Taking on the beloved Twilight franchise would be intimidating for an actor with decades of experience. So imagine how it must have felt for Jenn Proske, who was cast for the lead role of Becca in Vampires Suck a mere four months after moving to Hollywood.
However, the Toronto-born, American-raised Boston University graduate jumped at the opportunity.
“It’s pretty unbelievable, I’m really lucky,” she says.
While not a hardcore Twilight fan herself, she had the books and watched the movies before going out for the role, and she doesn’t think Twilight fans will be offended by the spoof.
“I feel like the Twilight fans are the ones who will get all of the little jokes and references,” she said. “The movie was created more for them than anyone else.”
While Vampires Suck has plenty of in-jokes for the Twilight crowd, those who haven’t signed onto to either Team Edward or Team Jacob will still have plenty to enjoy. The movie comes from Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer, who have been involved with the Scary Movie franchise and a long list of other flicks that mock Hollywood hits.
Proske, who comes from an artistic family with a dancer mother and artist father, says it’s actually her sister who is the funny one in the family. Her theatre background was mostly drama roles, leaving her a bit scared to tackle comedy.
“You don’t know if you are funny until someone starts laughing,” Proske said, adding she ended up loving the comedic experienced and was happy to expand her range.
“Comedy is really about committing 550 per cent and not being afraid to look stupid,” she said.
In her role as Becca, she played the “straight man” and said it was important for her to be “so serious that you are not playing the jokes.”
Proske got to act alongside Ken Jeong of The Hangover fame, an experience she loved but found hard at the same time.
“He is so funny. It was difficult to be the straight man when you are standing next to him,” she said.
Vampires Suck comes out on DVD and Blu-ray Nov. 30.
