We had the wonderful opportunity to chat with Jenna about her latest projects. Check out the interview below.
Hi, Jenna! Thank you for granting the interview. Congrats on your role as Emma in “Grave Cafe.” What should the audience expect to see?
Hello, Thank you for having me! I think the audience should expect to see something funny but something that has an underlying message – that message being social media controlling most people’s lives & essentially turning people into zombies.
Tell us about Emma. Who is she? What is her personality like?
Emma was a funny character to play, she’s a bit of a drone which is the total opposite to me. She’s all about image, social media and what other people are expecting her to be like. I don’t think we ever see the real Emma at all, she potentially doesn’t even know who she is herself.
What role does Emma play in the film?
Emma appears at the end of the film and walks into the café. She goes through almost the exact same experience as the first girl! Emma’s role is a bit of a comical one because of her having the same experience, the café patrons already know what’s going to come next.
Was it a challenge to play Emma? Did you have to pull from experience?
I couldn’t really pull from experience for the role of Emma because we are polar opposites. I would have to say she was a fun challenge to play!
How did you get the role?
This film was created for the 48 Hour Film Project & I was one of the many writers and when Emma was written and I put my hand up to play her straight away! I just knew she’d be fun!
The subject matter of the film is very entertaining. How does the movie production bring something new to the story?
I think the Production Crew brought so much life to the script during the filming process and in post-production as well. It was really interesting to watch how the Crew worked and see the end result after all the hard work.
What is going to surprise people about Emma?
Probably the fact that she’s almost a clone of the first girl who went into the café. Without giving too much away about the film she basically says almost the same things and reacts in the same way – which is pretty funny to watch!
Without giving anything away, what’s your favorite line of “Grave Cafe” dialogue and why?
My favorite line is definitely ‘Nice Makeup’ because it links back to the beginning of the film & you gives you a very good idea about where she’s going to end up soon.
When looking back on the production, what resonated with you the most and why?
Probably the message within the film because it really is very real. You just need to look around when you’re on a street or in a café and see almost everyone on their phones probably oblivious to everything around them.
In your opinion, what scene in the film is going to blow people away and why?
Probably the scene where a young zombie girl is playing with her toy car and doll, she’s sitting there and making out the car is hitting the doll. Then in the next scene, another character in the film gets hit by a car. We all thought it was pretty funny while writing it!
What do you enjoy most about your character and role?
Emma is quite different from me and is a bit snobby. It was really fun to play that! I think when the characters you play are so different to yourself it makes it so much more fun, you get to act in ways you never would in real life.
Do you have anything else you would like to share about the film?
‘Grave Café’ was such a great experience to be a part of. This was the first time I’ve been involved with the writing process and also part of the Crew as well as being an Actress. Another first was participating in the 48 Hour Film Project – this was a wild and crazy 48 hours with next to no sleep! As a team, we are really proud of our film and there really isn’t much we would have done differently. We won the Audience Choice Award, the Best Hair and Makeup Award and Best Poster. We also have 8 nominations for the ASIN Awards which we’re all pretty excited about.
Are there any additional projects you would like to share?
I’m currently filming a Feature Film called ‘Magdala Rose’ with just one more scene left for me to film. This is set in the 13th century and follows the story of Lord Raymond and his family who along with defending Knights held an army of over 10,000 Mercenaries at bay for 9 months. I was lucky to be on set with some amazing Australian Actors including Joss McWilliam and Rowena Wallace.
Production is starting soon on another project that I’m really looking forward to. I have one of the lead roles in a new Web Series that is looking to be released early-mid 2019. It’s confidential so I can’t give too much away with this one! Exciting! ?
Connect with Jenna:
IMDb: http://www.imdb.me/jennakenney
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennakenney_/
Web: https://www.thejennakenney.com/
Showreel: https://vimeo.com/287379850
Film IMDb Links:
Grave Café: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8913474/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
Magdala Rose: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7950848/?ref_=nv_sr_1
Featured Image Credit: Jenna as Emma in Grave Café/photo credit/Davi Soesilo.
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