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Welcome to the Bulletproof Screenwriting Podcast, Episode number four fifty eight. Your dream doesn't have an expiration date, Take a deep breath and try again.
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On this episode, I'm talking to a former adult actress who is going into the acting and modeling world. She's actually been doing it for a few years now. She's starting Black Dynamite, and she's also starting in Catch twenty two, which is actually released this year. It's actually released a couple months ago. And we just had josh On on the last episode and he actually was the director of the project. Really quickly, I know, we briefly talk about
the adult film world. Sorry, if I could actually talk, We do briefly talk about the adult film world from and honestly, it's probably one percent of this conversation. So if you're, you know, maybe tuning in to hear more about that, I'm sorry, we're not really going to talk too much. About that. Literally, it's like one percent and nineteen percent is about just the crazy world we call the indie filmmaking world. With guests Charmaine Starr, Hi Charmain, thanks all for coming on the show.
Hi Dave, thank you for having me.
Oh it's my pleasure to have you here. You know, I wanted to ask Charmain, you know, how you got started in the film industry. It's a question I ask everybody because nobody has the same exact story, and I just wanted to ask, you know, how did you find yourself in the film industry.
How I found myself in the film industry. It wasn't It was not too long ago. I was in the I started in the adult industry for quite some time, about fifteen years. I you know. I did various films, adult films, magazines, I you know, so I built a name for myself. And I think it was around two thousand and six or seven. My agent had a booking for me. The director specifically wanted me in the movie. So I didn't have to cast for this role. And it was a very short role. It was for Black Dynamite,
and I didn't think anything of it. I thought it was just you know, a usual mainstream because I've done a few mainstreams for you know, I've shot for HBO, Cinemax, some commercials, so I thought it was okay, you know, just a little mainstream role. And then when I you know, when I shot the film, everybody was really amazing, the cast and crew, director, you know, Michael Jai White, you know, everybody was really nice, and it was you know, it was only a few days that I shot the film.
A year later, they gave me a call and they said that the film was going to be in Sundance Film Festival and that I was invited. So I thought that I was surprised that this film, you know, was went so big. And when I went to the film Film Festival, Sentence Film Festival, I got picked up right away by Sony Pictures, and you know, I I went into this new world of the mainstream world of film and I fell in love. I loved it. That's how I started in the film, the you know, mainstream film industry.
So just to go back to when they first approached you about being in Black Dynamite, So what were your first impressions of actual of actually the film industry, of you know, having to sort of you know, there's a lot of waiting around. As they say, there's a lot of downtime, So you know, did you find it a lot more sort of hectic, slower faster? You know, what were your first impressions of it?
Well, my first impressions were it was just it's just like the same set that I you know, in the adult industry. It was I mean, it's a big production. I wasn't really nervous because it was just a set, but I was kind of nervous because there was just a little bit more people. There's just a lot more people involved, and it was it wasn't you know, the cast and crew and director I wasn't familiar with. So you know, there was some downtime. But you know, that's
just how it is. You know, even in the adult industry, there's always a lot of downtime. You got to wait for your scene. So I'm used to that, so you know, there wasn't anything new. Uh. The only thing was just getting used to different people around me, you know, the director and and the cast, because you know, I come from a different world of film, so just meeting regular actors and and you know, from that side of the world.
It's It's very interesting because they were surprised about me because I was, you know, a little bit more confident in you know, the scene because in the scene I was, you know, I just be naked. But you know why when I started this, you know this they shot the scene, I had a robe on. So when the director said, you know, he was ready, I you know, I was confident. I didn't feel kind of insecure a while not showing
my body. But it's funny because the crew around me were actually more shy, you know, they were like kind of looking away and making me feel comfortable, like are you okay? Here? Do you here's a towel. I'm like, no, no, no, it's okay. I'm you know, I'm fine. So it was it was very it was nice, it was sweet. You know, they were you know, that's the only thing that was different.
You know, I would call Offfman from Troma Entertainment. I don't know if you know who Lloyd is.
No.
I taught so he's he's been producing movies for like thirty years. And one of the things that he found was that you know, certain like actresses, whenever they have to do like a nude scene like that, or maybe you know, be in front of the camera like that. They all they just the day of the shoot, they get very tense, they start having you know, they start you know saying, oh, I don't know if I want
to do this. And that's when he basically he approached like Jenna Jamison at the time and said, you know, would you want to do a scene where we can just have you in in front of the camera And she said, you know, I'm so used to it. It's you know, it's like another day at the office, so to speak. That's when he started getting like, you know, more adult performers than some of his movies to do scenes like that because they are so comfortable with it.
