Text © Richard
Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2021
Images from
the Internet
A Brief
Interview with Actor Anna Rizzo
In the decade of her career so far, Anna Rizzo has managed to show a wide range of characters, from comedy (Fairfield Follies, 2018), to deep drama (Moments from a Sidewalk, 2016), to classics (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, 2017), to television and web-series work (“Law and Order: Special Victims Unit,” 2019; “The Realm,” 2015, respectively), and definitely a few in the horror genre, including her most recent release, Blood Pi (2020). Being quite prolific, she also have some other films due out this year in post-production.
Part of the Rhode Island film collective, a much more active group than you might imagine, she has also spread her wings to other parts of the country for roles, and is a musician, too boot (not to be confused with another musician with the same name, though).
Personally, I’ve been a fan since Seven Dorms of Death (2015). I sent her a list of questions, and she was gracious enough to answer back. You can find other, role-specific interviews with her on YouTube. My questions are more random.
Indie Horror Films: I’m happy to be able to give you
the second degree (a shade lighter than a third degree).
Anna
Rizzo: Happy to be second degreed!
IHF: I guess the
place to start is with a simple query: what brought you to acting?
Anna:
I did plays ever since I was a little kid, but usually because the plays I had
access to would involve a decent amount of singing, which was the real draw to
me at the time. I was a very shy and introverted kid who was always reading in
the corner rather than talking to people, but I liked to sing.
The
high school I went to had a respected and competitive theatre program. The
first semester of my freshman year my parents convinced me to audition for the
school's production of The Importance of Being Earnest (even though
there was no singing), saying “you have to pay your dues and audition multiple
times before they're going to cast you in a musical. You won't get in this
time, but they will start to get to know you that way.” So I went in, figuring nothing
would happen, and ended up cast as Gwendolyn. And I absolutely loved it. I fell
completely in love with acting and never looked back.
IHF: Do you have a
favorite role, so far?
Anna:
It's so hard to pick because, honestly, I fall in love with every character I
get to play while I'm preparing the role. Getting to know who they are, what
makes them tick, then finding that within myself – how could you not love each
one after all that? The closest I could come to picking would probably be Tara in On
the Seventh Date (2016), because she came to me at a time when I was living
through something remarkably similar – knowing exactly what my heart wanted but
being too scared to own it. But she had the ability to take bold action and
speak what she wanted. She might be the closest to a favorite because working
on that story and getting to deeply know her taught me a lot. It helped me find
those parts of her that I admired in me.
IHF: Being in the
Rhode Island area, you’ve done a lot of films with director Richard Griffin. Any
stories of the films or working with him?
Anna:
So many! The reason I've worked with Richard Griffin so many times is because
he is such an incredible creative, whose enthusiasm and love of filmmaking
spreads to everyone who steps foot on his sets. Every single film he does, he
invites you into this incredible world he is creating, and as an actor that is
such a gift. I've seen him create everything from post-apocalyptic bomb
shelters, to haunted abandoned catholic schools, to magical woods in colonial America
to raucous romantic comedies, and everything in between.
I
think one story which beautifully encapsulates Richard Griffin magic in its
element, was the first day of shooting Seven Dorms of Death. We
were filming in a closed-down, beautiful old theater in the middle of January,
shooting 8-10 pages with most of the cast that day. And there was no heat in
the building. In January. But he and the crew bundled themselves up and got to
work. They lit the whole thing, all while letting us actors stay bundled up and
warm as long as possible, and they did amazing work.
But
it was still freezing. And all of us actors were shivering through our lines
with our noses looking more and more like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer each
take. And yet, even through those conditions, it was still so much fun.
Everyone's spirits were high because Richard always finds amazing people to be
a part of his team. But at the end of the day, Richard made the tough decision
to scrap location, and therefore the day, because it was too much to battle
against the cold for the rest of the shoot. For those not familiar with
filmmaking, scrapping a day of shooting and changing locations is a big deal
and I don't know too many other filmmakers that could have kept a production on
schedule after that. But not only did he keep it on schedule, he found us a new theater
to shoot in (pretty much overnight) that worked even better, and he shot a
visually beautiful, hilarious movie that was an absolute joy to work on.
