Interview with Jodelle Ferland

Jodelle Ferland has been acting since she was two years old starting in commercials and making her film debut at the age of four.  Since then Jodelle has worked on many high profile projects such as “Silent Hill” and “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse”.  She has also worked with cult favorite directors such as Uwe Boll and Terry Gilliam.  Movie Mikes had a chance to chat with Jodelle about her roles and what she has planned upcoming.

Mike Gencarelli: You have starred in your fare of horror films, are you a fan of that genre?
Jodelle Ferland: I’m a fan of most genres, but I do like horror. For some reason I just love to be scared. Not in real life, but just while watching movies, since I know none of it is real anyway. And I do get typecast in horror movies quite a bit, but I don’t mind, because I really do enjoy making them.

MG: How did you get involved working with Uwe Boll on “Bloodrayne 2” & “Seed”? Did you enjoy working with him?
JF: As far as I can remember, I didn’t audition for Seed, I was just offered the part. Uwe later asked me to be in “Bloodrayne 2” as well. And yes, I definitely enjoyed working with him – that’s why I did two of his movies! [laughs].

MG: Tell us about working on “Tideland”, since it looks like it was a really intense role for you?
JF: For someone watching the movie, it would definitely look like that. But honestly, I was nine years old, and I didn’t even think of it that way. I’ve been acting since I was two, so it pretty much just comes naturally for me. I don’t want to make it seem like I didn’t know what I was doing just because I was so young – I took it seriously. But “Tideland” was one of the most fun movies I’ve ever done.  And it never occurred to me until later that the scenes I was doing were actually, as you said, were really intense.

MG: How was it working with (my favorite director) Terry Gilliam?
JF: Oh Terry…I loved working with him! He’s one of my favorites as well. We just had so much fun working together and I had a blast on set. He’s a fantastic director and it was an honor to be in one of his films.

MG: Where you a fan of “The Twilight Saga” before working on “Eclipse”?
JF: I’d read the books and absolutely loved them. At the time when I was cast, only the first film had been released, so that was the only one I’d seen. I wouldn’t say I was as much of a “Twi-hard” as some fans are, but I was a fan of the series for sure.  I was so thrilled to have the chance to participate in “Eclipse”.

MG: Have you been sucked into the whole “Twilight” universe since working on that film?
JF: I have, but I don’t mind. The Twi-fans are amazing, and I love doing all the events and conventions. I definitely would say being in “Eclipse” has affected my career in a positive way.  I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for “Eclipse”.

MG: Tell us about your upcoming role in “The Cabin in the Woods”?
JF: Nothing to tell really.  I’m afraid you’re just going to have wait and see! I’m currently sworn to secrecy.

MG: Were you a fan of Joss Whedon prior to working on the film?
JF: Um, yes! Buffy! Haha, I used to be so addicted to that show. I still watch the reruns on TV. It was amazing to be able to work on one of Joss’s movies.

MG: Do you currently have anything else in the works?
JF: Yeah, I’m staying pretty busy. During the summer I filmed a movie with Chazz Palminteri and Andie Macdowell called “Mighty Fine”. I also recently did “The Tall Man” with Jessica Biel, and an episode of R.L. Stine’s “The Haunting Hour” which will be out sometime in the Spring. Then there’s “Cabin in the Woods”, of course.  I also did a short film called “Monster”. There are also a couple things that I can’t talk about right now, but you’ll most likely hear about them sometime in the near future.