Post by TutorGirl on Apr 28, 2006 21:21:49 GMT -5
By Aimee Phan
Daily Bruin Staff
Rose McGowan, who stars in the upcoming film, "Phantoms," has lived in a religious commune, performed with a banjo on the streets of Italy at the age of three and traveled around the world. By the time director Gregg Araki cast her in his indie hit, "The Doom Generation," McGowan had led a life as colorful as some of her on-screen characters.
McGowan is proud of her unorthodox life so far and believes that acting is merely another "interesting chapter." She expects more of the unexpected in her future.
"I just have always consoled myself with the fact that I never know what's going to happen from this year to the next, never have, most likely, never will," McGowan says. "I'm not good at planning ahead."
McGowan, best known for joining the body count in the first "Scream" movie, is going for more screams in "Phantoms," Dean Koontz's horror tale about a supernatural monster that wipes out a small mountain town and then terrorizes the four survivors. Despite following up a successful horror film with another one, McGowan insists that the two movies are very different.
"I think (the two films) are apples and oranges," McGowan says. "Technically, obviously, ("Scream") is a horror film but it had so many more elements to it, which is why I think it came off so well. And this is more of a supernatural thriller. I think people that are more into sci-fi and 'The X-files' thing would go for this."
Before acting, McGowan was living her own interesting story. She was raised in a religious commune in Italy, which she admits was a cult. Although she has long since departed the cult (she and her family left when McGowan was 10), the experience made her question the validity of organized religion.
"There was a lot of things that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me even at a very young age," McGowan says. "I just had a really skeptical eye because I didn't buy it and because obviously a lot of stuff that I saw going on was very different from what was being preached. I don't really buy into forced belief systems."
Her childhood reminiscence of Italy is characteristic of McGowan's personality, unique and oddly charming. She remembers idyllic days of climbing fig trees with her brother and taking naps in a 17th-century cannon near their property.
"Just a lot of weird memories," McGowan says. She recalls one particularly embarrassing moment that happened to her on the first day of school. "I couldn't play ring-around-the-rosy because I forgot to wear underwear and my skirt would fly up, so everyone thought I was a snob."
After leaving the commune, her family then moved to the United States, where McGowan went through culture shock.
"I remember going to the supermarket and being stunned at orange cheese," McGowan says. "It was like bright lights, big city."
She has since tried to gradually assimilate herself into American society. And she's still learning. When she played a Midwestern teenager in "Scream," McGowan was fascinated at the prospect of portraying, in her words, "the All-American, fun, sweet high school chick."
"It was so foreign to my experience, the popular pretty girls, the wealthy parents, the nice houses and the cute little outfits," McGowan says. "I never went to a normal high school so it was interesting being able to dye my hair blonde and pretend to go for that Midwestern look and mentality."
For "Phantoms," McGowan returns to her dark-haired roots to play a cynical teenager who accompanies her older sister into the town from hell. What separates this movie from being not just any fright flick is that "Phantoms" is based on Koontz's bestselling novel and also stars Oscar-nominated acting veteran Peter O'Toole.
McGowan says that O'Toole was one of the reasons she accepted this role. She was impressed by the older actor's professional demeanor and friendliness.
"He's a lovely, lovely man," McGowan says. "He always sends me really nice letters on really cool paper. He's a man of quality, damnit!"
McGowan also holds author Koontz in high regard.
"I read a couple of (Koontz's) books and they gave me nightmares," McGowan says. "I generally don't go to horror movies, like in 'Scream,' I had nightmares after seeing that and I was in the stupid thing."
McGowan is blissfully unaware of whether she'll stick with an acting career or choose another path to follow. She admits to having wild impulses to try other things and go to different places.
"I have these weird fantasies about running off and joining the Peace Corps for, like, two years and then disappearing entirely," McGowan says, laughing. "But then I wind up working on something else and I have to put it off." For now, acting is enough of an adventure.
"The highs and lows are pretty notorious in this business," McGowan observes. "I'm kind of strapped in for the ride."
