Actress Katrina Durden New Acting and Action Reels!

Greetings valued readers of Dan's Movie Report. Actress and Doctor Strange star Katrina Durden has two brand new demos out on her YouTube Channel:

 

Actress Katrina Durden Interview (A Dan's Movie Report EXCLUSIVE) (C) 2016

Katrina Durden blasted across the big screen in Doctor Strange, her intense performance, coupled with the intricate movie, warranted an detailed interview. After watching Doctor Strange three times in the theater, and of course buying a Blonde Zealot Funko toy, haha, I knew the time is right to go in hard and fast to interview this talented and humble lady. Today we will be discussing Doctor Strange, her role in the new Street Fighter series, and of course her extensive action training. Katrina is a wonderfully inspiring young and talented lady, ready to work hard in the action world. Get ready folks, a worldwide exclusive interview with the dangerous BLONDE ZEALOT: Katrina Durden!

DMR: Chat about your childhood, and how you caught the action bug so to speak, was there a person in your life when you were a child that had a profound impact on your life?

KD: My parents were creatives so I was left to my own devices. I became fascinated with films, cartoons, comic books, and video games, their stories and characters; particularly the strong female ones. Their abilities and self confidence, something an awkward kid that never really felt like she fit in, yet aspired to have. At the same time, I was a bit of a tom boy, and back when kids still played outside, the only kids that made me feel at home were largely boys with their simple philosophy, and rough and tumble way of handling things. It made sense to me. Then slowly I was exposed to the likes of Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee, 80's and early 90's action films and was of course, like pretty much everyone you must speak to, was fascinated. 

DMR: What can you remember from one of your early Sensei's teachings that still sticks in your mind today?

KD: Its not really a particular lesson, but the discipline and diligence that's instilled from being involved in martial arts, and sport as a whole really, is so important. I would never say I'm particularly innately talented. But I'm super passionate about what I do and will put everything I have in to improving and developing, and supporting others on their quest around me - I think paying it forward is one of the most important things we can do. 

DMR: Chat about your acting training ,and what made you decide that you wanted to be in front of the camera?

KD: I've been performing, on my own, since I was 13, whether it be dance, amateur dramatics, poetry, or music. I studied at school, and did two years of performing arts at college, did Summer schools and workshops at places like Sylvia Young's and Moscow Arts Theater, was part of a theater company, and was fortunate to do a placement at a theater in Paris. During this time, my dad passed away which put my future into a bit of a tail spin. Performing had to be put to one side as I attempted to build a viable career in Sports Science and Human Performance to support myself and my family. But that itch wouldn't go away. Fast forward a couple of years, and a few more experiences, and I met some incredible people in the world of film-making and action who reignited and helped me add fuel to the the flame and made me realize that itch was there for a reason. If I didn't give myself a shot, if I didn't know, I would forever wonder "what if". So I got to work studying anywhere and with anyone I could. My uncle is a film, TV, theater and ex Royal Shakespeare Company actor, and also sat on the admissions board at the Central School of Speech and Drama so he coached and mentored me, as did actor and film maker, Joey Ansah. Life is a people experience, and this is a people industry and I've been so lucky to have met and learned from some great ones. Other than that I still take classes and seek to learn continuously; I'll always be a student of my passions.

DMR: Please expound on your area of study: Human Performance, describe to my audience the training and classes you have to undertake in that curriculum, how does it make you a better actress, and more well rounded person?

KD: When I originally decided to study sport and human performance, it was almost as a response to what had happened in my life. What was the closest thing to the things I loved? Performance, action, martial arts, human ability. It seemed the smart choice. Again, from my early influences, I was fascinated by the human body and its capabilities, and elite sports people and movement artists, are an example of the closest thing we have to super humans. I had also studied psychology in college because I was also fascinated by human behavior and the human mind and how far it could go. It was a close toss up. But studying sports science gave me a clear understanding of the functions of the human form, how to improve performance and fuel and look after oneself physically. That's an important part of training, of action and indeed of the modern industry. I think, like anything really, it is another page in my story, another chapter in my book to draw on, and I think the art of acting is also developed in the art of living life, experiencing different situations, vocations, meeting people on all different paths and listening to their stories and adding to your emotional intelligence. I've spent time as a trainer, a coach, a kid's teacher, a journalist and so on, and I've learned from all of those experiences, and the people I've met along the way.

