PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Last year, I had the honor of interviewing Maria Olsen, an awe-inspiring actress who has indeed excelled in her field. She is recognized worldwide for her outstanding achievements in the acting field for her 200+ roles, including in Rob Zombie’s Lords of Salem (2012 – read our review here), I Spit On Your Grave: Deja Vu (2019), Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, the Paranormal Activity franchise, The Haunting of Whaley House (2012), Starry Eyes (2014), All The Creatures Were Stirring (2018 – read our review here), the upcoming Ed and the Living Dead and even American Horror Story: Asylum. Our interview with her from last year’s WiHM was absolutely wonderful, and since then, she has been extremely busy. I’ve decided to do an update on her and see where her ventures have taken her since our last interaction. So, without further ado, brace yourselves for some exciting news!
PopHorror: We know that from your previous amazing interview for WiHM last year, we got to touch on your inspiration for becoming an actress. You’ve certainly become an inspiration to us all. Would you like to recap on that or perhaps add to that in terms of growth and experience?
Maria Olsen: In 2018, I did a HUGE amount of work, from having several trips across the US to work on amazing indie feature films to creating my Facebook audition search and share group, The MOnster Shares Auditions, where I scour the interwebs for casting calls to share with my group members, or as I like to call them, my Lil’ MOnsters. I kept a list, and the final tally is that I shot 16 feature film projects during the 2018 calendar year, including Krampus Origins, Wretch, Arbor Day, Amygdala and Danni and The Vampire! I juggled a lot, but I learned that, if I just buckled down and made time to do the work, I could get through it and thrive. I intend to make 2019 an even bigger year than 2018!
PopHorror: Since 2009, you’ve made it your life’s journey to inspire others and aspire to be the talented actress you are today. Have you recently had any new role models to add onto your list?
Maria Olsen: Just this morning, I saw a wonderful picture on Facebook of the Twisted Twins – Jen and Sylvia Soska – posing on the red carpet with two young girls who looked just as wonderfully bad ass as they did! My love and respect for them just soared, because they’re being exactly the types of role models that young girls need, so that they can grow up to be fierce and independent and creative!
Pophorror: We know you enjoy producing and getting your hands dirty, so to speak. You’ve recently been involved in many new projects. Let’s touch on those and perhaps go deeper into your schedule, as we sure have a great deal to catch up on.
Maria Olsen: Yes! Like I mentioned before, 2018 was a bumper year for me, although it did not see me return to producing, as I’ve made a decision to concentrate on furthering my acting career rather than continue with my producing career. I was blessed to have been able to travel a lot, and my travels included shooting the creature feature, Beast of Our Fathers, in Ohio, the thriller, Fear Binds, in San Diego, the terrifying supernatural thriller, Ghost in the Graveyard, in New York and the beautiful fantasy adventure, Moon Garden, in both Hollywood and the Salton Sea area in California.
I also shot both the horror comedy, Ashes, and the post-apocalyptic drama, Bab, on location in Los Angeles, as well as a few other projects that I’m not really at liberty to talk about at the moment. I also spent a week in New Orleans performing in E3W’s hit immersive show, In Another Room, at the Overlook Film Festival. A commercial that I shot for The Academy Museum, in which I played the housekeeper of The Shining’s Overlook Hotel, was also screened at The Dolby Theater during the Oscars! Busy, busy, busy!
PopHorror: Your new project, Window With A View, which is currently being crowdfunded through IndieGoGo, looks very exciting, as it’s an independent horror with paranormal elements, which we absolutely love! So far, less than $1,000 has been raised with 31 days left to get support. We certainly wish you the best, as we are really anticipating this one. Can you tell us about your involvement in this film so the fans know what to expect?
Maria Olsen: I play the librarian in Window With A View. She is, however, no ordinary librarian. You could say she’s more of a darkly religious fanatic who might mean well but who also terrifies everyone around her. The film’s basic premise underscores the idea that one can never leave the past behind: an orphanage in which terrible events took place several years ago is now haunted and becomes the site of further horrific happenings when several groups of people find themselves trapped inside. One of the most riveting scenes in the script is actually based on a dream that Writer/Director Chad Hundley had some time ago, and he’s decided that bringing it to life on screen is the best way to rid himself of his terrifying memories! We’re aiming to shoot Window With A View in the summer in Lexington, Kentucky, and I can’t wait to visit, because this will be my first time in the state.
PopHorror: Apart from this exciting project, you have many more that you’re working on. Let’s chat a bit more about the festival circuit and Matthew Dunehoo’s Wretch. Tell us about your role in this movie. Were there any challenges you had to face?
Maria Olsen: I play the role of Anna Cochenour in Wretch, the conservative and bitter mother of the boyfriend of the wretch in the title. As is usual for indie features, we were shooting very quickly, so I think the biggest challenge I had to face was attaining the correct emotional levels very, very quickly. Given my director, Matthew Dunehoo’s, reaction, though, I think I did okay! Wretch is almost out of post-production and has already starting to submit to festivals. For more information, you can follow us on Instagram.
PopHorror: You have such an exciting list of movies filming and in pre-production. Next up on your list is Amygdala. Can you tell us about this movie? What was the role you had to play in this production?
