TCWreviews’s Administrator and Editor in chief, Clifford Kiyabu, sits down with actress Selene Beretta for an exclusive interview! Selene Beretta is a young, talented and aspiring actress that will be making headlines in due time. She’s a actress that will captivate moviegoers on their first encounter, but what’s on the minds of many is; Where did she come from? And most importantly, what is about her and the character she play’s on screen in the indie sensation, Maggie Marvel, that has people asking who is Selene Beretta? Well thankfully for you I got a chance to sit down with the starlet in a Q&A season where I ask her the questions her fans want to know and her upcoming film Maggie Marvel (2010).Clifford: First off I’d like to thank you for taking the time to do this little interview.
Selene: Thanks Clifford! I'm very happy to answer questions about Maggie Marvel.
Clifford: Tell us a little bit about yourself?
Selene: I am a Swiss born, Australian raised, Brooklyn dwelling actress. I trained at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Have been living in NYC for 5 years and love it. I come from a big family and have always been passionate about the arts.
Clifford: So how’d you get into acting?
Selene: Originally I had wanted to be a Director. I looked into Directing training but most of the courses were post-graduate. So I decided a good director should know something about what they are directing and that I should study acting to learn more. I fell in love with it and here we are.
Clifford: I’d be a fool not to ask this question but, what’s your favorite films?
Selene: So so many. To name a few: Delicatessen, Amores Perros, The Proposition, Spirited Away, Bonnie and Clyde, Unforgiven, Blood Sport, Moonstruck and everything in-between. And I just watched Black Swan and Kings Speech, loved them.
Clifford: Prior to doing this interview, I did some research on you and I was quite impressed to learn that you’ve got quite the taste for theater. What plays have you been involved in?
Selene: Everything from Shakespeare to brand new plays. I work with The Amoralists Theatre Company on raucous new works by Derek Ahonen, The Drilling Company doing Shakespeare in the Parking Lot and whatever else I have time for.
Clifford: You starred in Director Dan Brennan’s latest feature Maggie Marvel. What was it like?
Selene: Maggie Marvel was a wild ride! Working on that movie was exciting, inspiring, tiring, thrilling and so much fun!
Clifford: How’d you get involved with the project?
Selene: I saw the breakdown in Backstage and thought I may as well pop over for the audition.
Clifford: So were there any preparations you went through before stepping into the lead role?
Selene: Many. Learning some basic martial arts, some tap dancing, researching cool moves to kill people...you know...the usual.
Clifford: I’ve been told you had to learn tap-dancing for MM?
Selene: Yes, that was hilarious. I have a dance back-ground so thought it would be pretty easy. I was very wrong! Tap dancing is very difficult!!
Clifford: Difficult as it may be you caught on pretty quickly to be able to do it so well on screen, I personally was quite impressed with the performance.
Selene: Thanks Clifford! It helped that Sabrina Brennan was a pro tapper! It's one of my favorite parts of the movie.
Clifford: Are there any other hidden talents you have that we should know about?
Selene: Most of them are in the movie, I've kept a few up my sleeve.
Clifford: Your co-star Diana Brennan played Samantha Marvel, your onscreen daughter. Were there any bonding between the two of you before filming started?
Selene: We talked and laughed and as soon as I met her I knew she was some-one who would not just be great to work with, but that despite the age difference would be a great friend and an inspiration.
Clifford: Is it true your choreographed all the fight scenes?
Selene: Many of them. There was one that was cut that this awesome actress helped with, she had ninja skills and kicked Maggie's butt. We get some basic fight training at Theatre school so I combined that with my newly acquired martial arts basics.
Clifford: What makes Maggie such a complex character to play?
Selene: Justifying killing people while raising a daughter. I learnt that raising a child is more complex and difficult than killing people.
Clifford: Do you think some of those traits will eventually carry over onto Maggie's daughter in time?
Selene: I think the movie addresses this question, and that if Maggie does not make a change soon, her daughter will very likely follow her mom's path.
Clifford: Is it hard having so many scenes with an 11 year old girl?
Selene: I imagine it could be. But when that girl is Diana Brennan it's a dream. She is so talented and fun to be around that I never felt like it was hard work when I had scenes with her.
Clifford: I take it you guys had a blast working together, do you see yourself working with her again in the future?
Selene: Absolutely. I have a feeling Diana will be in this industry for a long time.
Clifford: More importantly, do you see yourself working with Dan Bre
nnan and his team again in the future?Selene: Dan and Jeanne Brennan are a fantastic team. It felt like family working with them. I could definitely see myself working with them again.
Clifford: You’re a classically trained actress, was this role difficult to approach?