DMR: Thanks for the sharing your diverse background, delving right into Doctor Strange, chat about the audition process, if there was one, or how you were selected for Zealot character.

KD: I was recommended to the casting director, Reg Poerscout-Edgarton, by a friend of mine who knew and had worked with him previously, one of my closest friends and fellow actors. I went in, did the audition, and then came out not thinking too much of my efforts. About 4 weeks later, I get a call to come in for a stunt assessment and then training began, about a month after that I was confirmed for the role.

DMR: Once you landed the role, did you undergo a lengthy training process? What are some of the things you had to learn for your Zealot part?

KD: We spent a good few months training under the most awesome Jojo Eusebio and Vincent Wang in a mixture of martial arts styles, including Silat, Cali, JKD and Kung Fu, and of course the choreography itself. We spent a lot of time previzing the action sequences. We had a lot of wire work to do so we spent lots of time rehearsing and getting comfortable with the stuff we were going to do on screen - the whole thing was a lot of fun - a lot of hard work, but an incredible learning experience.

DMR: Curious when you started filming, what some of the instructions given to you to get in character, did they give you the menacing stare directive, and how did you approach your character, did you sit with the script and act it out?

KD: The script had it all - it was our bible. The script showed us our place in this Strange universe. And Mads was such an incredible commander, and Scott Derrickson, our general. They led, we followed. 

DMR: Share a strange ahaha, and or unusual story from the set of 'Doctor Strange' 

KD: So many! We had so much fun on those sets - from magic tricks, to dance battles and general douchebaggery - it was just incredible to be part of the wild ride. Wouldn't even know where to start. I will say that one of the hardest things I've had to do is try to keep a straight face standing in front of Benedict Wong as he's chuckling himself at the end of the Hong Kong section.

DMR: Chat about working with your friends Scott Adkins and Zara Phythian, does it make things easier when mates are on set?

KD: Ah most definitely. The dream is, and has always been, to do what you love with the people you love and respect. And I've been so lucky to have done that. Both Zara and Scott are such talented performers, both in action and drama, and had been an inspiration early on as pioneers of the U.K. action industry, so again, getting to work with people you really respect as human beings and professionals is always great. Particularly when they're mates.

DMR: What are your thoughts on the film, I am sure that you liked it, but curious if you watched it and are thinking if you did this and this differently etc...?

KD: The film is phenomenal, a real visual masterpiece and a testament to the team that made it happen. I don't think I'd ever be presumptuous enough to think id change anything, but I guess, with a great story and so many great characters it would have been awesome to just see more of it all.  

DMR: Shifting gears, chat about Street Fighter: Resurrection and your bad ass character Decapre, what is her origin and her strengths, judging from your reel, she is a relentless bad girl.

KD: Decapre is a character that was first made playable in SFIV and she is one of Bison's personally programmed female army, The Dolls. Her appearance resembles that of Cammy, however her face is scarred from the experimentation done to her by M Bison. This is a sore spot for Decapre and reason for her wearing her trademark mask, and also the reason for her intense hatred of Cammy, although raised as sisters. Her programming, some say was too good, bringing about certain robotic mannerisms and way of speaking, however it had also left her volatile. Calm, then berserka style rage when provoked - made her such an interesting character to step into. And I'm such a fan of Street Fighter, that getting to be part of that universe was also a dream come true.

DMR: You are a glorious bad girl! Do you like playing the antagonistic characters, you are such a kind lady, so this is real acting? 

KD: Ah, thanks man! I think it's always great playing bad girls. People are an interesting mix of light and dark and exploring the darkness in an appropriate setting is always fun. Especially when antagonists are multi layered. For example, Decapre was doing the bidding of her chief and commander, M. Bison, a man that then abandoned her and bid her to die as if disposable, bringing about a different mix of emotions which was great to explore.

