I recently had the opportunity to chat with Claudia Lee about Kick-Ass 2, her character "Brooke", upcoming projects, comics and the challenges faced by young actors/actresses in film today. Many will know Claudia's work from WB's Hart of Dixie, but I have a feeling that will change after Kick-Ass 2 hits theaters later this week.
You can see more of Claudia in the "Carry You" music video above. If you haven't seen the gymnasium/cheerleading clip that she references in the interview, you'll want to make sure and check out the
Kick-Ass 2 Comic-Con trailer included at the end of the interview.
Question: You've done quite a bit of TV work, how does working in film and on Kick-Ass 2 compare to your previous experiences? Claudia: "Shooting film is really different because [with] TV you get a script every week and you don't know what's going to happen with your character. And then you have the studio and what they want to push and you always have to go back and recreate your character for each episode, which is really fun."
"... Film is very different from TV because you know the story from start to finish and you know how you can create your character and make that performance stand out. Working on
Kick-Ass 2 and being part of this film was such an amazing experience because I got to see a different side of the industry and how fun it is to work on a film, and how amazing it is to create a character and push myself even further to make choices to make my role standout. It's really fun and I love both worlds and I'm glad that I'm accepted in both of them."
Question: Were you familiar with the Kick-Ass comics prior to taking on the role of Brooke? Claudia: "I have always read comic books, and I know that sounds funny for a girl to say that. My cousins were really big fans of comic books. I would go visit them in Poland and we would just read them. My cousin is a huge fan, and when I say "huge fan", I mean stacks on stacks, surrounding his room. That's what we would do during dinner time when we would want to get away when we were younger."
"So I've been very aware of the comic book world, and when I was approached with
Kick-Ass 2 I wanted to dig even further into the character and I wanted to learn more about Brooke. I wanted to learn more about the relationship with Hit-Girl and what she's struggling with and how Chris's character is struggling with who he's becoming and how Kick-Ass is trying to figure out his life as well. I think that's the beautiful story of
Kick-Ass 2. Each one of these three main characters are struggling with who they are and realizing the honesty behind that. I really wanted to dig further into the storyline and realize what was happening. I know in the comic books that Mindy's nemesis, her name is Debbie, and I was really excited to see how she was portrayed in the comic books and how Brooke was being portrayed in the film. It was really kind of cool to see how I could pull some of the things from the comic book and add them into my performance. It was really fun."
When asked about being a fan of comics, Claudi added "I've always been a fan of them. I really admire the artistry in them. I think they're so beautiful. It always looks beautiful and that's what always mesmerizes me."
Question: What can you tell us about your character in the film? Claudia: "She is definitely Mindy's nemesis and she is very manipulative. Brooke is definitely a force to be reckoned with. She's hardcore. She's cutthroat. She's very blunt. Her insecurities heighten all of these qualities that she has to a new level. She is definitely someone that views Mindy as a threat. She doesn't know that Mindy is really Hit-Girl, but she knows that there's something special about her. Brooke has always been the girl that's been the one that everyone has been idolizing and watching... She's been the special one. When she sees someone that's competition, the feelings turn and the claws come out, so it's been really fun."
Question: Besides yourself, who was the hardest working actor on set? Claudia: "Hardest working actor... I would have to say, because most of my scenes did take place with Chloë, and a few with Aaron, I would have to say Chloë is definitely a very hard working young lady. We both are very young and we have to deal with school on set, and then on top of that the training that we went through, and our scenes and filming... It's a lot to deal with that adult actors really don't have to focus on. Being on set and dealing with school work, and then having to go film very high energy scenes, and then back to working on your Algebra 2 homework... That's a lot of work. We really have a lot to deal with. It's amazing how we just get things done."
Question: Who was the funniest actor on set? Do you have any funny behind-the-scenes moments or pranks you can share with us? Claudia: "The funniest actor? I can't narrow it down because when you put four girls together there's going to be lots of funny stories and we're going to be constantly laughing. There was one day when we were on set – This took place in the gymnasium where you guys kind of see the small clip of Brooke dancing – We were literally so slap-happy that we kept singing and laughing and dancing around and it was hysterical. We were just hysterical. They had to come up to us and be like "OK guys, we got to be a little bit quiet. We're on a time crunch." But we kept on laughing and kept on being teenage girls. It's inevitable. What can you do?"
"There was also another scene where we were in a hallway and the same thing happened. And we literally had to be quieted down because it was too much. It got too loud. But it's inevitable. When you get teenage girls together it's bound to get loud."
Question: What can you tell us about your future projects? Claudia: "I'm focusing on
Surviving Jack right now, which is my new show with Fox. It takes place in the 90s, starring Christopher Meloni. It's really a fun project because it's a comedy, it's sort of a period piece and it also has true family values. It's really wholesome. It's something we need on TV right now. I'm so excited to be part of our project because of the amazing people I get to work with – Our creator Bill Lawrence, Christopher Meloni – and creating this character that's really different from all of the other characters that I've created, and dressing up in 90s wardrobe every day is really fun as well."
"I'm focusing on more film. There's not much that I can give away... It's all in the works right now, but I do have to say that the character is pretty kick ass."
When asked about this mystery character, and when we could expect more news about the project, Chloë said that there should be more information coming late 2014. Could this be related to a possible Kick-Ass 3, or an entirely different project?
Kick-Ass 2 hits theaters this Friday and has been rated "R" for strong violence, language, sexual content and brief nudity.