“Well, this was kind of an actor’s dream,” starts Canadian actress Karen Cliche, discussing this new chapter in her career, as she gets ready to join Patrick Dempsey, Addison Rae, Milo Manheim, and Rick Hoffman in Eli Roth’s latest thriller film, Thanksgiving. Based on the mock-trailer from Quentin Tarantino’s Grindhouse, this film follows a mysterious Thanksgiving-inspired killer terrorising Plymouth, Massachusetts, the birthplace of the infamous holiday.
It’s not the first time, however, that Cliche ventures with the genre, as she also played in 2009’s horror film SAW VI, directed by Kevin Greutert. Here, we connect with Cliche to get an in-depth look into her character, Kathleen, what drew her to playing this role and what’s next in her career ladder.
Read the full interview…
Hi Karen! Can you talk us through your artistic upbringing and how you first got into acting?
I am an “army brat” so I moved around every 2-3 years to different cities and countries so I think that helped prepare me for performing in a sense. Always being the new kid, having to pretend you aren’t nervous when you are, being social and adapting to new people and cultures all the time. It was always my dream to be an actress. I used to carve my name into park benches in elementary school because I felt one day it might mean something. When I played Barbies, it was always super deep and dramatic and I practiced crying and all the genres through those dolls LOL! All through high school I was in drama class and put on variety shows and plays and won the highest achievement in drama award at graduation. When I was studying Psychology in University, I was also modelling on the side and was asked by that agency to start auditioning for film and TV roles, and I was lucky to book some roles right away, and never looked back.
Who were some of your earliest influences in the industry?
Watching sitcoms in the 80’s shaped my humour like The Golden Girls. I still say Bea Arthur is one of my major comedic influences. I love comedy so much.
What drew you to this role in Thanksgiving?
Well this was kind of an actor’s dream – I got the audition, sent in a tape, and booked it!
Can you tell us about your preparation process for playing this role?
I was used to playing this type of character, as I often get cast as the bitchy woman haha, but I wanted to make sure Kathleen wasn’t just that. I wanted her to be a little bit oblivious and shallow, but still show that she did in fact love her fiancé (Rick Hoffman) and also loved the lifestyle and status that comes with it. The tension and competition between her and her step daughter (Nell Verlaque) was obvious and that was fun to play – to make the audience wonder if she really had bad intentions, or was just forcing her way into the family dynamic quickly. I also wanted her to have a human side so that when she does suffer the fate that she does… the audience has some empathy for her and can relate.
Having been part of other film series with SAW VI, how does your experience in Thanksgiving differ from your previous work in the horror genre?
Apart from my role in Thanksgiving being a bit bigger than in Saw VI, this was a real collaboration with Eli – the final scenes for me were so intense to shoot and he was so supportive throughout. I really wanted to honour his vision and make him proud!
What intrigued you the most about the film’s storyline, and what can audiences expect from this film?
I liked that it had all the elements of a good movie, not just gratuitous gore. It had mystery, humour, camp, fear, jump scares, and yes of course, gore. I had friends who usually hate horror go see this and actually enjoyed it! I thought this would be more of a niche film for horror fans, but it has surpassed that and we are so happy.
How did you approach the suspenseful and scary scenes, and were there any specific challenges you faced while filming those moments?
I really wanted to give it my all, and feel the terror of what was actually happening to me. I screamed so much I lost my voice at the end of the day! I was also tied up, banging on walls, and lying on a metal grate for hours so I was pretty bruised up. I don’t mind at all, I get a strange pleasure from being dirty and physical. Wait, that could be taken the wrong way haha!
How do you reflect on 2023? And what are you most looking forward to in 2024?
2023 was a very intense year for me. I separated from my husband of 18 years, and rebuilt myself and my career after being primarily a mom to my amazing daughter for 13 years. I had a vision for my new life and took all the risky steps to get to where I want to be eventually, and I am happy to say, it is working. I feel happy and more myself than I have been in years and look forward to 2024!
As an actress, how do you see your craft evolving or expanding in the future? Are there any roles you dream of playing?
I would love to take on some intense dramatic roles now. I was never a good cryer or comfortable being emotionally vulnerable in my 20’s. Motherhood broke me open and also being older, with more life experience and confidence, I can say I am fearless in my acting now. I also want to do another action role. I want to challenge my body now that I am in my 40’s, and really push myself physically. Also, it’s just so cool to play the tough girl haha!
Are there any new projects on the horizon that you’d like to share with us?
I just did a comedy called RACEWALKERS this fall, hilarious script with lots of improv which I love. I hope to be at several horror conventions next year and meet fans, which I also love so much.