Hello ladies and gentlemen, Muldoon here with CLOWN once more on my mind. I had the chance to speak with the film's leading lady, Ms. Laura Allen about the film and took it. Below you'll see that we dive into a few various topics like her early career days on a soap opera, her motivations for joining CLOWN, and what her relationship with Jon Watts was like during filming. I very much appreciate her time and am grateful for her insight. The film hits select theaters and VOD today. My best description of the film is that its trailer does an excellent job of describing what you're in for. It's got a great cast and the makeup is top notch. If great acting and quality prosthetics appeal to you, then you're going to enjoy CLOWN.
How did you get involved in the film in the first place?
I first read the script for CLOWN in the fall of 2012 while shooting a pilot in NYC. I had a newborn baby with me in a downtown high-rise hotel when Hurricane Sandy swept through the city knocking out the power of lower Manhattan for two weeks. My audition was delayed and I had time to reread and reread the script. I quickly identified with Meg as a woman caring for her child in circumstances that are spinning out of control, and beyond reason. I felt an immediate empathy for her choices, her struggle with her own reasoning, and the metamorphosis she experiences as a woman with a primal interest in survival as her husband transforms, too, into a deranged monster.
You started out on ALL MY CHILDREN. What lessons did you learn on that show that have stuck with you or come into play on every show since?
The soap opera was my first job, and I considered it a safe place to learn a work ethic as an artist. I feel indebted to ALL MY CHILDREN for the opportunity to learn to feel an ease in front of the camera, learn lines lightening-quick, and develop access to emotion and imagination. I also made some of the best friends from that show I still have today. It was like a sorority for me, and I’m happy to say my Kappa Kappa Gamma girls are still doing our thing!
Why did you sign on to play Meg in this movie – ignoring money?
I remember meeting Jon Watts immediately upon arriving in Ottawa to shoot Clown. But we probably spoke for less than five minutes before I was in front of cameras. He just threw me in the game. He knew I had a brand new baby, and whether or not he worried how a newborn on set would affect my performance, I wasn’t sure. But for myself, as I think back on it now, I don’t think anything could have served me better in playing Meg. In my opinion.
What was your fondest (or most memorable) memory from shooting CLOWN?
I loved Meg because she was a relatable woman in a world that is recognizable until it becomes horrifically unrecognizable. She’s a dental hygienist. She’s in a flawed marriage. She’s pregnant and carries that secret through most of the movie. It gives an immediacy to her, a primal drive. And ultimately she is strong, ruthless, too, and in love with her family to extremes she didn’t know possible in herself.
How about the most challenging part of playing Meg? What would you say was the most difficult or challenging task related to playing her?
I have fabulous memories shooting this movie. I enjoyed waking up at six in the evening for night shoots in Ottawa, and it would be snowing, and I would brew coffee, and shuffle my baby into the van, and arrive to a makeup trailer that would bloody me. It sounds strange. But all the elements of winter in a foreign city with hardly any daylight and with a baby, fed me with the intensity of Meg’s interior life. You asked for the fondest and most challenging parts of playing Meg, and somehow I think they are interconnected, what was most uncomfortable was also hugely rewarding about the storytelling.
What types of projects are you looking to do more of?
I have relished getting to know soap opera fans, and sci-fi fans (of The 4400) and now horror fans. They are each a separate breed. I think I would love to try a period piece. Or an action drama, a female James Bond type of character. Strong, fierce, quick-witted. But good writing of any kind, any genre, is appealing for any actor.
What’s next for you?
I shot an independent last year called THE TALE with Laura Dern, Ellen Burstyn and Elizabeth Debicki among others. I’m looking forward to seeing how that turns out. And hopefully Clown has a better than expected release and we get signed on to Clown 2 and Clown 3…. Anything is possible.
Boom! There we have it, ladies and gentlemen - insight from an actor. My gut tells me the bulk of you out there already have an opinion on this film, that those seeking creepy clown carnage will definitely be checking this one out, while others might not be. Whatever your thoughts might be, I always find it fascinating hearing the perspectives of different artists, like Ms. Allen. Be it the amount of takes, the harsh lights, or the emotional reservoir these people have to dig into... the world of an actor is something I can't help but respect. Thanks again to Laura for taking the time to answer a few questions I was curious about, and for putting up with my bizarre schedule. It's very much appreciated and I wish her nothing but success with CLOWN and THE TALE (Laura Dern!).
- Mike McCutchen
"Muldoon"
Mike@aintitcool.com
