Interview
with
actress and model Karen McErlean
By: Todd
Parker
NSAEN: Karen, your modeling career first started at
the age of two when you appeared on the cover of a brochure for your parents’ Holidaze Ski Tours company brochure. Why do you think your parents started you at
such a young age?
Karen: It actually didn’t start the way that you’re
implying. My parents wanted my brother and I to learn
how to ski as early as possible, due to the nature of the tours they sold, and
the first cover was actually my ski-school photo. It wasn’t planned out at all,
they just thought the picture was cute and decided to make it the cover; after
that first one I was on the cover each year, sometimes with my brother Pat, and
sometimes alone.
NSAEN: Your first official modeling contract was
signed at the age of thirteen years old.
What products were you modeling?
How much of this was your decision and how much was coming from your
parents?
Karen: Again,
my parents never really pushed modeling, it all just sort of happened. My
father saw an add in a local paper for an open call at a modeling school/agency
about twenty minutes away from where we lived and asked me if I wanted to go.
Obviously, I really wanted to go, so we did, and I was accepted into the
program. The agency had us go through a model training/school which taught us
how to walk, pose and apply make-up, as well as a few other things, and at the
end of the program we had a photo shoot in order to put together a portfolio.
NSAEN: Towards the end of high school, you modeled
for hair shows in Northern New Jersey and New York City. Can you tell us a little bit about what a
“hair show” is and what was involved in that?
Karen: This
actually ties into the previous question, so I’m going to put them together. I
didn’t actually get any jobs from the agency I signed with when I was thirteen.
They sent me on a few go-sees, however nothing came of it. A few years later,
when I was a junior in high school, I went back to the agency to show them how
my look had matured and to see if they would want to keep working with me. This
is where the hair shows come into play. They are basically trade shows just for
hair products; stylists would go to a hair show to learn the new products that
are coming out or new styles that are being used for designing hair. I did many
of these, which ranged from being at a beauty school to being on a runway at an
upscale club in New York City.
NSAEN: After graduating from college in three and a
half years with a bachelors degree in communication, you took a bartending job
to allow yourself time during the day to work on screenwriting. How did you choose bartending? How many
screenplays have you written?
Karen: I
actually started working at Bar Anticipation in the Spring
of 2004 as a waitress. It started as a summer job, just a way to make some
money while I was home from school. I started training as a bartender there
after two years and my third summer there I both bartended and worked as a
waitress, eventually switching over completely to bartending. It kind of just
fell into place. As for the screenplays, I am currently working on two feature
length screenplays that are both about women in captivity. That’s all I’m
saying…
NSAEN: In the fall of 2007, you put your acting
skills to use when you were cast in a web series. Can you tell us more about that? What was
your role? How did you hear about it?
Karen: I’m actually not at liberty to disclose any
information about the series or my role in it, you’ll
just have to wait till it comes out! I heard about the audition through
Craigslist.org and responded with my information and some pictures. I was set
to go to the first audition, which was an open call audition, and at the last
minute, decided not to go. The following week, they e-mailed me saying that
they were interested in my look. I scheduled an audition with them and got the
part.
NSAEN: You have also appeared in a music video. For
which band and what was your role in the video?
Karen: The music video was for a woman named Catherine
Hilton who lives in northern New Jersey. Her music is Christian/Pop and the
song is called ‘I’m Forgiving You’. The song is about a couple that is going
through a rough patch and have to decide whether or not they can get past it
and continue their relationship. I played the ‘other woman’ that the couple was
fighting about.
NSAEN: You have just completed shooting a short film
entitled BLIND DECISION in which you play a blind woman. What was it like for you to play this
role? Did you feel a sense of strength
or weakness?
Karen: I have to say that this was my first real
part in a film and I was nervous about portraying a blind woman. I really
enjoyed it, and I was happy with the way I performed. I felt empowered by this
role, oddly enough, because this character was very strong, despite her
disability.
NSAEN: You are also currently in production for a
short film entitled BRUNCH, in which you play a married woman who gets pregnant
by the man whom she is having an affair with.
How did you approach this role?
Karen: I think that the character herself is just
torn into two different people, one who is married and one who is pregnant. I
also feel that she’s not as openly upset about what is going on in her life,
which shows a sort of strength that I am really looking forward to exploring.
NSAEN: You are scheduled to shoot a short film
called LONG AFTER MIDNIGHT in January in which you play a talk show guest with
a dark side. What about this role
appealed to you?
Karen: I liked the dynamic of the character, because
the character is actually playing a role herself; so I’m pretty much playing a
woman who is portraying another woman.
NSAEN: It seems that your modeling career has given
way to a rather lucrative acting career.
Was this a conscious decision to steer away from modeling?
Karen: Actually, I started acting because I want to
model. That may not make perfect sense, but I believe that if I wanted to
seriously model I would have to shed a few pounds, and just thinking that isn’t
enough motivation for me to actually do it. So, I started looking at auditions
because I figured that if I can show myself that I could really do it, then I
will motivate myself to take the actions necessary to get to where I want to
be. I also started acting because I love being behind the camera, and I figured
it was a good way to make connections with people on that side of the industry.
NSAEN: Are there any roles that you would really
love to play? Are there roles that you will never see yourself involved in?
Karen: I
honestly haven’t thought that far in advance. I’m just trying to get myself out
there and if I audition for something and get it, awesome, I’ll give it my
best, if not then okay, I’ll keep going.
NSAEN: Karen, finally, how you see the difference
between male and female actors in the entertainment industry? Do you find that you are treated differently?
Does it feel you have to prove yourself more than your male counterparts?
Karen: Acting wise, no; behind-the-scenes wise, yes.
I feel that in acting, if you are right for a role and can portray it, then
there is no discrimination; there are people in this industry that will try to
get you to do things you don’t want to do, but you just have to be smart about
what you take on. I also feel that when working behind a camera a woman would
have to prove herself more than a man would, only because I have been in
situations like that before.
NSAEN: Karen, we wish you success and we hope to see
more of your work in the future. Thank you for granting us this interview.
Here is a great opportunity
to buy a wonderful independent movie!
Blind
Decision
Kelly is a blind woman with a
troubled past. Alone in a hotel room one night, wearing nothing by a
small bathrobe, she must hand over a suitcase full of money to a courier from
the mob. Rick - the man who comes to collect it,
presents her with a reality that she tried to ignore for years.
Starring: Karen McErlean and Greg Mackoul
Directed By: Todd Parker
DVD package also includes
never-before-seen behind the scenes interviews with cast and crew and
"making of" documentary
Total run time: 35 minutes,
NTSC Format
Copyright 2007 * Wilmor Production Services
Available on ebay for sale:
$14.49 plus shipping
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120207373710&ssPageName=ADME:B:EF:US:1123