Yes, yeah, I totally agree with that. Yeah. I think it's because of that, you know, being comfortable in front of the camera, being professional, knowing the lighting, knowing your surroundings. You know, it's much easier to work with somebody, you know, in that if if there's a particular scene that has that someone has to be naked or you know, uh, it's it's not as it's not as hard to deal with.
Yeah. So so when you finally saw a black dye my you know, you were you were showing a screening of it, did you ask what did you think of the movie? Initially, because I mean, it is a playoff like the Grindhouse seventies movies, and and you know, being a film nerd with no life, I really, you know, got the movie right off the bat. I thought it was hilarious. But I'm interested to know your thoughts. You know, what was your first impressions of the movie.
Well, the first time I saw the film, I saw it at Sundance Film Festival. I never went to the screen. I mean it was it was the premiere there, and to see myself in the big screen, h was amazing. I was, I was, I don't know, I had a eerie feeling, it was. It was amazing. And when I saw the whole film, because I you know, I knew it was a Kung Fu seventies, you know, black exploitation film, I just, you know, I didn't see the whole film because I only had those two days or few days
of shooting. And I absolutely loved it. I thought it was hilarious because I'm you know, I'm I'm from California. I grew up in the eighties nineties, so like the whole you know, the style and the attitude and the slang. I got it all. I understood it. I was laughing the whole time it was. It was amazing. And plus I love the whole Kung Fu thing too. It was amazing.
Yeah, I thought it was. It was great as well. Especially you know again, it was a throwback, this that seventies grindhouse feel to it. And I'm glad that it took a you know, a quote unquote risk with that movie, because you know, nowadays everything either has to be a reboot or it has to be an existing intellectual property. And it's it's you know, whenever you see a new, fresh movie like this come out.
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It's too often that movies like this could just get buried because you know that, you know, things happened by by a panel and they go, oh, you know, black dynamite or whatever. No one's gonna want watch that. But I'm glad that it actually got the promotion that it deserved because it was a fantastic film.
Oh yes, it was. You know, it's it's original. You know, it's not you know, there there was. There weren't anti parts where it was taken from another film or this and that. It was just it was it was a collaboration, but it was done very well. I mean it took you know, it just got all these little parts of history that that everybody, any American you know, like understands.
Yeah, exactly.
Yeah. It was very interesting, you know, Like I saw the film a few times in America because there are there were a few festivals, and the premiere was at the Arc Light in Hollywood. I also attended the American Delville Festival in France, and when they played the film in front of the French people, uh, it was surprisingly not funny for them. You you can you can hear, like just so there were only two people laughing in the whole theater and it was just me and the director.
It wasn't anyone else like it was. So it was weird because they didn't understand the you know, the the American you know humor per se, so you didn't hear. They were just kind of watching it like what is this? So it was weird, but it was it was very interesting to see, you know, that movie in a different country and their reaction. It was very it was funny.
Yeah, and that that brings up a good point just about you know, the sort of cultural differences, you know, between American humor and maybe French humor. You know, I think it was I think it was John Carpenter who said that in France he's a horror filmmaker. In uh, in England he's a I'm sorry, and France he's an all tour. In England he's a horror filmmaker, and in
America he's a bum. And basically what he meant by that was they all have different interpretations of everything, and uh, you know, John Carpenter's is a genius as well, and uh, but it's just but it's just always interesting to see those types of things. And as we speak about that, Charmaine, one of the things that I heard about was that movie studios now are thinking about releasing different cuts of the different of the film, so like you might see
somewhere else, more often they than they already do. Basically that means so that way he'll play Kate maybe audiences in China, and it'll play Kate audiences in France and play Kate audiences in Germany. That way, instead of just trying to release the same thing. I mean, they already do that anyway, but now I'm saying like more and more so, and it's probably could have come to the indie level as well, because you know, just so again because now Netflix is everyone has Netflix nowadays, so so.
But but to avoid something like that where there was almost like no laughter in the whole theater.
Oh yeah, it was funny. It was like they yeah, they had no clue what you know why it was funny. And you know, like the scene where you know, like they were at the restaurant and how they discovered chicken and waffles, you know, you know, I don't know if you remember that scene where when they said chicken and waffles and we know, chicken and waffles. You know, it's it's a very American, you know thing. And in France they were just like h okay, and they're just like,
oh god. I had to like hide myself from laughing because I know the movie is funny, and the people around me were just like, what's so funny? So it was yeah, but it was interesting, It was it was fun.
