Horror movies &stuff Interviews "Hellphone" Star April Billingsley! Continuing with our "Hellphone" series of interviews. HM&S talks with actress April Billingsley! Billingsley stars in the film as Alex. Assistant Police Chief in a small North Carolina town. Who has to balance her hectic personal life, which is flanked by a clumsy current beau. And a jealous ex. Which her work life. Which gets really "scary", literally...when she has to investigate a string of bizarre murders. Caused by the titular "Hellphone". An ordinary cellphone, the often-used talking and listening device...which has been possessed by a vengeful, evil spirit! MR. H:So April where were you born and raised? April:I was born and raised in Duluth, Georgia, which is a suburb just outside of Atlanta (not the town in Minnesota.) MR. H:What led to your eventual leap into the acting world? April:I was about to graduate high school and was playing with the idea of maybe becoming an engineer, or a writer... or a photographer... or a teacher... I couldn't decide and at some point I realized that if I became an actor I could do all of those things and more, or at least act like I could, which was close enough, so here I am. MR. H:Tell us about your character Alex in "Hellphone"? April:At Alex's heart, she's a fighter... and a damn good one. That's her M.O. She's been through a lot but she doesn't let it get to her, she just keeps going. She's kind of a badass, but that doesn't mean she's not human and doesn't feel the same things that we do, she does. And, we get to see a bit of that side of her in the film, along with the badass side. MR. H:What initially attracted you to this project? April:A couple years ago I sent in an audition tape to Stephen VanVuuren, the Producer and Cinematographer on Hellphone for a different project. That project was never made, but he kept me in mind and contacted me about Hellphone. Then he sent me the script and from the first reading I was really excited about playing Alex. I was thrilled when they offered me the role. It was a really great fit I think. MR. H:Why do you think horror films are now, more than ever...a hot commodity in Hollywood? Yet at the same time, still a "guilty pleasure" among most of Hollywood's elite crowd? April:That's a great question. I'm not entirely sure why, but my guess would be it is because boys like taking girls to them, because the girls get scared and hold on to them? I know I do that! I think horror films trigger something in our base instincts more than in our brain and maybe that's why Hollywood's Elite consider them a bit of a guilty pleasure, because they don't have to think too much when they watch them. That being said, ironically, I think many horror films today have very poignant and strong messages. MR. H:Were you a fan of horror films growing up? April:As a really young kid I didn't like them too much. They would give me crazy nightmares and keep me up all night. Of course, maybe I shouldn't have been watching things like Chucky and Candy Man at eight and nine years old in a room full of mirrors and dolls... maybe that wasn't the best idea. Thanks a lot older siblings. Lol, as a teen I enjoyed them and they were always fun to watch in a group, especially if there was someone you wanted to hold on to in that group. I still prefer not to watch them alone. MR. H:How long was the "Hellphone" shoot overall? April:I was in North Carolina for three weeks. The first week was stunt rehearsals and the second two weeks were shooting. MR. H:Where did you guys shoot "Hellphone" and what was it like working with Jason on the picture? April:We shot Hellphone in Madison, this awesome little town in North Carolina just outside of Greensboro. The local community was extremely supportive and Jason was such a laid back and calm director. I loved working with him. He's so down to earth. After wrap sometimes he'd play his guitar for us. It was ending the days with music like that, that really made the whole experience special to me. MR. H:What can genre fans expect from "Hellphone"? April:Genre fans can expect some scares and surprises, some over the top comedy, fighting and stunts, some intimate moments, a great evil character/monster and a lot of death by phone. Oh, and some hotness. I think genre fans will love it. MR. H:Intricate to the film itself, did you find the idea of a supernatural entity possessing something as widely used as a cellphone more terrifying than the usual ideas of this genre. Where a supernatural entity would be haunting an old spooky mansion? Does the change in dynamic actually make the movie scarier? April:I do think there is something to be said for taking an object that most of us use and carry on our person every day and making it evil, but evil technology isn't new to horror films. In the case of Hellphone, I feel the setup more than adding to the fright factor, offered more opportunity for comedy and some good old-fashioned use of the ridiculous in the plot, which is one of the things I love about the movie. MR. H:You appeared this year on an episode of The hit CW show "The Vampire Diaries" as Paige. What was that like and did you enjoy your time on set? April:Yes, I played Paige in the episode called "The Hybrid". It was really amazing to work with such professionals. The director, Josh Butler was incredibly sweet and focused. And, I absolutely enjoyed my time on set. I was especially impressed with the makeup and wardrobe department for navigating all the blood in the episode. Who knew shaving cream and ice water removes fake blood so easily? I wish we'd known that on some of the other projects I've worked on! MR. H:You've also got an intriguing flick coming up called "After". In which you star alongside Steven Strait. Tell us about "After". April:"After" is a thriller that was shot in Birmingham, AL. I play Freddy's (Steven Strait's) caretaker in the film. The quality of talent behind it is outstanding. I'm honored to have a role in it and I am eagerly anticipating seeing the finished film. You can view the trailer at www.after-movie.com. MR. H:With a whole new slate of horror flicks set to invade cinemas in 2012. And with New Years just a few weeks out, tell us what genre films you're excited for next year. April:"Hellphone"! Of course. "After" counts too, right? Other than those two, I'm sure I'll go see "Underworld" next year, but I don't know much about the other films coming up yet, so I'll let you know as I see them! End. For more on "Hellphone" visit the official website of the movie! 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