(Thanks to Rose Mcgowan Source)
Daily Bruin Staff
Rose McGowan, who stars in the upcoming film, "Phantoms," has lived in a religious commune, performed with a banjo on the streets of Italy at the age of three and traveled around the world. By the time director Gregg Araki cast her in his indie hit, "The Doom Generation," McGowan had led a life as colorful as some of her on-screen characters.
McGowan is proud of her unorthodox life so far and believes that acting is merely another "interesting chapter." She expects more of the unexpected in her future.
"I just have always consoled myself with the fact that I never know what's going to happen from this year to the next, never have, most likely, never will," McGowan says. "I'm not good at planning ahead."
McGowan, best known for joining the body count in the first "Scream" movie, is going for more screams in "Phantoms," Dean Koontz's horror tale about a supernatural monster that wipes out a small mountain town and then terrorizes the four survivors. Despite following up a successful horror film with another one, McGowan insists that the two movies are very different.
"I think (the two films) are apples and oranges," McGowan says. "Technically, obviously, ("Scream") is a horror film but it had so many more elements to it, which is why I think it came off so well. And this is more of a supernatural thriller. I think people that are more into sci-fi and 'The X-files' thing would go for this."
Before acting, McGowan was living her own interesting story. She was raised in a religious commune in Italy, which she admits was a cult. Although she has long since departed the cult (she and her family left when McGowan was 10), the experience made her question the validity of organized religion.
"There was a lot of things that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me even at a very young age," McGowan says. "I just had a really skeptical eye because I didn't buy it and because obviously a lot of stuff that I saw going on was very different from what was being preached. I don't really buy into forced belief systems."
Her childhood reminiscence of Italy is characteristic of McGowan's personality, unique and oddly charming. She remembers idyllic days of climbing fig trees with her brother and taking naps in a 17th-century cannon near their property.
"Just a lot of weird memories," McGowan says. She recalls one particularly embarrassing moment that happened to her on the first day of school. "I couldn't play ring-around-the-rosy because I forgot to wear underwear and my skirt would fly up, so everyone thought I was a snob."
After leaving the commune, her family then moved to the United States, where McGowan went through culture shock.
"I remember going to the supermarket and being stunned at orange cheese," McGowan says. "It was like bright lights, big city."
She has since tried to gradually assimilate herself into American society. And she's still learning. When she played a Midwestern teenager in "Scream," McGowan was fascinated at the prospect of portraying, in her words, "the All-American, fun, sweet high school chick."
"It was so foreign to my experience, the popular pretty girls, the wealthy parents, the nice houses and the cute little outfits," McGowan says. "I never went to a normal high school so it was interesting being able to dye my hair blonde and pretend to go for that Midwestern look and mentality."
For "Phantoms," McGowan returns to her dark-haired roots to play a cynical teenager who accompanies her older sister into the town from hell. What separates this movie from being not just any fright flick is that "Phantoms" is based on Koontz's bestselling novel and also stars Oscar-nominated acting veteran Peter O'Toole.
McGowan says that O'Toole was one of the reasons she accepted this role. She was impressed by the older actor's professional demeanor and friendliness.
"He's a lovely, lovely man," McGowan says. "He always sends me really nice letters on really cool paper. He's a man of quality, damnit!"
McGowan also holds author Koontz in high regard.
"I read a couple of (Koontz's) books and they gave me nightmares," McGowan says. "I generally don't go to horror movies, like in 'Scream,' I had nightmares after seeing that and I was in the stupid thing."
McGowan is blissfully unaware of whether she'll stick with an acting career or choose another path to follow. She admits to having wild impulses to try other things and go to different places.
"I have these weird fantasies about running off and joining the Peace Corps for, like, two years and then disappearing entirely," McGowan says, laughing. "But then I wind up working on something else and I have to put it off." For now, acting is enough of an adventure.
"The highs and lows are pretty notorious in this business," McGowan observes. "I'm kind of strapped in for the ride."
(Thanks to Rose Mcgowan Source)
