interviews

Interviews with Dracula's Brides from "Van Helsing"

Elena Anaya, Josie Maran and Silvia Colloca

INTERVIEW WITH SILVIA COLLOCA ('Verona'):
The makeup process for this sounds like it was incredible.
The scary one? Well, let’s talk about. Four hours, 4:00 in the morning pick-up, two makeup artists, one on the left side – one of the right side, no eyebrows because they were covered with this prosthetics thing, and the big ears, and something going on [along my chin area], veins, fangs, and contact lenses bigger than our eyeballs.

Was it uncomfortable?
Yes, terribly (laughing).

How do you act in something so uncomfortable?
That’s the hard thing because then [after the makeup] you have to, actually. So there you are with that makeup with those fangs with those kind of lenses and a [huge] wind machine that blows you away, and you are in a blue suit that makes you look like a little smurf, and when you are lucky, you are hanging upside down. Otherwise, you are just flying around the place. Acting became a big, big quest, but we rehearsed quite a lot.

What was the flying training like? What did they have you do?
Well, I had to train a bit more than Josie and Elena because I was very scared. They did such a great job those two. They kind of went, “Oh yeah – let’s fly!” I was like, “Oh my God, I’m not going to do this!” My very first flying scene I had to drop myself from 40’ high and I have a problem with vertigo. I remember standing on the balcony and saying, “I’m not doing it. I’m not jumping.” And then I had to. And we had to do 22 takes – and it’s a 3 second shot in the movie. Luckily it’s not being edited off. I would have been so upset.

How did you eventually get over your fear? What was the thing that finally made you jump?
Well, at first I didn’t – of course. Then I had a bit of tears and then all of the stunt people were very lovely and very patient – and so you’ve just got to do it.

What makes Dracula and Frankenstein and the other creatures so fascinating to today’s audiences?
It’s just because the audience, especially my generation and the younger generation, have grown up with those myths. They are legends that have been with us for so many years that whenever a movie comes out that features one of these characters, it’s a big event. And this movie features three characters all together and Steve Sommers managed to put all three characters so cleverly together in the plot, it’s amazing. And for the first time in the history of these movies, the Brides have a big role. I mean, they’re not just gorgeous girls on display. They have action and they go for the bite. So that was very exciting and very stimulating.

What was your first reaction to the script?
I went “Yeah! I want to audition for this!” I really loved it from the very beginning.

INTERVIEW WITH JOSIE MARAN ('Marishka'):

What was the hardest stunt for you to do?
I did a stunt without any wires. I jumped off a 20’ balcony. You’ll see it in the movie. I’m just like flying without any wires (laughing). It’s pretty cool.

Was that in the town?
Yeah, it’s in the village that they built in Prague, when Hugh Jackman and I have a little battle. Boo him!

You really jumped off a 20’ balcony?
Yes. I was like, “Let’s do this again.” I loved it. I think I’m going to be a stuntwoman on the side.

Can you describe the makeup process?
It was a six month to a year process. They cast our whole body. My body is like in a computer for good for the rest of my life – at age 23. I have my cyber body so if they ever need me young again I can just go, “It’s in the computer.” I got to wear prosthetics, wires, it was pretty intense. I think we used every aspect of filmmaking for this.

Does that help your acting or does it get in the way of it?
I mean it’s just a certain kind of acting. You have to use the uncomfortable parts of it for your character. It’s just part of it.

INTERVIEW WITH ELENA ANAYA ('Aleera'):

What can you tell me about the makeup process for this?
Okay, we had two different makeups. One was like 30 minutes in makeup called the ‘beauty’ makeup. The other was six hours, but it was a beautiful makeup [job]. You can’t even imagine. I have like lovely ears, long ears, and a lot of prosthetics on my face, and fangs and contact lens and huge nails, and wings on my back. It was great.

What did you do during the six hours while they applied all the makeup?
You know, they just wanted me to fall asleep because it was exhausting. After that makeup you shoot for 12 hours hanging in a harness, but I couldn’t! I was just looking at my face, just looking at the changes to my face [was incredible].

What was the training like for the flying sequences?
No training. They just showed us in a little rehearsal like a couple of days before how to do it. It was really easy, really safe. When you are not scared to do it, you just do it and have fun.

Did you ever say no to flying or any of the other stunts?
No, no. The opposite – I just wanted to fly always!

Credit: movies.about.com