Inteview: Rebekah Kennedy (Bastard)

Rebekah Kennedy (“Season of the Witch” “House Hunting”) stars in the intense horror film “Bastard.” This talented actress plays Betty in the film. The film is directed by Powell Robinson and Patrick Robert Young.  

How did you prepare to play Betty in “Bastard?”

Rebekah: I did a lot of homework before. The directors Patrick and Powell had me watch a few different films, not so much to copy them but just too kind of get the feel of the different elements. There was the horror element but there’s also the relationship element that are really important. I just did a lot of character work on who she was and where she came from and where she wanted to go. I kept a notebook and tried to remember where was in that moment because you know we don’t film in order so it can be difficult to sometimes remember where she is in the story. So you know the arc is there and her change is there. That was the biggest thing beforehand and then once I got there I just kind of forgot all that.

What was it like working with the directors, Powell and Patrick?

Rebekah: They are awesome, they are so awesome. You know they are such actor’s director. It is difficult to work on that intense of a project. The whole film is pretty intense, especially the second half. As an actor it gets tiring after take after take. You may feel a little bit emotionally dry and you’re just tired and they were so good about just saying little things to energize you back to where you needed to be. Even at the end of the film when we’re filming in the bathroom, there was a moment where Powell actually had me slap him in order to kind of get back into the mode that we needed to be in. They were really great. Patrick wrote such a great script. They put some awesome characters in there and gave them a lot of depth. It was really awesome. They are young and have so much talent. They are definitely going to do big things.

You worked alongside a talented cast, tell us what it like was for you working with the cast of “Bastard?”

Rebekah: They were awesome too. We got so lucky with such talented actors and just genuinely nice people. Sometimes they may be great actors but they may not be nice people. It was really nice to have a cast where everyone was there to do the same thing. We were all there to make an awesome movie. There were no divas, no attitudes. There was no I’m better than you. Everyone was there to do the same thing and it made it really easy. Ellis who played Hannah, she was great. We had a lot of intense scenes together, especially in the shack. She and I would pump each other up before they would call action. We would help each other get there emotionally and there is a connection there that you make with other actors when you’re filming such intense scenes. Will Tranfo plays Jake and he was awesome and just so easy to just look at him and I was able to be right where I needed to be in the scene. Everybody was really great to work with especially Tonya Kay who plays Rachael, she had done a lot of stunt work in the past and I haven’t done much and she was really great about making sure I was okay. So yeah everyone was great.

There was some incredibly intense scenes in this film. What challenges did you face personally?

Rebekah: The bathroom at the end. It was the very last scene we shot, very last day. We had already been filming you know part of the day and it was kind of at the end of the day. It was at night and it was cold for whatever reason it was really cold. We filmed here in California and it was cold that night and I spent most of that scene in the water, in the bathtub. So I was fighting the shivering and still trying to stay in the moment and stay where I needed to be because that was the final climax of the movie. I did not want to mess that up. That was probably the hardest scene and it was just keeping the energy going when I cold and when I was tired.

Will there be a sequel to the film and will you return?

Rebekah: You know they are talking about doing one. They have a couple in the works and even a prequel I think. I think if they can make more, I think they would like too. I can’t really say much of what it would be, because I am not really sure. I think the idea was that all of these characters could have a spin-off of their own movie and I think they definitely could if they were alive or doing like a prequel showing how they got to where they are. I hope they do make one, I’d love to come back and do more films.

What projects are you working on next?

Rebekah: I just wrapped an episode of “Criminal Minds” (she plays Gina Bryant) and that is going to air in early February. I’ll definitely announce the exact date because I do not want to give out the wrong date. That was awesome, I had such a great experience with the cast and the crew of that show. It has been on eleven years and they are just fantastic. I can’t really say much about the storyline because I am not allowed to give anything away but it’s really going to be a good episode so I hope people tune in. I have another film called “Let Me Make You A Martyr” that should be coming out, hopefully next year. It’s got Mark Boone Junior, Marilyn Manson and some other awesome people. Then another project called “Street Level” that hopefully will come out next year as well. I play a meth addict and that one is written and directed by David Labrava who was in “Sons of Anarchy” and it’s also got Mark Boone Junion, Drea de Matteo, Danny Trejo so that’s kind of what I’ve got going on right now and hopefully more projects to talk about.

What advice would you offer to working actors and up and coming actors to maintain a long term career?

Rebekah: I would say just never give up and if this is what you really want to do keep trekking. It’s really difficult, it’s not an easy career and it’s going to be a lot of no. You may hear a hundred no’s before you maybe get a yes. But if you really want to do this you got to keep working at it. You know train, train hard especially if you are in L.A. or New York. Train anyway and it is a great opportunity to get better and meet people. Audition for short films, student films and independent films, anything you can audition for. You just have to audition as much as you can.

The main thing though is not giving up. It is a really difficult road but if you want it you have to stay the course and keep going.

REBEKAH ON TWITTER https://twitter.com/rebekahkennedy

BASTARD ON TWITTER https://twitter.com/bastardthefilm

IMDB http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2796058/

REBEKAH ON FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/rebekahkennedy