Hong Kong actress-singer Josie Ho talks about her role in zombie film 'Open Grave', limitations and items needed to survive a zombie apocalypse.
[About Open Grave]
A man wakes up in
a pit of dead bodies with no memory of who he is or how he got there.
Now he must determine if the killer is among the strangers who rescued
him, or if he could be the killer himself.
InCinemas: Can you share with us how you got your role of ‘Brown Eyes’ in Open Grave ?
Josie: My manager in the States Andrew Ooi linked me up with the director indeed. And the director and his daughter like my acting after watching “Exiled”. So he decided to look for me and give me the role.
InCinemas: Describe your first day on set.
Josie: It was a very fun day and it’s like a party. I just met other actors, actresses, director, and other crew members at the hotel, and we became friends instantly. And before the first day, we had a party already, with all the food and drinks. Really a lot of food and drinks. Also, fortunately, I got my own trailer. Having a very clean toilet is very important to us. And I’m very grateful for this because most of the toilets on set are very dirty and very terrible.
InCinemas: In the film, you play a mute girl who does not understand English. How did you prepare for the role and was it more difficult than your previous roles?
Josie: It is challenging in a way that I couldn’t speak and had no dialogue at all. However, playing a mute girl allowed me to get back to the basic of acting, using your body language and your facial expression, which shouldn’t be challenging in this way.
InCinemas: This is the period where there will be a flood of horror/thriller films for fans to catch. How is 'Open Grave' different that sets it apart from the rest?
Josie: To me, the most interesting element of Open Grave is about the plot, where the characters have no memories at all. Having lost all our memories would just make us go back to our own basic instincts.
InCinemas: List five items that will be included in your ‘survival kit’ to survive a zombie apocalypse.
Josie: Hmmm… I can only think of four. Water, a very big scarf, a jacket, and tissue paper.
InCinemas: Is there a specific role that you would like to try in the future?
Josie: So far… no. I want to stop acting for a while first and focus on singing and my personal time first. Acting is very exhausting… It just drains all your energy.
But there are some roles that I won’t try. If it involves nudity, I’ll never do it. It’s just not comfortable and it’s too bold for me. You’ve got to have a really really good body and have to be comfortable with yourself being naked in front of the camera. I’ll just leave it to younger actresses.
InCinemas: We will be seeing you in Eric Khoo’s ‘IN THE ROOM’ in the months to come. Could you perhaps reveal more about your role, and what made you accept to be a part of the production?
Josie: I’m so excited about the movie. In the movie, I’m a mama-san. When I looked at the script, I just think that it looks fun. So I told myself: I must do it!
Open Grave (開棺) premieres first & exclusively on Friday, 19 September, at 11PM on Thrill (StarHub Cable TV Channel 618 and SingTel mioTV Channel 415)!