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Throwing a Slumber Party for the World: The Lisa Renley Interview Experience Pt. 2 Gilchrist: I assume you would say you're serious about acting. Not going to be one of those friends of the director who vanishes off the face of the earth when the director moves away. Renley: Nope, I'm very serious about it. I'm going to be paying back college loans until I'm 78 because of it. I'm content doing it. I'm happy doing it. And most of the time there's nothing else I'd rather be doing. In some form or another, I'll be acting until I can't any longer. It's my passion. Gilchrist: Again, that's something most amateur directors would say rather than an actor. Maybe you really should direct. Renley: Definitely not. Once was enough for me. Gilchrist: You sure? Renley: I can't direct and won't direct! Never! Gilchrist: Thanks for settling that. Do you see yourself doing this in five years? Ten? Twenty? Renley: I'm realistic in the fact that I'm not expecting to become a dominating force in the acting field. But I'll go as far as I can go. I see myself acting at one level or another for the next 5, 10, 20 years. I'm scared that it will be local commericals. But I'd like to believe that it will be more than that. And I believe that I'm capable of more than that. My best acting is far from seen yet. And until I can say, that's as good as I can be, I'm gonna stick with this gig and try to move forward with it. Ideally, yeah I'd like to work my friends. We'll see I guess. I would honestly be happy though if I could make a decent living out of it....if I could stop waiting tables. Gilchrist: Are you waiting tables now? Renley: Yup. For the last 5 years. Gilchrist: I'm sorry! Gilchrist: You really fit the struggling actress thing. Renley: Don't I though? Gilchrist: You should move to L.A. and get work as an extra on a soap opera. Renley: I have to move... soon. New York or L.A. L.A. frightens me. Gilchrist: Why? Renley: I've heard horror stories from actors who've come back. They tried it in L.A. and hate the place. Gilchrist: It takes a while to become adjusted to it. If you could be a part of any sort of film, what would it be? Renley: The movies that I like to watch are the ones that don't leave me within the first 5 minutes of leaving the theater. The ones that make me think, and the ones that make me want to change or rethink things in my life. And most of all the ones that inspire me. That's what I want to be a part of. Personally I have a huge guilty pleasure for epic movies.... Braveheart, Last of the Mohicans, Star Wars. I adore those movies. Gilchrist: Good answer to a question i didn't ask. Renley: I know. Sorry. Gilchrist: So would you be part of a movie like that? An epic heroine? Renley: I don't know. I'm all about female power, but I don't think I'd pull that one off. Recall my generic action movie. I think I'd play a better female in need of help. Save me kind of a thing. Gilchrist: And that wouldn't be your ideal sort of role. Renley: My ideal role would be to play Legolas in LOTR. I'm not a guy though. And I don't know how to use a bow. I like difficult roles...Halle Berry in Monster's Ball...that's something I'd want to do. Gilchrist: Eep. Losing a kid, fighting racism, and going into softcore porn. All in one movie. And also being black. Renley: Not that precise role. You know what I mean. Gilchrist: Minus the porn? Renley: Right. Not into porn. Gilchrist: What was your first reaction when you heard of or read the script to The Trouble With Her Uterus? Renley: Why? ... Why baby fucking? Gilchrist: Did Jay ever answer this question? Renley: Yes. Jay's said what his theory on comedy is, and my problem is that I buy it every time. Jay said that people should not take life so seriously. That in an ideal world, a person could be able to laugh at just about anything. That there's a humorous side to even the most horrible things in life. Kind of a Pollyanna response. He wanted to show people that it's ok to laugh at things in life which are stigmatized or considered sensitive. He wanted them to think. Something like that. Gilchrist: So he confuses you with his words, and then asks you to throw up on Jesse Sorgatz and make out with an open wound and light your privates on fire. Renley: Not so much confuses me...but convinces me. Gilchrist: In a way, your character in Uterus is almost the only normal one. Renley: I had to think for a moment, but yeah. Gilchrist: But yet you don't buy her as completely normal. Renley: She's not. She is within the context of the Uterus world though. Gilchrist: None of your best characters seem really normal ... what I like is that you play a supposedly "normal" or a supposedly "strange" character the same way. Your characters are likeable without being normal ... they live left of normal. There is that common quirkiness among them. Is there something basically wrong with you, you weirdo freak? Renley: (laughs) Gilchrist: Weirdo COMMIE freak. Sorry. Renley: I think I am quirky. People think I'm normal. But they're all wrong. I have them fooled. Gilchrist: I actually told Jay he was misjudging you when he wrote you in as an almost normal character in Clowns and Suicide, that you came off as flat and characterless. Renley: Believe it or not, I'm quirky in reality. That could be why it's hard to buy me as a nomal person. I hate to think that I have to play a freak in order to appear right onscreen. But I find that I'm better when I act at a sort of extreme...something apart from the average person. I like things that are complex and somewhat difficult to do. And for some reason, I do those better. I'm not a commie. Gilchrist: Yes you are. Commie. Pinko. Renley: (laughs) Gilchrist: Do you enjoy some of the unpleasant things you've been asked to do onscreen because of the challenge then? I can't see how playing an elf girl would be as challenging. Renley: I want to play an elfman. Legolas. Not an elf girl. That's why it doesn't work. Gilchrist: Let's talk about Unitard and the Great American Swindle. Renley: What if I