Yeah, and I'm glad you had a good experience, you know, with it, because you know, sometimes you know, on first movie sets like that. So again, like I was saying about down times and things like that, some people can sort of come away and be like, yeah, I did that one to never again. And I'll give you an
example of that. I was on a film set run time, and we had to be in a bar and this bar saying this is years ago when I uh, I was doing background work and I actually was in this bar in the middle of August and here in Philadelphia, and it was so hot and they had to turn off the air conditioner in the bar. When I walked out, I literally looked like I jumped at a pool. And I got back out, I was like, my shirt, it
was a blue shirt I was wearing. You could like, it was just all this yeah, yeah, And a couple of people were like, hey, this is you know, our first thing, Like is this what this is like? Because we're never going to do it again, and I was like, no, this is just a bad situation.
You know.
So as you sure, you know, as you completed Black Dynamite, you know, you know, what, did you want to go back into into into into the film world or maybe even TV. Did you you say to maybe your agent manager at the time if you had one, Hey, I want to get more parts like this.
Yeah, you know, I did after after I had that experience, you know, I I've kind of I think during that time, I think it was two thousand and eight nine, I was at the level of my adult career where I didn't have to shoot as much. You know, I've already built a name for myself. So I had different goals of you know, changing my career, you know, crossing over, you know, talking to my managers and agents and telling them, Okay, if there are any you know, mainstream you know television films,
you know, bring them my way. I you know, I didn't want to do scenes anymore. They're you know, like boy girl scenes. But I was only particular to doing just girl girl scenes. So I slowly changed my career. And I also featured dance, so I you know, I traveled a lot, you know, once or twice a month feature dancing all over you know, all over the country. So that took up a lot of my time. That way, I didn't have to shoot adult film and I can
focus on you know, crossing over. So I I did, you know, I I shot a lot of uh, you know, for Cinemax, you know, the the I was a series regular on you know on you know those sex what is it? I forgot those It's been a while here, you know, the the softcore you know, the Skin of Max stuff. So that even though it wasn't I mean, it was mainstream, but you know, I I I was, you know, I was interested in doing more of film. I liked the whole world of film, especially indie film.
So I found another agent that was specializing in in just film and I did a lot of you know, I tried, I did casting. I cast it for some parts, but it never worked out. I don't know, I was never picked or anything. So the next film that I did, it was The Face of Evil and it was actually a friend of mine. He was you know, he was involved in in the mainstream industry, and he asked me if I was interested or just can you read for this film that I'm you know, my friend is doing
he's directing. And I said, okay, I'll give it a try. And the director asked me, would you like there was two parts when it was the main role or this other role. And he told me that the other role fit me best because of my personality, because he says, I can bring it out more. So I just I also took that as an opportunity like it was. It was very I don't know, like the two films that I've done, they've came to me, which I'm grateful for.
So I never really had the opportunity to really you know, like other actors, you know, where they have to cast and then they get picked, but you have to do more casting, you know how like they like a reoccur you know, they have to cast again or read again. I never had that opportunity.
So when we talk about casting, Sherman, I wanted to actually ask did you ever found yourself maybe you know, type cast or maybe given similar roles and meaning like you know, I've had friends of mine who are from the Middle East, they're their Middle Eastern background, and they said, Dave, the only things that we ever get are two things. Number one is like an Indian shop clerk, or number
two is playing like a suspicious terrorist type uh. And I and they they always they always talk to me about that, And I just wanted to ask, you know, do you ever find yourself typecast and in roles maybe at all? Or do you do you do you not experience that.
I I think I've gotten typecast before a few times, you know, Asian girl either Asian or and and I'm you know, I'm comfortable doing nudity. I'm also and yeah, just a sex you know, like if I could, if I'm able to show my boobs or you know, be naked.
H so, but not really well yeah that's it. And then like when you know, the new that other film Catch twenty two, it was an Asian girl, but you know, I was approached with that that character, so I never really had to I mean, I never had to cast for that either, which is hey, that was nice, you know, but yeah, I I never really experienced it, you know.
So Okay, now, I mean I always just wanted to ask that because, you know, again because I was well, because the reason I brought that I was because I had a friend of mine who was bringing that up again about that whole thing about being being sort of typecasted, and I just saw I always you know, I always asked that to actors too, because sometimes even when a person plays a bad guy, you know, they never get out of playing a bad guy. There always a bad guy.
Well yeah, you know, I mean right now, you know I I you know, I'm comfortable showing my body, you know, and I'm Asian. So that's pretty much my category. Right now.
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And the two films that I know I'm you know, I've i've naked, and you know I'm Asian. But you know, it is what it is, you know, it's it's a part sometimes. I mean, you can't. I can't change into a Latina or a black girl also, you know what I mean.
