Taylor adds, "I shot my scenes before she did, so I took extensive notes about my mannerisms and character choices that I had developed over the course of the shoot. Helene and I met for lunch one day and I went through all of my scenes and described in detail ways in which I talked, walked, looked, held the tools, etc. Since the audience would actually see the flashbacks, she needed to know every choice I had made, especially in regards to my relationship with dear old Dad. Also, I knew we didn't look too much alike. plus the fact that she's Canadian and I'm a redneck from Georgia-our accents would be a little different. So we worked together to create congruencies in KatieBird so that she became one person."

Helene's older KatieBird called for extensive interaction with actor Todd Gordon, who played her psychologist. "Todd and I got to a place where we really didn't like each other. Don't get me wrong, Todd is a great guy. We worked hard to make it come to life. The problem is, it did, and that's what probably made it good. I don't think I've seen Todd since, but I can't get my impression of the doctor out of my head. Katie had very good reason to hate the doctor. I If I played a role with Todd where he was my romantic hero, I'd probably fall in love with him now. He has that quality about him. So maybe that'll happen!"


Taylor shared many scenes with her father, a quiet serial killer, played by Lee Perkins. "The two of us met before the shoot to discuss how we both saw our characters and their relationship. That was helpful because we established a rapport with each other where we could brainstorm and experiment until we were on the same page. His commitment and professionalism became a constant inspiration to me, and he taught me a few tricks here and there. I would love to work with him again."

I asked both actresses about the director, agreeing that he was someone who was able to communicate his vision.

"As organized and focused as Justin was during the shoot, he trusted us enough to be experimental, which resulted in our performances being constantly fostered in an organic environment. The best direction he gave me was the day we were shooting my first scene. Justin pulled me aside and told me a very personal story that really touched me and fueled the scene. I really appreciated the confidence and respect that came from him and the crew." says Taylor.

"You can't get through it without a tight, devoted, excellent, patient, resourceful crew that is lead by a director that is super-clear on what he wants." in Helen's view. "Justin has a visionary mind and he was clear enough to acquire actors that agreed with his vision. We were all on the same page about what needed to be done. Getting it done on a shoestring budget with the clock ticking was the real challenge. Justin's an intense guy with intense ideas, but all you see at first is a very kind, elflike character. That combo makes him irresistible. He's raw, full of ideas, passionate, and dedicated."

When it came time to release KatieBird to the public, I was curious to gauge the audience's reaction. To Helene, it was a make or break deal.

"We didn't know what to expect. We knew we had a real opportunity to fall on our butts or break through, if people could accept the way he put it together. You either love this movie or hate it - there's no in-between. But more people get something out of it - and they're all weirdos! I'm kidding! I think it's more than just a horror movie. If you liked it, you might have thought the style is courageous and innovative. It's breaking a lot of conventions about what a movie is supposed to look like, which might not be comfortable for everyone."


Helene and Taylor were present at festival screenings and were able to experience real-time reactions.

Helene explains. "There's a weird feeling at screenings, because once the crowd catches on to the fact that they're not seeing a conventional movie, you can almost hear them start to decide whether they want to bend their minds or not. The air gets kind of thick. A few people left their seat to take a "breather". I know a guy got sick to his stomach, but bravely came back and watched the rest of the movie!"

Taylor's experiences were similar."I first saw Katiebird at a rough cut screening and got sick to my stomach while watching my own torture scenes. I noticed the crowd laughing uncomfortably, which was then followed by gasps, groans, huffs, puffs, sighs, grunts, and whimpers."

So what's next for these two lovely ladies'? I queried if other horror films were in their future.

"I would love to do another horror film!" shouts Taylor. "I've wanted to be a vampire most of my life, so I would kill to play a bloodsucker in a cleverly written screenplay. Currently, I am in rehearsal for my role as a bisexual, porn star stripper in XXX Love Act, a new play by Cintra Wilson which will be performed at the Company of Angels Theater in Silverlake, California. It's raw, it's vulgar, and it's fantastic- another role to make my daddy proud! The show runs July 28th through Sept. 11th. I'm also venturing into voiceover work, where Justin has cast me in his new film, Bare Bones. This film will be the world's first ever 3D horror animated feature. He also has a number of other projects in development (horrific of course), and all of which hold places for me."

Helene's busy as well. "I'm into post-production on a documentary film in Super Size Me-style about Malaria. A person, usually a child or mother, dies a horrible death every 12 seconds because of this dread disease. I'm hoping that by the time 1 finish the movie and you see it, what keeps me up at night it will also concern you. It will get a wide movie release, so look for it. On a cheerier note, I'm actually in preproduction on a horror'sci-fi movie that I will be producing/ directing called Old Mc Donald, which we'll be shooting in September. I'm just motivated to do something fun!"

Finally, when asked if a sequel to KatieBird was in the cards, Taylor responded, "Actually, now that you ask ... Justin approached me several months after the film wrapped and introduced the idea for the sequel which would chronicle her college years and brush with rock and roll stardom. He actually has a screenplay for it, but we want to wait to see how the world responds to Katiehird before we move forward with it."

By Andy Latino
© Sirens of Cinema (reprinted with permission)