Last week we brought you an interview with Justin Calen Chenn and talked about his newest film Folklore, which can be seen at the upcoming Phoenix Film Festival. This week I was fortunate enough to chat with Sherill Turner, one of the stars of that film and an up-and-coming British actress.
Christopher Coffel: You play one of the aliens in Folklore, correct? Can you tell us a
little about your character?
little about your character?
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| The alien twins from Folklore |
Sherill Turner: Risa and Collees Ipsitt (played by Rachel Rath) were alien twins who had moved to earth in A Song For Swan, which was one of the shorts in the Embers of the Sky anthology. As the Quartz Agency's mission is to monitor any extra terrestrials that share our planet, Justin thought it would be great to check back in with the Ipsitt twins to see how they're getting on and they've changed a lot! In 'Swan' the Ipsitts had adopted American accents and were still very much of one mind, they shared sentences and thoughts. In Folklore, we get to see both Risa and Collees fighting to establish their own identities, independent of each other - sometimes it's successful and other times it's really not and that's where the real fun starts!
CC: How did you prepare for the part? Was your performance modeled after anyone?
ST: As Justin has probably mentioned, he's a bit of an anglophile and had suggested that we use our own accents to sound different from each other, Rachel is Irish and I'm from London. We both work in our own dialects a lot and thought we'd have even more fun if Rachel was from London and I was from Yorkshire - I don't know how we came to that conclusion, but it made us laugh!
I lived in Yorkshire for a few years and have a real affection for the place. Justin, Rachel and I had discussed making Risa and Collees as 'unalieny' as possible, so I figured a working class lass from Leeds with an appetite for 'fast fashion' and men was as non stereotypical an alien as you can get! During a read through we came up with Risa having a huge crush on Collins Jahn and I just thought the more over the top and aggressive I could be, the funnier it could get - that part is modelled on someone, but I'd never reveal who!
CC: How did you get involved with Folklore?
ST: We shot Song for Swan in 2010 and a complimentary segment, Faith in Monsters a few months after. When Justin told me about Folklore I thought it was so quirky and original that I jumped at the chance to do it. A lot of the cast and crew had worked together before, so we just had a blast on set.
CC: What do you hope audiences take away from the film?
ST: I always hope to tell stories that entertain, educate and inspire. As much as I hope audiences just enjoy and escape into the crazy world of Folklore, I was actually quite moved when watching it for the first time. It's funny, but also poignant, to see how desperate each of the interviewees are to fit in. Actually, not even just the 'non humans' - Jahn and Merle are trying just as hard!
CC: Did you have any favorite myths or folk tales growing up?
ST: Oh loads! I always loved the Brothers Grimm stories, I just thought the tone was so dark and twisty and totally unsuitable for children!
You can catch Sherill Turner in Folklore at this year's Phoenix Film Festival. For tickets and showtimes please visit the official Phoenix Film Festival website. For more information on Folklore please visit Folklore-film.com
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