Exclusive Interview: Trudi Ranik (Cherry from My Cherry Pie)

How did you get attached to this film?
I had worked with the team remotely on Good Girl Lola – my character is on face
time – I got involved with that project through some mutual friends we shared.
Then I saw a callout for My Cherry Pie and just dropped them a line not thinking
there’d be anything for me. Jasmine and Addison got back to me saying that they
were actually thinking of me for the title role, which was very cool.

Tell us a little bit about your character.
Cherry is passionate, reserved at times, creative, shy, and loves her family. But
there’s also more than meets the eye.

How was working with the directors?
I love working with Jasmine and Addison. They have such a passion and
knowledge for horror. They are open to ideas from actors, have trust and faith in
your ability to bring yourself to the role. They bring a bunch of awesome people
on board and it’s a real team feeling. They have a strong vision for what they
want to achieve with the process and strong meaning behind their writing and
choices, which, as an actor is a blessing.

My Cherry Pie on Blu-Ray

What was your favorite scene?
Probably the dance scene, I was so thrilled to get to bring one of Jasmine’s dream
scenes to life! I just loved playing around with the music and movement. It was
very cool to explore the character through dance. Everyone kept asking me if I
was nervous about that scene which was funny as this was the one I actually felt
most comfortable with.

What was the most difficult aspect to making this film?
Being scared of the location…..Haha! But seriously, it really felt haunted there and
it was my characters house so I couldn’t be scared. Whenever I got left anywhere
by myself I was very uncomfortable and they had to send someone to wait with
me when we were resetting actions. They are all horror buffs and were loving it
meanwhile I was freaking out.

What makes this film stand out?
The Australiana, the characters, the boldness of the script – there really are no
holds barred. And some other stuff you have to watch to see….

Do you have any favourite horror films?
Honestly I get scared by horror and haven’t watched a bunch… I had to force
myself to in preparation for this. But I do love Suspiria, both the remake and the
original. Anything witchy, as long as it’s not TOO scary.

What made you want to get into acting?
I think it was something I’d skirted around for a while but I remember watching
The Perks of Being Wallflower at a cinema in London and that was the moment I
committed mentally to going to acting school and giving it a shot. I think costume
partly led me there I always loved dressing up and getting to play in different
worlds. I’d done modeling and background work and I just loved being on set.
But I craved more embodiment of character than those avenues allowed me.

Who inspires your creativity?
So many people! I’m a huge Wes Anderson fan. But mainly it’s musicians actually.
Dolly Parton, Carole King, Solange, Kate Bush, Nancy Sinatra, Stevie Nicks, Joni
Mitchell, and the photographer Deborah Turbeville. As well as random people I
see in the wild.

What’s next for you?
I’m rehearsing for the play Cowboy Mouth that will be staged in October in
Vancouver, Canada. I’m having an absolute ball diving into this text and working
on the character. I’m super psyched that theatre is back baby!!