(C) 2013 by Rych McCain, All Rights Reserved. No part of this column may
be reprinted, re-posted or duplicated without written permission from
Rych McCain Media/Syndication. Violation is subject to applicable laws.
By Rych McCain International/Nationally Syndicated Entertainment Columnist
Natasha Calis
Scares Up A Name For
Herself!
 |
| Madison Davenport (Hannah) & Kyra Sedgwick (Mom) Lionsgate Photo |
Every now and then an unusual movie will
offer an equally unusual role that has
all of the makings of a project that will not only draw the public’s attention
with its subject matter but will single out the actor in such a way that they
both become synonymous with each other while becoming a classic. Then child
actress Linda Blair is still referenced and talked about to this day from her
convincing portrayal of a possessed child in the 1973 horror classic “The Exorcist.” That film scared the
socks off of a multitude of theater goers while piling up ten Oscar® nods
including being the first horror film to be nominated for “Best Picture.” 1968 saw another classic that keeps getting
referred to via Mia Farrow in “Rose
Mary’s Baby” and the 70’s gave us “The
Omen” with Gregory Peck dealing with his stepson Damien played by Harvey Stephens
who has the satanic numbers “666” as a birthmark on his head.
Now in 2012, we have a new film that will
accomplish what all of the above mentioned did and maybe more. It has already
opened #1 at the box office. As with Linda Blair before her, 13yr-old,
Vancouver, BC, Canada native actress Natasha Calis’ name will be on the lips of
generations to come as “Em” in “The Possession.” Unlike Blair who was easy to
hate because of all the vulgar things the demon made her say and do, Calis was
a sweetie-pie who was trying to fight the Dybbuk (an evil spirit in Jewish
folklore) who she unknowingly freed from its box after she bought it at a yard
sale and took it home.
 |
| Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Em's Dad w/Dybbuk Box) LG photo |
In the Jewish tradition since the 1600’s, small wooden
boxes were made to trap a Dybbuk and keep it sealed and contained. However,
people who have had ownership of one of these boxes all have reported horrible
and scary experiences in their homes or where ever the box was kept. The Dybbuk
box is the center of the entire movie.
Calis started acting at age 7 and has
worked in television and movies. She is currently starring as Claire McDeere on
“The Firm” an NBC drama.
However, Calis’ role as Em in “The Possession” is the
one that will launch her on the fast track to superstardom. Those who see the
film will be talking about Calis without question.
The film’s director Ole Bornedal and producer Sam Raimi knew almost immediately that Calis would be Em from her first audition. With such heavy and scary material to deal with was Calis afraid? She gives a sweet smile and says, “I was having too much fun shooting it and I really wasn’t bothered.
It was exciting to me to play a possessed character because I really got to experiment. I got to play around with the whole idea of possession. I got to experience what it feels like and what you would do and what you would look like and it was really thrilling.”
Did her screen mom (Kyra Sedgwick) and dad (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) help? Calis praised them while recalling, “Jeff and Kyra did a really good job of keeping it a light set. We all bonded really well and became one big family and we were blessed with such an amazing cast and crew.”
 |
| Em being taken by the Dybbuk from the box LG photo |
The film’s director Ole Bornedal and producer Sam Raimi knew almost immediately that Calis would be Em from her first audition. With such heavy and scary material to deal with was Calis afraid? She gives a sweet smile and says, “I was having too much fun shooting it and I really wasn’t bothered.
 |
| The Dybbuk has taken over Em |
It was exciting to me to play a possessed character because I really got to experiment. I got to play around with the whole idea of possession. I got to experience what it feels like and what you would do and what you would look like and it was really thrilling.”
Did her screen mom (Kyra Sedgwick) and dad (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) help? Calis praised them while recalling, “Jeff and Kyra did a really good job of keeping it a light set. We all bonded really well and became one big family and we were blessed with such an amazing cast and crew.”
One of the most emotional and horrifying
moments in the movie was the exorcism scene which was shot at a particularly
haunting location; the abandoned Riverview Mental Institution, whose
dilapidated buildings – once rife with paranoia, fear and grim treatments –
still stand in Coquitiam, British Columbia. It was built in 1913 and closed 70
years later.
Calis reflects, “It was pretty intense both emotionally and
physically. For me it was really fun, I mean I got to scream and lose my voice
a few times but no, it was fun
experimenting what level I could take Em to because she is such a complex
character.
I really played two characters. I played this 11 year-old girl and I
played the 11 year-old girl getting devoured by this demon inside of her. But
it was just really fun, all of the scenes, especially the exorcism scenes
because they were the craziest and the most fun.”
And in case you may be
wondering as with all of the youth I interview under 18, yes Natasha Calis (A real life cutie-pie) is
the newest inductee to Rych McCain’s Youth Media Family!
 |
| The Exorcism begins Lionsgate photo |
 |
| Matisyahu (Hasidic Rabbi Tzadok) cast out the Dybbuk |
 |
| Natasha Calis Photo by Eric Charbonneau |
© 2012 Rych McCain
Media/Syndication tm
(You DID Hear It From Me!)
E-Mail:
feedbackrych@sbcglobal.net