DMR: Who are some of the directors, producers, and actors you would like to be given the opportunity to work with in the future

KD: There are so many, I could be here forever. There are so many actors, directors and producers that inspire me constantly I almost don't want to limit my answer. I just love working with passionate, talented people and I've been lucky in having done that so far, I hope to be fortunate enough to continue to do so.

DMR: Speaking of the future what are some of the projects you have coming that you can discuss?

KD: Well, Street Fighter: Resurrection should be getting a wider release very soon and as for upcoming work, I'm hoping 2017 will be a bright year... ;-)

DMR: Katrina in 10 years is, A. acting, B. Producing, C. Teaching, or D. A combination, what are your long term goals?

KD: Hopefully all of the above. Film making fascinates me. But for sure, longevity, to survive and create. First and foremost, I want to be the greatest actress I can be, and I am always learning. The more and more I grow within this industry, the more I would like to expand into directing and writing given the experience and opportunity.

DMR: You have much experiencing for such a young lady, do you have any advice to young people wanting a career in the entertainment field?

KD: Do it. With all your heart and everything you have. And love the process. The destination is less important than the path itself, enjoy the twists and turns. And invest in good people. They will make the journey amazing. 

DMR: Final thoughts, let us wrap up this interview so you can return to your training:

KD: Thank you for having me Danny :-), always a pleasure, and thank you for your support!

For More information on the amazing Katrina Durden blast your browsers to her official Social Media Pages @

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KatrinaADurden/?fref=ts

Twitter: https://twitter.com/katrinadurden

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katrinadurden/?hl=en

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm7167836/

Official Website: http://katrinadurden.com/

David Gray and Deimos Security Co LTD, Weapons and Security Specialists

Greetings valued Dan's Movie Report readers, thanks to Ron Smoorenburg I was able to get in contact with David Gray. David works with Deimos Co LTD. They supply military and protection equipment to a variety of outlets including film and real world security scenarios. In addition to the equipment, his company provides training, for individuals and groups. Deimos is Thailand based. Connect through the the following outlets.

http://www.deimos-security.com/

Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/DeimosCoLtd/

https://twitter.com/DeimosCoLtd?lang=en

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf02-T6SGhur9UfZ4B_xF6g

https://www.instagram.com/deimossecurity/

April Flowers (2017) Movie Review A Dan's Movie Report Exclusive!

Above photo: poster from IMDB

Greetings valued Dan's Movie Report readers, the action train, swerves to romantic comedy with a thoughtful film called 'April Flowers'. Director/Writer Christopher Tedrick has created a subtle, yet vibrant film, full of allegory and heart. Special thanks to the production staff at 'April Flowers' for allowing me this early review.

Actress Celina Jade, has been featured on my site several times, including this interview http://dansmoviereport.blogspot.com/2014/07/actress-celina-jade-interview-exclusive.html , and is well known in the action world, for Arrow and now with the upcoming new film with Wu Jing. 'April Flowers' will open up a new audience to her work. Celina embodies the heart and soul of the character 'April' her search for love against a backdrop of situations that arise, with each one presenting unique challenges.

Perhaps my favorite scene in the entire film is when April meets an old man on a park bench who asks her to place a stone with a name near a lake. He proclaims that now that he is older he has no relatives or friends alive and puts names of prominent people. The takeaway is that the people are never really gone, as their memories live on inside.

April searches throughout the movie to return a journal that was written, to find the owner. Interpreting the journal as an allegorical object, the unattainable goal. Just because words are written, does not mean that person is your soul mate.

The use of future and past projection in time is prevalent in 'April Flowers'. We see April in a diner imagining what a couple in the 50s would have looked like, in courting rituals, perspicacious, and clever. On a train, we see the older April, in a cool cameo played by Daredevil actress Wai Chin Ho, again, great casting. The use of this type of time connection enhances the film, by broadening the scope.

