Set
visit / James
Wan / Gregg
Hoffman /
Donnie
Wahlberg / Amber
Valletta
You might know her from her stints in
HITCH and TRANSPORTER 2, you might not. No matter… she’s hot
as hell and is here to tell us (or what she “can” tell us) about her
DEAD SILENCE role, straight from the set. Here’s Valletta!
Amber
Valletta
Let’s start with you telling us about your
character.
What do you want to know?
Would you describe her as a trophy wife?
She’s a trophy wife, married to Jamie’s (Ryan
Kwanten) father and she’s his third wife.
About the same age as Jamie’s character?
About the same age, maybe a little bit older. She’s
just happy to be a part of the family.
What did you like about the script when you read
it?
It’s not a typical movie within the genre. It has
kind of an old school element to it with a nice modern twist. James Wan
was the big draw too cause James and his partner wrote it and James is
filming it and his vision is just awesome.
What intrigued you about the character?
The character is something I hadn’t played before
and I really wanted to work with James Wan.
Were you familiar with SAW?
Yes.
You saw it before accepting this role?
Yes.
Do you like horror movies?
Not particularly, I appreciate them, yes but I get
scared easily, I don’t watch them because they make me very tense. But
I’m an actress, so you kind of got to try all things and be part all of
things.
What made you decide to view SAW before this
movie?
I had heard a lot about SAW, I just thought it was
a good idea to watch the movie, considering I was going to go and
possibly work with James. I was really impressed by his filmmaking.
Were you creeped out?
Totally; it was really gross.
Did you do any preparation before doing this
role?
I always prepare with roles, usually with a coach.
And then I take my preparation on the road with me and sometimes I’m
lucky, I got a coach to come meet me for the weekend. This time I just
had to bring my stuff with me and do it via phone. So there’s only so
much you can prepare for beforehand. You do a lot of the work when
you’re actually on set and stuff.
What kind of input did James have in terms of
your character?
He had all the input since he’s the director. He
has a very clear vision and has a clear idea as to how things should
look and be seen.
Did he actually have input in character?
Oh yeah, that’s inevitable when you hire an
actress. He obviously will have the character one way in his mind and
I’m gonna perceive it another way. So I got to meld it while staying
true to me. He’s very cool with it!
What kind of relationship do you have with the
character of Jamie?
We have a typical relationship of meeting your
stepmother, basically. You’ll have to see the movie to see the
relationship unfold. But I can tell you that working with Ryan was a
pleasure, he’s extremely talented and he’s going to get a lot of work I
think after this film. He’s handsome, smart; funny…this is a great role
for him.
Were you involved in any scary scenes?
We did shoot in a graveyard, a fake one but that
was still kind of creepy. And once at night and that was pretty…yeah.
Anything physical in your role?
Yeah a little bit and I like that. It’s very fun to
get to do things that you normally don’t do in your everyday life. I
think that’s what so interesting of being an actor. You get to
experiment and go to emotional and physical places that you don’t
normally go to.
Which is tougher for you?
It depends; I haven’t done a super action film yet
so I can’t say which would be more taxing. I can imagine though that
when you’re doing a very serious action film and you’re the lead, its
probably even more taxing…I don’t know… its hard to say…its like apple
and oranges. On one end your body is exhausted, on the other your brain
is exhausted.
For an emotional scene do you go there and stay
there or do you shut it off?
I thought that I shut it off but I’m wondering now.
I’ve had after the fact breakdowns, not even at work and I’m like what
was this about? Then I’m like well you shot such and such…so I say oh
yeah…no wonder I’m a head case right now. So I think inevitably, acting
does seep onto your life and its hard to separate fact from fiction, the
brain doesn’t know the difference.
So you did a horror film but you can’t talk much
about it?
It would be silly if I talked about it too much
then why do you see the horror film. It’s the whole element of what’s
going to happen next in horror films that make it so interesting and fun
and take you on that ride. This film has been fun, lots of work, long
hours, the sets are beautiful and the filming is cool and different from
what you’ve seen in horror films in a long time and the plot is really
interesting. I think its going to be a great success?
What do you think it was about you that made
them pick you for the role?
I’m sure it was based on physicality and my work as
an actress. What they see in their brain as the character plays into it.
I mean one girl could have a great audition and the other one too and
they see a small thing in one and say, there’s the character. You don’t
know what it is; it just makes sense. I’m guessing its something like
that; it’s a question you’d have to ask James. I’m not comfortable
answering a question about something objective about myself.
Thank you!
Thank you guys!