Shannon Murray – Rag Doll

By starrymag | February 27, 2020

By: Lisa Steinberg

 

 

 

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

 

A) I just finished an action feature called Miami Heat starring alongside Oleg Prudius. In the film our daughter gets kidnapped and is going to be sold overseas into sex trafficking. What they didn’t realize but will soon find out, is that her father is a retired Spestnaz and her step-mother is retired Special Ops – certified badasses. It was a blast working on this film because I got to shoot so many different types of guns and do hand to hand combat and the crew was very talented and it has an exceptional cast.

 

Q) Please tell us the premise for Rag Doll.

 

A) Rag Doll is about a young woman who is doing all that she can to make ends up meet for her and her sick mother. Her outlet for escape is going to the MMA gym and attempting to shut off everything that’s going on in her life. There she’s the sparring partner for the champion of the gym, Aisha, played by upcoming talent Roxana Sanchez. In a sort of Hail Mary life pass, Nora decides to enter the big MMA tournament that she had been getting Aisha ready for. She does this with the hope that she will be able to save her mother’s life, played by the amazingly talented Stephanie Erb. But when Nora realizes her biggest fight might not be in the ring, she must learn how to fight with her mind or risk losing everything.

 

Q) What made you want to be a part of the film?

 

A) I was looking for a script that would set me apart as an actress and showcase not only my acting ability but my physical capabilities. I had found the script on InkTip.com and luckily the writer, Darren Longley, trusted me with his work to make it into a film. Nora was exactly the girl I was looking for to play and bring to life. She is flawed, layered, fierce and resilient. I also have a deep love for Muay Thai and the fight community. It’s been there for me through many transitional periods in my life and has helped me grow into the person that I am and I know many people can relate to that.

 

Q) How was your character originally described to you? 

 

A) There actually wasn’t a character breakdown for her in the script other than female early twenties. But Darren had done such an amazing job with his writing that you understood who each character was without having to describe them in detail.

 

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

 

A) Yes. We did a number of changes in the film that were not scripted either because of location, time or creative decision. The biggest one is that it was originally called “Fighting Nora” and it was a boxing script. I had asked Darren if he’d be okay with me making it into a Muay Thai script or MMA and he was open for it – which ultimately, we decided to go MMA. It is amazing because I had found the script three and half years ago and where female MMA has excelled since that time has been so encouraging and inspiring to witness.

 

Q) What advice did director Bailey Kobe offer you during filming that you took to heart?

 

A) When I was thinking about who I would take the script to, Bailey was the first person to come to mind for so many reasons. I respect Bailey’s creative eye and ability to find humor in the darkest of moments. The best advice he gave me was to be clear and transparent with my thoughts. There’s so much that is happening inside of Nora that we don’t share using words but we share through her eyes and her body.

 

Q) What were some of your favorite moments from filming?

 

A) My favorite moments were the gym scenes and the fight scenes. I love being on set and I love being in the gym, so I was in my two happy places. Dot-Marie Jones, who plays our trainer at the gym, Roxana Sanchez and I had an instant chemistry. We had so much fun cracking jokes on each other and rough housing in the ring. Also, filming with Dante Basco, who plays Jason in the film, was such an enjoyable experience. Dante brings a magic spark to set with his charisma and talent.

 

Q) How did you shake off a long day on set?

 

A) Well, normally I’d go home and take a bath, do a face mask and relax but being that I was also a producer on the film there wasn’t much rest time. Between acting rehearsals, stunt rehearsals, my own gym time and doing production things I’d get but a few hours a sleep a night. But I was doing what I loved to be doing, so I didn’t require much sleep. After filming was complete though – I definitely treated myself to a few Thai massages and a huge stack of heavily buttered chocolate chips pancakes.

 

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

 

A) I hope that they take away the realization that we are all going through something. You’re not the only who is battling through a hard time and use that reflection to understand others that you encounter every day and show them love and empathy. Also, that life is too short and no one else is going to live your life for you. Go after what you want to achieve and if you think you’ve failed – dust yourself off and keep trying, you have to believe to achieve.

 

Q) Is there anything else about your time working on Rag Doll that you want to be sure we share with our readers?

 

A) Rag Doll has been fortunate enough to travel the country this last year on the festival tour and we secured 20+ awards for BEST ACTRESS (me), BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS (Dot-Marie Jones), BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS (Stephanie Erb), BEST DIRECTOR (Bailey Kobe), BEST SCREENPLAY (Darren Longley), BEST MAKE-UP (Yulitzen Alvarez) BEST FEATURE, BEST ACTION FILM, and BEST ENSEMBLE. It’s been quite the year. It’s a must see movie! Please look for it on video on demand – iTunes/Apple TV (pre-sales open now). It will be available February 25th on Amazon Prime Video, Fandango Now, Spectrum, VUDU, Google Play, Cox, Mediacom, Dish, Verizon, Shaw, Telus, Comcast, Frontier, Armstrong, Microsoft and YouTube.

 

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

 

A) Thank you for supporting me. I wouldn’t have been able to do this without you. You helped to make this all possible. There’s going to be a lot of exciting projects coming up and I look forward to you joining me on my journey, so make sure you’re following @shannonmurray101 on Instagram.