked me if I wanted
in on it. Now, at the time I was studying architecture and had zero
interest in acting, and was actually mortified by being on camera, but I would
have agreed to anything to get to see him again, so I said sure! We were
waiting for the red line at South Station when he remembered his little script
he had on the back burner,
Serena. We did some tests where he put me on
camera in character, and then he offered me the role. My first role, my
dream role. And producing the movie together was just a result of our
partnership. I promised him we would finish the movie, and producing the
movie alongside him was the best way to ensure I kept that promise. I
never expected to fall in love with acting or producing but here I am, not able
to imagine my life without it.
BadRonald: Your modeling work stands out, as well. There are a couple pieces that
are very striking. The first is a photo I've come across online with you
in a punk role, your head is shaved (by the way, you look amazing bald!), and
with those big beautiful eyes just sort of staring back into the lens.
What's going on in that photo?
Evalena Marie: I know the exact photo you're talking about, it's one of my
favorites. I loved being bald, so it's great that it actually worked
since I plan to do it again as soon as I can. The photographer Peter
Martin and I had ventured out into the streets of Boston
that day, spring was just starting to take its first breath of the season, and
as we lost the sun that day, we ended up in a dark back alley somewhere in Beacon Hill. I crouched down against that coarse
brick wall and just soaked in my environment. The atmosphere is the real
star of that photo, it was so thick and undeniable. I just ingested it
and made it everything I was for that moment. And that's what you see in
the photo.
BadRonald: And the other is the rooftop photos with photographer Jackie Puwalski...
there's some wild sci fi action girl costumes going on. You have this
feminine strength that breaks through, and it's not just from the sexiness of
you and the wardrobe. Many models demure to the camera, to try to
seduce the viewer, but your shots are different. There's a lot more going on. You command
attention from sheer will and strength, and your state of undress is as much a part of the wardrobe as the clothing. You have a
great confidence that comes through in these photos that's very
engaging. It seems to come natural to you. How important is it to
you to portray strength -- physical and emotional -- in your characters (whether in modeling or acting).
Evalena Marie: I think strength comes in many forms and it is just compelling and engaging
no matter how you serve it, so I believe strength is a crucial component for
creating a fascinating and captivating character. When I'm in the front
of the camera (still or movie), the farthest things from my mind are trying to
seduce or be pretty for the camera. I mean, when I look in the mirror, I
don't see pretty. I see the same face I see every day; the same doofy,
awkward girl I've always seen. So when I'm on set, I'm just having a
blast playing pretend. I'm a super hero! Or I'm a monster! Or
whatever sounds like fun at the time, just like playing Dungeons and Dragons or
writing my stories. I've always loved making new characters, long before
I ever took on a role in a movie. So that is still my favorite
part.
BadRonald: What, to you, defines strength in a woman?
Evalena Marie: My confidence in my imagination and my willing surrender of inhibition is
where my strength in front of the camera comes from. However, strength
might just be one of those things that cannot be tamed with a definition.
I don't know that it has boundaries and defined edges, I think it may be more
of a fluid concept that will be different in every woman. But maybe the
common denominator you can anticipate would be confidence. Confidence in
whatever form. Maybe she's confident of her sense of humor, and that
gives her strength. Maybe she's confident in her kindness, and that gives
her strength. I'd like to think that once you achieve true confidence, it
cannot be taken away from you (a goal I'm still working to achieve myself!).
BadRonald: What are the films and art and artist that influenced you when you were
young. And who and what still make an impact?
Evalena Marie: Most of my early artistic influences are actually musicians. Harry
Connick, Jr. is a huge influence. Fiona Apple. Stevie Wonder.
Otis Redding. Without them I don't even want to think about how numb I
would be to all the beauty that surrounds me. Since falling in love with acting,
two of my influences are Gary Oldman and Daniel Day Lewis. Holy cow, if I
ever become half the actors they are, I will blow my own mind. My goal is
someday to be completely unrecognizable in a role, that my own mother wouldn't
even be able to see me. But that's a long road ahead of me. Got a
lot of hard work to get to that point, and I cannot wait for the challenges
that will help me grow to that level.
The most influential person in my life, however, is not an actor or a
filmmaker, but an artist of capturing moments of inconceivable beauty. A
photographer named Kim Kennedy. Meeting Kim was a life long gift.
In front of Kim's camera, I felt beautiful in front of a lens for the first
time. And not because I felt pretty on the outside, but because he had
the magical talent of really seeing me, making it safe for me to come out of my
shell, and capturing that moment of emergence from deep underground. Not
only a huge source of inspiration and drive in my life, he was also a dear
friend and creative partner. Last May, he passed away from
Lymphoma. With an unmatched zest for life, he loved diving in the ocean,
and wanted the Atlantic to be his final
resting place. Before we laid him to rest, I made a final promise to him
that I would help him take care of his girls so he could enjoy the ride.
His best friend Tom Clancy set up a charity in his name,
Everybody's Brother,
to benefit his beautiful wife Marina and daughter Misha. Anyone reading
this can join me in helping him take care of his girls, helping me keep my
promise to him, by making any amount of donation to
www.everybodysbrother.com.
100% of the donations go straight to Marina and Misha and no donation is too
small to make a difference. Thank you, guys.
BadRonald: You've made an impact in horror and genre films. How do you see the role
of women in horror and genre films growing, and what would you, as a producer
and creator, like to do, or see done?
Evalena Marie: I've had a lot of conversations with my friend and film director Mike Pecci
about this actually. We've talked about what we want to see in the modern
heroine. As a movie goer, actress, writer and producer, I look forward to
seeing and portraying more female characters that are heroic without trying to
be men. There's certainly a charm to seeing a masculine chick kicking ass
and taking names, but I'm really looking forward to seeing more roles where a
woman is kicking ass and taking names as a woman; where the femininity is not only
still intact but also remains valuable.
A BAD RONALD EXCLUSIVE
Evalena did a huge kindness for me by lending me some exclusive photographs from her latest photo shoot with Daniel Rosenthal. If you thought you were having a good time on Oscar night, check out the wild time Evalena was having at the Beverly Hills Hilton... So nice. So cool. So smokin'.
Photography credit: Daniel Rosenthal
Makeup and hair credit: Keri Anne Shea
Cinematography credit: Kevin James Barry
Some behind the scenes footage of Evalena Marie's latest photo shoot!
EVALENA MARIE Oscar Night at the Beverly Hilton from
Evalena Website on
Vimeo.
If'n you're loving these photos as much as I know you are, here are some links to find out more about Evalena and about the fine work she'd done:
www.evalenamarie.com
www.horroblepictures.com
www.yellowlinephotography.com
www.kerishea.com
