Fighting the Monster: An Interview Actor Laura Ellen Wilson!
There’s a few up-and-coming workers in the film industry that really have that aura which says “I’m going to be around a long time… maybe not a big star, but you’ll be seeing me around a lot.” One such young lady is Laura Ellen Wilson, with a CV filling up with roles in such genre flicks like Coven of Evil, Monster, and Next Door.
I met Laura Wilson one day whilst filming my cameo scene in Matt Shaw’s Monster. She was playing the central role of Emily and she’d popped over to the set on her day off to chill and watch everything such as Rod Glenn going full acting beast mode, a dead hooker, and me as bushy bearded yellow skinned Stoney. We spoke a while, had a laugh, then we all said farewell, next day I went home. Not long after I nearly bagged a role as a school teacher who is turned into a zombie courtesy of Laura (I mean she helped, not that she bit me and I turned), but unfortunately the original place I was going to crash fell through and I couldn’t sort out another place so let it go.
Meeting Laura and seeing her performances cemented my opinion that she is the real deal. She works hard, has the look, is intelligent, delivers the goods, and due to these qualities, she is rarely without work.
Now then, Laura, long time no chit-chat. Been a few years I reckon. How have you been?
Hiya Jay!! It certainly has (laughs) It has been a very busy few years and I’ve loved every minute. This past year not quite so, but I have done so much networking that wouldn’t have normally gotten done had I been out and about, so you know, a positive in everything!!
You’ve been quite busy since Monster I’ve noticed, and a lot of your work seems to have fallen into horror and such.
It certainly has. I’m naturally drawn to horror; I get so excited when I see awesome poster art and a really cool synopsis. I think since Monster, it was always a dead certain that I was going to fall into the ‘horror-sphere’.
I take it you aren’t a type cast hating diva then? In case you become a long-term horror genre star that is.
There are several different ways to look at it really. I always try and go with the flow so if my face fits in the horror world, then I certainly won’t complain.
It’s a bit like what Peter Cushing used to say. I mean, he was typecast but was content to be working plus loved his fans.
Exactly. This industry is hard enough and I am no way about turning down roles just because I don’t want to be type cast, that’s crazy behaviour (laughs)
Are you a horror person yourself?
I have a long-term love of horror. Ever since I was about 5, I love to be scared and on the edge of my seat. Not many other genres do that for me!
I’ll come back to the now and a few years ago in a bit but we gotta take it waaaaaay back…. oh hang on, the child in ’71…
Blast from the past!!!
Great film, very involving, and you’re an uncredited rioter, tell us a bit about that.
So, this came around at the time when I was trying to convince my parents to let me follow my dreams as an actor and they just didn’t see the point or ‘get’ it, you know? So, I signed them both up to a Supporting Artist agency so they could get a feel of what it was like to be on set and hopefully get an idea of how it is. Mum got a call one day to say that a production was filming super local in a place called Blackburn – just a 20-minute drive from home. We NEVER get productions filming this close to home so naturally, both my parents were put forward and I was asked if I would be interested in a featured role. Um, yeah!! So, we spent 3 consecutive days on set, had a good chat with Jack O’Connell and that’s it!! Mum wasn’t too keen and ‘retired’ from the industry after that.
I read before that your dad caught the on-screen bug.
Dad continues to do background work. He is such a diva though! He has worked with Sam Neill several times and the two of them are on first name terms whenever he is on set!
I take it your family are very supportive and encouraging every step of your journey nowadays?
As I said, it took them a while to come around to the idea but yes, they are very supportive. Up until I started working between the UK & US, we were able to do a lot of things as a family together, which was nice. Since 2019, they just go with the flow now and whenever they want to plan anything for a couple of months in advance, I always say ‘don’t include me’ as I just don’t know where I will be. I love it!
Being that you’re a trained Kung-Fu artist, apparently your first ever acting role was in a training video for your club? Or was it a proper short film?
It was a short film – approximately 16-minutes long from what I can remember. That was a lot of fun. Definitely ignited the initial spark, for sure.
What was the experience like and what’s the synopsis?
The film begins five years ago (Year 2000 I think!!) when a young girl is walking home alone and gets attacked by a group of men. Luckily, she gets away. On her way home after being attacked, she walks past a sign promoting a local Kung Fu Club ‘The Whiteley Kung Fu Institute’. We have a montage of her joining, learning, and becoming more and more proficient in the art. Current day and she encounters these same men who attacked her years earlier. They try it on again and she knocks them all to the floor!
It was a great experience and working with people who I already knew well was a big help and confidence boost.
What form of Kung Fu do you actually base yourself on and within?
The Kung Fu that I study is a mix of Wing Chun, Lau Gar, and Jeet Kune Do.
Going by the sometimes hectic schedules in your world, do you still find enough time and discipline in yourself to practice your skills?
Unfortunately, I haven’t had the chance to make it back to training for quite a while and it saddens me very much! I do still train on my own and work on keeping up the technique if the opportunity ever arises where I will need to be on point again!
Other than that first short film, has any other roles since allowed you the chance to demonstrate your skills?
