Vanessa Angel [Interview]

Oh sweet Vanessa Angel.  How you were the modern day Ginger, but with the kind hearted sprit of Mary Ann for a formative young male when you shot to the screen on the hit television sitcom based on the classic John Hughes film, Weird Science.  And to top it off, you performed in what I still consider to be the finest Farrelly Brothers film to date, Kingpin.  Your beauty is as recognizable as your delightful acting chops.

Okay, I will stop withe fascinations now, just long enough to state that I am super excited that we have been allowed the opportunity to steal a few words from one of the most beautiful and prolific women who has ever graced the stage and screen.  And although she took some time off to play the most important role of her life (mommy, of course) she has never truly faded out, and has had a great career that is definitely booming once again, and she is still just as impressive as she has ever been.  Ladies and gentlemen – please welcom actress, model, fashion designer, mom, genius – the  amazing Vanessa Angel!

Kingpin is definitely one of the highlights of my career. I feel very fortunate that Peter and Bobby Farrelly took a chance on casting me as Claudia and filming was just an incredible experience. They were coming off the success of ‘Dumb and Dumber’ and a lot of actresses were keen to work with them. During the auditioning process, they fought for me, as I was kind of the dark horse. I was on hiatus from ‘Weird Science’, so thankfully my schedule allowed me to be available for the film. I can remember Peter calling me to tell me I got the role and I literally jumped up and down with joy! They are just great guys with a wonderful, close knit family and everyone made me feel welcome and included. They have a lot of family members and old friends come to do cameos in their films, so the atmosphere on the set is very warm. We shot mostly in Pittsburg and surrounding areas, so we were all together, which helps create a bond with the cast and crew. I was a little intimidated to work with Woody at first, as he takes a while to warm up to people, but once we got our first scene completed, I felt a lot more comfortable. I knew Bill Murray a little, as I had met him through Dan Aykroyd and was so excited to get the chance to work with him. He helped me a lot creatively during the shoot and was so supportive. Randy Quaid was great too and it was so fun to watch him transform into Ishmael everyday. The role was written as someone in their early 20’s, hence the reference to him as ‘kid’ but Randy bought such a sweetness to him that it really worked. Peter and Bobby work so well together and really trust each other. They have great instincts and a brilliant sense of humor. Bobby would always be at the monitors and Peter would communicate more directly with the actors. They were always coming up with new ideas for funny scenes, so a lot of moments were added as we filmed and weren’t in the original script. You really have to trust their process and take a leap of faith. I was unsure of the scene in the parking lot when Woody and I fight and he punches my chest. I had to wear these mechanical cups that moved and I wasn’t really into the idea, until they assured me it would work and now I think the scene is hilarious, the way I can stand up to him physically and mentally. It took a while for people to discover the film and it wasn’t a big box office hit initially. I think after the success of ‘There’s something about Mary’, people took a look at the Farrelly’s previous films and discovered ‘Kingpin’. I think it has a lot of heart, as well as cutting edge humor, and audiences respond to the characters as well as the comedy and it’s wonderful that after all these years, it’s become sort of a classic. It was wonderful to work together again with The Farrellys on ‘Hall Pass’. It seemed like no time had passed and the set was fun and warm and I felt like part of the family again.

There was a lengthy auditioning process for ‘Weird Science’. John Asher, Michael Manasseri and Lee Tergesen had already been cast, so when it came to the final few callbacks, I got to read/audition with the guys, which made it a lot easier. I got to know them a little during that process and we could feel that we had good chemistry. I was so excited to get the show, as I hadn’t done much comedy and wanted to see if I could step outside my comfort zone. I thought Lisa was such a fun and sweet character and I approached it as though she was seeing things for the first time, almost like a child, with innocence, yet a little mischievous and fun while she had also been programmed with smarts and wisdom. The show had been picked up for 13 episodes before the pilot was even shot, so we had the luxury of knowing we had some time to find the right dynamic. We actually shot 2 episodes before the pilot episode, so we had time to get the timing and tone right before we filmed ‘She’s Alive’. John was the funny, goofy guy, who worked very spontaneously and Michael was much more serious and worked hard on his craft and timing. Lee Tergesen is one of the funniest people I have ever met and the whole cast and crew were always happy when he was on set, making everyone laugh. I actually met my husband of 16 years through Lee, so I will be forever grateful to him for that! The show was filmed, one camera at Universal Studios. It was fairly new at that time to film comedy without a live audience but it meant the days were long, averaging 13/14 hours. There was quite a lot of special effects and blue/green screen, so it was the only way it could really work. We had a lot of fun together, although you’re always racing the clock on tv, so there’s a sense of urgency to get the day completed on time. The crew was so great too and really helped make the days easier. I would look forward to seeing what stories the writer’s had come up with each episode and what crazy, fantasy situation we were in. I had to sing, dance, play with different accents, so it was challenging at times to quickly hone a new skill. I remember having a quick drum lesson for the rock and roll episode and learning to tango with Michael for ‘Spies R Us’, as well as various other things. I sometimes had very uncomfortable costumes to wear and was always up at the wardrobe department getting fitted for some outfit. I even had the costume designer make my wedding dress, based on a dress I had worn on an episode. It was a wonderful show and it helped me to grow as an actress and also to step out of myself and not take myself too seriously. During the first season, my father was very ill and passed away and I remember feeling so fortunate that I had to go to work every day and step into the fun of the show, which helped keep things in perspective during a difficult time. I think of it now as such a special time in my life and have truly fond memories.