Exclusive Interview with Cinthia Moura, “Deer Woman” of the Masters of Horror Series
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Tune in to Showtime this Friday night (December 9, 2005) to catch the premiere of Masters of Horror: "Deer Woman", directed by John Landis. The short film introduces Cinthia Moura, the Brazilian supermodel whose resume is studded with the likes of L'Oreal, Pantene and several magazine covers including Max and Photo.
[Warning: This interview contains a few minor spoilers…]
Staci Layne Wilson / Horror.com: Hi, Cinthia. I haven't had a chance to watch your episode yet but I have seen a little bit of The Masters of Horror. It looks like it's pretty scary stuff. How did you come into the project?
Cinthia Moura: Well, it's funny because I'm not really an actress. I'm a model. But I have been going on auditions for two years and that was my first movie. So it was like I just went to the audition and did the audition and came back to
Q: Did they say why you were the perfect Deer Woman?
Cinthia Moura: I don't know. He told me that I was exactly what he was picturing in his head. He had this look, she's a Native American, and my head shot has a very Native American look. Which I'm lighter but they made me look...I had to do all the airbrushing tanning and long extensions. They dyed my hair really black. My great-grandmother was an Indian from the Amazon in
Q: I've seen some of the stills from the show, and you're in buckskins and beads. Does it take place in the 1800s or is it modern times?
Cinthia Moura: It's modern times. My costume looks very Native American. Brown suede with these like blue stones in the necklace and earrings.
Q: Was your episode shot in
Cinthia Moura: Yes, it was shot in
Q: Had you been there before?
Cinthia Moura: No I had never been there before and I thought it was really beautiful.
Q: For your scenes, are they shot outside in the forest or is it interior?
Cinthia Moura: We shot two days in a mental institution.
Q: How lovely for you.
Cinthia Moura: Yes. I know. [laughing] It was kind of scary to be shooting a scary movie in a scary place. People used to say in
Q: Lobotomy.
Cinthia Moura: Lobotomy. They used to do them there. The makeup artist told me she saw one water faucet turn on by itself twice downstairs in the bathroom. I don't know if it's true. I didn't even want to go there!
Q: When I was talking to John Landis about the show, this was right around the time he had just finished shooting, and he said that there are some real deer in the show. Were you able to interact with them?
Cinthia Moura: I wasn't able to because my scenes didn't involve the deer. Those were shot separately. Which is a shame. I wanted to meet them. [laughing] But I mean I felt I was the Deer Woman for the whole time I was shooting the movie. I believed I was Deer Woman. It was great. Especially when I put the costume on...I just became [her].
Q: Did you have to go through some of the special makeup effects with KNB Studios?
Cinthia Moura: No. The only thing I had to do was that I had to do the airbrush tanning so I looked really tan. And we had to put the long extensions in every day. But that was it.
Q: Oh, ok. So you're never, like, half woman and half deer?
Cinthia Moura: Oh yeah, yeah, yeah! I'm sorry, that's what you mean. I had to wear prosthetic legs. I'm only a deer from the waist down. They were very heavy and I had to do some stunts with them which was hard. I kept worrying about it because I had to hit this car and it wasn't easy. I know how to hit it with my own foot, but to hit it with a leg that's not yours… I was really scared to mess up the whole shot for him. But I got it on the first take, so it was good.
Q: John Landis is a funny guy with a million stories, but what's he like to work with as a director when you're on the job?
Cinthia Moura: I loved working with him. I was so happy. I wish I could work with him again many, many times. I love all his movies. I think he's a classic director, I mean all of his movies are classics. For me, it was my first film and I thought I was going to be nervous. But he made it really easy. He's just a genius. He has that vision, that gift, and he gets there and he makes it work. Like the scene's set up and he'll just look and he'll have the vision. He'll just like, "No, like that, like that" and the scene happens. Its great.
Q: Does he let you watch parts of the film as it's being shot or did you have to wait and see all of your parts afterward?
Cinthia Moura: On the set I didn't see anything. But I was fine with it because I was like, you know what, I'm just going to wait until it's all done. But there was one scene that I look really, really scary that he wanted to show me because I looked really, really scary and evil. So he showed me that one. I loved watching it and I did look really scary! [laughs]
Q: What did you enjoy most about your first acting experience?