don't want to? Gilchrist: This rather dark script by Jay shut down a few days into shooting and was never produced, although elements of it were used for your character in Pervert Goes Home. Renley: The script made me shudder. I don't honestly know if I could've done that. It wasn't in me. I couldn't have done a lot of that material. I can make out with an open wound. But Unitard ... no. Gilchrist: What did you think of the Pervert Goes Home script, or did Jay pitch the movie to you first? Renley: Jay sent me the script first. My reaction to Pervert was very good. I liked the script. And it had come right after he had sent me the Unitard script. So I was pleasantly relieved that the Pervert script had taken over. When I read my characters scenes and dialogue, I found them funny... until I realized that it was me who was going to have to do it. By this point though, I had gotten used to Jay's writing style, and I knew things would magically work out better onscreen than the horrible visions I had in my head. Jay had matured from Uterus and Unitard. I thought this was definitely a step back towards the style of Disconnected. I was thrilled with that. Gilchrist: But for a long time Jay wasn't sure if he was even going to be able to shoot with you. Were you living elsewhere? Renley: I was living in Japan, and I was going through my dark period. I had developed my accent by this time. ... Sorry, Brugmann told me to say it. Gilchrist: John Brugmann is a pigfucker. Tell him he's a pigfucker! Renley: I did. Gilchrist: Thanks. Renley: Ben and Jerry wanted to name an ice cream after me. Gilchrist: Lisa Renley ice cream? Renley: No, they were going to put my last name first. But yes. Gilchrist: What? Renley: I was living in Madison at the time, and my schedule was crazy. I also didn't have a car, so that made shooting with me insanely difficult. Gilchrist: Well, except when you were actually onset? Right? Renley: Right. Gilchrist: Did you enjoy shooting Pervert? more than you apparently enjoy watching it? Renley: Yeah, my stuff was shot in a weekend. And it's normally always fun hanging out with Jay. We searched for road kill for a couple hours one day. And ya know the difficult scenes were over relatively quickly. It was more work, but it was still just fun. Gilchrist: A lot of directors hardly see their castmembers outside of making movies. Was that true of you and Jay? Renley: No, it's the opposite. I saw more of Jay outside of making movies. Probably a couple times a month. And I think that made things easier on set. Gilchrist: What did you think of Pervert? The finished movie? I mean, have you been able to really watch it, even though you look away from your parts? Renley: I've definitely watched Pervert. And I find it to be hilarious. Kyle cracks me up in that movie for reasons that I don't understand. And Mike is just brilliant as Big K. I know he hates it, but his timing is superb. And I think Mike's editing is great. It has been in everything I've seen. Overall I like the movie...minus me. Gilchrist: Why don't you like you? Performance, or ......... mutilation?? Renley: I never like me in anything. That's just a common thing. But more so because of mutilation and just what I was doing onscreen. Gilchrist: Acting? Renley: Yes, but what my acting entailed I suppose. Gilchrist: When did you become aware of other filmmakers making movies at this level? Renley: I became aware of Rewind pretty early on from Jay. And I knew that's how Jay met Mike. I knew other people were doing the same things, but I had just never seen anyone else's stuff. Gilchrist: Not even Mike's? Renley: Before last year, I had only seen Blunt Justice. And then they started showing me Long Walk Home and Oranges. Gilchrist: Were you surprised to be credited in Long Walk Home? Renley: No. I had known about it from the start.... hahahahah. Gilchrist: What amateur movies have you seen now? Which have you enjoyed? Renley: I love Oranges. That's probably my favorite non BSC movie. It's ridiculously funny. I didn't see any of your stuff until the festival in South Dakota. And I'm sorry but I really did enjoy Excaliburger. I don't know. Lethal Force rocked. That was amazing. Absolutely wonderful. The festival was wonderful. Now that I've been in college for a year too long, I've seen not a lot, but a good deal of amateur movies. And overall, I think it's great. Yeah, a lot of them really suck, and I wish I had those 2 hours back of my life. But they're fun to watch...especially the really good ones. Because some of them make you think about how someone at this level could achieve something and make something so good. The same with the acting in them. Sometimes I see better acting in amateur cinema than hollywood. I don't think there's much that should change because it's an experimental state somewhat. You can make whatever you want to. I just hate watching the ones that seem like little or no effort was involved. Gilchrist: This brings us to a collaboration, Gorilla Interrupted. And some personal shit. Renley: Oh dear. Gilchrist: Oh dear indeed. Renley: Ummm....it was a crazy shoot. I was involved with it for one night only. But I know that everyone got sick during the shoot. Ummm....yeah. It was a nice attempt at a collaboration, and I wish it would've worked out better for everyone. Ummm....yeah. Gilchrist: Is that all you want to say? Renley: No, but I'm not sure what I should and should not say. Gilchrist: This is FF. No one cares. Say whatever the hell you want. Renley: GI was a scary shoot in a lot of ways. The script mimicked reality which made it difficult to actually perform a lot of the scenes. And GI was basically the last time all of us worked together. It's sad really. Things kind of took a bad turn after GI. And haven't yet taken a turn for the better. Everyone's relationship involved with the movie has changed, and for the most part it hasn't been for the better. The whole experience is just very sad to me .... very very sad. Gilchrist: Nod. Sigh. On to the conclusion, where Lisa discusses her new stuff, and the future.