Yeah, yeah, Well, my my prediction is this, in the next I think five to actually probably serving that probably next three to five years, I think the the roles for Asians are going to skyrocket because they're the the market over there. Japan's always you know, Japan and Japan. But China they have the largest film industry in the world. Sorry they are really yeah they actually I'm sorry. Actually Bollywood is still number one, but but China's coming it
was fast becoming number one. And then you have obviously Vietnam's on the rise. South Korea is is also uh they have a wonderful film market. Some of the best filmmakers the world actually come from South Korea, and I mean it's just been That's why I think you're going to start seeing. And then again I mentioned Bollywood, which
is in India. I meant that I'm predicting there's going to be a lot more different types of roles also because if Hollywood wants to keep exporting movies to those big markets, they're going to have to appeal to those markets. So that's why I think those Asian Asian roles are just going to not be so stereotyped anymore and they're going to be more wide open.
Yeah, I'm seeing that. I'm seeing, you know, because I mean the world is getting bigger, and you know, the attention is you know, there's a lot, there's a bigger it's a bigger world out there. Actually, there's a former adult film star. Her name is Sunny Leone. Oh yeah, she's huge in Bollywood. She's an actress, she does the mainstream. She's there, she's like, she's so famous there and it's crazy.
Surprisingly she came from the adult and they've accepted her, you know, and changed her career and now she's a big superstar there. It's amazing.
Yeah, you know, Yeah, I mean, I'm sorry to me to cut you off.
Oh no, no, go ahead.
I was just I mean, as we talked about something Leonne, you know, she made the transition from you know, adult films to to mainstream. Uh you know Sasha great too, she yea as well. Yeah, yeah, and she's been in a in a ton of stuff. I was actually watching a horror movie and she just appeared. I was like, oh, there's Sasha. He was like, I didn't even know she was in this, but yeah, you know it's it's uh, I forget the girl's name. It'll come back to me as soon as we're off off this call, but off
the podcast. But I remember, oh, Tracy Lawds.
That's what I was thinking, Oh, yes, Tracy Laurids. She's yeah, she's one of the original Yeah, the original, yes, crossover, Yeah.
Because I see her. You know, she's in a ton of movies now, she's in a lot of horror movies now. But but yeah, I mean, it's just you know, just I was just giving me examples again as we talked about, you know, sort of making that transition, and there's just popped in my head. But you know, just back to your career, Charmone, you mentioned Face of Evil. You know,
how did you go about getting that role? Was did your did your manager sort of find you the audition and you went and you auditioned and got the part.
No. Actually, a friend of mine, he's a publicist and he works in the mainstream industry, and he was reading for that, uh, that particular script and he asked me, his friend, that's the director is looking for, you know, uh, just a few people to read for, you know, these two roles. And he asked me if I was interested in reading for the roles. And I read two different characters and the director gave me one part, and uh, you know, I was honored. I was like, Okay, great,
this is another film, another opportunity. And it was pretty big. I mean, there was a lot of characters I got to meet, uh because it was It's a good film. It's a very interesting film. I've never done a zombie film. I've never done like anything horror, horrific or anything. And especially with you know, makeup, you know, and just playing a role that I've never played before, like just ugly and zombie and making weird noises. I really had to do the whole of that and it was it was
it was nice. It was very interesting. I was I'm glad to have that opportunity. A friend of mine, you know, gave me that opportunity. So it wasn't very hard. I was lucky to you know, get that part. Uh. And it was fun. It was a really really fun, interesting film to shoot. We shot in like a really broken down house. Every scene was a night scene, so we had to start at like, you know, in the evening till like six in the morning, and during that I
think we shot it. I shot it for like a few three weeks or something, and one week I was in jury duty and it was the same week where I had to wear like zombie makeup. And it was so difficult because I told the director one night, I said, I'm sorry, I have to get off. I had to get off early because I have jury duty at like seven in the morning, and he, you know, and you know how directors are, they want you to stay until they finished something. So I ended up staying really late.
And I mean I had to drive home in the sun with like zombie makeup, and I literally looked so scary driving home with a scary face. Oh my god, I look like I look like a crackhead. Like seriously driving home. You know, you know, zombie makeup. It's just like white face with like just oh my god, lot, you know, veins everywhere.
It was.
It was crazy. And then I had to go to jury duty. It was amazing.
So when you alluted in for jury duty, did they just say, oh, we're going to pasture?