I was in another film by the same company as the first one, which allowed me to demonstrate more complex skills with a more prolonged flight sequence with several people. This time it doesn’t promote the Kung Fu Club but all the actors were members of the club. Again, this helped the rapport on camera and of course, the one-on-one combat with those I have already sparred with many times before.
You’ve done a bit of stunt work?
I have, but not as much as I would like!! I try and make a point of doing my own stunts, so I always go into a project making that clear to the director. If the stunt is too complex or has the need for a professional, I’ll always hold my hand up and say that, but I’ve not had to… yet. I’m really lucky because my various jobs working overseas before acting have allowed me to experience many extreme sports including deep water scuba diving, teaching and proficiency certificates in abseiling and high ropes, weaponry, skiing, snowboarding, diving etcetera.
Who inspired you in the profession of acting?
(Groans) this question I get asked all the time, but I can never give a straight answer. Starting out, an inspiration would be Uma Thurman because Kill Bill, what else?!
Was acting something you always wanted to do or did you kind of fall into it?
It was definitely something I always wanted to do. I haven’t quite gone the traditional route as in get an agent, do some TV, work my way up, etcetera. I’ve gone the indie film route and am working my way up that way – the dream is to definitely do some TV in the next year though!
What’s this about travelling on cruise ships? Were you a singer or a dancer or something back in the day?
Yes, I was! Back on the ships I was just dancing but in hotels I was both and singer and dancer and in the latter part of my career, I was a choreographer. Being a choreographer for the entertainments team and creating my own shows from scratch right down to the music and storyline was a dream I always wanted to achieve from the very start, and I managed two contracts worth before having to quit due to a back injury!
Going back to Monster, what was it like playing the character? And the time spent on the sets, how was everyone?
Oh, it was a dream come true. My first lead in a feature film and it was in Monster!! That set was like two years’ worth of actor training squashed into ten-days. My first professional set working closely with the likes of Tracy Shaw (Coronation Street) and Rod Glenn (Emmerdale, Ripper Street, God’s Kingdom… see review here) and I just learnt so much from watching them. The advice they gave me during scenes was incredible and courtesy of Matt Shaw, that was the set I learnt how to cry on cue! Looking back and being much more experienced now, there are SO many things I would change about my performance, but I think all actors are the same when it comes to previous projects!
Matt Shaw mentioned before about his rather evil way of making cast members cry for scenes. Care to elaborate?
Evil is definitely the word!! At the time of filming Monster, my puppy Tilly was just 5 months old and it was my first time away from her and I missed her terribly. When I had a little trouble pulling tears for a scene, he made the room go quiet and started talking me through a horrendous scenario where Tilly was kidnapped and abused and held for ransom and he went through this whole explanation of her feelings and how terrified she was without her mummy. He had such a way with his words and the tears just started flowing. The next thing I know, ACTION is called, and we rolled the scene! At the end of the scene the other actors, Tracy Shaw, and Rod Glenn, both turned to me and said they were both fighting back their tears during the story!!
You seem to have a whole lot of fun doing all of this don’t you?
Life is too short to not enjoy what you’re doing! Plus, I spend enough time being serious in front of the camera to not have a good laugh off screen!
What’s your prep work for a character then, from receiving the script to stepping in front of the camera – apart from the crying scene in Monster of course (laughs)?
Oh gosh, this is a different answer each time too. For example, with Monster, I actually found it surprisingly swift to get into the mindset of Emily.
It’s always been a nightmare of mine (like actual nightmare whilst sleeping) to be kidnapped and held against my will with no way of escape. In the run up to filming whilst I was very much in the head of Emily almost 24/7, I was having nightmares about being kidnapped and drew all my emotions from that. As I had so many lines including a massive monologue, I made sure I knew the entire script like a theatre production. I knew everyone’s lines and all the directions. It was difficult as we didn’t have any ‘in person’ rehearsals.
You’ve done some work in the USA as well of course, what’s the difference between their industry behind the scenes to the UK?
The industry, as a whole, is very similar in terms of networking, building a profile, and putting in the hard work to rise up. Everyone helps to build each other up and the people are just as nice as those I have met and worked with on this side of the pond. The budget limitations are so different though! Here in the UK, no/low budget means exactly that. A cheap meal deal from a supermarket for lunch and skeleton crew is literally the bare minimum of 4 or 5. In the US, low/no budget is like a healthy budget here. There is ALWAYS a crafty van serving incredible food, crew of 40-50, personal assistants for the actors, individual cast trailers, etcetera. It’s brilliant!!
Vice Squad NYC, you’ve landed a regular role in that series, created by the prolific K. Cornell Kellum. Do you reckon this is your big break role?
Although it is a way off starting production, there is definitely a buzz about it within the cast and crew. Lots of exciting things are happening behind the scenes which I can’t share yet, but I am really excited for it to start filming.
Day One: The Only Day That Matters, what’s the story behind that and any words about it?
Ah, hopefully we will be completing that in June! I had such a great time working on that a couple of years ago with all the cast and crew. There are two timelines which feature my character aged 11 (played by Lucy Turner) and 21-year-old Caroline, aka me. Again, not too much info can be released but I’d describe it as a British version of The Walking Dead.