John Fletcher's Jared character is flawed an quirky, a way that makes it believable. His awkwardness, and yet subtle character portrayal is proof that 'April Flowers' is a well directed film as well as written.

Overall, everyone in 'April Flowers' were obviously in tune with the story, subtle humor, as in Celina Jade saying she hates falling, hah, 'well not in action films'. This is a great indie film and a fine example how a crowd funding film can have an impact. This is a must own when it comes out 8 out of 10.

Check out the official Facebook Page for latest info: https://www.facebook.com/aprilflowersthefilm/?fref=ts

Ann Truong Interview (C) 2016 Dan's Movie Report EXCLUSIVE! HARD TARGET 2 Chat!

After watching Ann Truong in the new Scott Adkins film Hard Target 2, I wanted to learn more about her. Fast forward a couple of months we started chatting and, here it is, an exclusive 2,000 word interview to delve deep into her work on 'Hard Target 2',  her extensive action training, and future plans. Ann is an honorable lady, striving for the betterment of herself and others, grab some tea and read on.

Chat about your childhood, was there a moment in time that you remember that made you want to act? Same question for martial arts?

Growing up, I never considered being an actor – only because the thought never crossed my mind. I didn’t see actors as real people, they were people that existed on the TV screens and magazines. As a kid, I was tossing up between becoming a painter/illustrator, a singer/songwriter, or an Olympic runner - it was quite a dilemma I had. But looking back, all the pieces were there. I loved art, I loved self-expression, I loved sports.

I’ve especially always loved martial arts, and loved watching martial arts movies. I would beg my parents for martial arts lessons but my family thought I had too much spirit and feist (for a girl) already so I was never given lessons. When I started earning my own money as a late teen, the first thing I did was put myself through classes. I started with Boxing at an MMA gym.

What are some of the styles of Martial Arts you practice and train in? Currently what is your average week training regimen consist of?

Over the years, I’ve trained Boxing, Muay Thai, Circus – specializing in the Chinese Pole and Adagio, and dabbled in Arnis. My training regimen changes depending on what I’m working on at the time. Currently, I have a personal Muay Thai coach. We train a few times a week and, outside that, I run outdoors. 

I know you told me you are based in Australia, how are the opportunities there to live and work in the acting field?

I have an amazing team. My agents are based in Melbourne and my manager is based in LA. They work unbelievably hard and I’ve had some amazing opportunities. I have to admit though, I get more opportunities overseas than I do in Australia.

Would you ever want to move to the U.S. to live, or only if you were on a steady network show?

I would definitely consider living in the U.S. But at this stage, yes, I’d only move if I had a job there. I don’t think you need to be living in the states to be working. Most U.S. productions I’ve auditioned for recently are to film internationally. I’ve worked on two U.S. productions to date, and one was filmed in Thailand and the other, in Australia. So let’s see where I end up J

Saw you did a romantic style film called Never Forget, do you like that genre or is it on a case by case basis?

Never Forget is a story about a girl rediscovering her roots, more than it was a romantic film. But the cinematography and storytelling was definitely romantic in style. To be honest, I love all genres. If the character resonates, if the story speaks to me, if it’ll be fun, if it’ll be challenging, if I’ll grow, if the project has heart, I’ll do it. 

Chat about the audition process if there was one for Hard Target 2?

Initially, I actually auditioned for the role of Sofia. A week or two later, my agents rang to say that Roel had seen my tape and wanted to see me for Tha. New sides were sent and I quickly put the tape down. A few days later my agents rang again to say that Roel was flying to Sydney and would like to meet me. So I flew up to Sydney and did a call back audition in the room with him. I loved his energy in the room and his approach to the audition process. We just played with different possibilities. He did a little exercise in the room that was interesting and I enjoyed. The camera was on my eyes, and I was to not move my body, he talked me through a whole series of scenarios, and watched my eyes.  

Chat about filming in Thailand looked hot and sweaty, share a story from the production.

