After Dark Originals: Courtney Hope Talks Prowl

Steve Barton |

Jan 27, 2011

More After Dark Originals goodness comes our way, this time courtesy of Courtney Hope, who talks about her experiences on the set of Patrik Syversen’s Prowl (click here for our recent interview with director Syversen)!

Chris Haberman: What attracted you to the project and/or character?

Courtney Hope: I’ve never had the opportunity to be a part of a horror film, and it was something that has always interested me. I absolutely love horror films, and I thought it was a very interesting script. I fell in love with Amber’s character and how driven she was and thought it was really intriguing how we see her battle her inner and outer demons throughout the script.

Haberman: How did the shoot go overall? Do you have any fun set stories?

Hope: The shoot was crazy, but incredible. It was crammed into about 18 days, and it was very fast paced. We shot at night for the last two weeks of filming so our sleeping schedules were all backwards. It was hilarious because we were all like walking zombies at one point. We shot at an abandoned factory with stray dogs running around everywhere, and the ‘creatures’ who weren’t in the scenes would play pranks on all of us. They would sneak up on us and ‘squawk’ and whisper in Bulgarian. It was really creepy.

Haberman: Did you have to go through much make-up, and if so, do you mind make-up effects/blood effects?

Hope: I love make-up and wearing prosthetics. I had only basic make-up at the beginning of the shoot, but by the end I had blood and mud splattered all over me. They didn’t even bother putting regular make-up on me. My hair was just so soaked in blood every day that it was permanently tinted red at the end of the shoot. I did end up wearing some prosthetics and these crazy black full-eye contacts that I loved. It was great not having to be done up to look presentable; instead I was just able to be all ugly and grungy.

Haberman: Did you have to perform any stunts?

Hope: I did! It was my first time doing any stunts. I loved it. I got to wear a harness to fly through the air and perch up on a wall. The flying part was my favorite, which Ruta (Gedmintas, who plays Suzy) and I both were able to do. I would absolutely love to get the opportunity to do more stunts in future projects.

It was a short but sweet chat with Courtney, and if you happen to live in or around LA, you have the opportunity to see her in person when Dread Central’s Heather Wixson hosts a Prowl screening this Friday, January 28th, 2011, at the historic Laemmle Sunset 5, 8000 Sunset Blvd., in West Hollywood. Showtime is at 7:30 pm, but we suggest you get there earlier to ensure that you get a good seat! After the film Heather will be conducting a live Q&A with writer Tim Tori, star Courtney Hope, and more TBA.

Check out the After Dark Originals website for more, including a list of the other theatres where you can catch Prowl starting on Friday, January 28th.

Synopsis
Amber (Courtney Hope) dreams of escaping her small town and persuades her friends to accompany her apartment hunting in the big city. When their transportation breaks down, Amber and friends gratefully accept a ride in the back of a semi. But when the driver refuses to stop and they discover the cargo is cartons of blood, they panic. Soon panic turns to terror when the truck disgorges into a dark, abandoned warehouse where bloodthirsty creatures learn to hunt human prey, which the friends realize is what they have now become…