Confessions of an actress

I don't see Trickbaby as coming from any genre. They don't write many parts like this for women. I play White Girl, a career criminal who hooks up with a psychotic lesbian murderess named Cyclona (played by Maria Celedonio). She's certainly troubled. I was on a ridiculous Warren Oates trip at the time, which was my inspiration. It also reminded me of Clint Eastwood in Every Which Way But Loose, with Cyclona as my monkey.

The film was a strange process for me. I memorised the whole script and became obsessed with it. Matthew Bright, the director, had sent me the script, and I initially thought he was kidding. He got my home phone number from somebody, and the next thing I knew he was on the phone explaining to me that he'd written a movie that I had to be in. As strange and sick as the sense of humour might be, it's along the lines of what I find funny. This film is even less bankable and commercial than Matthew's last film Freeway, which isn't easy to imagine. I'm not even sure how we got it made.

I got along well with Matthew - I was offered an associate producer credit because I was involved in casting decisions, having more input than what is supposed to have been a dumb young actress. Our crew in Toronto, where we shot, hated us being so out-there and so involved in something that just seemed dirty to them. I don't think they got the humour in Matthew's material. Y'know, why are midgets, transvestites and molestations funny? We were up against a lot of battles against our own crew.