New Face Friday: Marlane Barnes talks 'Breaking Dawn - Part 2'

The latest "New Face Friday" interview was held over at Twilight Facebook, and focused on Marlene Barnes, who portrays Maggie in the Irish Coven!
Check out the interview below!

 

Q: Your character Maggie knows when people are telling lies. Are you good at telling when people are lying to you in real-life?
Marlane: I like to think I'm a pretty good judge of character now. I feel like that's one of the things that acting has done for me is you get to see when people are acting.

Q: Did Stephenie Meyer talk with you at all about your character?
Marlane: You know, I actually didn't talk much with Stephenie about my character on set, I know that Lisa [Howard] did, but yeah I didn't really get a chance to do that. I was interested that when I read the - cause you know she put out that comprehensive fan book - and I was interested to see that a lot of the choices I had made for Maggie were pretty similar to what she already had in mind, so I feel like we just kind of both knew... that we were on the same page.

Q: So did you fan-girl on her a little bit?
Marlane: You know, I actually had not read the books before I was cast. I read them once I was going to take the part in the film, so for me ... Yeah, I don't know, I guess I was a little afraid of her. She's like this reigning queen of this huge world, and she's very busy and was on set a lot doing very important things, so I just kind of had my brush-ins when I did and tried not to interfere the rest of the time. But yeah she's really lovely and very sweet to everybody and very involved in the film, I think probably just as much as anybody else.

Q: What was it like to see yourself in your full costume and makeup and the vampire eyes for the first time?
Marlane: It's pretty amazing, actually. You know, cause the costume designer Michael [Wilkinson] was really open with us about like 'Oh, do you like this? Do you like that?' and I remember just kind of being like, 'Oh yes, yes, yes, all of that.' It wasn't until later that I was like why did I agree to these high-heeled boots? You know, everything came together in this way that really I feel like gave the Irish Coven a sense of time and place, and you know the eyes do a lot of the work for you. You put those red vampire eyes in and you don't even really have to do any acting because you just are cool. I think that was pretty awesome.

Q: What was your favorite day on set?
Marlane: My favorite day on the set was probably the day we put together the flash mob for Bill Condon. That was the same day that we were doing the press kit, and getting together to try and do our posters, so we were doing the photography for those. And we were also shooting, and then also Lee Pace and Mia Maestro came up with this idea to do this flash mob, and Toni Trucks got on board, and she kind of dance-captained the whole thing, and everybody, actually met at lunch which is like 6:00 on set time, and we got together and learned this dance and it was kind of a last day of summer camp kind of feel to it... I mean, I know a lot of people compare making  the Twilight movies to camp, but I think there's a lot of truth to that, and everybody did it and no one was too cool for school and we got out there and they had the Assistant Director and the DP [Director of Production] and the sound guy all in on this joke, and the only person who didn't know was Bill, and I think some of the crew knew kind of something was going on, and the Volturi kind of knew something was going on. So getting out on the field and just kind of busting into this dance was a really amazing experience. I don't think it's something you can ever recreate.

Q: Any talk of this dance-off or flash mob making it onto the DVD?
Marlane: You know, we did have a guy on set who was doing behind-the-scenes footage, and I know that he was forewarned about it and got some footage of it, but I also know that because we did it to 'Sweet Dreams Are Made of These' and you know they don't have the rights to that song, so there's a lot of confusion as to whether or not they could actually put it on the DvD... So, I'm excited myself to see if it shows up there because it was a really fun thing to do.

Q: Can you share with us who was the best dancer?
Marlane: Oh goodness... I mean, Guri [Weinberg] and Noel [Fisher] are probably the funniest men I know. Together, they are the quite dynamic duo, and I seem to remember their involvement being pretty comical. So, I'm going to go ahead and vote or Team Romanians on that.

Q: Speaking of other castmates, were you surprised when you saw anybody else's costume?
Marlane: I was really surprised at how beautiful the Denalis' were, frankly. I don't think I had thought very much about what an Alaskan coven would look like, and all the fur and the leather, I just thought they looked really beautiful and it all looked great together. So, I'm going to vote for them, especially Casey [LaBow]'s outfit. I don't wear fur myself, but I thought it really looked good, you know? It really looked authentic.

Q: What did it feel like coming into an established franchise? You know, did you feel like the new kid?
What was it like joining the cast?
Marlane: Right, well, because there were so many of us that were new, and because the production crew really took us by the hand and we never had to worry like where we had to be and that kind of thing, and just the sheer number of us that walked in together... I don't know, it wasn't as awkward as it seems like it should've been. Because there was so many of us, it was not like being the new kid in school because you know there were twenty-five new kids and we outnumbered the school. So, you know, it was new for everybody and I think that made it easier, but I feel like the cast that were already there were really welcoming and you know excited to have new people on-board, so yeah it was a good experience, really.