I mean no. And it's funny because once they said that and I thought, you you know, sometimes when you're in jury duty, you know, okay, you know there's like thirty people and you know they only have to pick like twelve, and hello, they picked me. They picked me. I was I got so lucky. I was one of the twelve people and I had to go back again. It was crazy. But once we got to court, they dismissed the case, so I got, you know, even more lucky to not go further. So you know that was
that was good. Oh but yeah, it was. It was a very interesting maybe the I actually there were a few moments, you know, because I had to be in makeup and we had the makeup artists. He was Japanese and he specialized in you know those you know, the scary I don't know, those zombie scary makeup and at night it was just, you know, looking at myself in the mirror. I you know, I would scare myself, like like when I would walk into the restroom and had
to peek and I would wash my hand. I look up, I'm like, oh my god, I can't look at my face. I can't look at myself. It's just so scary.
It's funny because I actually was was a background in a horror movie once and I was like, I was a corpse in a pile of dead bodies, and I had like this fake blood all over me. So I got it, you know. So after the shoot was over, I thought I had you know, I took like this wet wipe type thing. I wipe my face, and I
thought I got it all done. So on the as we're driving home, I asked my friend, I'm like, listen, let me let's stop at this little uh this little like thrift store, uh slash bodego, whatever you want to call it. And I was like, I want to grab a drink. And I walk in and the one guy behind the counter just like looks up and staring at me. Well, I was like what the hell. I was like, what do I got something on my face? Or something I had. I still had blood and stuff all in my hair.
I looked like I was in probably a car accident, and just sort of walked in and it ate. Oh luckily though it's Philadelphia. I just kind of blended in eventually.
But oh my goodness. Right, See, I was in LA and I was in a car and they're just like, okay, that's you know, and it's kind of acceptable. It's like, okay, this is an actor, you know, as an actress, you know, but yeah, it's isn't it funny you just you just forget that you look like that.
Yeah, yeah, really it's it's it's sort of like at a sight out of mind.
Yeah, it was a good film. It was really the characters, you know, the the other my fellow actors, they were all mainstream actors. Janie Bernadette, she's she was the lead role. She does she she does a lot of horror films. She she's from, you know, she comes from that side of the world of all horror films, and you know,
she's used to it. So she kind of taught me a little bit because you know, being a zombie, playing a zombie character, you have to you know, for me, my experience is to look glamorous and smile and you know, like have seduction in my eyes and all this stuff. So I had to remove all of that and direct was like, I want you to sneer, and I'm like, what's sneer? He goes, just sneer. This is it's like a sound and you gotta go, you know, like just sneer like a zombie. And I'm like, how do you
do that? So he's like, come on, you gotta be serious, and I'm like, oh my god, I have to. And I had to get into this weird zombie role, you know, I and I did. It was nice. It was very I'm glad that I can, you know, I'm able to change, you know, my this character or my you know, the side of me and go in a different direction. Yeah, it was. It was very nice.
Yeah, it's always fun when ever we were able to sort of step into a character and try out new things, you know, it's always it's always sort of great too. That's why as again we go back to sort of typecasting. That's why, you know, if you're always playing a bad guy, you sort of have to it's a little bit more difficult to try new things. Because again, you're always a bad guy.
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But when you're able to sort of step into different characters, it's great to being able to try out this stuff, like you know, obviously being able to play a zombie and finding out, you know, almost beyond pantomiming, you have to sort of come up with all of this almost like a uh, you know, on the spot.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, and then I had to die, you know, even dying, you know, I have to do like the little shake and the eyes rolling back, and you know that was very interesting to do. Yeah, it was fun. And then blood coming out of my mouth, you know, like spitting it out, and you know, just it was very fun. I loved it. I loved I loved all that with you know, special effects, blood and contacts and you know, it was it was fun. I loved it.
Yeah, And I'm glad you mentioned that too, because sometimes again you have to put fake blood in your mouth. And I remember I was on a set one up and somebody actually said, he goes, I can't take the fake blood, and then and everyone was like, trust this, We're you're only gonna have it in there for like five seconds. We're just gonna roll and shoot with it.
And he goes, all right, fine, and he agreed to it, and that blood he had to do it so many times and it was like his teeth row a red by eye and then he was like, he goes, yeah, that was five seconds all right, but but he had a good laugh afterwards. But again, it's stuff like that, you know. That's why you know, I always ask about different film experiences because it's always it's always fun to hear stuff like that, you know.
Yeah, well you know sometimes they say, oh yeah, you know, just leave it in your mouth for a while and we're gonna do it, and you actually are just sitting there and you're just like you want to throw up, like it just tastes nasty, you know, and you're just like, oh yeah, but it's fun. After that, it's like, Okay, I loved it. I loved it so.
