 
It has been almost three years since we've had the pleasure of Andee Frizzell's company. Since that time her role as the Wraith Queen on Stargate Atlantis has expanded to include even more variations. We caught up with the actress at Creation Entertainment's 2009 Vancouver Stargate Convention, talking about her latest projects both in and out of acting, weathering the economy, and building the ultimate empire. She also gives us her opinion on Apollonia Vanova's appearance as the same role in the episode "The Queen."This interview runs approximately 12 minutes and is available in video or audio formats. It's also transcribed below! If this isn't enough, be sure to visit Andee's official Web site at AndeeFrizzell.com! |
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GateWorld: How are you doing?
Andee Frizzell: I'm doing very well, thank you.
GW: What's been going on lately?
AF: Well, we had a writer’s strike ... Oh! You mean ...
GW: Financial crisis!
AF: [Laughter] A financial crisis, union bails. Other than that, we had a recession. Oh, you mean…
GW: You personally.
AF: Personally, things have actually been really good for me this year. Unfortunately, not as many productions have been here in the last year. But, because of all those 10 things I just said, I have been working on a few local productions.
Andee takes the stage at Creation's 2009 Vancouver convention. | |
What that's [fewer productions] done for Canadian productions is that the Canadian government is enticed people with grants to create more independent films. I am not working on big budget pictures but I am able to work on those grass-roots productions, which I enjoy a lot. So it gets out of the big budget, sci-fi sort of genre, which I love, and then I get to play mothers and cops. So, it has been fun.
GW: If you go to Wikipedia.com and look up your profile, it says, "best known as the Wraith queen." Is there ever a fear of you being pigeonholed into the sci-fi market and only being accessible to the sci-fi market?
AF: For me, no. If that would be the case, that would be the best honor ever, because who is the most loyal fan base? I get to go to conventions and get told repeatedly around the world how awesome I am. Who wouldn’t want that? I want to be pigeonholed in sci-fi forever! Please don’t kick me out of the club.
No, not at all. I do find that in Vancouver we shoot a lot of sci-fi, so if there is anything about being pigeonholed it's not about the sci-fi market itself -- more prosthetics. What has happened for me is that people know that I can endure this make-up process. Now, producers are coming up and actually offering parts to my agents based purely on the fact that I can sit in prosthetics.
I wouldn’t say they're only the horror and that kind of make-up process, but more pigeonholed into that than, say, sci-fi. So I find that a little bit challenging because you can work in productions and people will say, "What have I seen you in? " I'm like, "have you seen anything scary lately, anything from outer space? That would be me." I enjoy that very much, I would also enjoy normal-people parts as well.
GW: Or things were people say, "I recognize that face."
AF: Oh, they recognize me. They just think I am somebody else. Like Tricia Helfer.
GW: That’s even worse Andee.
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Andee's role in Supernatural would not be suitable for her five-year old nephew. Image courtesy AndeeFrizzell.com. |
AF: I remember the motto of last year. My agent actually has it pinned up, "Must book Andee on something her five-year old nephew can watch." [Laughter] Everything else, my sister won’t let him watch it because she’s like, "He’ll be up for nightmares and nightmares." So there was a little, "Must book Andee on something …"
GW: Is there anything that you won’t play in that regard. "I have nephew that will eventually see this?" Is there any part that you say to yourself, "I can’t go out for that, that’s against who I am?"
AF: No. I wouldn’t say there is something I would stand against doing. I think, cinema and art. I've said before in interviews with you about being one piece of an entire creation. I don’t see that part as something that's not a creative conglomerate of a lot of different ideas. More so, you look at something and say, "Is that something that I would want to ..."
I am totally thinking of a part that was like [screaming] suicide! It was sort of what I thought was a ridiculous concept and it just would have haunted the actor for many years.
GW: Can you give us anymore?
AF: No! All I remember, my agent is like, "they want you to come in," and I was like "Suicide!" "No way, I'm not doing that. That is actor suicide." It was just a very "off" show. I don’t even know if it ever did get made. I would turn down those kinds of roles, versus, say, I would take the money, but those kinds of roles are not part of something creative. That's part of something silly.
GW: It would depend how desperate you are. Are there times where you say to yourself, "I really need the money right now, and I have to go against my [principles]?" Have you ever felt that you had to go against your principles?
AF: No. Never. That's what I was saying. Thank you for putting it in one word while I put it in a paragraph. I put it in an epilogue. I don’t feel that I have had to turn things down based on my principles. I've turned them down based on a career move. If I felt it was a stepping-stone forward or 18 slides back. But, no, I have not had to do that.
" I am focusing on my 10-year empire."
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And when it comes down to finances, I have other things that I do. I am a writer, I teach yoga. So, when you asked how have I been this year, I'm channeling what’s available through those other things that I do. So I never feel cornered or pigeonholed into having to take a job and going against that principle, because I have other facets and ways of making money and other ways of being creative. So [I don’t] necessarily have to pick something for those reasons.
GW: What does the professional career of Andee Frizell look like in 10 years? What is your ultimate goal?
AF: I have an empire.
GW: Seriously.
AF: Yup. I am building an empire.
GW: Are we talking jewelry, cosmetics, and things like that. Paris Hilton-style.
AF: I’ll be rapping next season, you got to get my CD. No, not only with my Yoga training and teacher training, I am a certified life coach and motivational speaker.
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