In an exclusive interview with Villain Media, actress Constance Brenneman talks about playing the role of Robin in the gripping and moody thriller, Silent Panic. The Silent Panic actress reveals what happens as her character gets involved when a dead body shows up in the trunk of her car.
Constance Brenneman studied at Carnegie Mellon Universities School of Drama. Directly out of college, Brenneman played roles in the one-hour dramas, Alias, and The Practice, and spent four years as a television host and broadcaster for network television. Since 2011, Brenneman has acted in over twenty studio and independent feature films such as, The Toy Soldiers, Love and Other Drugs, and the western drama, Traded.
Silent Panic follows three young men as they are faced with fear and indecision after discovering a dead body in the trunk of their car, . They struggle with the dilemma of either concealing a crime they did not commit, or reporting it to the police with the possibility of becoming suspects themselves. All three men make a choice, and their lives will never be the same.
With Silent Panic now on Amazon and VOD, Constance Brenneman discusses how she became involved with the cast, how her character, Robin, developed, and her upcoming projects. Check out our review as Brenneman and I head on over to the actor’s studio to talk about the craft of moviemaking.
Villain Media: Tell me how you became involved in the project.
Constance Brenneman: Kyle Schadt, the director of Silent Panic, watched some of my acting footage when he was casting for the role of Robin. He offered me the part and away we went.
VM: I thought it was interesting that Robin is the love interest, she also serves as the moral conscience of the narrative. Tell me what interested you about playing the role.
CB: Robin is loyal. She runs deep and she has a good heart. If you are connected to her and you have her love, she will fight for you. However, Robin refuses to entertain deception. She demands the truth.
I like this character! I appreciate Robin’s grit and her moral compass. I haven’t always liked the people that I’ve played. It’s not important to me whether or not I like them. At the same time, I did enjoy playing someone that I admire, that I would want to meet out for coffee on a regular basis.
VM: I love the scene where Robin calls out Eagle on his inaction and tells him to man up. Tell me about creating the chemistry with Sean Nateghi.
CB: Sean Nateghi is a naturally charming person. He reminds me of Vince Vaughn in Swingers. It wasn’t difficult to believe Sean Nateghi as Eagle. He has a natural persuasiveness about him; a way of convincing with ease.
At the same time, Robin is used to Eagle. She’s intimate with deeper parts of him. Robin wants Eagle to access those deeper, bigger parts of himself, and do what’s right. Robin’s request for Eagle to “man up” is the make or break moment of their relationship.
VM: Tell me about working with Juliet Frew, who plays Sharon.
CB: Juliet Frew is a sweetheart. She’s smart, incredibly kind and fun. Working with Juliet was easy, smooth, and enjoyable. Kyle gave us a good deal of creative liberty in our scene together. It naturally felt like two women sharing life moments, goofing off, wanting the best for one another.
VM: There is so much dramatic tension with what the characters are going through. Tell me about finding your character arc with writer/director Kyle Schadt.
CB: Kyle Schadt gave me room to explore Robin. Kyle would discuss the scene with us beforehand, and then allow us to play the scene. Kyle wrote in the tension. As long as the writing was played out truthfully, the tension would inherently exist.
Kyle had an idea of what he wanted to see visually, blocking choices, or moments where two characters come together. The specific choices that he made with blocking helped build the dramatic tension between the characters.
VM: How can the readers of Villain Media find your movie?
CB: Villain Media readers, go to AMAZON and input “SILENT PANIC” into the search menu! The movie will come up, and you will enjoy a suspenseful entertainment ride!
VM: How did Silent Panic change you as an artist?
CB: Robin may be the most “close to home” character that I’ve ever played. I had to trust that I was enough in this case. I couldn’t research myself into her, but simply allow for her to come out.
VM: What are you working on now?
CB: I’m in pre-production on a feature film as the lead actress. And I’m hosting a docuseries that explores the power of human transformation.
Silent Panic is available now on Amazon Instant Video and VOD.
[Writer’s Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Links are highlighted in bold.]