So so Shure Mane. After you know, you finished Face of Evil, you know, you got to work on Catch twenty two, which is how we met through Josh. Josh, Yeah, and I wanted to ask, how did you go about getting this role? Did you sort of you know, have it again, have a connection through your network or is this something that you had to sort of audition for.
Yeah, my my agent he he gave me a call and he said that there was a mainstream uh role for you that you need to read for. And I think I was traveling at the time, and I think I I think it was during the time that I was quitting the industry. I you know, I wanted to retire in the adult industry. But this is He's like, this is a mainstream film, you know, would you be interested? And I said, of course. Uh. So during that time I casted for the role. He you know, it was
he he was in New York. So I had to read my part, uh and I had to you know, tape in on you know, video and send it to him to see if I, you know, fit the part. And I think I've read it a few times until Josh said, okay, you have the part for the role and I got the role. But during that time after that, after I got the role, I think it took a while for the film two or the production to start.
It took I think a few years. We had to build the film, you know, like build some funding and you know, I helped also promote the film funding through my you know, my social media, and you know, I was dedicated to it. I said, anytime you guys are ready, I you know, I'll be there and ready. H He sent me the script and I read the whole script. It was very interesting, so I you know, I I
wasn't really prepared until the product. Finally, the production was ready after I think it was after two years or something. And during I traveled quite some time during those two years, and I think the finally the year we shot the film, I was I was in between moving from a different country, and it was it was kind of bizarre because you know, I was going back to la and he said, the film is finally ready to shoot in May. And and
this time I was, I fell in love. I had, you know, my fiance, and I, oh, he was my boyfriend at the time, and you know, we were I was in the verge of moving either, you know, from Los Angeles to France, and I was going back and forth, flying back and forth from the States to France. And and then in May, finally, you know, we were ready. But I wasn't ready because you know, this role, this character, she is a troubled girl. You know, you know, it
had a lot of drugs involved and what else. Yeah, she's just like just torn up, I mean beat up. And also she dies, So you know, I thought it was going to be like, you know, a little quick little scene. But you know, they needed me for about I think like a week and a half. So every day, you know, like I kind of got nervous. I said, Okay, is there anything that you know, what do I need to do? How do I need to prepare? So Josh, you know, he asked, me, okay, do a little research.
Watch some films you know about heroin and and drugs and you know, and and some you know, like just thriller movies. And then I started thinking, like, oh my god, this is going to be you know, I have to play a totally different character, like another like scary, weird, you know, thriller film, and I have to I don't know. I just didn't know what I was gonna get myself into.
So I kind of got a little nervous. But but he, you know, he assured me that you know, it's okay, you know, don't worry, it's not really you know, it's not going to be too crazy. So when we shot the film in New York, I met the rest of the characters. Everybody was amazing, Josh, you know, everybody was.
They made me feel comfortable because I it was you know, like you know, there are were some parts where I had to get beat up by all of them, like there was you know, because the movie there were just different parts of they didn't know how I died, so you know, there were different scenes of me having to be you know, brutally abused or killed, and so, you know, I it just didn't make me feel I'm a very positive person, so I just didn't want to I don't know,
I've I wanted to feel a little comfortable with that. So I I, you know, I asked Josh, like or and the director, I mean, and the right Shannie. You know, is there something like you can you guys have like I don't know, donuts around because you know, like that makes me feel you know, it makes me feel like
kind of happy and good. You know, is it possible you can have some donuts around because you know, like that feeling of just like this girl you know, I don't know, she just it just didn't it didn't make me feel happy. So they had donuts for me ready until you know, after I got beat up, I had like, you know, here's your donuts. So I had a nice donor and I was back to you know, being happy again.
What kind of.
Uh well there he had. They got me a dunkin Donuts so that I had like a variety of like glazed chocolate and sprinkles. So I had a variety like a what is it? What is it? The bear claw? I had all of that. It was really good. So, yeah, it was It was interesting. It was very interesting this role. Uh you know, like shooting a you know, I've never i mean having a ringe. I mean it was a fake syringe. But he's like, okay, you got to do
it this way. This is you know, they have a they had like a little bag and you know it's like a it's a process, you know. And I had, you know, there was things that I had to do, you know, and I didn't know how to you know, it's crazy. I had to do all of these little things for you know, the scene. And I said, okay, you know you got to do this and you gotta do that. So it was very interesting to do. And then I had to die, you know, I I and I had to have makeup again, like like I was dead.
I had to have bruises on my face. I was you know, they painted my face kind of white, you know, because I was I was pretty much dead in the tub.
And it was funny because you know, there was there were there were a few instances where I had to, you know, use the restroom and I would scare myself again, Like I would go in the bathroom at night because you know, and then the bathroom was downstairs, and I would forget that I had makeup on my face, and I would just scare myself again, you know, looking in the mirror like, oh my god, I'm back at it again. You know.
