PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Alexandra Feld is going places. Already a producing powerhouse with her family company, Feld Films, she was utterly fantastic in her feature film debut in Killer Kate! (you can read my review here), a horror comedy written and directed by her husband, Elliot Feld (you can read my interview with him here). I was lucky enough to chat with Alexandra, and we talked about being the final girl, working with your spouse, and horror movies.
PopHorror: What intrigued you about the role of Kate in Killer Kate!?
Alexandra Feld: That’s a good question. Since my husband directed and co-wrote this and our company was one of the producers, I was able to be a part of the film from conception to development, from pre-production all the way to shooting and post, which is a really rare opportunity for an actress, especially because it’s my first feature film as an actress. So I feel like there’s no going back because I was really spoiled in that way.
But hey, we also had to be really smart in how we did this movie because it’s a first time director, and I’m an unknown actress. So from a producer’s stand point, we had to be really wise about the genre we selected, the script, the budget, all of that kind of stuff. And horror is such a perfect movie, because it kind of checks a lot of those boxes. It doesn’t matter that I’m not known… if the script was great, that was really our priority. We knew that Elliot was going to direct and that I was going to play the lead role in the film, so then we had to really get on the same page with what story did we want to tell in this horror comedy world.
I’m a bit newer to the horror genre because I’m a big scaredy cat when it comes to actually watching them. I’m specific about what films I would watch. Of course, having done Killer Kate!, it opened that world up to me more than I would have expected. I love it and I hope that there are more of these kinds of roles for me. But I also just think that Kate is a cool role in general, not even looking at it as a genre film. She’s real. She’s well defined. I love her relationship with her sister. It’s unique to the genre because it’s so different from what we see. She’s not your typical final girl, you know? She is that, I suppose in the truest definition. I don’t know, did you get that vibe as well, when you watched it? That she’s different than what we see?
PopHorror: I did. I loved how she took it into her own hands, and was like, “Screw this, I’m not going to sit around and wait for someone to come rescue me. We’re going to get to the bottom of it and who is charge of this and we’re going to take care of it all ourselves.” I really like a strong female character a lot. So often, we’re depicted as damsels in distress, and Kate was the complete opposite of that, covered in blood. So yeah, I definitely got that.
Alexandra Feld: Yeah, and of course, I was attracted to the idea that I wanted it to be kickass. I kind of want to be like Jamie Lee Curtis or Sigourney Weaver, you know. Sarah Connor. Those are really cool characters to me, and I always wanted to be, like, using weapons. This movie doesn’t have a ton of action, but it kind of gave me a taste for it, that I was like, “Oh, action would be a really fun genre to step into a little bit after this.” I want to learn how to use a gun and have it look legit on camera. A lot of people ask why she’s covered in blood, wouldn’t she wipe that off? Part of it is that the aesthetic of it just looks great on camera, but also it’s like, well, she doesn’t care about that. The way she looks or feels personally, does not matter to her right now. It’s just the task at hand. Let’s protect my sister, let’s get back at these guys, let’s just do it, you know? It’s kind of like, for me, it totally makes sense. Kate wouldn’t wipe it. She just doesn’t care. There are more important things right now (laughs).
PopHorror: Because we touched on this already, and with this being your first film, how does it feel to have already achieved that final girl status?
Alexandra Feld: It’s certainly an honor, and as I’ve learned with working with Tiffany Shepis, who is fantastic and so well known in the genre, she kind of let me know what a great title it is to have. And she was incredibly supportive and as we were in the process of casting her, we got to do some table reads with her, she was like, “You are this part. This was totally made for you.” It literally was written for me, but it was really special and very cool. I think that I would love to do it again, but there are so many different genres that I want to step into. It’s not like I don’t think horror final girl is my type-cast by any means, but you’re right. It doesn’t get much better that it’s my first feature film, and I got to do that. It’s very, very special.
PopHorror: I agree. I did read that you have worked behind the scenes before and you produced some movies. Which do you like better, acting and being in front of the camera, or what you can do behind the scenes?
Alexandra Feld: Well, I definitely am an actor, first and foremost. That’s what I started with. I started actually as a dancer when I was very little, and then got into musical theater and then plays, so theater is my background and how I became an actor. Around the age of 10, I was like, “This is it. This is what I have to do.” And it wasn’t until a bit later, maybe in high school, that I was like, “I would love to direct at some point later in my career, because I really like the idea of having a heavy creative hand in all of these projects.”
In theater, it’s great because you have such a long process because you have rehearsals and you become so ingrained in the material. Television and film are a little different because you get the script, and you’re by yourself the whole time, and then you go on set and work for however many days and then you step away and you’re done with the project. And that’s really foreign to me. I really want to be so much more a part of it.
My day job is actually as a commercial producer, which I took three years off of acting because I wasn’t getting those parts that I wanted. They weren’t meaty roles or smart or you know, interesting. So I was like, “If no one else has it out there for me, I want to be a part of creating that.” So I stepped away from acting because I think producing was my way into that. I think directing is probably years down the line. At the end of all of it, I really do want to be acting, but now being able to produce and have that skill set… you know, Killer Kate! is the first film I’ve produced and acted in, and I loved it. It felt so natural. I was able to be an actor, but also kind of the boss. I just felt comfortable and invested in it a different way. And it being my first feature as an actor, I don’t have anything to compare it to. And I kind of don’t want to go back now.
PopHorror: I did read that you’re from Tempe, and I’m in Phoenix.
Alexandra Feld: I am! Oh, you are? That’s cool!
PopHorror: I also read that you helped produce Phoenix Forgotten, which I watched recently. Alien movies always creep me out, so I found it very effective. So, are you a believer in the alien phenomena that comes from Arizona?
Alexandra Feld: I did! Oh, man. I love that! That was a really fun project to work on because I got it after living here, along with a good friend of ours whom I actually met as a commercial producer, and we worked so great together. He knew that I was from Phoenix, so I went out there and produced all of the Phoenix portion of that film. And he, as the director, loves UFO and conspiracy theory stuff, so being around him that much for the stuff, I was like, “Oh, wow! Yeah, yeah, that happened.” But I don’t know that I would say that I’m a believer in it, but I love it It’s so fascinating, and it’s really amazing to talk with people who are so deeply committed in their lives to that world. It’s another world, but it’s cool. I think it’s a great basis for storytelling and making movies. But yeah, I don’t know if I think it happens, but anything is possible.
PopHorror: And I know that you said you’re kind of a scaredy cat, but what is your favorite scary movie?
Alexandra Feld: Such a good question! And I hate to give this as an answer because I’m pretty sure my husband probably gave it to you too, but we both love The Shining.
PopHorror: He did! (laughs)
Alexandra Feld: So I think, yeah. I love that because it’s so smart. With movies, for me, it comes down to the script, for sure. But I can tell you, the scariest movie, not my favorite one but the scariest movie that gave me the most jarring experience and I’ve never gone back to watch either of these movies since I went behind my parents’ back to try to watch these on TV when I was a little kid are Poltergeist and Pet Sematary. I have not seen or tried to watch either since I was eight years old.
PopHorror wants to thank Alexandra Feld for taking time out of her busy schedule to talk with us. And, as always, keep checking back to PopHorror for all of your horror news, reviews and interviews!
