PopHorror Let's Get Scared
According to Wikipedia, “The Phoenix Lights (sometimes called the “Lights Over Phoenix”) were a series of widely sighted unidentified flying objects observed in the skies over the southwestern U.S. states of Arizona and Nevada on March 13, 1997.” I moved to Phoenix in 2002 so I missed the excitement and in the 23 years I’ve lived here, I’ve seen anything even remotely close to them. Do I think they’re UFOs? I don’t know. Like I know things exist even though I have never seen them in person but does my belief reach that far? The jury is still out on that one.
Star People, the first feature film written and directed by Phoenix native Adam Finberg and starring Kat Cunning (Trinkets), McCabe Slye (Fear Street movie series), and Connor Paolo (Gossip Girl – read our interview with him HERE), is about a photographer chasing these very phenomena.
A photographer receives a tip that could shed light on her childhood UFO sighting, but a heatwave and some unexpected guests threaten to derail her investigation.
To celebrate the release of the film, I chatted with star Kat about filming in Arizona, crafting their character, what’s up next, and more!
PopHorror: I’m a big fan so I’m super excited to talk to you today
Kat Cunning: Honored!
PopHorror: I really enjoyed Star People. Did you film in Arizona?
Kat Cunning: We did, yes.
PopHorror: I know the director is local.
Kat Cunning: Yeah, so was most of our crew and our DP. It was amazing to shoot there.
PopHorror: Where did you shoot in Arizona?
Kat Cunning: The Superstition Mountains. We had an amazing location scout so there were a number of places that we were, but everything was real and stunning.
PopHorror: Was it in the summer?
Kat Cunning: I don’t think it was in the heat of summer. I remember Adam saying that we’re not going to shoot this in the heat because everyone will die. But it was still very hot.
PopHorror: It’s disgusting. August in Phoenix and it’s supposed to be 118 on Wednesday so that’s something I have to look forward to.
Kat Cunning: Yeah, I don’t think we could have done it right now.
PopHorror: No, definitely not. What intrigued you about the script and made you want to be a part of the project?
Kat Cunning: The very first thing that grabbed me was the title, Star People. I was like, hmm what are we saying? One of the little details about Claire was that she’s obsessed with Fanta and I personally hate sweet things, but I also take very bad care of myself. My fridge is full of weird things like string cheese, so I loved that Adam was writing a person who just didn’t really seem like your typical female bodied person who’s obsessed with relationships. She had a focus and it was her single most driving force in her life and I identify as nonbinary so I imposed my own perspective onto Claire as I read her. I imagined she’s someone who just lives so much in her focus on finding validation and finding aliens that she maybe has never even considered her gender. There’s something kind of exciting about that to me that’s like literally nothing matters to you other than finding validation for this thing that happened to you when you were a kid. I don’t think female bodied people are written this way very often.
PopHorror: I love that. Was there anything that you were adamant about bringing to your character?
Kat Cunning: I was like, “So I don’t shave my armpits,” and Adam was like, “I know that.” And we found a compromise. I want there to be the truth of her not being concerned about how she’s perceived in a male gaze kind of way. I wore these star pants that I actually own that are pajamas that I wore for the audition. I wear them in the movie. I just wanted to bring an almost anti-hero energy about her where she just doesn’t really compromise the journey she’s on for anybody.
PopHorror: Claire was badass. I appreciate what you brought to her and wanting to bring part of yourself to it as well, and that the director was open to that happening. Not only are you an actor but you’re also a musician. What motivates you to continue creating art?
Kat Cunning: I just want to tell stories, and I want to play characters that I’m not perceived to be. In my latest EP as a musician – I’m actually putting out my first EP; it’s called Glass Jaw – the last two singles are mini films. I’m making a visual album for the release and in one I’m in drag for the first time where I haven’t ever been. As a nonbinary person who’s perceived as femme, I’ve played a lot of caricatures of women throughout my career. I’ve never been actually cast really intentionally as a nonbinary person who’s telling the story of that life, so I put myself in drag realness and play the man, and sometimes people don’t even know that’s me. Then in the next one I’m playing a boxer because the song is called Dancer but it’s a metaphor for a boxer. In the release of my EP, I’m really motivated to inspire people to think outside the box of how they’re perceived and to tell others that ultimately, we empathize with each other which I think this film also is amazing at doing. If you sign up for sci-fi, you’re going to get a lot more than that, and if you sign up for a pop song with my EP, you’re going to get a lot more than that once you read the lyrics.
PopHorror: I became familiar with you through your music before I did your acting career, so I am thrilled to hear about your new music! I will be checking out those videos. I usually have it playing in the background.
Kat Cunning: I love that too, though! I love when people love the music enough that it’s not dependent on the video. I always love making the video because I’m so geeky about my lyrics. I’m like, this is what I imagined when I wrote it and I want you to see that.
PopHorror: I like that you’re still making music videos because you don’t see a lot of that these days
Kat Cunning: I used to literally watch all of the top 40 music videos on VH1 before I went to school and I loved that era. If it’s my last bash, I’m just like, I love music videos! I’m going to still make them when I can because I love performing and I love film. It’s the Venn Diagram between the two things I love to do.
PopHorror: I have one last question for you today. What is your favorite scary movie?
Kat Cunning: Oohh, favorite scary movie… This is really hard, actually. I’m a super scaredy cat to be honest. I like the ones that are psychological. I think this doesn’t hold up, but this is just coming to me right now. I don’t have a go-to horror. But I remember really liking Joyride because it’s a psychological thriller. I like the fact that it was pretty much a couple of locations and the things that are scaring you are mostly your imagination.
Thank you so much to Kat for taking the time to chat with us. Star People is now on VOD!