Yeah, It's at least you didn't have to go outside there or go to Jewey duty for that one.
Oh yeah, yeah, exactly. Yeah. I know. It is funny because I had to be in makeup like that all day, not only just evening, I mean even during the day. So like at lunch too, Like We'll all have lunch together and I have my robe on and I have my death makeup, and I'm just like, hey, guys, you know, outside and we would eat outside and just people walking around like looking at like, who's this girl? My god?
But it was fun, just another day in New York City, right.
Exactly right, But it was really much fun. I had a great time.
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Yeah, you know, this is how I was speaking to Josh, you know, about how this whole movie sort of came together.
You know you mentioned that, you know about two years. Uh, you know, they they he was actually talking about that in his interview about how it came together, you know, finding the money, making sure the script is set, uh, you know, because that's that's always the big thing for for films, especially indie film, is finding that money to be able to make it, to to payper you know, not only to pay everyone you know about to pay your cast, but also pay your crew, locations, insurance and
you And it's just sort of it can it can you know go on for that for you know a while, even years? Uh, because it's just that's one of the tricky things now about about it's always been about indie film, is is being able to find enough money to make it and you know, sort of without making any sort of artistic compromises.
MM hmm.
Yeah. So it's you know, I'm glad you're you're you know, you're able to to be and I'm glad that you were able to make it. And I wanted to ask you, have you seen a final cut of the film yet?
Oh? Yes, yes, yes I have. We there there were there was a film festival in Miami last year. I attended that. It was our first film festival. H so, you know, I it was you know, I live here in France now, so it wasn't It wasn't a long flight. It was about a six hours, seven hour flight to Miami, so you know, I was able to attend, and it was it was not It was amazing to see it, you know on the screen. It was really cool. I
loved it. It was they've done it. You know. He did a really great job on the edits and he also got a lot of amazing, you know, good parts, you know, like my good sides, you know, my back and my hair. Everything he did he did really good. So I'm very happy about that.
And hopefully the audience responded to it, not like what they would have with in France with black Dynamite, So hopefully the audience that.
I hope so yeah, yeah, I hope. So. I think a lot of people can probably relate to this film. You know, it's it's it's it's a horror or it's a thriller film, you know, comedy, it's yeah, it's just particular because you know every country they have different humors, but this is a thriller, and I think a lot of uh, you know, everybody around the world can kind of relate to, you know, some parts of this film.
Yeah, and I as we can sort of talk about how everyone had Netflix and you know, any film, you know, there's universal themes are more important now than ever, and universal themes or you know, feelings of regret, revenge, all those things that that no matter where you come from, everybody can identify with in one way or another, or you know, whether they've happened to them or they know someone that this has happened to, you know, love, love, peace, war, revenge,
all those all those sort of universal themes.
Yes, yes, exactly.
So you know, Charmaine, you know again, I was talking to Josh about just the release of this film. You know, what, do you have any sort of future projects that you're working on right now, anything, anything that maybe you're in pre production for uh, maybe anything that you're writing yourself. Just is there anything that you're working on.
Well, right now, you know, I'm working on being you know, settling down here in France. My fiance and I are you know, planning to marry soon, so you know, like I have to do all the you know, all that stuff preparing for our family. But in the business side, you know, I'm not allowed to work here, so I'm only doing a lot of conventions in in the States. I have a convention that's coming up in June in Chicago, and there's another one in New Jersey, uh and later
in November. But that's pretty much basically what my schedule is this year is just focusing on my marriage, you know, and settling down here in France. That's kind of my first priority because I yeah, it's it's you know, moving from a different country. It takes some time, you know, and you know, if if there is another festival, which actually there is I'm sorry for the Face of Evil, there's a I think it's the New York Film International Film Festival. It's in April, so the film will be
premiering there in April. But I'm not going to be attending.
Okay, and I'll make sure to link that in the show notes about that premiere though.
Yes, yeah, yeah, it's in New York. But yeah, it's it. This is you know, this is a very critical time for me of just putting family first, you know, for the first time, because I've you know, all throughout my career, you know, it's always just been me, me, me, me, and you know, my career. And my fiance is very supportive any any festival or anything, you know, well, I'm I'm you know, he supports it, even any film. But I think for now, for this year, I think that's
kind of what my priorities are, you know. So after I think settling down and getting you know, being married, I will fight, you know, like try to pursue my acting career maybe here in Europe and find an agency you know, in the in London area because they speak English and hopefully I can uh finally you know, be fluent in French where I can start working here in France. So I yeah, that's basically what my kind of goals are right now. Yeah.
