FRONTRUNNER Meets Vanessa Vanderpuye

Acting scared on camera is one of the more challenging things to do as an actor. Vanessa Vanderpuye learned exactly that when she took on the role of Ashionye, a spirit hunter who is hired to expel the evil that’s tormenting a family in Oge Okpue’s new feature film, A Song from the Dark. Vanderpuye has a criminal justice degree, but her heart still pulled towards acting. She attended drama school and settled with focusing on her on-screen career and modelling. She’s since then appeared in the BAFTA-winning show, Dreaming Whilst Black, and also in Sky One’s Bulletproof.

FRONTRUNNER sat down with Vanderpuye to discuss the challenges of the horror genre, the connection between African cultures and the supernatural, and what is it like having to be the centre of attention when life gives you endometriosis, and your body decides turns against you.

How did you get involved with the film, A Song from the Dark, and what drew you to this genre?

I have never played anything like Ashionye’s character before. I’m interested in anything that will challenge me as an artist. I love learning about new cultures and playing strong characters. I love everything that inspires me, and was very excited to be involved. I have also never done stunt training before, so anything encouraging me to be a better artist and person excites me. I enjoy learning about different characters and cultures. Horror was a new genre for me, so although it was challenging, it was also rewarding.

As an actor or filmmaker, you should try every genre before you settle with your favourite. Supernatural horror is quite interesting and attracts a large audience. Have you always been a fan of the genre?

As a Ghanaian woman, I feel that in African culture, the supernatural was always there. We all have an understanding through folklore, regardless of whether you are Nigerian, Ghanaian, or Gambian. Our parents or ancestors always tell stories about people having spiritual gifts. The director, Ogodinife Okpue, loosely based the story on his grandmother’s experiences, who had similar gifts. It was interesting learning about Nigerian mythology and understanding the symbols, which all have special meanings. The words I’m chanting in the film and the mythical symbols are all real. I’m speaking Yoruba. I had to learn a new language and what each spiritual symbol meant.

The film’s supernatural element and the details about Nigerian folklore are not fictional?

It’s fictional, as in it’s not a true story, but they are real symbols with meanings in Nigerian culture that repel spirits. It’s scary, but what gave me peace, is that I was constantly praying the spirit away. They were never something I was inviting in. I didn’t want to have any nightmares, but when I had an understanding, I felt more comfortable.

In the horror genre, films require a lot of work in post-production, such as in VFX or CGI. Did this make your job more difficult when you didn’t have all these elements present on set?

Absolutely. The director knows what he is trying to create in his mind, and there’s only so much you can depict in the script. He had to explain to me in various ways so I could capture that moment. If I wasn’t scared enough, he would say, imagine that there’s a spirit to the left and the right, it’s moving, you can’t see it, but can feel it. He kept giving me different descriptive scenarios to imagine and then to react. It all made sense in post-production, but it was challenging to react to something you can’t see. I also couldn’t tell if the action would match the level of fear.

The hardest emotion to act out as an actor is fear. Faking tears and laughing are nothing near as challenging as acting being scared.

It is very exhausting. I had to do a lot of breaths and late nights. Having all the elements together when you don’t feel scared is certainly not easy.

We’ve seen some revenge films lately, but they were achieved more traditionally. This is a supernatural revenge film with an interesting concept. How do you think the two types of revenge films compare, and how was the different atmosphere achieved?

They never really wanted it to be a revenge story. The ultimate moral of the story was about forgiveness, faith, love, and finding your true self. You could tell that my character wasn’t at peace because there were a lot of unanswered questions about my childhood, how I got to England, and the dynamic of my family. It added more suspense to the story. How did I get here? What was the background of the story of my aunts and my cousins? Why are we only now just finding each other? Am I going to help them, or will I put myself first? Blood is thicker than water. Right? So in the end, you see who I choose.

It didn’t come from a place of aggression or violence. The film resolved the same issue but in an alternative way, which may give the film a positive feel.

Many things can be misconstrued when there’s no understanding. I think that’s how people can become vengeful, angry, and aggressive. I was careful that my character wasn’t that way. I truly wanted to seek understanding and the truth because everyone needs love. She never had any family around her, so she has always been a lone ranger. It was more about the truth and tackling the problem together, which is to come out of it alive.

You also have a criminal justice degree. Do you ever apply that knowledge in your career, as you look at characters and scripts?

Yes, especially for Bulletproof when I played a lawyer. I certainly applied what I have learned in research, such as understanding my husband and the dynamic of my family. I analysed the knock-on effects if we remain a couple or if we don’t. I used the knowledge I gained through my degree, but ultimately acting took my heart. Criminal justice was a backup plan, but it’s still something I’m interested in today. Crime Watch was my favourite show. I was about 8, and my mom often asked if I was okay or if I needed to see a doctor. I was fascinated and always tried to suss out who murdered who. I never got scared.

Surely your degree taught you how to research characters and backstories.

If there’s no backstory, how do I create one? Where does she come from? What are her triggers? What makes her sad? I love to create a profile for a character.

Should we talk a bit about endometriosis? I’m aware you suffer from it, but it’s something that we never hear about in the industry. Being an actor and a model, you must continuously bring your best self. This can be affected so much by this torturing condition. How do you work around it and make sure to feel safe and looked after at work, as it’s not always common knowledge on film sets?

When I was diagnosed, I think it was very upsetting for me, but at the same time, there was a sense of relief because finally, I knew what was wrong. A diagnosis makes you feel less crazy because I knew I wasn’t making this up. I knew my pain threshold was times 100. Moving forward, I think the next job after my diagnosis was Bulletproof. I went on set, had a medical, and could finally express that this is what I have—letting you all know this is my condition. I can be fine in the morning, and then by 2 o’clock I can’t walk. They were so accommodating and that was the first time I ever had that. It’s something that I was once embarrassed about and ashamed of, but on set, I finally felt protected. They had a quiet room next to set if I had to lie down and put a hot water bottle and tea in there. The medical team came to check on me, and they always had painkillers. They were amazing. I still managed to do a 13- 14-hour shoot day. Lord knows how, but maybe because I felt safe. I’m prepared that this might not be the case on every set.

It’s great to hear you had such a good experience with the crew dealing with your condition on set.

I am glad you asked because I’m very vocal about it, and the more people hear about it on set, the more normalised it will become. If someone has a migraine on set, then everyone knows how to combat it, and I think the same should apply in this case.

Where would you like to see yourself go in the next few years?

I want to see myself consistently working and traveling. The definition of success for me is having to turn scripts down. Also, to be able to work on a particular thing out of passion that challenges me as opposed to still hustling. I feel like I’m still in hustling mode. I’ve got a lot of work to do, but I’m ready for the challenge and excited for what’s to come.

A Song from the Dark is now available on Amazon Prime.