Michelle Romano – Milwood

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Interview by Briege McGarrity

Michelle Romano, a publicist and TV personality turned actress, is currently touring the festival circuit with her award-winning indie film Milwood, in which she both starred and produced with her company, Roman Media. Romano plays the part of Judy, a psychiatric therapist to Nathan Perry, whose world was turned upside following the untimely death of both parents in an accident. A distraught Nathan finds himself enrolled in Milwood, a mysterious treatment facility for young adults.

 

Jimmy Scanlon (The Darkness Within) signed on as writer and co-director and also plays the part of Mr. Clemens, the unlikable head of Milwood who doesn’t like questions. Newcomer Christian Goodwin turns out a very solid performance as Nathan, a fragile orphan who falls victim to the facility’s strange practices.  Additional cast members include edgy Princess of Scream Tiffany Shepis (The Prometheus Project) and character actor Vinny Vella (Coffee and Cigarettes).

Impressively Milwood has been selected to screen at several film festivals around the world, including festival de Cannes and recently won the award for Best Picture at the IFQ Festival among others. Briege McGarrity enjoyed chatting to Romano about acting, multi-tasking and the roles and projects that grab her attention.

Independent Film Quarterly (IFQ): An intense film Michelle how did you prepare for the part?

Michelle Romano (MR): The hardest part for me was not necessarily the Acting. It was both Producing and Acting at the same time! There were times when I had to run around and take care of things on the set, before literally jumping into a scene for 1 or 2 takes (if I was lucky to even get a second take at times), and then having to immediately resume my responsibilities as the Producer. It was one of the hardest things I ever had to do.  I worried that my Acting performance would suffer because of it, and that caused a lot of stress. I watched a lot of movies that had strong women therapist roles. I referred back to Vera Farmiga’s performance in one of my favorite movies, The Departed, and tried to channel some of that within my own performance. I did the best I could within the circumstances I was given, and I am just thankful that it all worked out. Of course working with such a talented and powerful cast definitely helped to keep my performance solid and on track.

IFQ: Nice I loved her in The Departed too! Had you ever worked with a child actor before?

MR: This was the first time I worked with a child actor, and everyone warned us not to work with kids – especially for our first film. It was extremely difficult finding the perfect child for this role, especially since we knew he had to carry the entire film. We auditioned hundreds of kids, until we finally found the star of Milwood, Christian Goodwin. Christian’s performance in this film is incredible! He is one of the most talented actors I have ever worked with, and he was only 11 years old at the time of filming! He made my job as an actress incredibly easy and rewarding.

IFQ:  Yes he was very believable. It’s a lot of work being an actor. What advice do you have for nailing the part?

MR: I think the most important thing in any performance, is to stay real. To live from moment to moment and really believe in the circumstances and the relationships of the characters. So many times I see actors come in and “act.” The best acting is reacting and really letting the circumstances effect you in that given moment. Of course it is important to do research on the type of role you are playing, and to create some sort of backstory for yourself if the material calls for that. Some of the best performances I have seen are from actors who are not even speaking, but just listening and being present in the moment, and then reacting to what is going on around them.

I also think it is extremely important for Actors to go out there and make their own work! That is what I did, and that is what I will continue to do in between the auditions and casting calls. If you want to be seen, you need to make yourself seen.

IFQ: Tell me how your career in PR and helped hone your obvious talent as an actress?

MR: I always knew I wanted to be an Actress. The question was, how do I make the connections I need in order to Act? I decided to form my own Media and Production Company (Roman Media) in order to gain more exposure and meet more people in the Industry. I started working as a Reporter for Hollywood events and Movie Premieres in Boston and Los Angeles in order to connect with other actors and filmmakers. I worked for a Public Relations firm on the lot at Paramount Studios, and explored all avenues of marketing and production. With the support of the Boston Film Community, I decided to tackle the role of movie Producer, and that is when we began production on my first feature film project, Milwood.

IFQ: Tell us a bit about the ethos of your production company

MR: Roman Media, INC was formed in October 2010 initially as a vehicle for my Public Relations and Media Projects and has grown to include a number of films that I have been personally committed to as a Producer. We are dedicated to producing critically recognized films and purposely seek projects that have strong commercial viability. Our goal is to produce films with financial success, critical praise, and maximum exposure within the marketplace.

IFQ: Who would you most like to work with?

MR: There are so many wonderful and talented people in this industry that I would love to work with. I am very excited to be working with the extremely talented cinematographer, Dave M. Brewer (Insidious) on the upcoming psychological horror film, Malus, written by Andrew Saxsma. I am also studying at Studio 4, James Franco’s interdisciplinary school for the arts, and would love to have the opportunity to work with him.

IFQ: What kind of roles do you normally go for?

MR: I normally go after very intense and dramatic roles. The role I played in Milwood (Judy) is completely opposite of any role I have ever played. Judy is a child therapist at the Milwood Treatment Facility for young adults. She is a very kind and nurturing woman. She has a warmth and compassion to her that is extremely rare for anyone working at this school. She has a certain strength and vulnerability to her that is extremely admirable. The relationship between Judy and Nathan (Christian Goodwin) is genuine and strong. It essentially drives the underlying premise of this story.

IFQ: Are you surprised by all the press and awards the film received?

MR: I am actually very surprised, and extremely thankful for all of the notoriety and awards we have won for Milwood. Our World Premiere was at the Festival de Cannes, and has since won numerous awards around the World including my most recent Best Lead Actress Award at the Saint Tropez International Film Festival in France, as well as to win Best Picture at the IFQ Film Festival in Los Angeles! It has truly been a dream come true and I am so inspired to make more films!

IFQ: Do you get back to your native Boston often?

MR: Yes I visit Boston often. I am looking forward to filming more productions in Beantown in the future! I have several New England based scripts on my slate, and look forward to working with all of the talented people in New England again. They are the reason that Milwood was a success!

IFQ: What’s next?

MR: I am currently in pre-production on the TV pilot Grit, in which I will be starring opposite Casper Van Dien (Starship Troopers). I am also getting ready for the World Premiere of the short film, The Look, premiering this February in London. Roman Media is currently in pre-production on several upcoming feature films. We are hoping to connect with any additional Producers and Investors who are interested in working on some of our newest projects.