Teri Reeves is perhaps best known for her role as Dr. Hallie Casey on the series Chicago Fire as well as play the recurring role of Dorothy in Once Upon a Time. Not only is she an actress, but she is someone who can kick your tail as well, with her background in both weight lifting and holding a brown belt in the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Reeves takes on the role of the very tough prisoner turned hero Vasquez in Black Site Delta, coming to select theaters on May 5 followed by an iTunes and VOD release on May 9 from XLrator Media.
World Film Geek had the opportunity to talk with Reeves about the film.
First of all Teri, thank you for taking the time out of your schedule to talk about Black Site Delta. It was a great action film.
Well, thank you so much. I appreciate that.
So before we talk about the film, what inspired you to become an actress?
When I was a little girl, my dad and I used to go to the movies all the time. That was our way of bonding, going to the movies together. It was Katherine Hepburn that was a big influence on me. I used to always want to be her, especially when I saw The Philadelphia Story. I saw her in that and I wanted to be her and I didn’t realize she was actually acting.
So It became my secret passion to be an actor and I was quite shy about wanting to pursue it. I was originally a math major and I snuck in an audition for the theater program at the University of California-Santa Barbara. I started out doing television series and then did some short films. It’s Katherine Hepburn’s fault (laughs).
How did you get involved in the film?
Well, the director, Jesse [Gustafson] and I came from the same theater program. He directed me in a short play and we were both about eighteen years old. He would go on to win some awards and when he was getting ready to direct the film, he approached me to act and he learned that I became a martial artist. He needed someone with fighting skills and that was what was needed for the role. So he sent the script to me and I loved it. I love getting involved with these kind of roles.
The heroes of the film seem to have different personalities. What was it like working with the cast on the film?
The guys were really great. Yes, you’re right. They all play different types of characters, but they are actually some of the most hilarious guys I’ve met. And we worked so much together that it eventually would evolve from just being actors on a set working together to where we became good friends. They are great actors who have unique essence and you can really feel that.
We’re an incredible group of misfits in terms of characters and good things happened. We played off of each other in other on the screen and real life. I eat that up when people have a strong personality and really come off of who they are. So we became “misfits” in real life and we would hang out all the time, even on our days off. It was really fun!
Is there a favorite scene you enjoyed shooting on the set of the film? I’m hoping it was the action scenes because you definitely were great in those.
Yes! You guessed right! Oh I loved doing them and it made me so happy. And I have to thank James Logan [the film’s stunt coordinator]. He knows all different fighting arts and he was able to come up with action based on the stuff that I know. So that was a lot of fun. Being free to be totally physical in the character was a joy. And we had Special Ops guys on the set teaching us how to use the guns. I loved being educated on using guns and how to protect and it was a beautiful experience, expanding my knowledge in terms of action.
Finally, are there any new projects in the works for you? I am hoping you will have another action film on the horizon because I can totally see you as a potential action star.
(Laughs) You’re so sweet! I need to write that down! I’m in audition mode right now. There’s nothing in the pipeline at the moment, but you never know what can happen tomorrow.
Black Site Delta will be in theaters on May 5 and then on iTunes and VOD on May 9. Thanks again Teri for taking the time out of your schedule to talk about the film and I hope you get a chance to showcase some action skills again soon.
Well, thank you so much. You’re awesome. Have a good one!
A special Thank You goes out to Katrina Wan PR and Teri Reeves for making this interview possible. You can follow Teri on Twitter for her latest news.
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