Olivia Scriven – Blood Quantum

By starrymag | May 31, 2020

By: Lisa Steinberg

 

 

Q) What are the recent projects that you have been busy working on?

A) I guess Blood Quantum and Black Conflux were the two most recent things I was in. Then, I have a very small role in the new FX show “Mrs. America.”

Q) You just did a live tweet for the film Blood Quantum, what was that like for you?

A) It was fun to kind of connect with the cast again because I haven’t seen them in a while. That was also scary because I don’t think I’d seen it since the Midnight Madness premiere at TIFF. So, I was also nervous. I’m always nervous to watch myself. But it was fun because everyone was making jokes on Twitter.

Q) How was your character Charlie originally described to you?

A) She was described to me by Jeff Barnaby when we had our first phone call as she’s not much of a fighter and some ways a protector of this connection that we still had at that point in the 80’s and the indigenous people and the white settlers. I think the film is a pretty obvious metaphor for the people that were originally here in North America already. But Charlie is kind of this conduit, this mediator if you will, for the two branching together again.

Q) Was there anything you added to the role that wasn’t in the initial breakdown?

A) Yeah, I think I’m a pretty sardonic person and I think that kind of Charlie had a dark wit to her maybe that came from me. That is Jeff, too. So, it was a collaboration. I think maybe a bit of that was me.

Q) What were the most challenging aspects to portraying Charlie?

A) It might be a bit of a spoiler, but it was definitely the emotional bits and giving birth. That was the scariest part. I don’t think I’d ever had to give that much on camera before. Even crying on cue doesn’t come easy to me. All of that was definitely the most challenging part. That and making sure that I was kind of doing the character justice and also as one of the only white actors on the set, also making sure I was respectful and not obtuse about anything. Mostly, the most challenging part was giving birth. Hands down, by far.

Q) Were you familiar with any of your costars before working with them on the movie?

A) No. Once I got the audition, I watched Jeff Barnaby’s earlier film Rhymes for Young Ghouls and I realized I had heard of him before. Then, Forrest Goodluck (who I’m mostly acting with in this film) was in a film The Miseducation of Cameron Post, which I had seen but I didn’t know his name so I didn’t know it was him. When I met him, I was like, “Nice job, dude! I’ve seen you around before.” So, I didn’t realize I knew them, but I did know some of them.

Q) What advice did Jeff offer during filming that you took to heart?

A) Definitely to loosen up for most of it. I’m a pretty anxious person, especially on set. And I remember the first scene we shot together. He came out after the first take and said, “I cast you because in the audition you were chill and didn’t give a fuck. Let’s see that again.” I was like, “Right. Of course.”

Q) How does the setting for the film play a significant role in the movie?

A) I think definitely the idea of us kind of fighting the land as well as these zombies it’s all very dark and cold. Where we were it was very dark and cold and Winter the whole time. So, that definitely played a part in it. Also, we filmed in Bathurst New Brunswick, which is really close to where this incident actually happened. It was an incident between the Quebec police and that reservation at around the same time in the 80’s that this movie takes place. So, it also felt a bit trippy to be filming right near that historical site actually was. I think that played a part in the energy as well on set.

Q) What was it like for you seeing yourself in the 80’s costumes?

A) To be honest, it was so great. It felt right because I’ve always been obsessed with the 70’s and 80’s. And the only other thing that I had filmed that year was Black Conflux, which takes place in the 80’s. When I was a kid, I used to get sad that I wasn’t born in a different time. I was like sad that I wasn’t in the 70’s or the 80’s. So, it was perfect for me. I felt right at home. I loved it.

Q) With such an intense storyline, how did you shake off a long day of filming?

A) We had a lot of dinner meetups in between everything. We all stayed in the same apartment complex, so a lot of jogs and meetups with the cast and laughs and chills after set. It was a pretty grueling filming process just because of where we were. IT was really cold the whole time, but I always love when you’re doing something on location if you’re all in the same area or the same hotel it makes the biggest difference. You can go for a drink at the hotel bar afterwards or get meals. So, that was definitely how we wound down.

Q) What makes Shudder the perfect home for Blood Quantum?

A) They seem to be reaching far audiences. When I look at all the countries that they are available in, I think that’s the main thing. It’s good to be able to get it out in far off places to make sure everyone sees it because it’s a story for everyone.

Q) What message do you hope viewers take away from watching the film?

A) I think mostly I just hope they kind of see that as a blanket statement, this movie is definitely about hope. I hope that people can understand and recognize the obvious that there is hope for our universe to unified at some point. There are these obvious struggles that the indigenous people have gone through for centuries that we need to recognize and not try to push under anymore before we can really unify as a group of people. Mostly hope. I just hope they take away a positive note from it.

Q) What kind of fan feedback did you receive to the movie when you were live tweeting it?

A) I think horror people loved it, which is sick because I’ve never really been involved with horror or action before. I think most people really like how far it went – how gory and gruesome it was. At lot of films I’ve seen that try to depict indigenous life have been a little bleak and very realistic. This is just so out there. So, I think fans are excited to see that, of course, we can do a movie like this. We need more movies like this that are like over the top at some point, but about real things. I think people love how crazy it got because they can just go crazy with it.

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who are fans and supporters of you and your work?

A) Please don’t hate me. Keep watching me. [laughs] I don’t know. Be mindful. Be supportive of everyone. Don’t ever close a door on something before you really give it a chance.