Venice
Examiner: How do you know Crystal Chappell and how were you approached to sign on for this series?
Michelle: I have been friends with Kim Turrisi for a while. And she basically said that I am writing a part for you and you are going to do it. And I can’t really say no to her I read the script and she was nice to say read it and see if you like it and let me know what you think. I read it and I immediately called her from Idaho this summer and said I love it, I want to do it. She wrote so well and just reading the script I was so connected to Gina immediately and just her ability to be herself and everything that she is going through so many people have the same problems and I just really felt her and I felt my character too. It is so close to me that is just me being me that I was just like definitely, I just get to play and have a good time. And I think a lot of people are going to relate to the story of Venice and they are going to see themselves in any of the characters and they will be able to relate to the show. And I think they are really going to love it.
Examiner: Based upon what you know about your character in this moment in time, give us a snapshot of who you are playing.
Michelle: I am playing the character of Michele and she is Gina’s sassy assistant, her confidante, her right hand, the one who keeps her in line and checks her every now and then. You know just being sassy and having fun and I can relate to it and I enjoy bringing the sass and the funk to it.
Examiner: Do you believe web based series such as Venice will allow more creativity for actors and writers than network productions do and have you ever participated in this type of production before?
Michelle: I have not participated in this type of production before. I believe that the new media is now media and it is happening and it is going to open doors for so many people to do their own projects, projects that they want to do. It is going to allow them their freedom to move forward in projects they may not have been able to do before because they were held back by studios or other people keeping them from being free enough to do their own projects. And I think that it is really going to take off and you are going to see a lot more people doing it and I think it is going to be great. I think so many people have stories that they want to tell and that they aren’t able to do it for whatever reason, but I think that this medium is going to be the answer to that. I really do.
Examiner: Tell us something special about Crystal. Also, in your spare time, if you could just rifle through her cosmetic bag to reveal one of her beauty secrets, I would appreciate it. If you don’t feel like grabbing her purse or breaking into her dressing room—no worries. Just mention something that dazzles you about Chappell.
Michelle: My answer sounds like Harrison’s, but I am not mad at him because I am going to have a similar answer. I met Crystal through Kim Turris and she is just so sweet and so giving. I have said that before and people have heard me say it but it is true. She is so giving and she just makes you feel like you have known her for years and that is just wonderful not having known me from Adam. But, in the scenes that we have shot already and being in the scene with her and just looking into her eyes, I am not even kidding you, it just breaks you down. Looking into that woman’s eyes would just wreck a car. I am not even kidding. The eyes have it--just saying for me.
Examiner: Right out of the gate, Venice has developed a reputation for reaching out to fans via web sites such as Twitter. This has certainly been a huge factor in building anticipation for the show’s launch and has been enormously popular with fans of the cast members joining Venice. Who knew Crystal Chappell would be engaging directly with her fans so religiously in this manner? Tina Sloan recently Tweeted on Twitter of course, that the character she is playing on Venice is funny. She mentioned this was different for her and she was thrilled with how that character of hers was being written. Sloan was clearly having fun with her Venice experience and fans were thrilled to hear about it. Are you Tweeting and how important to you if that interaction with your fans?
Michelle: They announced me back in September on Twitter and the day they announced me I had to start Tweeting and I had vowed that I was not going to Tweet and that I was going to stay away from it., just like I vowed I was going to stay away from facebook. That didn’t happen. When I did start Tweeting I realized it’s an addiction…it’s a problem. I enjoy our Twitter peeps so much. I have to connect with them everyday. And you know what? I think the social networking sites are so important and who knew that we would be able to use them so much for this business. I think it is such a great concept and to pimp out our business and our shows in this way, the fans can stay connected. The fans are constantly in on what we are doing. We keep them abreast of the situations all the time. We keep them informed and they feel like they are part of the whole project by tweeting them from set and tweeting them at home and letting them know we are doing this. They love it. I love my Twitter peeps and they know I love them. I stay in contact with them all the time. And it helps them feel like they are really a part of the projects. So, Rock On.
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