There was a flush of great actresses that had made the splash during the Fantasia Festival and we are quite surprised with specifically those coming from north of the border. Actress Lee Marshall makes her lead role debut in director Amelia Moses’ Bleed With Me which made its premiere at this year’s virtual edition of the festival. She plays Rowan, a young woman who has a past of self-destructive behaviour, who is invited by her best friend Emily, played by Lauren Beatty, in a winter getaway with also her boyfriend Brendan, played by Aris Tyros. They travel to a very beautiful and cozy yet isolated cabin where all three can hibernate and have a relaxing time. Rowan gets the complete opposite as she starts to question the intentions of Emily and feels that she is secretly stealing her blood. Rowan starts to feel anxiety, claustrophobic and gaslighted amongst the elements making things a lot more depressing as she begins to be convinced that she is engaging in self-destructive behaviours once again. FERNTV spoke to Lee Marshall about playing this difficult and leading role in this slow burner of a film that would even question your current social circles.
FERNTV: Tell us about the casting process for this film and how you found about Bleed With Me?
Lee: Sure! Amelia and I met in the audition room in 2016: I came in to read for Alice, the lead character in her body horror short Undress Me. When we were wrapping up on that shoot, I asked her what she wanted to work on next. She had a glimmer of the idea for Bleed With Me, and she later wrote the script with me in mind to play Rowan. If Amelia was directing it, I knew I wanted to be a part of it.
FERNTV: Comment on the process of working with two other performers in the film rather than many actors/actresses?
Lee: I loved working with Lauren and Aris. They are great people; we lived together for most of the shoot at a chalet down the road from the central location. There’s no room to hide as an actor when it’s such a small cast, so I’m lucky I got to share the set with such generous, talented performers.
FERNTV: Where was the location of the film and did the winter weather help get into character?
Lee: We shot the film in Harrington, Quebec. It’s a sparsely populated area about an hour and a half drive from Montreal. I am used to Canadian winters, but it is a challenge to shoot outside when it’s -25C and you’re not wearing a coat or boots! The cold weather caused a lot of problems on set (the well froze and the stairs up the hill were snowed in the entire time), but it also brought us together. We ate a lot of meals around the fire in the cabin. The cold also gives a kind of laser focus to the work, and it did help with the character.
FERNTV: Comment on your experience when working with director Amelia Moses and what has she taught you about the industry?
Lee: Amelia has taught me so much about filmmaking. Working on Undress Me was an eye-opening experience for me: it showed me how much a small team can do with a little determination and next to no money. That shoot set the standard for my expectations of how a production should run–it was the first time I understood the machinery and how each person on set plays an indispensable part in the production. Before that shoot, I was an actor. Working with Amelia pushed me towards becoming a filmmaker. She has a powerful, unique point of view, and I can’t wait to work with her again.
FERNTV: Did you watch any other films to help you get into character?
Lee: Not really. I try to base my characters on people in the world around me. I also do a lot of physical work to get in the right headspace. Amelia and I both agreed that the lead actor (Essie Davis) in The Babadook did an incredible job, but I didn’t rewatch the film while we were preparing. I wanted Rowan to be her person.
FERNTV: What was the biggest challenge in acting in this film?
Lee: There were a lot of challenges. It’s the first time I’ve been the lead role in a movie, so there were many surprises along the way, things I didn’t even know I wasn’t prepared for! I tried to focus on Rowan. I’d say the hardest challenge, in the end, was letting her go. She’s hard to shake. So much of it—the isolation, the cold, the insecurity—was real, so Rowan was also very real to me by the end.
FERNTV: You grew up in the Philippines and they have quite the film and entertainment industry. Did you become involved in that?
Lee: You’re right: there are a huge film and entertainment industry in the Philippines! I did a lot of theatres, dance and singing at my high school in Manila, but I wasn’t a professional performer. Filmmaking wasn’t even on my radar. That said, I would love to make a movie there one day.
FERNTV: How does it feel to be part of Fantasia this year?
Lee: I love Fantasia! I’ve had three short films in previous years, and I am so thankful we had the opportunity to premiere our feature at the festival. They’ve done a wonderful job going virtual.
Fernando Fernandez is a graduate of Environmental Studies at York University in Toronto. He became interested in entertainment journalism in the late 2000s writing for online startups. He founded FERNTV in 2009 and focused mainly on the film industry. With over a thousand interviews conducted with all walks of life in film, he is still learning as if every day is day one.
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