In an exclusive interview with Villain Media, actress Rebecca Forsythe talks about her hypnotizing sci-fi medical thriller, Replace. Find out what happens when the necessity of beauty and the gruesome aspects of plastic surgery collide in the search for eternal youth.
Afflicted with a dermatological disease, young and beautiful Kira (Rebecca Forsythe) discovers that she can replace her skin with that of other girls. Helped by her lover, she plots a murder and the victim becomes her donor, but when the disease returns, she is forced to find more victims.
With Replace now available on VOD and DVD, Rebecca Forsythe talks about playing the lead role as Kira, building her chemistry with Barbara Crampton, and the challenging aspects of the movie’s third act. Check out our review as we head on over to the actor’s studio to discuss the craft of character-building.
Villain Media: Tell me how you became involved in Replace.
Rebecca Forsythe: I auditioned for it. I did my first audition of the year. I read the script. I finished it. I thought, “I’m never going to get this!”
It’s so delicious and complicated! I’ll book it! I go in and I audition; I get a callback. I get another callback. And I booked it! [Laughs] I couldn’t believe it! I was extremely excited to play a character like this. I booked it when I was first really starting out; like five years ago. With the role, you don’t get a lot of stuff like that, especially when you’re first starting out. I jumped on it!
VM: I’m glad you mentioned how Kira is a complicated character. I also saw Kira as this tragic figure. You brought in such sympathy and heart to the role. What interested you about the role itself?
RF: What I liked about her is that she goes through these things, but my goal was for you to understand why she does the things that she does. Like you said, I wanted people to have sympathy for her. I didn’t want her to be this one-dimensional feeble person. We do messed up things sometimes, but we do them for a reason. They might not be great reasons, but that’s part of being human. And if you don’t have that when you’re watching a movie, I don’t find it very interesting. There’s good and bad in everyone. I wanted to bring that out with Kira.
VM: I was really fascinated with Kira because she’s a complete mystery, especially with her memory loss. Was that challenging to play as someone who may or may not be an unreliable narrator?
RF: No, I actually created an entire backstory for her. Everything! And then you have to forget it! [Laughs] You can’t just be like, “Oh! Because she has memory loss, I’m not going to know who this is.” [Laughs] You have to know those things.
VM: My favorite parts of the movie were your scenes with Barbara Crampton, who plays Dr. Crober. Tell me about building the chemistry between Kira and Dr. Crober.
RF: She’s great! She’s such a professional! Luckily for this movie, we had a lot of rehearsal time, which was great! You don’t really get that, especially with a lower budget film. We really talked about our relationship. We decided we wanted it to feel like a mother/daughter relationship at the beginning, because it does become so cold and terrible at the end. We wanted it to feel like there was a maternal instinct in Dr. Crober at first. There was a maternal instinct in her that made for a much better ending I think.
VM: I’m glad you mentioned the ending! The third act is amazing because you’re trapped and you’re reacting while Barbara Crampton is giving this in-depth monologue. And then you become this badass warrior!
RF: [Laughs] Yeah!
VM: What was more challenging between the two, the inability to move or the physicality afterwards?
RF: They were both challenging in their own ways. That’s such a hard question! Lying on that table, let me tell you, that was not easy at all! I felt so vulnerable and it was terrible in a great way. It was so great to act, but it’s a challenge with all the prosthetics.
Barbara is such a nice person. We start filming and it’s like, “Wow! She’s making me feel this small!” [Laughs]
And then getting to slay people, that’s fun too! That’s why I act! I get to do things I don’t get to normally do in life. [Laughs]
VM: How did Replace change you as an artist?
RF: Wow! Well it changed me in a lot of ways. It was my first lead in a film. I think there’s like two scenes where I’m not actually in them. I was filming all day and it was exhausting. Because the role was so complicated, it really challenged me. It made me understand what it is to be a professional. You gotta do your work. You can’t be lazy when you’re doing your work.To this day, it’s my favorite set to have worked on. I met a lot of wonderful people! Lucie Aron, who plays Sofia, became one of my best friends. I just love being able to work with such talented actors and crew; everyone!
VM: How can the readers of Villain Media find your movie?
RF: You can find it on Video On Demand and it’s out on DVD now.
VM: What are you working on now?
RF: I have a movie premiering in Mexico City next month. I did a movie directed by Richard Elfman called Clowns, Aliens & Geeks. It’s the complete opposite of Replace. It’s a comedy, farce comedy! And Danny Elfman does the music! That should be premiering in Los Angeles as well. I saw the trailer and it’s hilarious! It’s so out there and I love it! Richard is such a great director! He did Forbidden Zone; so you get an idea of what it’s going to be like!
Replace is now available on DVD and VOD.
[Writer’s Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Links are highlighted in bold.]