Shannyn Sossamon

Shannyn: (about her biggest fear) What is my biggest fear? Aw man. Um? I think the one that's the most consistent, obviously, because I won't bring it into the arena of anything having to do with my child, but the one for me personally, my whole life. I sleep with my hands on my neck when I sleep. I don't know why. I always have, forever. I feel like maybe in a past life I was hung or sliced. I mean it's weird. There's no explanation for it. There's something I think is going on in that sort of... If I sleep on my stomach, the hand goes here. If I sleep on my back, it sort of goes like this. It's very strange. So I think it would be safe to say that I have a fear of someone coming. Yeah, it's really pretty intense.

Shannyn: (about if she has an affinity for the genre horror is) No. I seem to get cast in it a lot. Probably because I'm just one of those people that gets scared easily. I'll be walking down the hall somewhere and I'll hear something and it's like... It's just really easy for me to jump and it's really real; and so in a film it's not fake when I'm scared.

Shannyn: (about what was it about this role [her character on Moonlight] that really drew you in and made you want to do it) Well, Joel [Silver] calling me and asking me was one thing. It was a character like I hadn't really played before that much, so him believing in me and seeing that was nice. It was kind of like he was letting me know that he believed that I could stretch myself, before he'd even seen it, without me reading or anything. When you have people on your team who believe in you, it always helps the person as well. You know what I mean? It's like you have a team, so it feels really good. My point in telling you that, was that I didn't even have to read much. It was like kind of already a nice gesture. Then just the always wanting to play a vampire. But they didn't have a lot written on the page, so when you say character, I had no character. It was like. Here's the rough storyline and we know that she turned him into a vampire in the 50s, and somehow she kidnapped the young, little blond girl, because we need, our Beth. We knew the way that they met, that Mick and Beth met. That was it. So it's been a little interesting. Tricky, actually, to figure it out.

Shannyn: (about if she was a fan of vampire literature or movies before Moonlight) I always loved the aesthetic. I mean I've never really been a super fan of anything in my life, so even if I like something, I'm never, like, psycho fan. So I don't have all the vampire movies or know all the lines by heart or anything. But I always have been a fan of the aesthetic and just that whole feeling of vampire culture. But not to the point where I'm like, Oh, yeah, I've got all the movies and all the books!? Do you know what I mean? But I love the feeling.

Shannyn: (about what traits she likes in a man) Just, not pushovers. I'm a little bit of a brat, so it creates a challenge when they have a little bit of brat in them, too. I stay true to myself, which seems bratty sometimes, and that's OK.

Shannyn (about what kind of sound she's shooting for, for Warpaint): We don't know because we're not trying to make one sound. All of our passionate natures and influences end up melding into one, and then the sound happens. It's weird. We don't even know what we're doing. I swear, we'll listen to the music afterwards and think we know what we're doing. Then like three weeks later, we don't understand how it even got there.

Shannyn: I have not DJ'd in a really long time. I haven't even really craved it in years. When I DJ'd, I didn't play any musical instruments, and then when I got pregnant, I really stopped DJing. It's a nightlife thing, so you have to be out a lot. So when I was pregnant, I started learning how to play music and got more into that.

Shannyn: (about if she is a lyricist) I haven't exposed any lyrics of mine yet. That's coming last for me, for some reason. I write music. I write a lot of music. I love music and I'm always going to be playing music and exercising that within me, because it's a big part of me, but lyrically, not just yet. I haven't put anything out there. If I record an album, that'll be when it happens. I'll proudly put an album out.

Shannyn: (about how she balances mothering, acting and rocking out) Probably because I'm single, it makes it easier. My son is my boyfriend. I don't know how I do it at the moment. I just try to take care of myself. I think when you take care of yourself and you feel strong, you can actually do more.

Shannyn: (about if it ever gets prickly being in a band with her sister) My sister and I have great chemistry. I feel like her and I would be good friends if she wasn't my sister. It's a good chemical matchup. But the family aspect of it actually makes me feel safe. It brings that loving element into it.

Shannyn: (about if she thinks people's sexual experiences in college define their roles for the rest of their lives) For four years, or however many years it is that kids are in college, it seems like, yeah, it would for sure affect you. Four years is a long time, especially at a time when you're young and it's when you're growing into who you are. Those experiences matter.

Shannyn: (about what traits she likes in a man) Just naturalness and confidence and brattiness. People that I've been with and dated have all been different in their own way, so I don't have a prerequisite. The one thing they all have in common is they've all been artists. Physically, I don't like guys who are too super-handsome, but I don't have this list.

Shannyn: (about if she has a similar real-life story about crushed love or teenage attraction) No, I can't imagine having that taste in men that Lauren has. It's hard for me to relate to that because my instincts have always been pretty good as far as attraction and relationships went.

Shannyn: (about why she thinks college is such a breeding ground for sexual turmoil) I've never been to college, so I don't know, but my guess is a lot of kids go to college because it's what they feel like they have to do. So they're probably very confused and lost in that way already.

Shannyn: (about what's the best theme party she has ever attended) I went to a slumber party in a hotel. The whole hotel was rented out. The hotel was the party. It really was like a slumber party because you could walk down the hall.there was dancing all night and swimming and performances. It was great.

Shannyn: (about being in some quite edgy, dark films, like The Rules of Attraction, and now Wristcutters: A Love Story?) Well you've just named two of my favourites, that's for sure (and A Knight's Tale of course!). Yes, I believe I love the strange world. I feel well suited for projects that have a special kind of hyper-something. However that doesn't mean I wouldn't do something softer and more accessible.

Shannyn: (about the criticisms from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, who claim that the film Wristcutters: A Love Story? is 'making fun' of suicide) I completely understand it from a human nature standpoint. When one is passionate about a cause, it means the world to them, and when it doesn't mean the world to others as much then they get very upset. I am 100% confident that the film's focal point isn't to 'make fun' of suicide.

Shannyn: (about if she had a choice between an indie script she loved, and a role as the next Bond girl, which she would choose) The Bond girl. I need the exposure. I would have an absolute blast as a Bond girl. Plus, it would allow me to do as many independent films as I loved, right?

Shannyn: (about how familiar she is with Asian horror films) I was familiar with some Asian horror films. What had I seen before I did this movie? I saw the original Grudge, Ju-on, which I loved. I had seen the original version of Dark Water and I had seen The Ring, the original, as well. Just for fun I'd seen those. I'm not an avid Japanese horror film crazy person, but I'd seen a few of them. I have seen the original version of One Missed Call, but not before I did our film.