OKLAHOMA
WARD & NICOLE ALONSO, director and star of CRAWL OR DIE reveal that CRAWL
OR DIE 2 is definitely on its way!
Oklahoma
Ward’s much-praised CRAWL OR DIE is to receive its UK TV premiere on Horror
Channel on Fri 17 July, 10.55pm. The alien-monster shocker takes
claustrophobia to new heights and depths in its futuristic depiction of a
rescue mission through a maze of ever-shrinking tunnels. The undoubted star of
this indie genre hit is Nicole Alonso who plays the unstoppable ‘Tank’,
a mohawk-sporting warrior who’d give Arnie a run for his money.
Ahead
of its eagerly-awaited showing in the UK, we spoke to the director and star,
who just so happen to be real-life partners as well as running their own
production company, Backyard Films.
So
guys, first of all, how pleased are you that the UK’s Horror Channel are
screening the film?
N: Oh,
very pleased! We have gotten many UK fans asking us when/where they can see
CRAWL OR DIE, I’m thrilled to finally be able to give them an answer!
O: Greatly!
Since the release of CRAWL or DIE we are contacted every other day on social
media by fans in the UK asking where they can see the movie. Excited that now
we can proudly tell them where they can experience CRAWL or DIE!
Let’s
rewind…how on earth did the ‘aliens in a tunnel’ idea come about?
O:
Two of some of my favourite movies scenes growing up were ‘The Great Escape’
(escape tunnel digging scene) and the ‘ALIENS’ scene where Bishop goes into the
small metal tunnel and starts crawling - that scene terrified me! The tunnel
was so small I thought if Bishop runs into one of those aliens in that
small tight tunnel - he’s got no room to fight! He’s dead. I was disappointed
they cut away from that scene/scenario so quickly. When I sat down to write my
trilogy I started with the character of ‘TANK’ first. ‘TANK’ and my respect/love
for her is my main focus and reason for making the trilogy. I love everything
about her. I then decided - now I’m going to put/test TANK in the worst
scenario I could imagine - see if she is really as tough as I wanted her to be
- and that was the spark that drove the idea of combining the tunnels from both
of the movies mentioned above and thrusting ‘TANK’ into them.
How
did you raise the finance?
O:
We saved up enough money over three years by giving up a car/living in
garage/going out to dinner - taking vacations etc. During that time we managed
to buy a cheap broken down home - take a half year and remodel that home and
sell it for a small profit. Then we started building the ‘CRAWL or DIE’ set by
hand. Day and night Nicole and I worked building the set by hand - which took
us a year.
Nicole,
how did you prepare for the role?
N:
There was quite a bit that went into preparing to play TANK. I’d first say that
I was pretty intimidated to take on the role as I am nothing like TANK in real
life. I’m quite shy and reserved, so I knew it was going to take a lot of work
to make this believable on my end.
I
spent a lot of time in the gym - 6 days a week. I knew the role would be
physically demanding and I wanted to be as prepared for that as possible.
Oklahoma
Ward gave me several movies to watch and study the characters in the films to
get a good idea of how he saw TANK. Most notably and most helpful were Alien
(Ripley), Terminator 2 (Sarah Conner), G.I. Jane (Jordan O’Neill) and Domino
(Domino Harvey). I found all these women, while tough as nails, to still be
human and still be WOMEN. They had emotion and fears and struggles, but what
made them badass and tough was they kept going even when things seemed
hopeless.
It
was very important to Oklahoma and myself that TANK wasn’t just a one
dimensional character. She’s not a guy - she’s not a robot - she’s not Rambo.
She definitely struggles and isn’t prepared for the situation that she is
thrown into - so we wanted all that to show. Her strength comes from the fact
that she refuses to give up - no matter what.
I
also studied the online blogs of a few female marines to get some insight on
what it’s like to be a woman in a male dominated field.
Once
the set was built and I had the script - I slept in the tunnels. I lived in
those tunnels and I studied the script backwards and forwards to really get
into who TANK was and what she was going through as she faced this horrible
situation.
Have
you got any action movie heroes/heroines?
N:
Most definitely Ellen Ripley (Alien Franchise) and Sarah Conner (Terminator
Franchise). Those women changed how I saw badass women in film and to this day
are still my favorite. If you want a more recent reference - I really loved
Furiosa in the new Mad Max: Fury Road.
O:
Tons - ‘TANK’ would be my first hero - other than her, Ellen Ripley takes the
prize. She’s real. She’s not a superhero. She’s tough. Determined. Strong willed
- like ‘TANK’ in ‘CRAWL or DIE’.
