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Movie Interviews > Tara Cardinal
 At what age did you decide you wanted to pursue a career in acting? I never decided. I've always acted. The career part of it took me completely by suprise. How did you go about pursuing your dream? I started in school, trying out for the all the plays. Then I started working the Renaissance Festival. I got into film by accident, and totally fell in love with it. Now I'm working all the time. I'm also producing and writing. I've got 4 projects coming up between now and December, and then a feature I'm producing with Matt Dean.
What would you consider some the highlights of your career thus far? Getting recognized in the horror and romance genres. It sounds like a strange combination doesn't it? I recently did a photoshoot for a publisher. Now I'm on the cover of a novel. At the same time I was voted Scream Queen of the month on screamqueen.com. In terms of work, learning Italian and German for my performance in Genius, and having my horror film Delivery picked up by Warner Brothers. I understand you have also done some voice over work and theater. Can you tell us a little more about that? I hate my voice over work. I voiced over the trailer for The Rescuers, as well as a teaser for a book trailer. Then I voiced over the trailer for The Red Reaper. I've learned I can't stand my voice over work. So, no more of that for me. I'm sticking to the acting! As for theatre, I did my last performance about 2 years ago. I played Alison in US Drag. It was spectacular fun. My closing night we had a very talkative audiance. One patron in particular kept commenting on my performance. It was all complimentary. My character was cutsy and girly. The kids in the audiance let me know any time I did something "cute". I loved it. I would stop and let them talk - I pretended they were my thoughts. Does that sound silly? I'd love to do theatre again in the future. Fortunately I've been so busy with film and travel I haven't had the time to commit to a theatre performace. I just moved over to the west coast of Florida, and there is a lot of the theatre over here. Your talents are not just limited to acting I understand you were a precision driver on the Miami Vice movie. What was that like? Fun fun fun! I got to drive my own car, my little red miata. We were in a line of 15 cars, and I was number 15. Trying to keep up (we're supposed to go from zero to 40 in like 2 seconds) was almost impossible. The car in front of me had no pick up, but once it got going it was gone. Keeping the pace was really hard. The last position is the hardest in terms of keeping the correct distance. Me being the girly girl that I am, to keep the distance accurate, I used lip gloss to draw a circle on my windsheild around the car ahead of me, so when we were driving, I always made sure the car stayed in the circle. That's my secret. I've never told anyone that before. What is the latest film you are working on? I'm in negotiates for several. I'm working on a short film called "Driven" featuring Extreme Stunts (who are FANTASTIC for all stunt needs) and Bobby Ore. I wrote it, and am coproducing with Gail Bowen (she's also my stunt double), and staring in it. I was hired by Landon House productions Kevin Dolan to star in two of his films. When I got there he cancelled the shoot and sent everyone home. It was a total mess. I was stranded up in Maryland, it was horrible. It's safe to say I won't be working for him anymore.
I play Red, so named for the color of the character's hair. Red has a secret. The story is told through the eyes of the male lead, the love interest which has not been cast yet. Who would you consider some of your mentors in the industry? In no particular order - for acting, Meryl Streep, Angelina Jolie, and Sarah Michelle Gellar. For his ability to tell an intelligent horror story - Courtney Soloman, who, though he doesn't know it yet, will produce a film with me one day. And Peter Jackson, for his amazing work in Lord of the Rings, and because he emailed me on myspace last week.
"I started working the Renaissance Festival. I got into film by accident, and totally fell in love with it."
To date what was your craziest audition?
Oh, just one? Ok. It was a feature film. They asked me to read for every female part in the whole script, and with everyone who showed up, and then with the director. The director afterwards wanted to go out with me, because he liked the way I read. Or something like that. The whole process took 3 hours. It turns out they didn't have the funding for the film, so it never got made.
My audition for Bibi was pretty crazy. I'd been seeing audition notices for months - but it was all the way up in Orlando. At the time I had a day job, and I'd been working nonstop on films. I got sent another notice from Phi Long (extreme stunts). So, I sent them an email saying I would be in town for 1 night (I was going to a stunt workshop the next day and then driving back) and they could come to my hotel and read me if they liked the look. That night, Jose and Ralph waited until midnight for me to get in (I'm so suprised they waited). It was a cold read. I only got to read over the sides once. I suggested that I would read with the director first so the producer could watch, and then read with the producer. I read it one time with Jose, the director, and they cast me right then and there. Two weeks later I met Matt for a rehearsal, and we starting shooting within the month. What would be your "dream film" to work on? Or has it already happened? I think The Red Reaper, if I get to fly, should encompass my dream film. Anything where I get to fight, be tough, and do good things makes me happy. 
Famous for her long thick red hair and expressive blue
eyes, Tara Cardinal grew up traveling the continent
with her parents (a psychic and musician). When she
was 16 she left home to pursue her life long dream of
acting. A born actress, Tara has over 50 theatre and
film credits. Tara is also an avid humanitarian. When
she was just 12 years old she co-founded an anti child
abuse organization, and continues her efforts to raise
awareness about child abuse. Tara is Co-producing
"Haunted", a feature length film based on a true story
about a woman haunted by the ghost of the person who
sexually abused her.
Tara's film credits include the title role in Genius, leading role in Delivery, Dangerous Games, The Black Book, Fatal Desires, Death Knocks, I am Gary Cooper, and many more. She’s performed several plays, some written herself. She was president of the theatre club in college (where she studied psychology, not theatre). Tara is looking forward to several projects on the horizon. She is in negotiations with film companies in Canada, Bollywood, and Hollywood. For more information on Tara stop by her website any time www.taracardinalactress.com.  © 2006-2008 FlickDirect, Inc. All Rights Reserved. FlickDirect™ and Flick It!™ are trademarks of FlickDirect, Inc. No part of this website may be reproduced without permission. Photos & certain artwork used on FlickDirect™ are the property of their respective owners. Studio logos & other trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners. User-posted content, unless source quoted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Public Domain License. |
What were some of your early acting roles? Agnes (Agnes of God), Wendy (Peter Pan), Charlotte (Seven Stories)
Can you tell us more about Legend of the Red Reaper?
It's based on a character I created back when I was working Renaissance Festivals. It's been through several incarnations, including a fan film. The lastest version of the character takes place in a Lord of the Rings style world where demons run roughshod over humans with only a people called "The Reapers" to protect. The Reapers live in families in woods that border the towns. One night, while Red is out patroling, her whole family is slaughted. Red goes on a rampage that devastates the country side. And then she finds out the truth.
