Sadie Katz stars in the new horror movie House of Bad, a film that hits in December about three sisters on the run with a suitcase full of stolen drugs, yearning to break free from their sordid pasts, who end up in their childhood home where they are haunted by the ghosts of their parents.
Katz took time to talk to Renegade Cinema about her career.
Are you as tough as you seem in the movie?
Ha, ask anyone I’ve dated that question! I’m a lot like Sirah. I’m incredibly vulnerable and try to hard to get everyone to love each other. I’m constantly looking for a “family” yet, when push comes to shove in the fight or flight scenario…I’m definitely a fighter.
You look to be in great shape! What’s your secret?
I love you for saying that. Thank you. As an actress it’s hard to not think the only way to be in shape is to be anorexically skinny. I try to stay away from carbs & go through phases of yoga, bikram. I think eating right, being active and happy is the best workout in the world.
This is a real ‘girl power!’ movie! Did you feel a little different just getting to play this powerful part!?
You know, without giving anything away – my last scene with Teig under the bridge, I definitely had a moment where I felt very bad ass. I’ve done so much crying in films & as an actor that stays with you more than I feel comfortable admitting. But, then you have to find that strong women inside yourself so you can share that with the audience and that feeling stays longer then all the victim energy. I feel super lucky to be part of a movie that let me experience both.
How long of a shoot was it? And how long ago?
It was a short shoot with long days. I think it was 10 days or so. With adr sessions, pick ups etc…It was more. It’s kind of crazy because, when you’re doing a movie where you’re shooting ten pages a day- 12 to 17 hours a day it feels like months. I mean that in the best possible way. Your real world sorta goes away and all that matters is your family you’re shooting with. It’s like going on vacation with people you just met and having a shared experience that seems like it was so much longer.
Do you have a close bond with your co-stars these days?
Again, when you do a project you feel an incredible bond with everyone on the project especially your co-stars but, on the next shoot you’re making another family. I got very close to Jim Towns our director and the producer’s Scott and Dorota, I feel like I’ll know them forever. Heather and Cheryl will always be on my Christmas list. But, like Sirah I think I’d definitely be the one asking the girls to get together. Which, actually makes sense in a silly way.
House of Bad went to a couple of festivals. Is that when you realized you had something good?
The people at Big Bear Horror fest were incredibly excited about the movie and that felt wonderful. Actually doing interviews with bloggers & reviewers who now still follow me on social media and we stay in touch that way makes me realize there’s something pretty rad about “House of Bad.” It makes me super grateful to even hear your questions and realize you enjoyed what so many people who worked on the film set out to do. That’s really exception & pretty freaking cool. So, thank you.
Has your family seen the movie? Were they taken back by it?
My mom is my biggest fan. She’s probably seen the film the most. My son saw the movie and I made him cover his face with his hat on the racy stuff- which, I’ve been doing this awhile so he understands my films have nudity but, he normally says “why would anyone want to see YOU naked?” He also like to tease me about how I ran in the movie.
I lot of my girlfriends came to see it & they’re definitely like family to me & they loved it and said they forgot it was even me they were watching – that’s a huge compliment. It doesn’t get better than that.
What kind of movies would you ultimately like to do?
I’ve done films in almost every genre, horror, drama, comedy, syfy, late-night and action. I love different things about working in each head space. Horror allows me to access all the fears I have and make something positive about being the biggest chicken I know. It’s pretty freeing. It’s also pretty cool when you’re not just playing the “girlfriend” or “slutty chick” and you’re actually driving the plot and action. So, I really like doing films as the lead protagonist or antagonist, that’s when you really get to use your acting chops.
Is it hard being an actress in Hollywood? Do you have sometimes juggle acting work with another (less exciting) job to make ends meet? I’ve always wondered how it works ‘between movies’ for actors.
I hope this doesn’t come off too silly saying this- I realize there’s people who dig ditches all day in the rain but…it’s a really tough gig. I have friends who bartend at after hours from midnight to 5am and then have an audition at 8am. You are basically running a small business selling yourself. That means in addition to your agent- you’re self submitting for parts, running your social media to create a fan base, updating headshots, your website, reels, IMDB page. On top of that you’re also trying to look good, doing interviews, taking classes, workshops and memorizing lines. It’s a lot of work that is an around the clock job. So, add in your regular life of having to make money makes for a pretty crazy life. In Los Angeles sometimes if you’re not say Jennifer Lawrence or some girl they recognize from a tv show ten years ago people think you don’t work hard- the truth is sometimes you’re working harder & have to juggle your real life in between. The crazy thing is when you’re shooting you’re on top of the world doing exactly what you work so hard to do, they wrap the film and you’re back at square one. It’s an addicting cycle but, everyone I know can’t walk away from it. You just love chasing that brass ring over and over.
What’s something most people probably don’t realize about independent movies?
How much work is needed after the film is shot. When you’re done shooting you have hundreds of hours of footage- the editor, the directors, the producers have to make something out of that. They have to bring in a whole other team of talent music, sound guys, editors, mixers, color correction and a whole lot of other people I don’t quite even understand what they do but, when I see the film I know their work is there. It often times requires months and months of post. Then you have to find a distributer, make trailers, posters, social media etc…a lot people have to continue believing and supporting the project. It’s easy to shoot a film very hard to finish it. Independent films are made by dreamers, they’re finished by dreamers and doers.
Another thing about that- is independent movies are so reliant on viewers to review the film. It makes a real difference for people to post what they loved about the movie on Amazon, IMDB, iTunes, to even tweet about it or Facebook. If your love indie films and aren’t in a position to make films yourself you can be a part of it just by writing a review. That’s what’s truly awesome is with indie films it’s an act of love on every level & the viewers can make a real difference just by watching and sharing. Fans who get indie cinema are the ones we really need at the end of the day to support it because, you guys “get it” and after all we made the movie just for you. Thank you so much for this interview & I’d love to connect with our viewers twitter.com/Sadie_katz or my facebook fan page www.facebook.com/sadiekatz or www.sadiekatz.me
House of Bad is out December 3
