Actress Cody Renee Cameron joins us on Close-Up Culture to talk about her role in The 12 Slays Of Christmas, that scene in The Neon Demon, manifesting a motorcycle movie, and much more.
You are one of the lead stars of The Twelve Slays of Christmas. Can you tell us about the film and what excited you about it?
The 12 Slays of Christmas is a delightfully suspenseful campy indie flick about three girls who have car trouble (naturally) and find themselves spending the holiday evening with a strange character in his creepy manor. You get a lot of throwback characters in the Full Moon universe and a crazy twist at the end! It was super fun to work with a bunch of my friends on the flick.
What was your experience like playing the role of Britany?
Brittany is the fearless, sarcastic one of the group, so I got to roll my eyes a lot and improv some sassy lines at my two costars. In the script, I’m constantly stuffing my face and drinking to show how unconcerned I am about the creepy happenings, and I had so much fun going above and beyond with the humor there. On the 2nd day of filming, I gave myself a spit bucket because when you’re doing six takes for a scene, that means you’re eating 6x the amount of food! Haha
We often hear from actors who have a strange time filming Christmas romcoms in the summer. This is obviously a very different type of film tonally. What was the shoot like?
We filmed it around Halloween, and it was funny asking my nail salon ladies to put Santa stickers on my nails at the beginning of October! They thought I was crazy. It was super rainy in Ohio, where we filmed, but we were inside, and then we had a snow machine that the crew built, so it looked like it was snowing outside, which was absolutely magical and super impressive!
The Neon Demon was one of my favourite films of the 2010s. What are your memories of working on it and probably the film’s most standout scene?
Oh my gosh, it was my first big movie set, and my scene was filmed at the iconic Hollywood Forever cemetery! I rode my motorcycle to my trailer and kept my eye out for Keanu Reeve’s bike. I’m not gonna lie; I’ve never felt cooler! Haha. I was in hair and makeup for quite a while as they applied the autopsy scar and full body makeup to make me appear dead. We shot the scene in the morgue for hours, and each take was a little more gruesome.
All the spitting and licking wasn’t even in the script, but the vibe was just so sick and twisted everyone felt like it was the right direction to take, and I was stoked to be a part of it. It’s crazy to hold your breath and not react to anything happening. I kind of just go to a floaty place in my mind, like you’re frozen underwater. Jena Malone and Nicolas Refn and everyone were so fantastic to work with and so professional. It was an incredible first movie experience!
What are some of your earliest memories of performing, and what drew you to acting?
I remember being in showstoppers when I was like four years old. I have a really cute glam photo in costume and cheesing it up for the camera. It was like a little kid’s dance team. I don’t remember if I loved it then, but I do remember strongly disliking my hair being teased and all the makeup. That’s still true today, but I appreciate it for the art form, haha. I was always in choir and church plays, and I played trumpet in the marching band. Since I can remember, I’ve always loved being in front of a crowd and drawing people into the moment. I love the idea of the real world just melting away and just living in a glorious fantasy for the time being.
How do you like to spend your time away from the camera?
I’m currently cuddled up on the couch with my two dogs, Chopper and Cheetoh. I stay pretty active riding motorcycles and training, whether it’s stunt driving, supermoto at the track, acting class, or yoga in the park. I have a shoot in Palm Springs for a week coming up, so prepping for that right now, too. Life is never boring, that’s for sure!
What type of roles would you like to take on in the future?
I am currently manifesting a badass motorcycle movie with Keanu Reeves and Charlize Theron… so if either of you is reading this- hit me up! Haha. I’d also like to produce and direct something of my own this year, especially with the looming writer’s strike. I think a lot of people are going to be out of work and focusing on their passion projects. I definitely have some fun things in the works! And keep an eye out for me on this season of Mayans on FX!
You can follow me on all social media at @HeyItsCodeE 🙂
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