Bianca Santos & Ana Coto – Ouija

Q) What is it about the film or the role that made you want to be a part of the film?

Bianca: I was drawn to the film because I had never done a horror film before. I remember getting the part and auditioning. What really made it for me was Stiles White. He and his wife are the writing team as well as he directed the film. His passion for the project really made me want to get the role even more than I had originally planned. I could tell that he really wanted to tell a story that hadn’t been told in a certain way. I loved that!

Ana: Stiles originally sent us so many amazing recommendations, different stories and photos that tied into history and supernatural elements. He has written scary films before and he and his wife were absolutely an enigmatic pair. They really made me feel comfortable, confident and able to do this even though I’d never done a horror movie before. They were able to get us all excited about this.

Q) Ana, after you read the script for Ouija, what scenes actually freaked you out to film?

Ana: I was really excited about the prospect of doing stunt work, which I thought was going to be really scary, being on a wire and pulled through a tunnel or falling down on the ground. All that stuff just ended up being really fun. The scariest part I think was hearing all of my friends’ stories about Ouija boards. They would say like, “This one time, I was playing in this house and we heard rumbling upstairs. The Ouija board kept spelling out this name Gwenevere over and over. Then, we heard rumbling upstairs. So, we said goodbye to the board and went upstairs where we found this book on the ground of the attic. The book is open and it’s called Gwenevere! We were like, ‘What!?’ How do you explain that?!” There were stories like that trickling in from everywhere and it was just getting me progressively more freaking out throughout the process of filming.

Q) Bianca, what guidance or advice that Stiles gave you that stuck with you while you were filming?

Bianca: I think more than anything it was about his ability to take me fully into a scene. You have to imagine with a horror movie. It’s not like you are looking at a scary figure and it scares you. You are really building a lot in your imagination. Stiles did a fantastic job of helping me really get into the moment of something just happening and me building it up. He helped me get to that place, in that zone, where you are really just creating a scary world. That’s the fun part!

Q) Ana, what have you taken away from your experience working on the film?

Ana: Don’t play alone! Don’t play alone, never play near a graveyard and always say “goodbye.” Not to mention the fact that I will never be the one pushing the planchette again. I don’t want to upset any spirit that is trying to make contact. I don’t want to interfere. I think I’ve gained new knowledge on the history of this whole thing. Not to mention the fact, it’s my first feature and my first horror feature. It was the most incredible learning experience in so many different ways. I got to work on a character for this long and and I just feel super, super lucky and blessed. The whole crew was incredible and the cast was awesome. Stiles was so incredibly motivating and I feel super lucky.

Q) Bianca, did the cast chemistry come naturally or did you all spend some time to bond?

Bianca: Absolutely, it totally came naturally. We went out to dinner when we first met and we should have done it more often. We went out to dinner a couple of times. We all just go to know each other and swapped ghost stories. But a lot of that chemistry was just totally organic. We’re just peers and we’re really excited about making this film. I think we were all excited to come from the same place.

Q) You both are a part of social media. Are you looking forward to the instant fan feedback it will provide?

Bianca: For me, social media is so vital as far as connecting with my fans. If you’re going to be a person putting out work in the industry, I think it is important to have social media because it gives you a medium to say, “This is what I’m doing. If you want to check it out, cool! Even if you don’t, let’s talk! Let’s connect.” So, for me, it’s not about instant anything. I think it is more about an essential tool for communicating this day in age that cannot be overlooked.

Ana: I think before the Internet, knowledge was power. Now, everyone has complete access to all the knowledge in the world so that no longer becomes a power you can hold over anybody’s head. I think the Internet is like a super power. You can use it for good or for evil. You can use it to impress your date or Google random facts. It really is this crazy super power and I think we’re trying to use it to the best of our abilities to help us promote our films, projects, photos or people we love. We can connect with our families that don’t live nearby. It’s an incredible tool!

Q) Why do you think people will want to take their time to see the film?

Ana: Have you ever seen a movie like this before? I think the Ouija board has incredible history behind it. Everyone has a story about the Ouija board and everybody knows someone who has a story about it. So, wouldn’t you like to know what this story is? This is just one scary story, a worst case scenario about a Ouija board. This is the perfect time to see it though with it being Halloween. This is the kind of movie where you will feel all the thrills and the spooks, but then it is not the type of movie that will leave you with nightmares. So, I think it’s perfect!