Natasha Negovanlis – Carmilla: The Movie – NYCC 2017

By: Paige Zinaman

Q) What is something you do differently in the movie than the web show?

A) Multiple locations for one. So many locations! Some of it is shot outside so we get to see the characters outside. We get to see so much more action because of course on the web series it’s much more describing action that’s done off camera. So, it was so cool to see these characters live their lives. Also, we have Laura and Carmilla living together and like being this very cute domestic couple; it was so fun to see them living together. This movie really has everything and I feel like it has something for everyone. There’s romance, there’s a little bit of drama, there’s action and there are ghosts. There’s blood and there’s horror also so much comedy. I’m so excited because I think it’s jammed packed with so much goodness; then there’s some things we did in a campy way and we wanted to pay homage to the series that started it all.

Q) If you had to describe the new domestic life of Hollstein what is one word you would use?

A) Oh…this is not a descriptive word I was going to say “popcorn” because it just popped into my head and I don’t know why. But they watch a lot of movies together like I feel that Carm forces Laura to watch like a bunch of silent movies and black and white films and makes her watch gore movies as well. So, I feel like that’s kind of their ritual. I feel like on Friday nights they come home, stay in, watch movies and have popcorn. I don’t know that’s kind of how I see them.

Q) It’s five years later, where do we see Carm? Is she fully adjusted into human life or is she still struggling a bit with what’s happened?

A) Interestingly enough, she’s not fully adjusted to human life at all which is different from my own ideas that I had as an actor coming in then I was surprised to see that. But the script is amazing and I had to honor it. So, I kind of looked at it as for the past five years she just wanted to enjoy her human life. She wanted to travel with Laura. I think they toured the world. I think she had such a great time finally being able to be in sunlight and go to the beach and eat chocolate without vomiting and all those things humans get to do that vampires can’t do. So, I think she was full of gluttony and fun times and now at this point I think she’s realized that humans do things with their lives, they make plans and they make goals which makes sense because when you are immortal you don’t have to worry about that you have all the time in the world. I think now she feels a little bit less, the way it was written she’s a little bit unsure about where her life is headed. You know Laura has a plan. She knows she wants to be a journalist and she’s working on that. Carmilla never had to consider all that, but now she’s human she’s not going to live forever. She’s going to need a job she’s going to need to find out what her passions are—aside from Laura. So, it was interesting to explore Carmilla in that way. I’ve said this in other interviews, but I kind of approached her as a recovering addict. She was really used to one style of life and she was a blood addict in many ways and now she has to adjust to what it’s like to be clean.

Q) How do you approach portraying your character in the film, considering it takes place five years after the tumultuous events of Season 3?

A) Well, I was worried about being inconsistent a little bit because it had been a while since I played her it has been about a year. I approached her as the same old Carm. She’s very sarcastic still. She’s still very dry even though. She’s human. She’s still hundreds of years old so I also had to consider that because it’s like she’s a human, but she still has all of this crazy life experience so it was interesting to like play that side of her. However, I did also approach her in a way that I think was a little more light and bright and a little bit happier because she enjoys her human life with Laura. I think there’s so much more trust and love between them now more than ever before even because they’ve had their ups and downs and they’ve broken up and they’ve been friends with benefits. But now they’ve been really solid for five years so I think it’s really cool to just explore what it was like to show two people in a relationship who just really fully understand each other and communicate and fight evil ghosts together. Normal things you know.

Q) What are some of the themes of the movie you think are really important especially for the time that we are in today?

A) For Carmilla specifically, I would say closure is a big one. I think confronting her demons sort of speak. I think learning how to let go of some baggage are themes that Carmilla explores in this film. She finally has to be, she’s really has to confront things she’s did in the past that she’s not really proud of and I think she’s really been burying that for years so yeah that’s a big one for her.

Q) In the movie or what you can tell us, are there any fight scenes that you get to participate in and if so are they easier than the dancing scenes, are they harder?

A) Yeah, there’s definitely a lot of action in this film. I think every character kind of equally gets their own little fun bits. I personally do find fight choreography very natural and much easier to do than dance choreography and I don’t know why. I’m just a terrible dancer. I mean, you’d think it would be the same because it’s choreography, but I think fighting as I just get it more because it has an intention it has a reason why I’m moving each body part whereas my dance I’m like I don’t know why these arms are flailing. I don’t know what’s happening. So, yeah definitely easier to fight.

Q) Vampires are something we see a lot of in the media, there’s always a difference between humans and vampires is Carmilla still grappling with all of this in the Season 3 finale? Because a lot happened to her in a span of an hour the love her life died, her mother died and she then she became human all in one stretch.

A) I think she’s not grappling with any of that anymore and she really did have closure. It has been five years and I think it’s new things that she had really deeply buried that she’s confronted with. So, I think she’s really over that. I mean maybe her love dying I think she’s always protective of Laura and always worried about her. I think she’s a little bit carefree and is forced to face things from her deep, deep past that had been buried throughout the first three seasons.

Q) If you could choose, would you rather be a blood-drinking vampire, or a cookie-eating human?

A) Oh, Natasha would rather be a vampire, for sure. One hundred percent. How often do you get to play a vampire? In real life, I like cookies though.

Q) If Carmilla could have a go to karaoke song what would it be?

A) Oooh, okay something by Joan Jett, “Take Another Little Piece of My Heart.” Janis Joplin maybe.

Q) Since you got to work with Dominique Provost-Chalkley (“Wynonna Earp”) do you think Carmilla and Waverly would be friends if the two characters got to meet?

A) Oh, that’s a great question. I feel much like Laura, Carmilla would find Waverly really annoying to begin with and Waverly is like especially very spunky. But I think the characters are very similar and obviously Carm has a type and obviously Carm would think Waverly is very attractive because she looks so much like her ex. It’s weird. Hell, they look so much alike. Yeah, so I think they would maybe not get along at first, but have some fun times later.