Tamara Duarte – Dead on Campus

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

A) Right now I am in Halifax. I’m working on the show “Haven” that is on Syfy. I’m in Season 5 and I am reoccurring on that. It’s really, really cool to be a part of such a cool team and such talented people. I hadn’t had much experience working with the visual effects and green screen. So, it’s really cool to experience that.

Q) Please tell us the premise for your film Dead On Campus and talk a bit about your character Alexa.

A) The premise is Natalie (Katelyn Tarver) comes to a sorority that her mother was a part of. She wants to be a part of it and reconnect with her deceased mother by being a part of something she was apart of. I am the sorority President and some hazing happens that goes array. Natalie sees what the sorority is really about and how she doesn’t really want to be a part of it. With Alexa, she didn’t grow up being a part of much and I think this is her be all and end all. She takes her sorority and sisters very seriously. It’s a big deal for her to bring other people into her sorority and she has a vendetta against one of the teachers at the school because she didn’t get what she wanted. She is a big go-getter and is super focused. She felt like she wasn’t getting what she wanted and has a vendetta against this certain person, but didn’t realize how far things were going to go. Now, she’s trying to cover things up and save herself. I like playing villains because with any circumstance, anyone is capable of anything. I think for her, her justification for why she does what she does is because she is always looking for acceptance and love. Coming from the place of a villain or someone who is the bad guy, you have to connect with that or I’m not going to be able to play with her. I truly connected with her and understood her on a number of levels, really coming from a place of belonging. I think when you start at a new school that’s all you really want. You want that sense of community and belonging. She did take it to the next level, for sure, but that was a big part of where I connected with the character.

Q) Was there anything you added to the role that wasn’t originally scripted for you?

A) That is what I added to her. I think that when I booked the role, they were really happy with her because she came from such a vulnerable place. We always to hide our vulnerability, as opposed to just being a bitch or just being mean. There are reasons why people do what they do and it comes from a real sense of insecurity, loneliness and a lack of something. I think that is definitely what I brought to Alexa. Whereas with other villainous characters that I watch, I wonder what is it about this villain that I connect with? We connect with villains whether or not we love to hate them. And I really wanted to make sure that I was still liked. That was important for me to not play someone who was not completely likable and completely unrelatable. We’re all humans and we all make mistakes. I think that was a big point for me. We do make mistakes and we are human. It’s how we deal with that, where do those insecurities come from and those holes that need to be filled come from and how people fill them and what they do. We live in such a crazy world these days. It was nice to explore this villainous character and understand her to the core.

Q) Was there instant chemistry when the girls of the sorority began working together or did you take some time to bond?

A) We didn’t have any time together! We met on set the  first day and it was like, “Bam! Let’s go! Let’s do this!” I think it’s an interesting thing, too. We connected right away. We all went out to dinner together. We all hung out together. Katelyn [Tarver] and I had hotels right next to each other so we would hang out all the time. We got into really deep conversations about our lives. I think, as a human race, we are more alike than we are not. For me, I make it a point to connect with my costars by having dinner with them and connecting on some level. We all get there on a humanity base and I think it really helps with your acting if you can do that. As opposed to feeling like no one understands you, it’s fun finding relatable aspects. We all come from different places. The rest of the cast was a mixture of Canadian and American and where we we were raised and how we were raised. It’s interesting because we were raised in different parts of the world and in different cultures and communities, but we all still gelled with things we all go through at the same age. It’s starting at a new school and the anxiety of will you be accepted. Or it can be the anxiety of getting ahead in life and having focus. Also, for anyone who has ever lost a parent or felt like their parent wasn’t there for them it was how we connected on that level. I think that is where the sisterhood bond comes in. I think it comes in with us just connecting on our lives.

Q) Did director Curtis Crawford give you any advice during filming that you really took to heart?

A) Curtis is awesome! I think he allowed us to play with the roles. He just let us play. He would allow us to giggle in scenes by accident. It wasn’t a slap on the wrist for it. He just allowed us to explore each other’s characters and ourselves. I think that was really important. He would give notes here and there with regards to our characters and making me more mean, which I’m not used to. He said, “She has to be a little more stone cold.” This character is polar opposite from who I am as a person. In “Hard Rock Medical,” I play a medical student and I’m the heart of the show. I’m always crying and very empathetic. It was very nice of going from the second season of playing that med student where I didn’t know how to disconnect from my patients. I got super involved in their lives and emotions and took them on as my own. Then, it was taking this character on and putting me first because in the other show I tend to put everyone else first in my life. I feel like I learn so much from everyone that I play that it was all about me now. I think what I learned from her specially, as odd as it sounds, is to have more of a backbone myself. She is so extreme and I’m so extreme on the other side with being such a giver that it was kind of nice to say “no.” It was kind of nice to live your own life.

Q) What were some of your most memorable moments from filming Dead on Campus?

A) We had a little bachelorette party for Katelyn, but she didn’t get married. She was engaged at the time and was going to have her own bachelorette party when she got home. So, we decided to have our own mini one for her before she left with all of the girls and some of the crew. We all went out in Ottawa and we got her a few things. We had a list of stuff for her to do. It was great and a lot of fun. We danced and had some dinner. It was a great time! I think that was the most memorable moment.

Q) What do you think it is about the movie that makes it such a perfect fit for the Lifetime network?

A) I think it is perfect because of the demographic. I think it is perfect because people can relate to what Natalie coming into her first year at college. I think you will relate to all of these characters who are all essentially flawed and what they go through and what they do to fill those holes in their life. It’s completely relatable in every day because we all do it.

Q) You are a part of social media. Will you be doing a Q&A and live tweeting during the premiere of the film?

A) I would love to! I don’t think I’ve ever live tweeted before. I have a bunch of photos that I have wanted to post. So, I will definitely be live tweeting on November 8th at 8pm!

Q) How will you be celebrating the premiere?

A) I will be in Los Angeles and I think I am going to watch the film with a bunch of my girlfriends. We’ll have a bit of a slumber party and do some live tweeting.

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

A) Thank you so much! I feel truly blessed to have such amazing fans that are so supportive and positive that I wouldn’t be doing this without them. I wouldn’t be where I am without such amazing people continually tweeting at me and messaging me on Instagram. People who say, “Keep on going! You’re doing such a great job!” is nice to have. I haven’t done live theater in a long time and it is nice to have that little bit of applause at the end. I feel like those are my fans and that comes from the social media aspect of it. It’s nice to have such great fans in my life. I feel very blessed.