Filming in Thailand was definitely hot and sweaty! There was a scene I did with Peter Hardy, who played the Texan hunter, that I think epitomises the hot and sweat of the shoot. There was a scene where he was on top of me and I was struggling underneath…The sweat from his forehead dripped into my mouth during the scene. For each subsequent take, I would (kindly) ask Peter and make up to wipe his sweat off his forehead just before action. But as soon as the sweat was wiped off, action was called, I could see the beads of sweat forming again on his forehead and back in my mouth it went.

Chat about working with Scott Adkins, and some of the moments of dialogue, did you learn technique from him?

As all fans of Scott knows, he is amazing at what he does. I loved watching his stunt work on set. And he’s a great guy to back it up with. Something he said to me over lunch that kinda stuck… This is not verbatim by the way… so don’t quote me quoting him… He said that the one thing he regretted in his career was to not have the self-belief earlier on, the belief that he could be on the same level as Tom Cruise or Matt Damon. It was only the day that he believed it, that things started happening. And I agree with him. You’ve got to have the self-trust and self-belief (without the ego of course).

Talk about the action training you had for Hard Target 2, any new moves learned?

I trained with the stunt team for a week before shoot. I loved training in the humidity and focusing on nothing else for the day. My love of Muay Thai, and my focus on the style now, grew from my time in Thailand.

I learned lots of new moves… but I think maybe the most valuable was learning about the physics of how one’s body reacts to a certain blow. This was my first action movie, so I’d never learnt to take a hit on screen before. When I watch fight scenes now, I have such an appreciation for the ‘loser’ of the fight. The amazing fight sequence wouldn’t be so spectacular without the ‘loser’s reactions to sell it.

Have to ask about the fight with Rhona Mitra, she was pretty built muscle wise, looks like it was a tussle. Perhaps share a story from the training and one from the filming day of the action.

Haha… it did look like a tussle. I have to admit though, the fight itself wasn’t too much of a tussle to actually do. Everything was very controlled, we were very safe, we’d rehearsed, everyone knew what they were doing, Seng (the stunt choreographer) was on set the whole time. And as mentioned before, it’s all the reactions that sell it. Rhona did jump the carriages in heels at one point, and I was very impressed by her finesse there.

The biggest struggle on the day for me was that I had come down with a massive fever the night before. I had no voice on set that day, my head was congested, and my body was aching and could barely hold itself up. Till this day, if something ever feels a little hard, I remember the will to get through that day and anything seems possible. So I’m grateful for that experience. 

Watching the completed film, are you overly critical of your work? Did you like the film?

No, I’m not overly critical. I try not to be anyway. I try to only be critical of my work to the extent that I can grow from it. I know I worked hard and gave my best at the time, so I can’t regret what comes out of that.

I did enjoy the film! I really liked it. It’s an escapist, fun, action packed film. The hour and 45 minutes flew by.

Can you chat about new projects in 2017 you are working on?

All I know is that 2017 will be an interesting year. Exciting times ahead!

 

What are some of your long term goals in the acting realm? Ever want to go behind the camera?

I just want to keep growing as an artist. I want to keep getting better. I’ve grown so much in the past 5 years, and it really excites me to know that in 5 years time, I will have grown that much again - if not more. I live in the moment and don’t think about the future too much. I barely think two days ahead. I allow for change and opportunities to take me places I never would’ve thought of. I just keep working on my craft, I make sure I’m doing what I love every day, and trust that that means I’m growing.  And I trust that the work will show, and the right projects will line up at the right time.

I do want to get behind the camera as well. I write a lot in my down time, and I’ve recently started producing. I’d love to direct too. I like creating work, I love exploring ideas, I like working on the macro and micro levels of production. To me, I think it’s about the chase of or finding of the authenticity and truth in the work that excites me.

Do you have a motto, words to live by? Perhaps some final advice for young people wanting to get into acting?

Just put your head down and do the work. Don’t worry about other people. Don’t compare yourself to other people. Trust yourself and trust that you are enough.

Like her official Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/anntruongofficial/?fref=ts

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