CRAWL is a new horror coming soon, and we have the world’s first ever interview with one of the stars, the gorgeous Torey Byrne!

So, tell me about CRAWL. What’s it all about?

CRAWL is an original Indie Horror/Thriller written by the amazing, Oklahoma Ward. It’s got this really cool underlying theme of claustrophobia, so I don’t recommend seeing it if you’re, to quote a character from the movie, “not good in tight spaces”. The set was so incredibly unique; we actually built and filmed in this labyrinth of tunnels. The largest of them was six feet tall and the smallest was thirteen inches in diameter (and completely dirt). There are videos of the set (and all the tunnels) on our website: www.crawlmovie.com. I don’t want to give too much away yet, as we are still in post and planning our next move, but in a way it’s a cross between Ridley Scott’s Alien and the Hitchcock movies, if that gives you an idea. Stand-by for an official synopsis though. That and special clips from the movie will be added to our website, along with character pictures and behind the scenes footage soon.

Tell me a bit more about your role. How would you describe your character?

Lord, where do I even begin? My character is a young girl named Package. You’ll have to see the movie to find out why she’s named that.

It was such a difficult role for me to play. She was already such a unique character, but her personality was completely different from mine as well. I tend to be very very confident and outspoken, but thanks to her background, Package is extremely internal and rarely speaks. That doesn’t mean she’s weak though. She’s an incredibly strong woman, and it was an honor to be able to bring her to life. I learned a lot from her, and I hope that other people will too. I also had to change myself physically for the role, which was new. My very blonde hair had to become very dark, and a few other transformations were made as well. It was exciting!

Did you have any input in your character, or the script at all?

I fell in love with the script within the first few pages, and I actually got emotional when I finished it. In my opinion his story needed no input. I’m not really one to try to change anything though either, especially with Oak (the director). From the beginning he had pushed that this had been more than a five-year long process. Actors come in at the end of the journey and bring the story to life, but an independent film is a director’s child in a way. Oak had pushed himself for years and has repeatedly thrown everything he’s got into this movie. Not just for himself, but for you all as well. He was so passionate about this movie, and these characters in specific, that we all pushed ourselves as well to do them justice.

That said, I think that every actor has input in their character-even if they stay completely true to the script. Hopefully, I played Package exactly the way Oak wanted me to, but I still played her in my own way. The way I play a character is going to be completely different from the way another actor plays that same character, even if the lines are the same.

What were the greatest challenges on set?

THE TUNNELS. Good lord, the tunnels! It was a great experience, and the footage looks absolutely amazing, but being in a dirt tunnel that’s eighteen inches in diameter for an eight hour shoot was incredibly difficult. It was extremely challenging; not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. Not only were we just trying to move and breathe in those tight spaces, but we had to do scenes and act all the while as well. We were covered in dirt every night. It took me five days after we wrapped to get completely clean. Do you know how gross that is? It’s going to look fantastic though.

We had to hand build a lot of the set pieces, which was also difficult. I remember staying close to twelve hours or so helping to make those dirt tunnels look perfect. I guess you’ll have to let me know how we did when you see CRAWL.

Like I said earlier, there’s a video of one of the dirt tunnels we shot in on our website.  all the other set videos are there as well on the side.

What appealed to you about being in CRAWL?

Initially I didn’t know much about the project. I had gone to a meeting Oak and Nicole (Alonso, VERY talented actress) were speaking at, and auditioned for them that following week. At the meeting they talked about CRAWL a bit, but they didn’t give too much away. It wasn’t necessarily the movie I was interested in then (because I didn’t know much about it), it was the chance to work with these people who were so incredibly passionate about what they were doing. I love acting. It’s what I want to do for the rest of my life. Working with Oak and Nikki was absolutely amazing because you could tell this is what they wanted to do as well. No one ever complained during the twelve hour shoots in dirt tunnels because we all loved what we were doing; we pushed ourselves to make the best film possible. Afterwards, when I got the script and talked things over with Oak, I knew that this was probably going to be the best role/project of my life and of my career.

The film is so incredibly unique in every way. The characters are interesting, the story is wonderful, the way it was lit was brilliant, and the set is unlike anything you will have ever seen before. We are all excited to share it with you.

What were you doing before this film?

This was actually my first feature. I’m a student at the moment, studying acting in Oklahoma. I had just graduated before I shot this, and was on summer vacation getting ready for college. This is experience easily made this the best summer of my life!

Do you feel the film has an underlying message?

I think this movie absolutely has an underlying message, or at least it did to me. However, I would give a lot away if I were to go in depth about that. You’ll have to let me know what you think after you see the film.

What are you hoping for when it’s out?

I haven’t really given much thought to that. I’ve spent all of my time pushing myself to be the best I can be in this film, so I was just focusing on the shoot until we wrapped. Now that it’s in post I suppose I can focus on that now. Oak has been wonderful about planning the road for this film, though, so I’m very excited for everything to come.

Any films you have seen that have left a lasting impression on you?

Are we talking recently, or just in my lifetime? I see a lot of films. Actually, I probably see close to every film that comes out in theaters, and then independent films that aren’t theatrically released on the side. I’m also the kind of person that usually loves something about each movie I see, and I love talking about them, so If you saw something you want to chat about hit me up on twitter! @ToreyByrne 

Anything you want to get off your chest right now?

Support Independent films, and follow your dreams. If there’s one thing on this Earth that you want to do, do it! Oh, and of course-add me on twitter for updates, sign up for special access to our website (www.crawlmovie.com), check out our facebook, and see CRAWL sometime next year!