So, what’s a day in the life for Laura?
At the moment, a day in the life of Laura is very boring, but incredibly hectic at the same time!!! I spend a lot of time on the laptop prepping for In Bluebell Wood. At the moment, I am working on the extensive shot list whilst having to take into consideration that we are working night shoots and I have 32 child cast members. They can only be on set for a certain amount of time and in front of the camera for even less time so it’s a very tight schedule. I have had to negotiate with a total of twelve councils pertaining to the child cast and have obtained special permission for them to film at night, which is a massive obstacle out of the way. As we have three camera units (to limit the amount of time the children are on set by shooting up to 3 different angles at once), I am working out the shot list for each of those and making sure they don’t collide.
I really should have thought about the difficulty factor when writing this film. Nothing like a single adult cast member and a one location day shoot, hey?!
Oh yeah, In Bluebell Wood. Is directing and writing some of the things you aim to do more of in the future?
This has been a massive undertaking and honestly without lockdown, I wouldn’t have gotten through half as much as I have done with the pre-production, so it has been a bit of a blessing in disguise. My co-director and producer, Laura Saxon, works full time with her family business so she is limited to weekends and most of the time she really needs that time to chill and have a break. She works on all the legal documentation, so she needs to be ‘present’ and it hasn’t been easy for her to get the time to do it. She’s been a superstar and I am in constant awe of her time management. We are definitely ahead of time with the prep work, so I am very happy with where we are at this moment.
As for writing and directing being something I plan to do more of, we are already developing a feature length script for another production we hope to shoot summer 2022, both of our schedule’s dependent of course. I have really enjoyed this process and it has been a massive learning curve. We have a clear view of how to proceed from here should we continue to work together and create more projects!
I kind of purged your Facebook page like a weird creep looking for a few pics to use for this interview – that’s my story and I’m sticking to it (laughs) and I’ve seen the photos at Camp Crystal Lake plus at the resting place of Bruce and Brandon. Excellent. Tell us more.
I believe you (laughs). Yes, that was such a fantastic trip! The Camp Crystal Lake photos were taken in 2019 in Washington on set of Friday the 13th: Vengeance. A fantastic first experience of working in the US (I was there for 10-weeks) and some lifelong friends were made on that set, for sure.
The year previous, 2018, I attended Seattle Crypticon in Washington, as Monster was being premiered there. On my off day, I made the trip to the famous Pike Place Market in central Seattle and couldn’t resist a visit to see the graves of Bruce and Brandon Lee at Lake View Cemetery. Seeing as they were both such massive inspirations whilst growing up and studying Kung Fu, it was a no brainer to go and pay my respects.
Seeing some of your posts go by, and Matt’s evil deed, I gather you’re a dog person?
I love all animals, but dogs are my absolute favourite. I’ve grown up with dogs and I just couldn’t be without one. I love cats too, but I am so protective of my pets and I’d be a nervous wreck each time it left the house in case it didn’t come back!!!
What projects do you have coming up?
Many projects coming up should have been filmed last year but were unable to do so.
Next month, I’ll be heading over the Alabama to finish the second part of Survivor Girls. The first part shot in November 2019, so I am so excited to see everyone again! I am the stunt coordinator for the movie and play the role of Ariel.
In May, I will be shooting In Bluebell Wood.
In June, Day One will be completed.
In July, I’ll be heading over to Hungary to play the role of Lily in I Hear The Trees Whispering.
For the rest of 2021, I will probably be in the UK as the rest of the US projects are scheduled for 2022, including Barry the Hatchet, shooting in Arizona and California, but who knows!! This industry is so unpredictable!
Some random standard questions then – when you’re away from movies what do you do with yourself?
Well, I love going for long walks with the dogs. That’s how I also learn my lines so sometimes it’s a double whammy! I enjoy spending time with my parents. We don’t have a big family as I am an only child. I have an auntie on my mums’ side and an uncle on my dad’s side, and that’s it! I love a good film or TV series. Currently watching Snowpiercer on Netflix. Highly recommend.
Are you a music lover? What kind of tunes do you blast into your ears?
I love any music and listen to anything from Fleetwood Mac to Alice Cooper or Jason Derulo and Black Eyed Peas to Bruce Springsteen. I love the old school DJ’s like DJ Boonie and DJ Sammy, they always take me way back to my leg warmer days. It all depends on my mood! I am also a massive lover of Latin music – that would be mainly after the wine bottle has been opened and I can salsa around the house.
We’re just about done now I reckon. I’ll probably think of more questions afterwards but that just means one day we’ll probably need to do a sequel interview. This has been so cool catching up on your career. Hope you continue having a great time acting and thanks for taking the time to answer these questions. Anything you want to say to your family, friends and loyal fans?
Thanks to you, Jamie for this interview. I’ve had fun reminiscing.
As always, thanks to everyone for following my journey, I appreciate it beyond words! Lots of exciting things to come and I hope you will continue to join me for the ride!
