Mackenzie Firgens
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Interview With Mackenzie Firgens By Chris 18/1/07
After discovering her IMDB Page, I knew I wanted to help promote this actor.
She has starred in such films as Rent
and in the indie horror/thriller festival hit The Hamiltons.
I will be supporting her career and checking out the films she is in.
She gonna be a star
1. What made you want to be an actress?
I can’t really say that there was one defining moment… but my mother likes to tell the story of how she caught me at age 3 making faces in the mirror, after that she put me in classes as soon as possible.
2. Who were your idols growing up?
When I was a little girl I loved Mae West. For some unexplainable reason I was drawn to acting like her, imitating her voice and movements, and memorizing her lines. I was quite young and I didn’t really understand maybe all the subtleties of her suggestive banter. -but instinctual I loved her. Her wit, charm, and the sex appeal she commanded. She was a pioneer of her time. Oh, and Princess Leia, I have been her for Halloween 4 times.
3. Would you go overseas for a role in a film?
One of the most alluring and beautiful things about the filmmaking process for me, is that I am given an opportunity to explore new areas of the world while working. So yes! I love to travel and working overseas more often is something I have been looking forward to.
4. What was it like working on Rent?
RENT was a dream come true. I was a big fan of the play and I used to work at a stage theater where I got to see it over 50 times. I had always dreamed of playing Maureen, and when I found out Chris was directing it, I began hatching a plan to get him to cast me as Maureen. I had sleuthed out his business address and was planning on taking a postcard photo of me as the character and giving it to him, when I “bumped into him” on the street. ~Then of course I got the news that Idina would be reprising here role, so my hopes were a little dashed. I was determined to be in the film anyway I could, when I heard about the auditions in SF I was very upset b/c I hadn’t gotten one from my agent. I asked all my friends who were going out for them, where they were, what they had to do, where they found their sides… asking if I could borrow them. I knew the location and room number and I was gonna go and crash the auditions. Finally after two days of no scheduled auditions I called my agent and asked why she hadn’t gotten me in, somehow she didn’t get the breakdown and none the less I got the audition. I digress, so working on RENT was a dream come true. It was my first major studio film and I have to say that the crew and cast were all so wonderfully supportive and loving. I was on the set for 6 weeks and felt like I was living a dream everyday. I was working with my Broadway idols who were now my peers and they were all so kind and generous. In particular though Jesse and Adam. They are the most intelligent and thoughtful men you will ever meet. Adam is such a loving friend and devoted father and husband truly a beautiful caring human being. I was so thrilled to see these two be so thankful for all that they had been given and how much they gave back to fans and friends.
5. Was that a good learning experience?
Incredible learning experience because I had been on so many independent features and it was comforting to know that many of the same quirks and challenges of the indy scene were just the same on a big feature. The main difference is there are many more people to go through to get to the bottom of something on a studio feature, but all the highs and lows seemed to be almost identical.
6. What have been some of your favorite roles to play?
Darlene Hamilton in “the hamiltons” due out on DVD March 27th was the most fun so far because it was my first opportunity to play the villain. I was basically hell on wheels in the most polite way that a refined Gothic girl can be. Hope in “Revolution Summer” was the character I felt the closest to. She is a young woman caught between her ideals and dreams of a better world; while faced with the reality of this modern age of government that may not represent its people, war, drugs and the lure of escapism lifestyles.
7. What are some of your favourite movies?
Ok don’t laugh! …and in no particular order Star Wars Far From Heaven The Matrix Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (the original) Crash Amelie Moulin Rouge Time Bandits What the Bleep Baraka
8. What movies you have seen lately you have really enjoyed?
I just saw “Pan’s Labyrinth” which I enjoyed very much. I am an admirer of mystic realism which I feel that this film really encapsulates. I love films that take the fantasy world of our imaginations and mix them into our everyday reality.
9. Who have you enjoyed working with?
I feel blessed to have worked with everyone on each film I have been cast in. I learn something new from each person be it the gaffer who is interested in the same poetry as me, or the costume designer who is interested in helping me learn to race a 6 speed. The people who I have enjoyed the most though, are the stars, the names I have worked with. Ultimately they have taught me in so many ways how to be and not to be in this business and being exposed to such strong personalties has helped me to grow as a human, and give more.
10. Have you had any bad experiences as an actor yet?
Maybe not bad, but I always partake to people that acting in films is about ignoring the elements. I did a scene where it was fall and I was dressed in a light jacket and skirt, yet I was standing in 2 feet of snow. I guess that could be considered a “bad” moment for my legs, cause it was extremely cold!
11. Are tools like Imdb good for your acting career?
I love imdb. I remember when I discovered Imdb pro I was on the Internet for a whole weekend researching everything I could get my hands on. All the top actresses quoted asking prices, who represented whom, checking out everyone star meter, finding old friends. Its a brilliant tool for anyone in the film making industry.
12. Has the Internet helped with your acting career?
I somehow have always been lucky to run with the “tech/nerd” circle and be in the know a bit just from my friends. So I have had a website before most actors did and it has been one of the most useful tools of my career. I am about to launch version 4.0 of mackenziefirgens.com and have been doing research examining many of the other sites out there. The internet has allowed me the opportunity to connect with people who enjoy my work and also people who are looking for a bit of help. I love helping other actors. Sometimes I wish I would have had someone to show me the ropes when I started sleuthing on the Internet, but another part of me adores researching things and finding new sites for casting or whatever. Stumbleupon is a brilliant invention for learning about new things and sources. (talk about a weekend lost on the computer).
13. What was working on The Hamiltons like?
More fun than a barrel of monkeys! Seriously though the Butcher Brothers are wonderful guys and a blast to work with. I was actually on another film with Lori Petty at the same time, so I was bouncing back and forth between sets. I adored making “the hamiltons” those are all my guys, we bonded really well and had lots of fun becoming a twisted little family.
14. Did you gain a lot from working on the film?
I actually lost a lot of sleep, we shot it in two weeks. Plus I was on the other film at the time, sometimes I wonder how I actually remembered any lines. I think I worked 16 days in a row without a break.
15. Do you enjoy those kinda movies or is their another genre you enjoy more?
Well, im big huge Si-Fi geek. I love the stuff and I am dying to be the bad ass chick who kicks some butt in an alternate universe, ala Milla in “5th Element” or “Resident Evil”.
16. What have you got lined up next?
I just wrapped a feature called “My Movie Girl” my first real comedy, though its romantic in a twisted Woody Allen way. Then also a slew of films are hitting the festival circuit “The Pink Conspiracy” with Mercedes McNab and the google funded film “Broken Arrows” with Lori Petty.
17. What’s in your stereo at the moment?
Scissors For Lefty!!! http://www.myspace.com/scissorsforlefty I met them at a party and they rock my little world right now!
18. What are some of your favourite music artists/bands?
Im a big electronic music fan, but I love so much music. My parents were musicians and I sing too, so I have a wide range that I listen to. Here are some favs: Faithless, Chem Bros., Bjork, Journey (anything from the
70’s or 80’s), Air, Swing Music, Beatles, Ladytron, Madonna, The Lovemakers, Manu Chao oh yeah and did I mention Scissors For Lefty!
19. Did Groove help with kick starting your career as an actor?
Yes yes yes! If I am ever blessed enough to win an award for my work Greg Harrison is the first man I am going to thank. ~Plus I fell in love with electronic music cause of him.
20. Who would you most like to work with?
Baz Luhrmann, Terry Gilliam, Tony Scott, Johnny Depp, Edward Norton, Jack Nicholson and Mr. Speilberg.