Selene: Classical training is all training. As is true of modern techniques, they can be great for the classics. As an actor you just use bits and pieces from all your experiences to craft each role. Maggie took a bit of everything!
Clifford: How do you prepare as an actress for the very emotional scenes?
Selene: It depends on the context, and then technical details. Sometimes you have time to prepare before shooting starts, other times you have to hit emotional levels in the middle of a scene and then you had better have done your homework.
Clifford: Was it fun to just go out there and be a bad ass killer?
Selene: I would be lying if I said no.
Clifford: What does Selene and Maggie Marvel have in common?
Selene: Are you asking me if I kill people?
Clifford: Well when you put it that way I think that begs the question; do you kill people? [Laughs] What I mean is most actors tend to pour a part of themselves into the character they play, for some it’s personality, while for others it’s emotion, so is there a part of Maggie that you can honestly say that’s you and not the character?
Selene: The accent! Good old Aussie voice. And I would say there are parts of me trickled through-out, in emotion and personality. I don't tend to separate myself too far from the role.
Clifford: I’ve heard you’re fluent in German.
Selene: Swiss-German yes. German almost.
Clifford: Can you say something to for us in Swiss-German?
Selene: "S'chaes chuechli isch im chuchi chaeschtli"
Clifford: Sounds exotic, what did you just say in Swedish-German?
Selene: The cheese cake is in the kitchen cupboard!
Clifford: Is it true you have a flair for special effects make-up and did all of the effects make-up for the film?
Selene: I had some training in Make-up for a martial arts movie in Australia, then you get taught basic bruising and blood in school. There was only a few moments it was needed in Maggie. Mostly we just strangle or poison people.
Clifford: The term ‘For The Sake of Art’ has always been coined in the entertainment industry for how far an actor/actress would be willing to go for, well… the sake of art. So my question to you is; How far are you willing to go for the sake of art in this industry?
Selene: Every-one has their own truths and their own boundaries. I like push up against my own boundaries to find the greatest truth I can in Art. It's a very fun journey to be on.
Clifford: I thank you for taking the time for doing this interview and would like to welcome you back for another Q&A session. We hope to see you more in 2011.
Selene: Thanks Clifford. It was a lot of fun to answer questions about Maggie. I hope everyone enjoys watching the film as much as we enjoyed making it!
And that concludes my interview with actress Selene Beretta. Like all whom I’ve had the utmost pleasure of interviewing, Selene was a lovely interviewee, charming, sophisticated and a true class act. No matter what the question was she remained humbled in every answer. There isn’t any doubt in my mind that we’ll be hearing more about her in the near future. And like the others that I‘ve had a chance to speak with, I’ve invited her back for another interview someday, which I can tell you now will not only be a day to look forward to, but will also be a pleasure. Selene is currently starring in the film Maggie Marvel which now available on DVD and coming soon to download via the web. To find out for about the film visit it’s Official Website. To learn more about Selene Beretta visit her Official Website.
Selene: Swiss-German yes. German almost.
Clifford: Can you say something to for us in Swiss-German?
Selene: "S'chaes chuechli isch im chuchi chaeschtli"
Clifford: Sounds exotic, what did you just say in Swedish-German?
Selene: The cheese cake is in the kitchen cupboard!
Clifford: Is it true you have a flair for special effects make-up and did all of the effects make-up for the film?
Selene: I had some training in Make-up for a martial arts movie in Australia, then you get taught basic bruising and blood in school. There was only a few moments it was needed in Maggie. Mostly we just strangle or poison people.
Clifford: The term ‘For The Sake of Art’ has always been coined in the entertainment industry for how far an actor/actress would be willing to go for, well… the sake of art. So my question to you is; How far are you willing to go for the sake of art in this industry?
Selene: Every-one has their own truths and their own boundaries. I like push up against my own boundaries to find the greatest truth I can in Art. It's a very fun journey to be on.
Clifford: I thank you for taking the time for doing this interview and would like to welcome you back for another Q&A session. We hope to see you more in 2011.
Selene: Thanks Clifford. It was a lot of fun to answer questions about Maggie. I hope everyone enjoys watching the film as much as we enjoyed making it!
And that concludes my interview with actress Selene Beretta. Like all whom I’ve had the utmost pleasure of interviewing, Selene was a lovely interviewee, charming, sophisticated and a true class act. No matter what the question was she remained humbled in every answer. There isn’t any doubt in my mind that we’ll be hearing more about her in the near future. And like the others that I‘ve had a chance to speak with, I’ve invited her back for another interview someday, which I can tell you now will not only be a day to look forward to, but will also be a pleasure. Selene is currently starring in the film Maggie Marvel which now available on DVD and coming soon to download via the web. To find out for about the film visit it’s Official Website. To learn more about Selene Beretta visit her Official Website.
