Emmy award-winning actress Lin Shaye chatted about the new film “Frank and Penelope,” directed by Sean Patrick Flanery.
In “Frank and Penelope,” she plays the role of Ophelia. The movie is in theaters on June 3rd. It’s a tale of love and violence when a man on his emotional last legs finds a savior seductively dancing in a run-down strip club. And a life most certainly headed off a cliff suddenly becomes redirected, as everything is now worth dying for. “I had a slightly different take on the character, Ophelia, so that was interesting to work through in a short period of time,” she said.
“I am excited about this film,” Shaye said. “I kind of backed into it in an odd way. I really liked the script, it was strong, interesting, and well-written. I knew it was only one scene, but it was a very pivotal scene for the film because it sets up the problem, so to speak.”
Two star-crossed lovers Frank (Billy Budinich) and Penelope (Caylee Cowan) hit the road to escape their troubled pasts, but a cult leader bares their sins and makes them pay with their flesh. “Billy and Caylee have great chemistry together,” she said. “It’s a wonderful cast, I think everybody did a great job. We had a good group.”
“The movement of the story is a road trip basically, and then they are landing in this crazy town, which is a vicious place. It really works well and I hope people will go to the movies to see it. Pretty soon it will be on streaming platforms,” she said.
“I love Ophelia’s look. I get very involved in my own wardrobe and shoes, those shoes were mine and they became a character in the movie. I am excited to have created something that hopefully adds to the film, and I hope people take away something from it,” she added.
Working with filmmaker Sean Patrick Flanery
She had great words about working with director, actor, and filmmaker Sean Patrick Flanery, who also plays the club manager in “Frank and Penelope.” “I was very aware of Sean Patrick Flanery as an actor, but this was his directorial debut.”
“We filmed it during the pandemic, and it was a difficult shoot for them because they filmed in a ghost town in Texas. It was lots of really hot weather, and it was a tough shoot for Sean. I had fun doing it. The movie had a great cinematographer,” she said.
“Gratefully, Sean got what he wanted, which was the most important thing for me. I am hired to do what the director asks me to do. I am just now getting to know him a little bit better,” she added.
‘Ted Bundy: American Boogeyman’ film
In the horror film “Ted Bundy: American Boogeyman,” directed by Daniel Farrands, Shaye played the role of Ted Bundy’s mother Mrs. Bundy. “Daniel is very talented too,” she said.
‘The Call’
She also complimented Timothy Woodward Jr. for his work directing “The Call,” where she starred opposite Tobin Bell and Mike Manning. “That was wonderful and it came out well too,” she said. “Timothy is a very gifted guy, I did a couple of movies with him. The good news is that people want to work with me again. Mike Manning is a terrific guy too.”
Superpower
If she were to have any superpower, she said with a sweet laugh, “to make idiots not idiots.” “There are way too many idiots marching around with very poor perspective and bad decision making,” she said. “Also, to make people see the light. I try and present the best of myself every day. I try to be respectful and kind to the people I see each day.”
Success
Shaye defined the word success as follows: “I love my life, I feel so grateful. Success means hopefully continuing to create and have compatible and exciting relationships creatively with people. I am doing something very exciting with my son, who is a spectacular and unique writer. His prose is like poetry. He has written these stories and we are going to do a podcast, where I narrate his stories, and I am really excited about that.”