I was just gonna say, because you know, you know, you're in France and you know, the United Kingdom is isn't too far away. And uh, you know, obviously a lot of English uh, you know language films do come to New Europe Uh because usually Europeans. As I I've been to Europe several times that I've noticed they usually speak like their own language, you know, like Italian, but they also speak English or they speak French, they also speak English. Yes, you know, I know foreign language sort
of starts there very early. So so and I've also have a ton of friends from Australia and New Zealand who are actually moving to Britain, who are in the film industry and they're in the like marketing promotion side, because it's just it's much bigger than in Britain than it is in Australia and New Zealand.
You know, it's funny. I've noticed there's a lot of British actors that are moving into the Hollywood. I mean, I mean even on Netflix or even just film, a lot of actors like even you know, like Game of Thrones and Star Wars, they're all like British actors. It's crazy. So I know that there are some you know, even films. They shoot a lot of films in the London area. On the you know that side, so you know they're there, you know, there could be some opportunity for me there
since it's much closer. So that's pretty you know, I'm I'm gonna I'm looking into that this side, you know, on this side of the the world.
Yeah, it's there are a lot of British actors now in Hollywood.
Isn't it funny? Have you noticed, if you really think about it, they're all British. They just speak, they have just an English accent.
Yeah. I think I think it just Alba really started all that because he was on the Wire. Uh, and now he's doing now he's he has the best of both worlds because now he's here and in and in England.
I love. Yeah, he has a show on Netflix's Yes Luthor, I love I Love Luthor. He's so good in that show. It's really really, really good. Yeah. Isn't that crazy?
Yeah? Because the first time I ever saw him was in the Wire and he has that Baltimore accent. And then when I saw him, I forget what movie it was with that British accent. It might have been Rock and Roller, but he was he was I was like wow, I was like, he's you know, he's able to sort of do that, do both. And then then I was like, oh, so he goes you know, he's actually British, he's actually not American, Like, oh well, I didn't even know because
that he had that Baltimore accent down absolutely phenomenal. I mean, I mean, I have no friends from Baltimore, and he sounded like he could fit right in.
Yeah, isn't that interesting? Like it's crazy to hear a British person just completely change into an American accent or like even or Boston accent or you know, there's just
different accents. It's so weird because for me, I don't know if I can do that, you know, because you know, if I speak a little French, you know, to my my my in laws, but I have an American accent, you know, when I say something in French, it's it's it's like you can tell I'm American, you know, but like other people, you know, like when they're fluent, you cannot tell, you know, but you can tell I'm American.
Yeah, But Jarmaine, We've been talking for about I think thirty forty five minutes. I I've lost my time or it's not on the screen right now. But I wanted to ask, you know, is there anything maybe just in closing that you wanted to discuss or maybe any sort of final thoughts to put put a period at the end of this whole conversation.
Well, yeah, I just want to say that, you know, I still want to pursue, you know, doing film and and you know, my career is still not over. You know, like this is just you know, my my personal life. It's like it's I'm grateful for everything, and I still want to pursue every you know, my my dreams as an actress. And you know, I'm I'm I've finally retired into in the adult industry.
We'll be right back after a word from our sponsor, and now back to the show.
You know, this year I was honored uh an induction of the Hall of Fame, which was you know, that's nice of them to do, you know, like, oh, okay, I'm in the Hall of Fame. So that was nice and yeah, and thank you, you know, thank you for you know this this nice interview. And I hope Catch twenty two can be successful and you know, you know, catch everybody's eye on this film. It's a really great film. Every all the guys in the film, they're really great actors.
Even though I had a short film, it was just a great opportunity to just be in you know, that world of film.
So oh yeah, it's been a pleasure haveing you here, and you know, and I'm definitely gonna you know, link to everything that we talked about in the show notes again for everyone listening. So Shermain, where can you find you out online?
Well, you can find me on my social media. It's very easy. It's just at Charmine Star on my Twitter and my Instagram, and then I have a Facebook fan page Charmaine Star. And if you also want to read a lot of just hear say what says my blog Charmainstar dot com.
And that's it, Charmain Star. I want to say thank you so much for coming on the show.
Thank you Dave for having me.
I want to thank Dave so much for doing such a great job on this episode. If you want to get links to anything we spoke about in this episode, head over to the show notes at Bulletproof Screenwriting dot tv forward slash for fifty eight. Thank you so much for listening, guys.
As always, keep on writing, no matter what I'll talk to you soon.
Thanks for listening to the Bulletproof Screenwriting podcast at Bulletproof Screenwriting dot tv.