Interview with (re)Search My Trash for Evil Lurks

I recently did an interview about my experience filming Evil Lurks (now out on Tubi and other platforms!) and my work as an actor with Mike Haberfelner of (re)Search My Trash. Check it out!

Click to Read Interview

Plain text of the interview below:

An Interview with Amanda Winston, Star of Evil Lurks
by Mike Haberfelner
June 2023

Your new movie Evil Lurks - in a few words, what is it about and what can you tell us about your character in it?
Evil Lurks is about a woman named Kimberly who seeks out help from a hypnotherapist as she struggles with her feelings of grief and loss. Unbeknownst to her, the hypnotist is possessed by an evil force that visits the earth every Blood Moon. The story follows her battle that's carried on 15 years later as Kimberly is driven to save the life of the daughter she was never meant to have. It's a bit of a mindbender that will make you question everything you've watched by the end - and I play Kimberly! Kim is a fighter. She's been through some serious shit - multiple miscarriages, sexual assault, the death of her mother at a young age and estrangement from her father. So when she's suddenly battling off this evil entity, she's tough as nails.

What did you draw upon to bring your character to life, and how much Amanda Winston can we actually find in Kimberly?
I like to consider myself a "take no shit" kind of person, so there's a lot of that in Kimberly. I haven't experienced the same traumas as Kimberly, but I draw on the loss I know and how I've seen others close to me deal with similar situations. Like Kim, I am also skeptical of hypnotherapy :) 

How did you get involved with the project in the first place, and what drew you to it?
I was actually a last minute replacement. I think I was on set about 48 hours after my callback audition? The person they cast originally in my role had to back out, and a friend posted the casting search for Kimberly to Facebook. I'm a big fan of horror and suspense films, so it caught my eye. I'm very drawn to characters that aren't typical ingenues, and Kim is definitely not your typical ingenue.

To what extent could you relate to Evil Lurks' approach to horror, and is horror a genre at all dear to you?
Evil Lurks lives more on the arthouse side of horror, thanks in large part to Chris Shern's vision, score, and guidance of the edit. I think it's what makes the movie memorable. It's not a big jump scare movie, definitely more psychological/suspense. I love horror films! I feel like I'm constantly playing catch up trying to consume all the awesome content out there, but it's a fun arena to play in for sure.

What can you tell us about Evil Lurks' director Aaron Hawkins, and what was your collaboration like?
Collaborating with Aaron was pretty laid back - we had a lot of freedom as actors to build the characters how we wanted.

A few words about the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere?
It was definitely an all hands collaborative experience. With low-budget indie films, we're in it because we love it and helping out where we can. So you know at one point when we needed an extra set of hands I held the boom mic for a scene I wasn't in, for example. We took our time filming on weekends to fit people's schedules, and everyone was very cool to work with - very little on-set tension or anything like that.

Any future projects you'd like to share?
I'll be in a classic camp slasher (but with adults!) called Tin Roof that we're hoping will be out by the end of this year! We're doing a handful of reshoots this summer. I play Kat, part of a group of friends trying to save their favorite summer camp on the rocks, and it's a bloody good time. Rob Mello (of Happy Death Day fame) is the writer, with Rebecca Rinehart (The Embalmers, Frightvision, Sister Krampus) directing.

What got you into acting in the first place, and did you receive any formal training on the subject?
I've been into acting for as long as I can remember - seriously since pre-school when we put on a circus play and they made me the "ringmaster". I found out later they did that because I was a bossy kid, but it set off the performer in me and I've been doing it ever since. Growing up I did mostly school plays and drama camps, and then got my BA in Theatre from Butler University. Since college I moved to Chicago and have been working in theatre, film, VO, and various other acting and collaborative and creative efforts since. I've taken some classes at some local Chicago studios as well including Black Box Acting, Vagabond School, and The Forge.

What can you tell us about your filmwork prior to Evil Lurks?
Prior to Evil Lurks I mostly did some super low-budget indies in Indiana (where I lived up until 2011). Evil Lurks actually kicked off a more serious interest in me to pursue on-camera acting and I've been lucky enough to do a handful of short films and indie features since. Prior to that I was much more focused on stagework. A film I did back around 2007 Homecoming Massacre came out finally in 2020 and is now on Tubi and other platforms - I won't say it's my best work but the murder clown is pretty badass.

Besides movies you've also done quite a bit of stage work - so how does acting for the camera compare to performing in front of a live audience, and which do you prefer, even?
It's both exactly the same and super different at the same time. What's the same is drawing from a place of truth - the camera and the audience know when you're "acting" and not really invested in what you're doing or saying. Character development and understanding the story are essential regardless of the medium. What changes is the technique. There are certain camera skills you have to be aware of with knowing your frame, and if you're in a close-up or a wide shot, to better tailor the "size" of your performance to the medium. It changes in theatre too - if you're doing a black box show where the audience of 50 is 2 feet away from you, it's a different kind of show than if you're in a proscenium theatre for hundreds of people and you need to project to the back of the balcony. What I prefer tends to go back and forth honestly. I love the subtlety I can bring to film, but there is something intoxicating and exhilarating about performing for a live audience.

How would you describe yourself as an actress, and some of your techniques to bring your characters to life?
I'm a collaborative actor. Meaning, I like to discuss and discover motive, story, and character and get really curious about the process with the creative team when I can. I pull a bit from a variety of techniques across Meisner, Viewpoints, Linklater, and others, but I don't subscribe to just "one" way of acting - I think it's too limiting. I find I do characters the most justice when I really spend a lot of time reading and re-reading the script, and filling in all the "blanks" of the character that aren't on the page - fill in their story to make them more real to me.

Actresses (and indeed actors) who inspire you?
I'll rattle off a few favorites: Florence Pugh, Greta Gerwig, Kate Winslet, Philip Seymour Hoffman (RIP), Pedro Pascal. I do love Nic Cage at his most Nic Cage-y and I just want to be besties with Keanu Reeves.

Your favourite movies?
This is such a hard question, I enjoy a lot of genres. Picking a handful off the top of my head; Midsommar, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Violent Night, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, Princess Bride. I'm a sucker for the original Halloween-, Friday the 13th-, and Nightmare on Elm Street-franchises.

... and of course, films you really deplore?
Okay unpopular opinion... I hated Bridesmaids. Beyond that, I'm really not a fan of westerns in general. Never watched a single The Fast & the Furious movie, but... I think I'd hate it (and I do like action!).

Your website, social media, whatever else?
www.amandawinston.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmandaWinstonArtist
Instagram: @the_amandawinston
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4500435/

Anything else you're dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask?
My husband (Jonah D. Winston) is in the film! Playing my husband in some flashback scenes! That was pretty awesome. Also our dog Dr. Watson makes an appearance, and honestly, he was perfect.

Thanks for the interview!
© by Mike Haberfelner