The Madness To Her Method

[The following is an interview that took place on the set of Loath and Kisses, a thriller/horror television series. THE VIEW, a popular tabloid, had a chance to interview Miss Danielle Blank, who plays Victoria Wirthington, the main antagonist.]

THE VIEW: Thank you so much for meeting with me today.

DANIELLE: No, no problem.

THE VIEW: So, everyone’s very interested in what goes on behind the scenes here at Loathe and Kisses. We’ve heard a lot of rumors and we’re here to clear those up with you. Could you tell us what exactly your director meant when he said that “full method acting” was in use on set?

DANIELLE: Oh, yeah. So you obviously know what method acting is — when an actor is in character full time, even when they’re not being shot. Well, this is how it works for us – we’re literally never out of character when we’re on set. From the moment we arrive until the moment we leave, we’re in character. The first time I met Jackson? We were both in character. It was an intense moment.

THE VIEW: I can imagine. So, for our readers out there who might not know, Jackson Martins is the actor who plays the main protagonist, William Tint. And you play the baddie, Victoria, right?

DANIELLE: Yep.

THE VIEW: so when you first met Jackson, you knew immediately you had to hate each other?

DANIELLE: *laughs* Yeah, sort of. I mean, somewhere, in the back of our minds, we knew we were acting. But we always interacted as though we had a… history.

THE VIEW: No spoilers!

DANIELLE: Haha, I’m trying my best here! Victoria’s whole LIFE is a spoiler, so it’s hard to do interviews.

THE VIEW: Understandable, understandable.

DANIELLE: But yeah, I had to act like I hated him, right off the bat. And it wasn’t hard – his aim was to make my character angry, so he was deliberately being an asshole.

THE VIEW: We’ve heard reports that you and Jackson sometimes meet off-set. Is that true?
DANIELLE: Yeah, yeah. I was sitting at home one day and Jackson called me up and said, “hey, Vic – er, Danielle” – we even had trouble remembering each other’s real names – “you wanna grab a cup of coffee sometime, so we can get to know each other? For real?”

THE VIEW: And you did?

DANIELLE: I wasn’t going to, at first. I was afraid the director wouldn’t want us to meet in person, but, to my surprise, he actually encouraged us. He said we’d have to interact normally for interviews and whatnot, and he didn’t want it to look like we actually hated each other. So yeah, I went for coffee with him.

THE VIEW: And he turned out to actually be a nice guy, too.

DANIELLE: *pause* … yeah, he did. I mean, with how he’d treated me on set it was only natural that I’d have some misgivings, but he turned out to be a real gentleman.

THE VIEW: So the acting out of two mortal enemies has no effect on your real-life relationship?

DANIELLE: No, no, he’s a great guy! In real life, he’s what everybody on the show perceives his character to be – everybody besides Victoria, that is. She’s been through some stuff, so she can see straight through his veil.

THE VIEW: So his character seems like a great guy.

DANIELLE: Sure, which is something Jackson can do pretty well. He can also do the asshole routine pretty well too. Which is why it was such a shock to meet him in person.

THE VIEW: Has it at all affected how you two act on set, since you know each other in person?

DANIELLE: Not at all. When we’re on set, it’s like we’re inhabited by the character – that’s why the full method acting is so unique, it’s like the characters are literally going through everything in real time, rather than you watching someone act out what the characters went through in the past.

THE VIEW: I take it you’re enjoying the director’s visionary methods, then?

DANIELLE: I’m pretty sure we all are! It’s a great way to act, a really REAL way to act.

THE VIEW: Well, thank you so much for your time, Danielle. We’ll be in touch as this series goes on – everyone is excited to see what type of villain you’ll play!

DANIELLE: So am I!

[In the following interview, THE VIEW returns to the set of Loathe and Kisses for a follow-up interview with Ms. Danielle Blank. When they arrive, shooting is in process, and the stunning character of young Victoria Wirthington is coming out of a scene in which she uses a piece of rope to strangle another character. THE VIEW stops her and begins to interview her, in character.]

THE VIEW: Hello, Miss Blank!

VICTORIA: Excuse me?

THE VIEW: Oh, I’m sorry. Miss Wirhtington.

VICTORIA: And who are you, exactly?

THE VIEW: I’m with The View. It’s like… a newspaper.

VICTORIA: Well, I’m not speaking with the press –

THE VIEW: Hang on a moment. This is very interesting, I wasn’t expecting to get a chance to interview YOU of all people!

VICTORIA: … really?
THE VIEW: Yes, can I ask you just a few short questions?

VICTORIA: … very well. What do you want to know?

THE VIEW: Well, first off, we want to know what you think – what you REALLY think – of William Tint.

VICTORIA: *scoffs* is that even a question? He MURDERED my BROTHER. In cold blood. And he continues to invite me to parties as if I’m his honored guest. I think he’s trying to apologize, or at least appear like he’s apologizing. But I know he doesn’t feel bad at all.

THE VIEW: You certainly seem to hate him.

VICTORIA: With every ounce of my being.

THE VIEW: …. let’s say, hypothetically, that you aren’t really Victoria. Let’s say you were being acted out by an actress, for a play or something like that. And let’s say William was also being acted out, in character at all times, but William’s actor is really a nice guy. What would you hope those actor’s relationship would be like?

VICTORIA: … I would hope the actress playing me would be smart enough to see through a façade like that. I would hope that she could know that no man who acts as vilely as William does, as a human in a drama or in real life, can ever be a “nice guy.” I’d really hope she’d have the smarts and the guts to know what to do about it.

THE VIEW: …. to do about what?

VICTORIA: His façade.

THE VIEW: But if he’s an actor –

VICTORIA: No man can only FAKE that kind of brutality. It begins to poison him, and he becomes a really cruel person. Maybe he’s good at faking the good part of him, after a while. But then suddenly he’s only ACTING good, when before he was only acting bad.

*At this point, Ms. Worthington turned towards her dressing room, effectively ending our conversation with a parting remark:*

VICTORIA: Just like an actor might also begin to only ACT like he’s fooled by this façade.
[Half an hour later, Danielle Blank emerged from her dressing room pale. She refused to take any of THE VIEW’s questions.]

{OFFICIAL POLICE NOTICE: Two days after this interview was documented, the actor Jackson Martins was found dead in his apartment. His body was dressed in an imitation of William Tint’s costume and arranged to mock a scene from the script of Loathe and Kisses, where William’s friend Mark is murdered by the character Victoria for being part of the group that killed her brother. In the scene, Mark is hung from a willow tree, with eyes gouged out by tree branches. In his home, Jackson was found hanging from a ceiling fan in imitation, with broken ceiling fan shards stuck into his eyes. Pinned to his chest was the following note:

“My Dear William –
Clever trying to go by the name of Jackson Martins
But your attitude and actions are your mistakes
I can see through your façade
- Your loving fiancé,
Victoria”

The actress Danielle Blank has been charged with the murder of Jackson Martins after the bloodied costume of Victoria was found in her sink, along with the murder weapon.}