Noted actress Claire Dodin, France’s hottest import to the US, recently landed the role of Joan of Arc, the first-ever female character in the highly anticipated episode of “Deadliest Warrior” on Spike TV. This “historical” event, as described by Daily Femme writer, Annamarya, where Joan of Arc defeats William the Conqueror, airs on Spike TV and can be found on Spike.com. Traveling Diva sits down and gets the low down from one of today's hottest Sci-Fi Chicks: Claire Dodin.
How did you know you wanted to be an actress?
When I was about 7 years old, my mum enrolled me in a theater company and I was chosen to perform in a professional production of Antigone, a play by Jean Anouilh. I was the Page and my lines were “Yes, sir” and “right away, sir”; but I was on stage for most of the play. I clearly remember the rush of adrenaline when it was time to say my lines, and the utter joy of being on stage. It was at this moment that I knew this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
I really made the decision to make it my job after graduating, but in my heart I knew from this very first moment and I kept doing plays and musicals all the way through school and college. My mum even built a little theater with a stage and curtains in the attic and every week-end I was doing little performances for my friends and family with my sister. Performing is the one thing that always makes me happy and I feel incredibly lucky that I’m able to make a living from it.
How has your journey been in the US?
The US has been very kind to me. I booked a role in the feature film “2084’” the week I landed in Los Angeles. I hadn’t even unpacked yet. I knew then that the move was the right thing for me to do.
In Los Angeles, I’ve met all sort of incredible people, all bound by the same desire to make great films. There is a drive and passion here that is very uplifting. They made me discover the love of screen work. Before I had mainly worked in theater and I wasn’t that passionate about the screen work I had done. It didn’t bring me the same joy as stage does. The people I’ve worked and studied with here showed me a different side of screen acting that I didn’t know. They helped me discover how to work in depth and how this work can also bring the joy. It was enlightening for me. It also made me a better actor.
What do you do in your free time?
I am one of the lucky people whose hobby is my job. So when I’m not working, I still work: I go to the cinema, watch a play, practice sword fighting… I also love to travel, I went to Las Vegas last week for the first time and it was very fun to see the Vegas version of European towns with glitz and lights!
I also love to spend time with my friends, chatting over a homemade meal. I’m a pretty normal girl with an extra-ordinary job.
What TV shows do you like? Are you into Sci-fi and horror?
My favorite show on TV right now is “Game of Thrones.” It has got just the right amount of epic, fantasy and scary while still having complex story lines; and the actors are amazing. I’m so happy Peter Dinklage won an Emmy award this year! It’s well deserved.
I also love “Dexter” and “The Walking Dead”. I was also a huge “Buffy” fan and any Joss Whedon shows; it’s a dream of mine to be in one of his shows or films one day.
I do love Sci-fi. I wish Star Trek was still on; I always wanted to be a Vulcan with pointy ears and walk around a space ship!
Another dream of mine would have been to be in a Star Wars movie and get to fight with a light saber!
As far as horror is concerned, I tend to prefer foreign films, I loved “Ils” by David Moreau and Xavier Palud and Japanese movies are absolutely terrifying! I find it difficult to watch them alone though because I really do get scared. I remember watching “Ils” when no one else was in the house at night and I had to triple check that all the doors and windows were locked and I found it very difficult to fall asleep!
Where do you see yourself in 5 or 10 years?
In an ideal world, I’d be living by the beach in Hawaii and I would travel the world to shoot movies. Realistically, I’ll probably still be in Los Angeles, hopefully shooting the 4th or 5th season of the TV series version of “We’re Alive” for a major Network.
Is it hard to stay fit? How do you manage that? Is it easier when you handle swords and zombies?
Staying fit can be hard at times because I get so busy that it can be challenging to find the time and energy to exercise. But it’s important to stay fit, eat well and exercise regularly no matter what.
After shooting Deadliest warrior I was in so much muscle pain! The crossbow particularly was very heavy. It doesn’t really show when you watch it on TV, but running around with the crossbow and lifting it all day was a real difficult work out. With the adrenaline of the shoot I didn’t feel it so much while we were shooting, but during the next few days I had to massage my arms and neck with muscle ointments and my friends wouldn’t stop making fun of me because I could barely move. And I was in good shape!
It is essential to stay fit if we want to fight. However Deadliest Warrior was particular because they were real weapons, the armor was steel not aluminum. Usually in film and TV the armor and weapons are fake, made of lighter materials. In Deadliest Warrior we were testing the real thing. In medieval times the warriors were carrying their armor and weapons all day every day, they must have been mountains of muscles. Even the chain mail was surprisingly heavy with all the weight resting on the shoulders. Jason McNeil who was wearing it as William the Conqueror could feel the pain too, and he is incredibly fit. At least my armor had resting points on shoulders, elbows, hips etc… so it made it easier to bear the weight.
It’s a lot harder than it looks, but it’s so much fun that it is well worth the pain.
What's in store for you in the next year? Next project?
I have several projects lined up.
First there is the third season of “We’re Alive, A Zombie Story of Survival” that will start in the fall. This is for all the zombie fans, (and even those who aren’t, as the series is very character-driven, everyone can enjoy it): You can download a free version of the first two seasons on i-Tunes or buy the re-mastered DVDs on line and in stores.
There’s the horror movie “Slew Hampshire” with Dayo Okeniyi (Hunger Games) which is currently in post production and should come out in 2012. It’s very scary. There are various dangerous creatures in the forest and my character lives in this forest with vikings.
I’m currently shooting a feature called “The Midnight Screening” by Carlos R. Valencia. It’s the funny stories of geeks waiting in line to see a super hero movie.
And I’ll be shooting in October and November another feature called “Dirty Movie” by Scott Dodgson. This is an art movie shot in black and white and set in France in the 60s. We’ll shoot both in Los Angeles and Paris. It’s a story of love and filmmaking. It will be beautiful and a little disturbing.
What is the weirdest / craziest response from a fan?
It was very funny to me when a fan told me that he saw me on a TV show the night before and I didn’t even know it had aired. Some fans keep up with what I do better than me!
But maybe the craziest was to see an entire thread on a forum dedicated to Riley’s sexual orientation (my character in “We’re Alive”). They are trying to work out is she is straight or gay…and I’m not going to tell you!
What would you like to say to your fans?
The fans are awesome! Some of them are super creative and involved. They’ve made art drawings for “We’re Alive”, created spoof videos either trailers or re-enactments of an episode, created a podcast about the show for both “We’re Alive” and “Deadliest Warrior”; they are very active on the forums giving lots of ideas etc... So I want to say Thank You!! And keep being involved! It’s amazing for everyone who works on these shows to see your reactions, hear your point of view, and see your creativity! Whenever I can I read the forum, watch your videos, look at your drawings, and listen to the podcasts… I love it!
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