PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Rachel Amanda Bryant is an up and coming phenom in the indie horror industry. She’s been all over the place in the past few years, and we’ve even reviewed her roles in The After Party (2020 – our reviews here and here), 2018’s Scratch (our review), The Campus (2018 – our review), and Jet Set L.A. (2017 – our review). We’ve chatted with this humble actress before (here and here), and now we’re back again to chat about her role in J. Horton’s upcoming film, Craving.
PopHorror: Let’s start by talking about the experience that first made you want to be involved in making movies.
Rachel Amanda Bryant: I remember watching Moulin Rouge with my parents and being incredibly taken by the magic and the story… I love the sense of play in that movie, and it made me see how affecting stories could be. After that, I started to dip my toe into performance, and I was cast as Anne’s best friend, Diana, in a play of Anne of Green Gables, and that’s when I was hooked. After that, I was doing several plays a year, trying to make movies with my friends, and choosing to pursue a BFA in acting.
PopHorror: What was it like when you booked your first job?
Rachel Amanda Bryant: The first big job I booked was To Kristen with Love with Seraph Films. It was my first IMDb credit! I was so excited! I remember jumping up and down and getting emotional. Every time I book something, I get teary eyed… I love this job so much. I love being able to tell stories as an actor. I really feel like the luckiest person in the world.
PopHorror: You’ve been involved in over 40 projects in the past decade. What was your favorite one to work on? What was the worst?
Rachel Amanda Bryant: (laughs) I won’t say what was the worst, because I am not one to complain or say disparaging things. Hmm… my favorite, that’s a tough one, because each movie is like a little piece of my heart on screen. It’s a tie between the Lifetime movie I did, In Bed with a Killer, and the horror film that I led, The Campus. Both challenged me in my work. Both opened many doors for me, and I died in both… spoiler alert!
PopHorror: I won’t tell! Well, then again… (clears throat) You’ve been making movies in all kinds of genres. What’s your favorite genre to work in?
Rachel Amanda Bryant: I have done a lot of horror, and I do have an affinity towards that genre… I mean, it’s super fun to play in fake blood! However, I would say that comedic projects are where I have the most fun since I am able to be my weird/odd/quirky self. I have started getting booked onto comedic projects more recently, and it is such a blast. I always feel like I am just laughing the entire time I am working, I mean what’s not to love about that?
PopHorror: I can totally see your comedic spirit in your horror roles. Speaking of, I’ve seen your amazing acting skills in films like The Campus, The After Party, and Jet Set LA. Do you have any fun behind the scenes stories from them that you can tell us?
Rachel Amanda Bryant: Something cool about The Campus is that almost all of the blood effects are practical, provided by the incredible FX Artist Robert Bravo. When I was getting eaten by zombies, I remember having a bit of an out of body experience as I looked down and saw these monsters pulling intestines out of my “stomach.” It was legit gross, and I remember being like, “is this really happening?” I got a bit uncomfortable because it looked so real that I started to be like, “Wait a sec, am I okay? Am I going to survive this?” (laughs) A fun behind the scenes anecdote around Jet Set LA is that this is a story about an Air BnB gone bad, and we actually shot it in a real Air Bnb! A fun little bit of trivia about The After Party is that the car that is wrecked at the beginning of the movie is entirely digital! No cars were actually harmed in the making of this movie.
PopHorror: Three stories! Wow, you’re spoiling us! We just saw that you’ve been cast in Jason Horton’s film, The Craving. What can you tell us about the film so far?
Rachel Amanda Bryant: Oh my goodness I am so excited for this! I cannot wait to bring this story to life! I am being reunited with several people from The Campus. It’s going to be such a great movie. The plan as of now is to shoot the film in the latter half of May. I am really excited to be working with J. Horton and Robert Bravo again!
PopHorror: What made you want to be a part of The Craving?
Rachel Amanda Bryant: This script is a great ensemble piece, and I really connected with the themes of the story. It’s about addiction and connection, of what happens when people are truly desperate. Really, it’s a story that reminds us that there is a monster in all of us.
PopHorror: Addiction horror is one of my favorite subgenres. I can’t wait to see this one. Is there a character/person in history that you would love to play and bring to life?
Rachel Amanda Bryant: Oh my goodness, I love this question! Hmm… for a long time, I wanted to play Mary Jane from the Spiderman universe. I also would love to be in a sci-fi story like Star Wars or Star Trek as a Jedi or a member of a crew! And I’ve always wanted to be Juliet from Romeo and Juliet! (laughs) I am a bit all over the place, but I love epic storytelling so much. I would also love to do some period projects, something like Bridgerton.
PopHorror: That’s why you’re so good at what you do! If you could play any two movies as a double bill at the drive-in for all of your friends to see, what would they be and why?
Rachel Amanda Bryant: Okay, here we go. I pick Empire Strikes Back and Moulin Rouge.
PopHorror: Where can people find you on social media?
Rachel Amanda Bryant: Find me on Instagram! @RachelAmandaBryant And thank you so much for such a wonderful interview. I really appreciated your specific questions and being able to tell some fun stories from movie’s past.
PopHorror: Thank you, Rachel! I so appreciate you taking the time to chat with us!
