Ashley Bell Takes Us on a Stroll Through Carnage Park
Matt Boiselle
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Many of us remember Ashley Bell as the sweet, innocent possessed farmgirl in The Last Exorcism 1 & 2, and her latest film, Carnage Park, made its way onto VOD this past Friday. We here at Dread Central were lucky enough to grab a few minutes with Ashley to discuss her role in the film as well as what she’s got coming up in the future – read on and enjoy!
DC: Can you give us a description of the film as well as your character, Vivian?
AB: Carnage Park is a 1970’s-like action/thriller, and it’s about a hostage situation that goes awry, and it’s a situation that turns into a most dangerous game. I play a character named Vivian Fontaine, and what struck me about her is that she is not a victim – you can see in the trailer that when we first meet this character, she first emerges to the audience and throws a punch. Even though she’s initially the victim in this hostage situation, she now has to survive Carnage Park.
DC: What can you tell us about the filming? Nothing you’re not used to, I suppose?
AB: (Laughs) Yeah, you don’t do a movie called Carnage Park without some brutality happening! We shot at this phenomenal place about 90 minutes north of Los Angeles called Koch’s Movie Ranch. Everything took place there – they had a cave and an area with junkyard cars that had a body shop with all these beautiful restored cars – it was the perfect location. There were acres and acres of this craggy, bleak California landscape which plays such a character in the film, and one of the things that stuck out to me when I was reading the script was that so much of this movie happens in broad daylight, and I thought that was so innovative and exposing to Vivian’s character. She can be picked off any minute being completely out in the open, and she doesn’t know where the sniper, played brilliantly by Pat Healy, is going to be.
DC: You are certainly no stranger to physical roles – for your next one are you looking to just chill out and sit back a bit?
AB: (Laughs) My next role… I just want to be an editor at a fashion magazine, where I get to wear beautiful suits and say funny one-liners – great Katharine Hepburn quips, you know?
DC: So no more rolling in the dirt for you?
AB: Just give me a break every other film!
DC: Speaking of which, after the release of Carnage Park, what’s next up on your work slate?
AB: I actually switched gears earlier in the year – I did a film called Novitiate. That’s a 1950’s/1960’s drama, and I play a good, old-fashioned nun! No chainsaws, no levitating (laughs). The film stars Melissa Leo, and I was lucky enough to get a great role and be part of the ensemble, so I’m very proud of that film. I’ve also collaborated with Mickey Keating on his new film, Psychopaths, which is something completely different. I think audiences are going to be totally surprised when they see what Mickey has in store next. I’ve also got a movie coming out called There Is a New World Somewhere, which is a coming-of-age indie, but my passion project is called Love and Bananas, which is a documentary about rescuing a 70-year-old, blind Asian elephant in Thailand, so all that’s coming up!
Categorized:News