Cinthia Moura: Oh, I loved everything. The whole experience of the movie-making. I just loved doing it. When you work, when you're doing something that you love, it's just so much better. Because everything is better... your creativity, your dedication, everything. One day we worked 24 hours. We started at 7:00 in the morning and we finished the next day at 7:00. I didn't even sleep in my trailer. I was just up but I didn't even care, I was so happy to be doing it. It's just a very exciting business.
Q: How would you compare it with modeling?
Cinthia Moura: It's similar in a way. It's much harder work, you work longer hours, you get up really early. It's a lot more involved. I realize how easy modeling was when I did it because it's not that easy also. Modeling, basically, I just have to go and do the shot. It's basically easy. But with film you have to worry about so many other things, about performance, about weather, about whatever. You know how it is. It's just a much bigger production.
Q: Does Deer Woman have dialogue, or is she mute?
Cinthia Moura: No she doesn't talk in the movie. My personality is of an animal. I guess more of an animal than a woman. I use my woman side to seduce the men and get them. But then I'm just an animal because I kill them without any remorse, without even caring about it. Just for the fun of killing. I don't have any motive. I don't even eat them, I just kill them.
Q: Well, deer don't eat meat right?
Cinthia Moura: Yeah, right. But through the whole movie, I have to do everything through my expressions. He wanted me to be subtle, he didn't want me to go overboard. So that's a little harder. But it was easy. It was great as a first movie for me because I didn't have the pressure of lines.
Q: I bet your family and friends are really excited.
Cinthia Moura: Oh, my God. Everybody just can't wait to see it. I watched all the scenes from the Masters of Horror website. They have the commentaries from the directors and everything. I watched everything. I can't wait to see more of the movie.
Q: Are you a fan of horror?
Cinthia Moura: Yes. [laughter] Yes, I am
Q: Do you get scared?
Cinthia Moura: Yes. I get more scared with the ones that are, how do you say it, suspense?
Q: Yes.
Cinthia Moura: Yes. That's scarier, I think. More than like the killing. Obviously the killing is very scary too, but the suspense when it keeps building up and you're so nervous.
Q: Brian Benben is your costar in this show. Do you have a lot of scenes with him?
Cinthia Moura: No. Can you believe we only shot one scene together?
Q: Really? I'm surprised.
Cinthia Moura: The one scene we meet, we shot together. They would shoot me, and then him. It's just the way it was shot, I think. I got to see him in Dream On and he's great. I think he's a great actor and a great person, too.
Q: He's also very funny.
Cinthia Moura: Yes! Very funny. Yes, all of them together on the set. Anthony Griffith, the guy who plays the cop, is also a comedian. With him and Brian... and John Landis… really funny, telling jokes on the set all day. Brian always had a joke every time I came to see him.
Q: Well the scene you were talking about with the car sounds kind of dangerous and a little bit scary. What was your favorite scene to shoot though in the whole thing?
Cinthia Moura: My favorite scene to shoot was one… I don't know if I can give the movie away, but I'm going to say a little bit. I had a lot of blood involved. I had all this blood on my body and my mouth, and I just had to act crazy, evil, and insane.
It was my favorite scene. We were shooting at 3:00 in the morning in the middle of the forest. It was very cold. Everybody was in big jackets and I just had that little costume on. He was like "Just go crazy. Just go completely crazy and spit the blood". And that was my favorite part. That was the one I had most fun doing.
Q: Since you had to taste it, what did they make the blood out of?
Cinthia Moura: I never thought I'd have to put that in my mouth. It's like very thick, red liquid and I just had to keep putting it in my mouth. It's thick and very hard to wash off.
Q: Does it have a flavor to it?
Cinthia Moura: No, no... it doesn't have any flavor.
Q: We already know why the guys will want to watch this episode, but how would you describe the story to the female audience who might be interested in Deer Woman?
Cinthia Moura: They said it was every woman's dream to do to their exes. That's what somebody said once. I didn't say that. [laughing] They said I said that, but I didn't. I thought she was funny too, because she'd have fun picking the victim. The part where she's trying to seduce them and get them, she'd have fun doing it. That's what I thought was very funny about her. They should watch the movie because, even though the story sounds crazy, it's a very good movie. John Landis directed and it's a great story. And funny too, there's some funny parts with Brian. [It’s about] woman power.
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