MONROE CLINE TALKS MALUM

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

As a remake of director Anthony DiBlasi’s earlier 2014 film ‘Last Shift’, ‘Malum’ takes the plot and changes it, becoming a very different film from the first. Had you seen the original beforehand?

Great question! I had actually already seen the original 'Last Shift' in the past and remember how truly terrifying it was. I’m a huge fan of Anthony’s work! I definitely re-watched it in my hotel room though when we were filming 'Malum', to get re-inspired. Didn’t sleep much that night!

You originally read for another role in the film?

Yes! I originally read for the role of Kitty. Morgan Lennon did an amazing job with the character, she is so playful and she is such a wonderful actress.

I am glad you ended up where you did because you deliver Betty Campbell and the many masks she wears to perfection. She does not go in the usual expected direction of the girl next door?

I see Betty Campbell as strong but, unfortunately, she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. To the cult she is a symbol of sacrifice. To society she becomes a symbol of great loss and a warning of the dangers at play.

Your dancing background must've come quite in handy, as you stretched into such a physical role as this one?

My dance background definitely helped with this role, there was lots of crawling around in the police station, and being “leg-less” at that! But overall the physical demands were a fun challenge. Nothing I couldn’t handle!

Training in theatre and dance from an early age you in some ways followed in the past footsteps of your mom?

My mom was a professional cheerleader and a former actress. She put me as well as all my sisters in dance at an early age. And I am so grateful for that! She is still my biggest cheerleader.

As you came out to LA I believe your first ever job was with Eminem. I would not see that as luck. In creativity strong points often find their way to one another, which is also why you’ve never stopped collaborating with some of the most respected talents around, from Olivia Wilde to Dua Lipa, and more. Do you think that you, in some ways, got your conscientiousness from dancing?

Excellent research! Yes, I definitely think that the discipline and the consistency I found through dancing shaped me with the work ethic I have today. My dance coach told us to “never settle” and I live by that mentality. Your only limit is yourself!

Born on Friday the 13th this venture into horror almost seems preordained, but you don't seem like an actress who would be happily confined within the one genre?

Correct, I was born on Friday the 13th and it was a blood moon so there's definitely something spooky going on inside and my involvement in horror reflects this. However I don’t discriminate with genres and have worked on a variety. For me, what matters more is the people involved, the story, and the characters. How does it make me feel. If I wouldn’t want to start on a project tomorrow then the answer would be no. I’m currently on a project with one of my childhood heroes. Not sure how much I can say yet, but it is definitely something to look out for. And it's in a new genre, keep your eyes peeled!