Film Name: Bannister Doll Heist
Director: MJ Dixon
Writers: MJ Dixon
Starring: Angélique Taylor, Philip Andrew Rogers, Petrina Richardson, Jack Granville, Christopher Morley, William Marshall
The Bannister Doll has spent years locked away in an old evidence locker, tonight 4 thieves are about to find they just stole the wrong package.
In a new exclusive interview on Blazing Minds I got a chance to ask actor Angélique Taylor a few questions about the film ‘Bannister Doll Heist‘ which will have its World Premiere at Horror-on-Sea on Sunday 18th January at 12:30hrs.
Q. You play Rey Connors in the upcoming horror ‘Bannister Doll Heist’ which has been selected to play at Horror-on-Sea Film Festival. What can we expect from the film?
A. The film is action packed with lots of strong characters all desperate to stay alive and get paid for the job they’ve just finished, until it doesn’t go to plan. I would expect a few jump scares, as well as some laughs too!
Q. How did you get involved in the film and what first attracted you to the character of Rey Connors?
A. I got involved with the film as my mum had seen MJ’s open casting call on Facebook which I had been tagged in because the character image had red hair just like mine. I then auditioned for the role and I was cast! I really liked Rey’s strength and feistiness when I first read the script, although she is the youngest character she doesn’t let people push her around and she’s not scared to stand up for what she wants and that really drew me to her.
Q. What sort of preparation did you to do for the role?
A. Whenever I start the preparation for a new role there are a few things I do. One of them is I always draw an emotional timeline out. This is everything the character feels in a scene in chronological order of the Film/ Play. I then summarise this with two highlighted words at the end. This is something I do particularly when working on a film as often we don’t film the scenes in the order they happen so I find I can look back to this and help up the stakes for Rey’s character before we go for a take.
Q. Are there any elements of the character which you feel reflect some of your own personality?
A. I actually think one of the reasons I enjoyed playing Rey so much was because we are quite different people. She’s a lot harsher than me with the way she speaks to people but has a lot of reasons to, and that’s something I really enjoyed playing with.
I would say a similarity we share is were both thinkers in an emergency, Rey would think before she acts and I would definitely do the same.
Q. Did you make any changes to the character from how it was originally written?
A. I didn’t make any changes to the way MJ initially wrote the character. When I read the script I felt like she was very likable, you really felt for her and what she was going through.
Q. What were some of your favourite moments during filming?
A. One of my favourite moments during filming was definitely getting to know everyone. I was a bit nervous coming into it as I knew most of the people on set had either met or worked with each other before. But everyone was so welcoming and I ended up making some great memories. My favourite shoot day was probably when we hired the van, and I had to jump into it whilst Will drove off. I felt like I was a stunt man! I also ended up laughing on set so much just because of how funny the rest of the cast and crew were to work with.
Q. Did you experience any issues during filming?
A. I had no issues whilst filming, the only thing I struggled slightly with was adjusting to shooting nights. The first night of the shoot it got to about 3am and I was feeling a little tired and it was challenging to stay focused. But once I adjusted the next night I was completely fine the rest of the week.
Q. What makes Bannister Doll Heist stand out as something different in the horror genre?
A. For me Banister Doll Heist stands out as the characters are so interesting and well thought out, you really sympathise with Rey’s character in particular. I love the combination of jump scares which leave you on the edge of your seat as well as the dark comedy.
Q. Do you have any other projects which you are currently working on?
A. I’m Just about to start working on my final 3rd year show at university, alongside writing my own TV series which is really exciting!
Q. If someone was looking to get into acting what advice would you give them?
A. My advice to any young actors would be to figure out what acting tools work for you. From acting over half my life I’ve managed to try out so many different practitioners work, exercise, vocal warm ups and prep. I now know what works best for me and brings out the best performance in myself.
I would also say don’t be scared to fail, because there has definitely been times where I’ve played or made a character choice which hasn’t worked but I’ve learnt from it. I spent a lot of time when I was younger being a cautious actor, and I discovered so much more when I finally stopped worrying about making mistakes.
Photos by Asher Chan
Bannister Doll Heist will have its World Premiere at Horror-on-Sea on Sunday 18th January at 12:30hrs.
You can find out more about Bannister Doll Heist and purchase tickets for the film here
Published in various websites, Philip is a reviewer who is best known for his interviews and media coverage of independent projects including; films, books, theatre and live events. Always on the lookout for something different to cover!
