Ask And Ye Shall Receive -- Q&A With Suzi Lorraine

Here's the first installment of "Suzi Answers Your Questiosns." You asked wonderful questions and Suzi provided responses that we're sure you'll enjoy. Be sure to check out the first installment of "Suzi Screams!" And don't forget to check out Suzi's last blog post at http://livescifiblog.wordpress.com/

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1. Did you ever have a costar just pis$ you off and if so, how? 

-Ray, Detroit MI 

 You know, I've been really lucky over the years.  The vast majority of co-stars have been fantastic people, and quite a few have turned into really good friends.  However, everybody has a couple stories, and that's what you wanna hear, Ray. ;-) So here goes.  

I was working on a low budget horror film, and one of the actresses with whom I had some major fight sequences was completely inexperienced in terms of stage fighting.   This always makes the fur on the back of my neck stand up, because you never know what you're going to get.  She was a super nice girl, and I'm quite certain she wasn't trying to do any of this on purpose, however….

When she was supposed to pretend to hit me with a paperweight, she actually made contact and whacked me in the head, when she was supposed to throw a punch, she hit me in the face (not full on, mind you, but enough to sting), and when she was supposed to kick me with her pointy boots and cheat it so it appeared to make contact, yup, you guessed it.  I was good natured after the first blow (hey, it can happen to anyone), but after the 3rd, I took the director aside and told him "Houston, we got a problem".  I think in her desire to make the action look "real" she was just overly enthusiastic, and just didn't have good control of her body.  She kept apologizing after each blow.  Later on in the action, my character gets the upper hand.  So did Suzi retaliate?  Nah…  I was hoping some of my non-assaultive acting would rub off on her. 

2. Has any movie you've worked on scared you while you were making it? What happened? 

-Lisa, Albany NY

I wish I had one of those great stories about seeing ghosts on a movie set.  I so desperately want to see a ghost.  So many actors seem to have these stories!  But sadly, nothing truly scary has ever happened to me on a movie set.  This might be because I grew up on horror movies, so very little is shocking to me, and I find the humor where others might find horror.  I don't scare easily. Even if my character is being chased by the most horrific looking serial killer or zombie monster, I look at it between takes and think "wow, that is so cool.  What awesome sf/x makeup!"  Rather than "he's scary!".   And so many silly, ridiculous things happen on set that generally you're laughing between takes if anything.  In fact, there have been a few occasions where I couldn't even make eye contact with my co-workers during a scene because we would just start cracking up.

3. When you're doing a nude scene with someone, are all of your movements really scripted or are you just running with it? Does anything unexpected ever pop up? What happens then? 

-Wendy  San Diego, CA

It really depends on the movie and the director, but generally it's a little of both.  Usually the movements are fairly scripted, because the director has a vision of how the love scene needs to play out.  But they don't want things too mechanical, because then it's going to look, well… mechanical.  So they give you a little leeway.  Generally if it is a male/female scene, the characters are often not totally nude, and the male character will wear a sock (yup, you heard it here), and the female will wear a tiny gstring if it is not visible on film. 

4. Do directors sometimes tell you to do things that weren't in the script you read and are you like "what the hell"? 

-Brendon  Lewisville, TX

Hehe - fortunately not, but again I've heard some stories!  I think several "mockumentaries" have been made on this very subject!  I think the key is to be choosy about your projects, and make sure you're signing on to quality films where you know the cast and crew possess such rare qualities as integrity, honesty, and sincerity.  ;-)   If you trust the people you work with, generally this is not going to be an issue.   And if something does come up that you're not comfortable with, you have to speak your mind.  I always tell all aspiring actors:  film is permanent, so don't agree to something just to be nice.  If you're not comfortable with it, listen to your heart.  Don't do it!  Don't ever be strong armed into anything, particularly if it wasn't in the script.

5. In the acting and modeling circles you work in, is the casting couch real? 
-Melanie  Knoxville, TN

Not even once in the acting world has this happened to me.  Never have I even been propositioned by a director or producer.  Thankfully things have always been on the up and up. Knock on wood! I've heard some stories from friends and co-workers, but nothing I've seen first hand.

I do have one modeling story though.  It was one of my very first modeling shoots, when I was a very Green Suzi. My modeling agency had actually sent me to this cretin.  I was brand new and nervous about modeling.  I didn't know how to pose.  I didn't know anything about the industry.  So this photographer came on to me and told me he could make me a star, but only if I slept with him and became his girlfriend or something like that.  I politely refused his offers, but he was really pushy.  He said I owed him this after he took these great shots of me.  Never mind the fact that I paid him over $550 to take these shots, and this was over 7 years ago!  Finally, I put it in perspective for him.  I said "listen, if you were my age, would you want to sleep with a 55 year old woman?"  He said "no".  I said, "well, there you go".  He got the message, loud and clear.   Plus he looked like Quasimoto.  Nasty!

6. After you've already signed on to a job have you been asked to do anything that you refused to do and if so, what was it and what was the result? 
-Randy  Philadelphia, PA

Generally not.  I usually vet the script really well, and read every line word for word to make sure I don't' miss anything.  If I have a question, the time to address it is before we go to production.  Nothing has ever come up after I've signed onto a project, however I've turned down numerous projects due to bad scripts or just bad characters. I think this is key. I think it's really important to pick the right projects, and not sign on just for the money.  That way you ensure that you're doing it for the right reasons, and everyone is on the same page.

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