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“Academy Award® winner Gary Oldman (Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for Darkest Hour, 2017) and Golden Globe nominee Jessica Alba (Best Performance by an Actress in a Television series – Drama for “Dark Angel,” 2000) star as serial assassins in Killers Anonymous, arriving in select theaters and everywhere On Demand on Friday, June 28 from Lionsgate.
In the vein of The Hateful Eight, The Usual Suspects and Reservoir Dogs, Killers Anonymous also stars Suki Waterhouse (Insurgent, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Future World), Rhyon Nicole Brown (TV’s “Empire”) and Tommy Flanagan (Gladiator, Braveheart, Sin City).”
Hi Rhyon! How are you?
Rhyon- Hi Janel, How are you?
You did such an amazing job in “Killers Anonymous.” Did you do anything special to prepare for this role? There is so much intensity and emotion in the movie.
Rhyon- Yes. Martin Owen the director was a joy to work with, in the sense that he was always open to conversations and questions, as well as the writer Elizabeth Morris. I spent a lot of time with her in my dressing room discussing the way that she and Martin saw Alice. I would say I spent a lot of time almost creating two people. The Alice that you see through about three-quarters of the movie and then creating the Alice that you see only a quarter of the way. Now that I am talking to you about it, I spent a lot more time creating the Alice that at the end and there is a little bit of Alice that makes you wonder if she was scared of all these people and what makes her open up? It makes you wonder was she ever honest? That was one of the first times that I felt like I had to kind of develop two characters which was kind of exciting.
I wanted to ask you about that because Alice almost seems as if… I don’t want to say two people but it is very psychological with Alice. You really brought the performance and did a great job.
Rhyon- Thank you. That means a lot.
What was it like for you working with the cast?
Rhyon- The cast is incredible. Being able to sit and talk with them and not just about the characters. We talked about our life paths as actors and to be sitting with these people that I have kind of looked up to my entire life. To hear the way which they got to where they are going. Then I find myself in the same film with them. It was one of the biggest compliments that I got from Tommy Flanagan. We had just finished the table read and you know there is kind of a stigma around British actors that British actors are a little better. I’m walking into a room full of British actors and I’m like, oh shit! So I sit at the table and we finish the table read and Tommy came over to me and said, “I teared up during you’re monologue and wow.” Just to hear that from Tommy when I’ve been such a fan of his work for so long. It put me in a place where it kind of quieted my nerves a bit. It allowed me to be in a place where I felt like I could do my best work.
That is pretty amazing. I agree with you and Tommy Flanagan is so talented. You did an amazing job and this cast is so good. Did you guys face any challenges while shooting?
Rhyon- We didn’t have a ton of shooting days so we were packing a lot into the film. We had a lot of all-night shoots which are never the most fun. I would say the biggest challenge for me was working and the jet lag.
What do you want to say to the audiences that will be watching “Killers Anonymous?” what do you want them to know from your perspective?
Rhyon- That is a good question. Nothing is ever the way that it seems. I know that is a very general statement but I think that in life we get so caught up, especially with social media. We get caught in the lives of other people and we find ourselves in comparison mode and I think that when we get through the action, the killing and the blood. We find out that these people that have all of these layers that they don’t normally get to show the world. We find the strength.
I agree with that. I took away from the film that not everything is what it seems.
Rhyon- Yes.
What are you working on next and will you be doing more music?
Rhyon- Yes. I have an EP coming out in August. There will be seven songs on it. I am in L.A. right now and I leave to go to Chicago to shoot our last season of “Empire.”
Oh wow. I am sad about “Empire.” I loved “Empire” and I loved you on the show.
Rhyon- We have had a really awesome run. I think a lot of people were inspired by it and if we leave leaving that feeling in people’s hearts. I am okay with that. My hope for everybody on the show is that “Empire” will be a launching pad for many other projects to continue to inspire people but thank you for that.
What was Martin Owen’s directing process like?
Rhyon- I would say that Martin was so awesome to work with because he opened himself up to have a conversation with you. As long as he felt like you were headed in the right direction he kind of let you find it for yourself, which me as an actor I kind of prefer. We had conversations about the way in which he and Elizabeth Morris wrote Alice and the way that they see her. Throughout the film he would support the decisions I made. As a director he never ceases to amaze me. That type of work shows up onscreen.
I love so much that you talked to the writer about the character. I always think that is next level creativity to really talk to the writer and how they envision the character.
Rhyon- Thank you, I think sometimes when we are shooting… There is really no way to get a film done without lots of masterminds behind it. I think that the con to that is when you don’t have conversations with each other we kind of miss the mark and we end shooting different films and so I feel as though the more communication that there is between all moving parts, the more streamline your film is.
The ending was really fascinating to me. I felt as if it sort of left some things open for some possibilities. If by any chance they would do a sequel or a spin-off would you be a part of it?
Rhyon- That has been mentioned to me but I don’t know what the final conversation is on that. I would absolutely be interested in continuing to grow Alice and the world of “Killers Anonymous” because I did have an incredible time and I was afforded the opportunity to work with a lot of talent that I look up to. So one hundred percent I’d be down for a sequel.
Did you always know that you wanted to be in the entertainment industry?
Rhyon- I did, pretty early on. I watched a lot of old entertainers. My grandmother was obsessed with everything Frank Sinatra did. Sammy David Jr., Bing Crosby, Ginger Rodgers, Dorothy Dandridge and all of the great entertainers. I fell in love with them and everything that they we’re able to make me feel with their talent.
Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me for Horrornews.net. Thank you so much. You are so talented and I have some of your music in my gym and writing playlist. You are super talented.
(Laughter)
Rhyon- Of course, Thank you Janel. That’s awesome.
Thank you.
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0114499/
