First Comics News: What is it about playing the “Anti-Hero” that you love?
Jessica Felice: Playing the anti-hero is my favorite because I really relate to the characters and the misfits outcasts and loners in society. I always feel they are misunderstood through judgment and feel they always have a story to tell. Usually, there is much more to them then what is being judged from the surface.
1st: In “Soulmate” you play Katie Stephan how did this character fit your personality?
Jessica: For example In the film Soulmate I felt very connected to my role as Katie Stephans. She is misunderstood by many, shy even, and has many different sides to her that are revealed throughout the film. I think I’d be her friend if she was a real person. She was bullied in different ways growing up (as was I) and judged and she also didn’t like to be “labeled” or defined by those experiences. She was who she was. I related to that, her cynicism, and personality. She was insecure at times but when her power was unleashed she was a force to be reckoned with.
1st: What has been your most enjoyable moment from acting so far?
Jessica: My most enjoyable moment acting (Film-wise at least as I’ve also performed on stage quite a bit) probably was playing Katie Stephan’s in Soulmate. It felt like a roller coaster ride and I learned a lot about myself as an actress through that character. She’s probably my favorite role to date because of the challenges I had filming her. It was not always comfortable or “pretty” but it felt right.
1st: What is the difference between a film and stage acting beside one is on stage?
Jessica: You ask what the difference between stage and film acting are? Well, acting is acting. You need to be in the moment and playing a role as organically as possible. However, Film is not as linear as the stage where say, you can do a play from start to finish. Films are shot in segments and sometimes they aren’t always in order. You may shoot one scene from the end than the beginning than the middle. The editor pieces it all together. Also on stage many times it needs to be bigger (pending on the size of a theatre of course) and so gestures, voice, and movements all tend to be large to fill the space. Film acting is much more subtle, for example, an eye movement might be seen or a response that may not be captured by the auditions eye will be caught on camera in a closeup, etc. And of course, you have the luxury of audience response which fuels energy on a stage. On film, the camera is your audience and in some cases, multiple cameras are set up. You also as an actor have to keep the continuity going meaning it has to be “the same” in every take…meaning voice, movements, facial expressions, etc. So it’s very much the same but also very different.
1st: How do you feel about Vampirella and why did you dress up as her?
Jessica: I loved dressing up as Vampirella and other cosplay characters because they give me an opportunity to become some very well known and beloved pop culture icons. I’m so honored to have been part of one of Dynamite’s covers and 50th Anniversary for Vampirella vs. Reanimator issue no. 2. She actually originally started as a dare challenge from a FB friend who said…hey there is a contest going on for Vampirella…I bet you could do that! So I tried it and …I won 3rd place and 1st place as her for another online magazine. She’s been one of my more published characters so she’s very special to me, and one of the first badass women characters in comics! How cool is that? I also love making appearances as Ariel, Poison Ivy, Morticia, Jessica Jones, and many others. I have many surprise cosplays in the works. It’s one of my passions and I love doing them for conventions and appearances between film and modeling jobs.
1st: Do you like being referred to as a Scream Queen, why or why not?
Jessica: I don’t mind being referred to as a Scream Queen. I’m honored that some choose to call me that. I also don’t mind if people simply call me an actress either. Hopefully, they consider me a decent one. I just honestly love to work. It’s my passion and my joy. As long as I’m working doing what I love that’s perfectly fine.
1st: What would be your ideal film role?
Jessica: My ideal film role is a strong woman who overcomes difficult obstacles in life and has a great story to tell. I tend to like broken characters because I relate to them and I think many relate to watching them. Elphaba in Wicked is still my dream role (book version). I like stories where women take back their power if they were in a position where they lost everything or experienced some kind of hardship through bullying, some kind of personal pain or abuse, etc. We are living in challenging times as women so I hope to be a role model for those who need a voice.
1st: Which monster, vampire, werewolf or other would you like to meet face to face?
Jessica: If I had to meet a “monster” face to face…probably someone like Lestat from the Anne Rice novels. I’m a romantic at heart so I tend to love the romantic versions of monsters more than standard horror characters. I love supernatural stories and esoteric themes. They are so intriguing to me and so much fun.
1st: What do you have planned next in your career?
Jessica: Next in my career, I’m going to 2 conventions for guest appearances to The 3rd Annual Central Paranormal Convention (Oct 18-20), and Faeriecon (Nov 1-3) this fall.
Film-wise I just finished a short horror film called Succubi Scry written and directed by Derek Silver, as Veronica who is the spirit of a man’s dead wife (this past summer) and he does a ritual to summon her back… but he doesn’t realize that the cause and effect of this ritual has some serious consequestions. That should be circulating festivals soon as it’s in post-production. I’m about to film a short called Vanessa by Dan Carroll adapted and directed by Shawn Anthony, which is a sci-fi where I’m playing two characters. The role of Vanessa who is an artificial intelligence (like Siri) who appears to be falling for her owner Chad (played by Dan Carroll) and Nathalie who is the girl said owner is dating. So it’s two completely different characters. This promises to be a lot of fun. It’s a dark sci-fi comedy kind of in the same vein as Black Mirror.
I’m going to be filming also a psychological suspense thriller feature called Unburied written and directed by Joshua D. Maley. I will play the lead Melanie who is kind of a broken character finding a new start as a grief psychotherapist in a new job working in a morgue. She meets another coworker (Played by Jess Paul) who is a mortician who believes she can talk to the dead. Seeing an opportunity to “fix” this person she tries to help her…but things unravel as she discovers things aren’t always as they seem. Its kind of like a cross between the Autopsy of Jane Doe meets Fatal Attraction. I’m pretty excited about it!
I’m also on an NDA for several other projects such as Them (Another sci-fi which is in an apocalyptic setting which follows a mother (my character) who is looking for her children who were abducted during an alien invasion. Through her search for them, she discovers there are other survivors but not everyone is who they appear to be. It becomes a story of loss, hope, and dissension into paranoia and self-doubt.
Then there is also a film I’m looking forward to shooting called The Witch in the Woods which looks at the fate of Hansel and Gretal from a historical point of view focusing on the actual events that may have inspired the story. Set during the early 1600s during the great witch panic, this will be a traditional fable turned ghost story that I feel may really scare the crap out of people.
Outside of those, I’m also in talks for about 3 other projects. So I’m very excited to be doing some really innovative and well-rounded roles and projects with some amazing artists directors and fellow actors.
1st: Do you have anything to say to the fans of your acting?
Jessica: I’d love to say thank you to my fans for believing in me and for appreciating my work. Acting is my passion, my dream, my life. Thank you for supporting that dream. Much Love.
Please check out my website www.actressjessicafelice.com and fan page on FB as well as Instagram and Twitter. Thank you for this opportunity. Cheers
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