Interview With Hayley J. Williams, A B-Movie Star And So Much More

Hayley J. Williams is a professional actress with a slew of titles to her credit, many of them within the wonderful world of b-movies, most recently including the ‘Jurassic World’ ripoff, ‘Triassic World,’ in which she plays a much put-upon scientist who has seen the warning signs of coming disaster.

Originally from the UK, Hayley J. Williams now lives in Los Angeles, where she has become a fixture of the enduring and consistently popular b-movie industry, in particular among the work of notorious production house, The Asylum.

ShowBiz Bytes recently had a chance to chat with Ms. Williams about her beginnings as a fan of genre films and her rapid ascent to playing major roles in genre films herself.

How do you introduce the world of b-movies to people who are unfamiliar? Does it usually require an explanation or an introduction?

Williams: I usually get giggly and excited and say, ‘You HAVE to see this movie!’ if it’s a b-movie fave of mine! If it’s a new one that I haven’t seen yet I’ll say, ‘We HAVE to go and see this movie, it will probably be terrible but AWESOME!’And people usually go along with my enthusiasm, as b-movies are kind of like rollercoasters — not necessarily something that you are looking forward to but once it starts you go with it and have fun with the highs and lows no matter what! (Or you come off crying and having wet yourself but that was only once when I was 7, I swear!)

Do you enjoy being part of the ‘scream queen’ tradition?

Williams: I am absolutely honored! There are so many iconic scream queens whom I admire, most notably: Heather Langenkamp, Danielle Harris and of course Jamie Lee Curtis!

I saw my first horror film when I was 13 and I was HOOKED. I watched every horror film that I could get my hands on after that and completely immersed myself in the genre. When I decided to be an actress, I always said that my biggest dream would be to have a lead role in a horror film. When I booked ‘The Shadow Within’ I achieved my dream, so everything after that has just been a huge bonus!

What are some of your favorite b-movies that the general public might not be familiar with?

Williams: My favorite b-movie of all time is ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ which I once watched 5 times in one day. Everyone has heard of that now as it became huge cult viewing but at its release it was a complete b-movie — and the best b-movie of all time because it pokes fun at b-movies.

There was this one movie that I saw back when I lived in London called ‘High Tension’ which is a French slasher movie that certainly lived up to its name and had me on the edge of my seat! I definitely recommend a watch if you haven’t seen it.

Do you feel that working on the set of a b-movie that there is a stronger sense of community, given that it’s generally a smaller crew?

Williams: Definitely. You see the same people every day and spend so much time with them, so you get really close very quickly. I’ve had a great experience on all my movies and there has always been a great family atmosphere. Everyone who works on a film is invaluable to the production, not just the actors, and I am always in awe of the crew who work the longest hours, still keep a smile on their faces and make movie magic.

Do you have any fun stories from working on the set of any of your recent films, any goofy or challenging moments?

Williams: Well there was a moment during the filming of ‘Triassic World.’ I was achieving another dream when I shot that movie as ‘Jurassic Park’ is one of my favorite films. We worked with a life-size model dinosaur which was operated by another actor but it was pretty big and scary looking as you can tell from the movie. My character ‘Dr. Martinelli’ is supposed to be this cool, calm and collected ice queen type who has raised these dinosaurs herself to be harvested for their organs. We shot a scene in the dinosaur enclosure with myself and the brilliant Shellie Sterling who plays ‘Diana,’ where we are looking for the dinosaur and the dino was hidden in the bushes behind us, ready to jump out — which we knew about as that was the whole point of the scene. We kept anticipating it though, so Dylan Vox, the director (who was so much fun), told us to just improvise and then he would cue the dinosaur through the walkie so that we wouldn’t know when it was coming. All of a sudden we were both genuinely terrified as it felt so real, and no matter who you are, if you’ve got a giant dinosaur head rushing out of the bushes towards you, you scream, and get the hell out of there, which is exactly what happened, only I ended up falling over the dinosaur’s head trying to escape and landed in a pool of lights. Classy. Pretty sure that scene is still in the film but with a quick cutaway haha!

Can you tell us about the moment when you knew for sure that you wanted to pursue acting professionally?

Williams: I think it was when I was dressed as a very fat bee during a school performance of ‘Winnie the Pooh’ when I was 8 or 9. Yep that was a pretty defining moment. I was excellent at buzzing.

Seriously though I loved dressing up as a kid and my future career options, according to my dress up box were: air hostess, doctor or flamenco dancer. It was a tough decision. So I decided to become an actress so that I could potentially be all three, and more! I was also very shy as a child and acting gave me an amazing way of being able to communicate my feelings — there was nothing I liked doing more, so it just sort of stuck.

Who are some of your favorite directors and fellow actors to work with?

Williams: Dylan Vox (Triassic World director) was amazing to work with as he brought such a sense of fun to the whole shoot, as well as supporting us through the more vulnerable moments. I had a great relationship with Silvana Zancolo (‘The Shadow Within’ director) as that movie was such a labor of love for both of us really, and we worked very closely to get the tone right.

As for actors, I have worked with so many amazing people that it’s difficult to choose, but Beth Winslet most certainly, as she made working on The Shadow Within one of the most fun & memorable experiences of my life! I’d work with Shellie Sterling from Triassic World again in a heartbeat as we seemed very in-sync with each other and she is such a wonderful person. My husband David Samartin is also a great actor, and we have yet to work on a project together but I’m looking forward to the moment when we do. It’s coming.

In your opinion what’s one key component that allows an actor to work effectively on set?

Williams: Focus and preparation. They go together. There’s always a lot going on around you on set that it can be easy to get caught up in it. Things move fast and often change at the last minute so you have to be ready and focused for your next scene. I once read a magazine in between scenes on ‘The Shadow Within’ and when it came to do my scene I forgot my lines three times and was all over the place — that was a learning experience! Now if I have a scene coming up I try to remain in my own space in between scenes, practicing my lines perhaps but also going over in my head where my character is at so that I am ready to go straight into it.

What was your impression of LA when you first moved there? Has that perception changed since then?

Williams: Oh wow I thought it was wonderful and I kept pinching myself every time I drove down Sunset Boulevard! LA is magical in many ways and what I love about it is that no-one ever says ‘no’, they always say ‘maybe,’ so I saw it as a very hopeful place and I have had a great experience here.

I think if you come here and expect to make it straight away you can end up frustrated with LA. I mean it can happen and I have seen it happen, but for the majority you have to work your ass off and so it is so important to enjoy every moment along the way. LA is home to me now and so the sheen has worn off a little but I still catch myself every now and then basking in the wonderment of how far I have come and how the life I am living now is beyond anything I could have dreamt of back in the UK. That’s not to say I would never go back, my dream now is actually to split my time in between the US and UK, but I love my life here and I am very proud of what I have achieved in the last 10 years living here.

What advice do you give to young, aspiring actors and filmmakers?

Williams: Keep going, be tenacious and enjoy every milestone. Hone your craft, take classes and be the best you can be. See as much as you can, watch and learn from movies and plays. Go to the theatre, it’s a different experience but a valuable one! Travel: it gives you such a different perspective on the world and that world view helps you to be a better person which can only help you as an artist.

What’s one of your favorite movies to watch and rewatch?

Williams: [John Carpenter’s] ‘Halloween.’ It’s such a classic!