GIGI GUSTIN TALKS NIGHT OF THE MISSING

Interviewed by Culture Coast Talks editor Daniel John. Interview transcripts might have been edited for length and clarity.

O holy night, set on Christmas Eve, 'Night of the Missing' is a four part anthology film where a small town sheriff gets a visit from a distraught woman who has some nightmarish stories to share about the missing people in town. Your segment 'Nite Flirt' actually started as an idea that you approached the director with?

Yes. At the time, I was doing a lot of TV films, feeling creatively starved. I just had the itch to do something different. I approached Sam and asked him to write a showcase piece for me that we could ride the festival circuit with, and alas, about a month later, 'Nite Flirt' was born! It was actually different then the original concept I came to Sam with, but I was in love with the idea right away, and we continued to develop it together, then brought it to life.

Different how?

I came to Sam asking for something that could be shot in one day, in one location, with minimal cast, all for the sake of budget restraints, and had the idea of the film mainly taking place in a bathroom stall. That's all I'll give away should we still end up shooting that idea at some point, but he came back to me with the phone sex operator idea. His idea originally was that the killer was in the house, and that's where I really came in creatively. From there, it developed into something much more paranormal and isolating, and I knew Bill Moseley was the one to call for the voice on the other side of the phone right away.

And you always saw the Tammy character as this showcase piece for yourself?

Nowadays, you have to cast yourself. I am not one to sit around waiting for the phone to ring. That also means investing in yourself. I came to Sam and said "I have this much money, what can we do for that?" Luckily, my little investment has paid off!

What was it about the twenty three-year old, super-bored Tammy Wright, taking a job as a phone-sex operator just to pass time, that made her a great role?

I was actually made fun of in highschool for my voice. People would say it was fake? I don't know. Kids can be mean. And so I loved the idea of my voice being such a large part of this, and the fact that Tammy is so clunky, and not great at it at first, was just so funny, and honestly, sooooo me! (laughs) I found her to be goofy, but charming, and I was thrilled to bring her to life.

You and Bill Moseley have such a fantastic back and forth, but what did that actually look like though as you spend your time together on the phone, were you ever actually on set with him?

Fantastic question. Bill was not on set at all. I hadn't asked him to be involved yet, although I knew I wanted to. The actor who was supposed to come in and read Bill's side of the call never showed, so Sam had to read the lines with me off camera while simultaneously directing as well. When it came time for Bill to record his side of the call, we obviously just removed Sam's audio, and Bill would respond to me. I was worried that I might have clipped Bill's wings creatively considering he had to respond to me all according to my timing, being it was already shot and edited, but he crushed it. I am so happy with what he did. Such a pro!

From the old antenna-phone, the ‘Poltergeist’-esque surrealism, and the ‘Risky Business’ underwear dancing ‘Nite Flirt’ both spiritually and aesthetically feels a few decades old?

Oh definitely. 'Nite Flirt' was definitely inspired by movies like 'Scream' and 'Poltergeist'. I liked the concept because I felt that it was very original, but clearly inspired by such masterpieces. Sam knows the horror genre so well. The eighties is hands down one of my favorite eras for not just horror cinema, but all cinema, and fashion! However, some of my favorite horror films were born in the nineties. 'Scream', 'IT', 'The Silence of the Lambs'.

You have acted across all genres but you certainly also has created a name for yourself in horror?

Yeah, I have! I think I am just obsessed with finding out what's behind the curtain. What's under the bed? You know how the second someone tells you not to look, you want to look? That's horror cinema for me. It's also this sense of controlled chaos, a sense of danger, but from the safety of your home, or couch. It's all so thrilling to me to watch, and even more thrilling to create.

Only five years old you were also in Chuck E. Cheese–commercials, while also acting and singing on the theatre stage. Have you been an actress all your life?

I grew up on stage. It's always been a part of me. My brother and I were doing a lot and on the up, when my parents got divorced, and they just didn't have the bandwidth any more to invest all their time in us and our acting careers. We were living in New Jersey at the time so my mom would drive my brother and I all the way to New York multiple times a week for auditions and bookings, and we were homeschooled. I found other creative outlets until I turned eighteen and started self submitting to talent agencies again looking to find my way back in.

Would you like to play Tammy Wright again?

Absolutely. The feature script for 'Nite Flirt' does exist.