Because that is what he does – he comes in with such a clear vision of the film
he wants to make, that no upset knocks him out of the game. Things that would
sink another production, he rises above and uses his creativity and vast
experience to find an even better solution and makes the whole film better for
it. You cannot stop him when he wants to make a film!
IHF: Your range is
quite large, from comedy to deep drama and horror. Do you have a preference?
Anna:
My preference is all of the above! I love working on things that make me laugh
and making other people laugh. And then I also love working on things that make
me feel deeply and move other people to feel something. I think we try to crack
each other up in the most tense and difficult circumstances in order to survive
them, and the funniest moments are often infused with life-or-death stakes at
the time they happen.
IHF: In Blood Pi,
you play a psycho so well. Did you have a model to base it on?
Anna:
Thank you! And yes, actually. I had an up-close experience with a sociopath,
and the characteristic that really haunted me afterwards was that reptilian
stare. I did a lot of reading around the psychology of antisocial personality
disorder to try to make sense of what I had witnessed. And then years later
when Jordan (Pacheco, the director) first approached me with the Blood Pi
script, I instantly knew exactly who Amber was. And I was so excited to see a
female role like this. I didn't want Amber to be two-dimensional, so entering
into her world was a lot of figuring out what drives her and what her own weird
sense of justice/punishment was, because I think she feels deeply justified in
her actions.
IHF: Congrats on your role on “Law
and Order: Special Victims Unit.” What was that experience like, and how did it
compare to working on indie features?
Anna:
Thank you! That was an amazing experience. The “Law and Order” set is massive
in terms of how many people work in each department, and they are truly a well-oiled
machine. They built that entire dance studio I shot my scene in that morning
and then as soon as we were done shooting, in a matter of minutes, had
dismantled the whole thing to begin building another set in that same space.
That level of organized teamwork was incredible. The first day I was on set was
actually their first day of their 21st season and everyone was returning
from the break between seasons. It was so cool to see how bonded everyone was,
sharing stories of what they had each done with their time off, asking about
each other's families, etc. What I love about indie filmmaking is the
camaraderie and bond you form when working together and it was so cool to see
that even on this massive set with so many people; they still had that bond.
IHF: You seemed to
flourish in the role of Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. How was the experience
of playing such an infamous Shakespearean character?
Anna:
It was so much fun! I would have been massively intimidated, but earlier that
year, I played Desdemona in a production of Othello that fellow Richard
Griffin actor, Aaron Andrade, directed and starred in. So having just performed
another Shakespeare play right before Midsummer helped boost my
confidence that I could even do it! Also, Richard did several rehearsals before
we got on set, which was such a gift because we had time to play and experiment
together. By the time we arrived on set, the words and the cadencing were
deeply in my bones, so I could forget about them and just live in the moment as
Titania. But the real cherry on top was that Richard and the crew built the
whole fairy woods on the stage of the Barker Playhouse [in Providence, RI;
it is America’s oldest continually run little theater – Ed.] and each actor
had the most incredible hair, make-up, and wardrobe to totally transform us.
And that process of physically transforming and then stepping into this magical
world they had created was exhilarating.
IHF: I know you were a composer for the film Moments
From a Sidewalk. Are you planning to further your fingers into the area of
film music, or the use of your singing ability in films?
Anna:
I would absolutely love to play more characters who sing and play music! It was
so much fun to incorporate that side of my creativity into Sarah's character in
Moments From a Sidewalk. I loved taking songs that I had written and
were personal and meaningful to me, and then adapt them for Sarah.
IHF: While I enjoy
watching you work on the screen, have you thought about working behind the
camera, perhaps in directing, writing, or producing?
Anna:
I am pretty sure I will experiment at some point, but honestly, the level of
skill and talent that goes into directing, writing, and producing is
intimidating and I deeply respect the people who do those jobs. They truly each
do hold a production up.
IHF: Thank you so
much for your time. It was a pleasure getting to ask you these questions, and I
look forward to seeing your upcoming roles.
Anna:
Thank you so much! It was a pleasure!
* * *
To contact Anna Rizzo for
future endeavors on the screen or stage, here is her information:
arizzo@alumni.berklee.edu
www.annarizzo.net
New York Agent:
Take 3 Talent Agency
1411 Broadway, 16th Floor
New York, NY 10018
(646) 289-3915
New England Agent:
Andrew Wilson Agency
(617) 701-6400
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