Maria Olsen: Amygdala is a psych thriller based on the life and crimes of a famous British serial killer. It’s been out of post-production for about two weeks now, and it’s currently being submitted to festivals. I play a neuroscientist who tries to interview the serial killer in order to get him to agree to undergo some tests to further my research into how much psychopathic behavior is fueled by choice and how much is fueled by imperative instincts originating from deep within the brain. With my own specific background – I hold a degree in psychology – the role was extremely interesting to me, and I had a great time shooting it with Writer/Director John Dracos and the team in Denver.
Pophorror: Ghost in the Graveyard sounds rather ominous. Your role is the witch in this action, drama, horror which was directed and written by Charlie Comparetto. We’re dying to know more about this one! Could you give us a hint in terms of your role and the storyline?
Maria Olsen: Ghost in the Graveyard is an extremely creepy supernatural action thriller. As its basic premise is one that I haven’t really seen before in a horror film, I’m not going to let the cat out of the bag right now! It’s just got into its first film festival – it recently premiered in New York, but I was unable to attend – and I think it’s going to do very well on the festival circuit! My role as the witch sees me manipulate my daughter in order to get at one of her friends, a girl I’ve been watching and menacing since childhood. My mission is to stop her at all costs, but whether or not I will succeed is another matter entirely!
PopHorror: Many actresses or performers get to travel. You’ve recently had the opportunity to travel back home to South Africa. Could you tell us a bit more about the set you were working on and the people you were working with? How has that experience inspired you?
Maria Olsen: I went to South Africa in November in order to shoot the feature, Hear No Evil. Unfortunately, as things sometimes happen, our shoot was pushed, so I just got to enjoy a two week holiday in my old home! It wasn’t all play, though, and the cast and I had to attend table reads, photo shoots and social media video recordings. Hopefully, all our hard work will come to fruition when we finally shoot. I don’t have a date for our shoot just yet, but whenever it happens, I know I will enjoy it! I will be able to release more information about my co-stars, our amazing producers and our wonderful director once the project is actually a go.
PopHorror: What has been the most rewarding thing about travelling back home while working and meeting new cultures? Would you recommend this to other aspired performers to broaden their view and experience?
Maria Olsen: The most rewarding thing, I think, has been starting to realize how much I’ve done in film since I’ve left South Africa, and how I’m viewed by people in the South African film industry who know my work. To me, I’m just another struggling actor in Hollywood trying to hustle my way through the daily grind in an effort to land another project so that I can pay my mortgage and feed my cats. I almost always tend to forget that my exploits, when viewed from the perspective of a struggling South African actor, are held in such high esteem. I don’t often tell people this, but I do believe that I am the South African actor with the highest number of IMDb credits…
PopHorror: Are there any new projects other than what we’ve discussed that you’d love to share with your fans?
Maria Olsen: At the moment, I’m down to shoot the following features this year : the psychological horror, The Crumbs, in Placerville, California, the sci-fi horror, Desert Shadows, to shoot in Reno, Nevada, the creepy psychological thriller, Sweet Dreams, as well as the zombie horror Ed and The Living Dead, in Tucson, Arizona, the bloody post-apocalyptic horror, Inverted, in Kentucky, and the sophisticated period thriller, Starlets, in Ohio. I’m attached to many more features, though, and I really hope that funding comes through so that we can more into pre-production and production!
PopHorror: Last but not least, are there any exciting things or events happening that your fans can get involved in? You also have your dad getting the spotlight with his many commercials, which is amazing… talent runs in the family, no doubt… Could you tell us a bit more about that?
Maria Olsen: Once my dad became a US Permanent Resident, he was unleashed on the Los Angeles acting world. He got an agent incredibly quickly, and as they say, the rest is history! He has shot several commercials, a ton of music videos and a few feature films… one being the supernatural horror feature, The Bone Box, which I’m also in! He is loving every minute of it, and cannot wait to get back on set!
My most exciting news at the moment is the upcoming release of I Spit On Your Grave Deja Vu, which is the ONLY direct sequel to the 1978 cult classic, I Spit On Your Grave. I play the lead antagonist in this film, in which the legendary Camille Keaton repeats her role as Jennifer Hills and the superb Jamie Bernadette plays her daughter, Christy. I Spit On Your Grave Deja Vu is written and directed by Meir Zarchi, the same filmmaker who brought us the 1978 film. Our trailer was released on March 6th, and it has since gone viral! The film itself will be released on April 23rd, and I’m hearing that we may have a Los Angeles premiere before then. Any fan of horror will immediately recognize this notorious franchise, and I hope they enjoy this unique forty years later sequel! I play Becky Stillman, the wife of the ringleader of Jennifer’s original attackers in the 1978 film. I’ll let the liner notes to the DVD, written by the amazing David Maguire, speak for themselves:
Jennifer Hills is…Kidnapped along with her daughter scream queen star Jamie Bernadette, (and) it’s a tense game of hunt – or be hunted – against a lethal gang of degenerates overseen by a violently unhinged matriarch Maria Olsen.
PopHorror: Any final notes of inspiration for those out there wanting to achieve a career in the media and film industry?
Maria Olsen: In the words of the great Alan Rickman: “Never give up… Never surrender!!!”
As always, it’s been an absolute pleasure to chat with Maria Olsen, and we appreciate her taking the time out of her busy schedule to update us on her new and ongoing projects. If you’d like to get in touch with her, here are some links:
You can find her on Twitter and Intagram, and Facebook and show your support. Don’t forget to keep up-to-date with us for more exciting news on what’s happening with Maria’s new projects!
