Tanna Frederick first came on to the scene in the 2003 independent film “Inescapable” and is one of the stars in the upcoming theatrical release of “Queen of the Lot”. MovieMovies’ recently got the chance to speak with Tanna about her upcoming release.
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Adam Lawton: Can you tell us about your new movie “Queen of the Lot”?
Tanna Frederick: “Queen of the Lot” is the sequel to 2007’s “Hollywood Dreams”, which was about a girl from Iowa who moves to LA. The story tells about her search for fame and her journey to find it. “Queen of the Lot” is set three years later with the same characters. Margie, the main character, has had some success as a B-movie actress, and is now dealing with this sort of plague of Hollywood. She has reached somewhat of a celebrity status, and made some good pictures, but she’s at a place where she is saying to herself “why do I still feel empty and lost?”. She’s under house arrest in this film due to a couple DUI’S. Margie has new “A-list” boyfriend that is played brilliantly by Christopher Rydell, and then Margie meets her boyfriend’s brother, who is played by Noah Wyle. It is at this point when the sparks begin to fly and a love story begins.
AL: I read the cast listing, and it had your character listed under a different name for the sequel?
TF: Since the last movie Margie has changed her name to Maggie Chase, due to her managers telling her that Maggie Chase sounded more actiony. (laughs)
AL: Was it easier for you to be more comfortable in your role having worked with this cast and crew previously?
TF: Yeah, Henry Jaglom had this stable of actors that are so fun to work. Karen Black, David Proval, and Katherine Crosby, who was a real treat for me to work with. It feels like you’re surrounded by family, and there’s definitely a safety net there.
AL: Did you get more freedom with the character this time having played her previously?
TF: I felt a lot more comfortable with her. This was the first time I have reprised a character. So it was kind of interesting stepping back in and realizing that this character, even though she had changed in certain ways, was still a part of me. I had a great time with being able to do that.
AL: What was it like getting to work with David Proval and Noah Wyle?
TF: David is one of my closest friends out here. We actually just finished a play called “Just 45 minutes from Broadway.” David is a delight. We have such a great rapport. He is very committed and takes his craft very seriously. Noah was amazing to work with as well. The banter we had was very unexpected. Noah is so bright and witty. His character is very jaded in comparison to my character’s optimism, so the back and forth was really fascinating. We had really great chemistry and that doesn’t happen often, so it was a joy to work with him.
AL: Is there going to be a third edition of this series of movies?
TF: Yes, I think that there will be a Margie trilogy. We are going to keep Noah in it and see what happens maybe in another three years down the line. Everyone always asks what happened to these characters and asks for them to come back.
AL: Do you have any other upcoming projects?
TF: I am going to be going back on stage with a show in couple months, and I also have a film which is of the play I was in “Just 45 minutes to Broadway” which comes out in 2011. I have another film coming out called “Katie Q” which was directed by Ron Vignone. Outside of acting, I am involved with the non-profit organization, Safe Our Surf, which works towards keeping our oceans clean. I am also prepping to run the LA Marathon with a hope of qualifying for the Boston Marathon, so I’m pretty busy.
You can keep up with Tanna on Facebook as well as by going to her website TannaFrederick.com and Queenofthelot.com
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