HMZ Film exclusively interviews star of Maniac Megan Duffy
Megan Duffy with Elijah Wood at the Maniac premiere
Big announcement for HMZFilm!
Having posted my review of Maniac on the official Twitter page of HMZFilm, a star of the film Megan Duffy endorsed my review by favouriting the tweet!
Not only did she endorse the review but she also kindly agreed to a short interview with HMZ Film to discuss her role in the film. Enjoy!
HMZFilm: Tell us a bit about yourself and how you began your career in acting?
Megan: I grew up on the East Coast (about 3 hours outside New York City) and studied dance pretty seriously. I spent my teen years doing quite a bit of dance work until an injury made me rethink my career plans. What I enjoyed most about dance was finding a character through movement/music so acting was a logical consolation.
HMZFilm: What was it about Maniac that attracted you to audition for the role? Were you a fan of the original?
Megan: When the opportunity to audition for Maniac came in, I’d been on hold for 14 other projects in a row, all which I’d been released from. I didn’t really see myself as a “horror” actor, as I do a lot of commercials and comedy work which tends to be on the lighter side of things.Truthfully, when I first began acting I’d vowed never to be the girl who dies topless in a horror film (ha!). Lucie was originally described as having coloured hair, piercings, lots of tattoos, and huge boobs, none of which I have in real life. I’d been a big fan of Alexander Aja’s Piranha remake though, and after watching the original Maniac (and enjoying it), decided to go in and read anyway. Glad I did!
HMZFilm: How do you feel about the graphic murder scenes in the film? Were you intimidated by the fate of your character?
Megan: Actress friends of mine often ask me how I could take on a role like Lucie. The artist in me was absolutely thrilled to be challenged and step way outside of my comfort zone. I think if the murder scenes weren’t as visceral an experience, the film wouldn’t be nearly as effective. When it screened in LA this past October, one of my close girl friends fainted in the theatre after Lucie’s death. To me, that was a sign of a job well done.
HMZFilm: The special effects are impressive in Maniac, how did they manage to make the killings so realistic!?
Megan: Our on set special effects make up master Mike McCarty and the rest of his team from KNB are so absolutely expert in what they do. I had no idea there were so many kinds of fake blood! A lot of what you see on screen is actually their work, and not as much CGI as you’d expect.
HMZFilm: What was it like to work with Elijah Wood and Franck Khalfoun?
Megan: Elijah is probably one of the nicest people I’ve ever worked with (David Beckham is a close second). He was on set just about every day, which I think helped all of our performances. Franck is alot of fun and trusted me to make my own character choices. The whole cast and crew was terrific, really.
HMZFilm: What are your future plans in acting? The buzz around Maniac must be great publicity?
Megan: For the past year I’ve been working on a US TV and radio commercial campaign for Burger King playing “Megan the Cashier.” She is pretty much the opposite of Lucie. It’s been terrific to get to have the opportunity to develop her character. I also just wrapped a supporting role in a great indie coming out next year called “Juke Box Hero” from director Sherrie Robertson, and am developing a webseries with writer Erica McIntire. I’m not really sure what the future has in store for me, but I’m excited!
HMZFilm wishes Megan all the best for what is set to be a promising career. One thing is for sure, her performance in Maniac was incredibly haunting and remains with me to this day.
To follow Megan’s progress
instagram: imateacuphuman
Official website: www.meganduffy.com