Q: Can you talk a little bit about how long you had to keep it a secret that you were cast and when you could finally tell, who was the first person you told that you got cast in a Twilight movie?
Marlane: Oh, sure, well they did not tell me that I had to keep it a secret, so I told my mom right away and most of my family and close friends, but then it kind of came down that 'Oh, you know, if you put anything online,' and I have a pretty private Facebook account anyway, so I feel like it was only close friends that knew about it for quite a few months, 'cause I got cast in September [2010], and I don't think they came out with the cast list until maybe October of that year, and they were kind of releasing certain names here and there and it kind of took a while for my coven to come out. So, this whole process has been like... You know, you have to keep like little things to yourself to keep it fun for everyone and exciting, so that's definitely part of it.

Q: Any Twi-hards in that list of friends who were especially excited?
Marlane: Yeah! You know, one of my very closest friends from school was really into Twilight while we were in school. She used to watch it all the time. She and her roommate would just sit and watch it all day together... I don't know how... they would just get all the movies that have come out so far and watch them over and over again, so she was pretty excited about that and pretty shocked I think. And it was surreal for me because I remembered her watching them, but I was never over there when she did it, so it was 'Oh yeah, I remember you were really big into that.' Yeah, so that was neat. And I have some cousins that are in high school, so that was pretty exciting for them as well.

Q: I was wondering, you play an Irish character, how do you prepare for that?
Marlane: Well, I actually got an MF [Master of Fine Arts] in acting and a lot of my training was in voice and dialect. So, I actually had already had an Irish dialect before I was cast, so I didn't have to worry about that, and then the rest of the work was just about brushing up on my Irish history and choosing my time period for Maggie and deciding for myself how she and Siobhan and Liam had come together, and that was the thing that I was most surprised about with what Stephenie Meyer put out in that companion book, that Siobhan and Liam had been together first and then they added me into it, and that first she and Liam didn't get along very well but then they all do, and I sort of thought like 'Oh, that's exactly how I think of it,' so I was pretty impressed that... I feel like her - and I've said this to someone else - I feel like the way that Stephenie writes, even if she doesn't specifically say all of the details she has in her head about these characters, I think it comes out in the writing anyway. Just the way that she envisions them and how they interact with one another. I feel like it's all there, you know?

Q: What was it like working with Patrick [Brennan] and Lisa on set?
Marlane: Oh, it was great working with Patrick and Lisa. Lisa is so much fun. She's a Broadway musical theater actress, so she's very jolly and we joked around a lot and sang a lot of songs, and Patrick is really just the perfect example of a gentleman giant. He's tall, he's sweet, and he's softspoken. You know, he's very heartfelt, so I couldn't have asked for a better couple of people to spend all that time with.

Patrick Brennan (Liam from the Irish Coven) on Breaking Dawn - Part 2.

Patrick Brennan as "Liam" in Breaking Dawn Part 2

Letters to Twilight got to interview Patrick Brennan, the actor who plays 'Liam' from the Irish Coven in Breaking dawn Part 2.

Check out his interview below!

You’re one of the new vampires who has gotten a chance to interact with the fans at some Twilight conventions. Can you talk a little bit about what your experience has been with the Twilight fans so far?

Sure yeah. It’s been absolutely amazing. When I got involved in Twilight I knew it was a big deal, but I didn’t realize how big of a deal it was. And then you get to these conventions & you see these people who have formed a community, and they all support one another and are there for one another. And the way they support us– it’s almost a little— it’s a little crazy at first. But the way they support you and show you so much love it’s a great thing. I’m always humbled by it, and not to be corny or anything but I’m really touched by it.

When you found out you were going to work on this movie, who were you most excited to work with?

You know I have a scene with all the guys- Robert Pattinson – the 3 of those guys- and Kristen- I found them to be so… I was looking forward to meeting those three – I found them to be so welcoming and down to earth and normal. I don’t know what I was expecting but I wasn’t expecting that. I found them all to be really really great people. And funny and weird and cool. And when I did my scene with Jacob I was stumbling over lines and thought “wow—it’s too odd. I’m sitting across from these Twilight stars.” It took me awhile to get in my body & get in the scenes. I was nervous. And Michael Sheen- I’ve always admired him as an actor. And I didn’t get to do much with him, but I got to know him a little bit on set. I’ve always admired his work as an actor.

