Week of the Flight of the Living Dead: Kristen Kerr, Part 2

Read part 1 of my interview with Kristen by clicking the click-click.

Our conversation rolled around to Flight of the Living Dead, a film I still hadn't seen at the time we spoke. Kristen agreed that that was silly.

Kristen Kerr: You haven’t seen the movie?? How are you supposed to ask questions?

Final Girl: Well, now I have to ask the boring questions that I hate asking people. Normally I wouldn’t, but I honestly don’t know anything about the movie.

KK: Oh my god.

FG: So…zombies on a plane.

KK: It’s…it’s the best movie, and I’m not even just saying that.

FG: Uh huh.

KK: I’m not kidding you! It’s hilarious, it’s fun. You laugh, you scream, it’s so…I mean, I shot it, I was there, then when I saw it I couldn’t believe it. I was like WOW! I was so proud, like “Geez, they really made a good movie!” I tell Scott Thomas (the director) until I’m blue in the face how proud I am of it. Did you ever see Snakes on a Plane?

FG: No, I didn’t…but I think I get the concept. There’s a plane with snakes on it, then Samuel L Jackson shows up and fights the snakes on said plane…

KK: It’s the same, but we have zombies and no Samuel L Jackson. Ours is even better- and funny. You sort of get to know the characters better, and it’s really a good ride for the hour and a half the movie runs. It’s great.

FG: And you’re a stewardess, right?

KK: Yup, I’m a stewardess, Meagan. I had a really…kind of nice lovely…there wasn’t anything too crazy about me, you know? There was a guy on board who was an ex-con, then, you know, there was the nun, there was the young high school/college kids…I wish I could tell you more about my character. I was really sweet, you know? I was the head stewardess and I was always telling people to sit down when people were getting covered in blood. And I cried a lot. I was screaming “Ah! Help!” half the movie.

FG: So she’s more the screaming victim instead of the “strong woman” heroine type?

KK: You know…yeah, I’m gonna have to say the first one. Even though it’s not 100% either one of those. I was a little bit more innocent, I didn’t know what to do with all the drama going on, as opposed to being able to be in control and helping people- I was just as scared as everyone else.

FG: Were you a horror fan before you made this film, or…

KK: I love it…I LOVE it. Horror films are so fun for me and you know, it’s funny, I’ve worked a lot in them, you’d think that I was typecast. I mean, The I Scream Man is a horror film, they're all these crazy horror films and my mom is like “Why can’t you do something nice?”- it’s hilarious. But you know, it’s one of those things, like where I’m at in my life, I’m sort of open and…I need to do everything until I get to another level where I can pick and choose. You know, I auditioned for this and they loved me and I got it, and I couldn’t have had more fun shooting it, so it just sort of happens. In fact, the movie was already way into production- I don’t know if they lost their original “Meagan”- but when I auditioned, I was working the next week.

FG: There are so many horror movies produced every single day, and I think if you do sort of fall into that genre and it’s something you enjoy, you’re always going to have work. And horror fans can be extremely loyal.

KK: Totally. I enjoy it, you know? I mean, I’m getting older…you’d think I wouldn’t, but I do. I like the scary stuff. But this one’s funny. I’m so curious- I can’t believe they had you call me and they didn’t even give you a copy of the movie. That’s crazy.

FG: Well, it’s coming, at least! I’ve read a bit on the internet, but I don’t want to spoil it for myself- I don’t want to know everything. I want to be surprised.

KK: Okay, get this- this is a story. It’s a flight that goes from LA to Paris, right? Well, Mark…umm…I don’t remember his name. Mark Head DP! (author's note: it's actually Mark Eberle) Anyway, he’s a pilot in real life and every once in a while he wouldn’t be on set- he’d be flying. So my husband and I go to Paris last year…and he was our fucking pilot. Can you believe that? He brought us up in the cockpit and he pulled out his iPod and he showed us the trailer, which I hadn’t seen yet, when it was Plane Dead.

FG: We’re talking now, so I guess you didn’t encounter any zombies.

KK: No zombies. I can’t wait for you to see the movie!

FG: So what would you rather be stuck next to on board a trans-Atlantic flight: a crying baby, a drunk guy who keeps hitting on you, or a zombie?

KK: Well, zombies kill you. Once they bite you, you’re dead and you’re a zombie, too. I guess…I guess I would take the baby crying. I don’t want some fuckin’ idiot by me, like, hitting on me. Drunk guy? No. I’ll take the baby. But I’d drug it. I’m just kidding!

FG: A little Jack Daniels, the baby will go right to sleep.

KK: Totally. I wouldn’t want any of those, but I would take the baby.

I mention Kristen's slight southern accent, and she tells me she's originally from Virginia. This leads to those generic questions about career paths and all that- after getting two college degrees, she moved to NYC to get into acting but fell into modeling for a while first. I got the low low low down on the modeling business, baby, and it sounds even grosser than you think it is. Juicy stuff! Somehow, though, Kristen managed to make her way through it with her soul intact...then she got into acting, made some super-swell movies, met her super-swell husband, is having a super-swell baby, and is leading an all-around super-swell existence.

KK: I’ve always been really lucky, I have to say.

FG: You know, it’s good thing you’re so nice, otherwise it might be really easy to hate you.