It’s
been dubbed ‘the most claustrophobic film ever made’. Must have been hell
filming it. Tell us your own horror stories…
N:
Personally I’m not claustrophobic. I used to get a kick out of seeing how small
of a space I could squeeze into when playing hide and seek (dryers, cabinets,
buckets, etc.). I just KNEW going in that I wouldn’t have any problem filming
in the tunnels - boy was I mistaken.
All
of these tunnels were REAL tunnels (approximately 40-50 feet in length) with no
cut outs or escape hatches. The only way out was to crawl out or wait for 45
mins while you were cut out. The smaller the tunnels got - the more difficult
it became to spend time in there. There were some days in the dirt tunnel and
the smallest metal tunnel that we were in there for hours at a time. It got
very claustrophobic at times and became difficult to breathe. Luckily - all the
actors and crew were troopers and we didn’t have any ‘incidents’, but there
were definitely multiple times I had to stop, breathe, and tell myself I was
going to be ok.
O:
Toughest part of filming the movie was - the tunnels were real. No escape
hatches. Fifty feet long. If you got stuck you had to be cut out. Inside the
tunnels were live spiders and scorpions crawling within them. That was always fun while filming. For
me the toughest part of filming was near the end of the movie when only I and
the actor Nicole Alonso could fit in the tunnels. The tunnels were so small it
would take me thirty minutes to crawl into them - and then a battery on the
camera would die and I’d have to crawl backwards out - grab a battery - crawl
back in. At one point the tunnels was so small that even when I had extra
batteries with me I had no room for my arms to reach back and grab them so I’d
have to crawl out to put them in the camera. That was a grueling fifteen day
shooting scene.
Is
either of you two claustrophobic?
N: Oops,
guess I jumped the gun on this with my answer above. But, no - I’m not.
O: Not
at all. Although - one of my actors didn’t realize they were and by day three
we had to let that actor go and find a replacement.
Are
you pleased with how the film has been received?
N:
Immensely pleased! Aside from filming the movie which is ALWAYS my favorite
part of the process - hearing from all the fans has been the best thing ever!
It’s blown my mind how much the fans and horror blogs have supported our film
and gotten behind TANK! There is a hashtag on twitter called #TANKarmy and
people just love this character. As an actor - there is nothing more rewarding
than knowing a character you brought to life is connecting with fans. I get
messages from women and men alike telling me how much TANK has inspired them in
their lives, and I honestly can’t think of anything better.
O:
Absolutely! To make a movie - completely independent - with our own money - no
contacts in Hollywood and receive over one hundred great reviews - have a
global audience and a rabid ‘TANKarmy’ fan base that write us every other day
telling us how much they love TANK and the movie - really is a dream come true!
It’s been a five year journey with this movie on a budget that is below poverty
level and we got it done and out. Pleases me every single day. Was it tough -
hell yes it was tough - but the fans writing us from all over the world - that
makes all the struggle worth every second it!
How
did you two meet? Nothing mushy please…
N: HA!
If you knew us - you’d know we are far from mushy, so no worries! lol. We
actually met when I auditioned for Oklahoma’s first film ‘The Isolation of
Subject #136’ and got a small role. We were friends and roommates for nearly 2
years before we stated dating and I must say (and here comes the mush) I
haven’t found anyone else I love working with more. I respect the hell out of
Oklahoma and I think he may very well be one of the most talented people I’ve
ever met (and I’m not saying that because we are dating!). ;)
O: We
met during an audition. Years later we ended up sharing an apartment to save on
rent in L.A. We became friends. I would give her advice on people she was
dating and she me. After years of friendship - we realized at the same time -
we spent all our time with each other working on movies and edits of projects
and just hanging out as friends. It was the day I realized she may be one of
the hardest working people I had ever met that it hit me - she’s the one.
Luckily - she had the same feeling - although - hey… she snores.
The
End Credits tells us that ‘Tank’ will return. When?
N: Very,
very soon! We are in the middle of some exciting negotiations, so we can’t
officially make an announcement yet, but I promise you we will have some great
news in the very near future!
O: We
are looking over offers from studios and producers currently - deciding if we
want to go that route or do it all ourselves again. Too many chef’s in the
kitchen makes us very cautious. Either way - filming will start winter 2015.
What
other projects are you both working on? Anything for FrightFest?
N: All
of our focus is currently on the next step in the CRAWL OR DIE Trilogy. And I
would say - yes - we’d be ecstatic to be considered for FrightFest!
O: If
Fright Fest is willing to look at CRAWL or DIE 2 - you betcha’! We’d be
honored!
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