Your character is steeped in the history of Ireland and I was wondering if you brought any of that heritage to bear on how your portrayed the character?

I’m Irish. I come from Irish ancestors and my wife is from a section in Manhattan called Hells Kitchen which is all Irish. I have a lot of good friends that live in that area. So I find the Irish are my favorite kind of people. They’re a little crazy — have lived some tragic lives, but they still have their humor and they’re as tough as nails. They might drink a little too much, but that Irish thing runs pretty deep in me. I’m an Irishman myself. I have a clover tattooed on my arm. I’ve always had a connection to Irish people, ya know? When I was out at the convention in England I got to go to Dublin for the first time and hang out in the pubs and talk with the locals. It was a great experience. I had never been to Ireland before. And I got to sip some Guinness and sing some songs with REAL Irishman.

Do you have any fun stories you can share from filming? We love to hear stuff that you did on your off time!

Actors together are like overgrown children. We did a lot of silly little pranks on set. But we all as a group bonded instantly and we’d take trips into New Orleans every chance we could and enjoy the jazz- that was fun.

Who were you hanging out with?

Well Billy Tancredi and I became really close friends. Billy is actually the Godfather of my newborn daughter. We became really close. Rami Malek & I became close. Omar Metwally is a good friend. I met a lot of good people. That was my crew: Omar, Rami and Billy.

What was it like coming into such an established franchise. Did you feel like the new kid? What were your feelings joining everyone?

Well i was nervous- extremely nervous. Like I said Bill Condon and all those people and the guys that have been there through the whole thing- Robert and all those guys- they did have a way of putting you at ease. And I found them to be so normal. Maybe I was expecting them to be movie stars who were stand-offish, but they weren’t like that. I knew it was a big deal, but once you go to the conventions and see how big it is, it is pretty awesome.

I was just nervous. I did my scene the 2nd night there. And Bill [Condon] had to just calm me down. It was the biggest thing I’ve never been involved in- my big break, so I was extremely nervous. The people were so great from top to bottom- Bill Condon- I can’t say enough about him! What a decent, kind, artistic, gentle cool dude. He has a way of making you feel real involved- makes you feel like you mattered. He helped me with my nerves.

Tell us what you are taking away from being part of the last film and this fandom

That’s kind of deep! When this job came along I was really kind of at a low point in my life. [I was] really struggling as an actor & supporting myself and [my family]. And this job came along and I have nothing but gratitude for it. It just really saved my life- and I don’t know how to really put it. It’s given me confidence & self esteem and helped me make some strides in the business and I have nothing but gratitude for the whole thing. I feel very lucky, and I’m sure there were hundreds of people who came out to play Liam and it’s very humbling and I feel lucky. I feel lucky.

What were some of the things you did to bond with the other cast members on set?

You know it’s weird. you think there would be a couple people here and there you don’t get along with, but when you’re staying at the same hotel and you’re kinda on top of one another working all day, together you form all these great friendships and there was not one bad seed in the whole bunch. I think the people out there are gonna really love this new group of vampires. They are really good people. And it was kinda interesting- we got to the hotel and had dinner and I think we all really liked each other which is important because sometimes we’d spend sometimes 15 hours together on set and it was pretty instant! We really liked each other and spent time together outside of– even when we weren’t working- nobody holed up in their room. We all got together and did things together because we all genuinely liked each other. That was the cool thing. It was a great experience. People were so great!

What did you think of your costume and who else’s costume really surprised you when you first saw them in it?

I loved my costume. I’m kinda a t-shirt and jeans kind of guy. I don’t pay attention to what I wear. I never looked so cool in my life. I really haven’t! I had the Irish thing going, but it was a hip Irish thing. I can honestly say I looked pretty darn cool.

Guri Weinberg and Noel Fisher had some pretty outrageous costumes and they had to get into them every day. They didn’t look too comfortable. They looked amazing, but… I just had a tweed jacket and vest, gloves with the fingers cut off- a great hat. You put that on & put those eyes on, and it’s not hard to pretend you’re an Irishman! I tried to steal them but it didn’t work out.

Could you tell us a little bit about the dance off that we’re hearing about- the thing everyone put together to surprise Bill Condon?

I’m not sure who came up with it- it might have been Mia Maestro, but I said to myself “we’re not going to be able to pull this one off” because we met just once before and got the whole routine down. And I thought- I don’t know- this might fail miserably, but it was one of those natural things that when it happened it came together so beautifully. It was one of the real highlights for me. It was a lot of fun.