Interview with American Actress Danielle Rayne

My high school drama teacher, Ms. Pierce cast me as the lead in a French farce comedy “A Gown For His Mistress” and the lead role Fiona in “Brigadoon” and I committed to acting on the spot. Fortunately, my parents were supportive and I started auditioning for theatre conservatory programs.

Did you study acting
I went to Webster Conservatory in St. Louis, MO. and got a BFA in Theater. I also continued to study in NYC both at HB Studios and with Wynn Handmann.

What acting technique do you use
I’ve learned to combine all the different techniques I’ve learned over the years depending on the role. I spent a lot of my early time as an actor ‘in my head’ and now I finally feel my acting is in my body. It’s been important to me to simply trust my unique process and my intuition.

EP#86 w/@DanielleRayne aka Vetra in #MassEffectAndromeda
improv was a hit! Check it outhttps://t.co/iDMjO4S3EN #podernfamily #videogames pic.twitter.com/WAOM877hG1

— Horibly Awkward Show (@Awkward_Podcast) April 15, 2017

You are an experienced actor, how much work: creative, energy or focus do you put into your scenes
Usually, I thrive on taking the time to delve into a role; the dialogue, the backstories, the life experiences I share with a character. Reading what I can and researching tiny details that can flesh out my role. Then I had a major revelation working on the video game “Mass Effect Andromeda” because it was the total opposite experience. There was no script to work on, you just show up, you get a quick description and some direction and then fly by the seat of your pants when your dialogue is revealed on the monitor. It was the opposite experience and yet was incredibly freeing. I felt like I did some of my best acting work as Vetra Nyx with zero preparation—which may tie back into acting being intuitive for me at this point.

You’ve worked on the most famous TV Shows like Hawaii 5-O, Castle, Rosewood, Revenge, Switched At Birth, Perception and Scandal. How has each show impacted your career and work as an actor?
When you work on a show everyone has heard of, like Hawaii 5-O, Castle, Scandal obviously there’s that nice feeling when your Facebook friends post on your wall that they saw your episode. But shows like Rosewood and Perception were very creative and exciting sets to be on—more intimate, dynamic and supportive. On Perception, Eric McCormack was surrounded by guest stars but he treated us so warmly, rehearsing and taking lunch and breaks with us, that I felt like a series regular. Usually there’s a line drawn in the sand that separates Cast and Guest Cast. But not on Perception or Rosewood, in my experience.

Danielle Rayne (Vicki Kelly) alongside Alex O’Loughlin (McGarrett) in Hawaii 5-O S6, Episode 7

How does the work you do on, say “Castle” compare to another, like “Scandal”?
Scandal was the incredible experience of working with the one and only Kerry Washington. Kerry actually addressed the large guest cast that day and thanked us for bringing so much talent and energy to the Pope offices (apparently, only regular cast members had been in that set location prior to us). Most of my interactions as Elaine Day were with series regulars. Castle, on the other hand, was as pressure filled and lonely as I could imagine. I was the last shot of the day ON A FRIDAY. I was the news anchor and basically had a big chunk of news reporting about Richard Castle to do. No one working opposite me and the pressure was on. The bottom line was, I did my job and my big reward was members of the grateful crew thanking me for banging out my takes fast so they could go home before 11pm!

Let’s take Hawaii 5-0 for example, how did you prepare for such a role: the cast, the physicality the terrain, the climate, weather and the demands of the show?
Knowing the part, I bumped up my workouts to be as fit as I could. I already had prior weapon experience and training thanks to my years as Sarah Connor at Universal Studios Hollywood, which was key for my role as fugitive Vicki Kelly. But instead of being the badass, my first day was spent bound, gagged and held at gunpoint by “McGarrett” (Alex O’Loughlin).

The tropical rains kicked in which delayed filming and made our location very muddy. Day 2 my co-star James C. Burns and I had all these scenes running through the tropical jungle with our weapons pursuing McGarrett and Lynn. It was already rugged terrain with vines everywhere that would trip you up and if you slipped on the mud, there was nothing to break your fall. One take, James fell hard on his hip, but he never lost control of his weapon! I have minimal experience driving a boat and I had a scene where I arrive solo piloting a Zodiac.

I had about 15 minutes of instruction and then I took the Zodiac out about 100 yards away from shore waiting for “action” over a walkie hidden on the boat. I sat there about 30 minutes in the rain while we waited for it to ease up enough to shoot. Just me and a curious sea turtle who couldn’t figure out why I wasn’t fishing or moving, I guess. Those action roles have their challenges, but they’re definitely my favorites.

Danielle Rayne talking with Craig (designer of the gun) on the set of Portal: No Escape

When you shot Portal: No Escape, how do you create that character from a script into a person?
Dan Trachtenberg and I discussed that since there was no dialogue, my thought process was going to be key to telling the story. The scenes where I’m studying the scratch marks on the walls and the details of my cell (an abandoned meat-packing plant in downtown LA) I created a detailed inner monologue: assessing measurements, angles, using mathematical formulas, finding possible coordinates. Dan had a detailed storyboard and shot list, but fleshing out the character, her reasoning and her determination to escape was on my shoulders.

How did you stay fresh on a production set like scandal?
Staying on set keeps me fresh—it’s when I’m in my trailer that time moves painfully slow. If I can, I prefer to stay close to set. You never know what you might learn watching a scene being shot.

Explain one creative choice you took on set
I’m actually going to use one of James C. Burns examples from Hawaii 5-O. When we were filming the end scenes where McGarrett was bringing us to the authorities, the script had us written as defeated and my character was despondent. James told me “I’m going to look at you and nod, because I’ve got people on the inside prepared to break us out. You nod back.” It gave us something much more interesting to play and gave us an open door to return. He thought of that, not me, but it did give me inspiration to see past what’s on the page.

Danielle Rayne on the Red Carpet

Describe a memorable character you played
In 2014 I did a short film, “The Ranch” which garnered 10 nominations at the 168 Film Festival. My character Samantha was a single mom desperate to find a way to support herself and her son. She ends up with an unlikely job and ultimately, financial security for herself and her son. When you say ‘yes’ to friends competing in a festival, you never know what’s in store. This role was very special to me as it marked my first red carpet as a Best Actress nominee.

What do you want most from a director
Playable direction. I know that sounds simple. As guest cast, I’ve experienced everything from being completely overlooked to being told some obscure, esoteric non-actable vision the director has in his head. It’s great when you’re told “Intimidate him with your line” because you can work with that direction.

What actors do you long to work with
Right now~~Susan Sarandon.

Why
I’m watching her in Feud and she’s so incredible. I believe her fully as Bette Davis and Sarandon’s making me love and understand Davis in a way that surprises me. That’s great acting in my opinion.

Danielle Rayne as Samantha in the Ranch (An elderly cowboy reluctantly hires a single mom as a ranch hand)

What advice would you give to actors
I spent a lot of time trying to be someone I thought was more cast-able. If I thought women with short hair were working more than me, I cut my hair. And then I looked back and realized I booked more jobs when my hair was longer. That’s a very simplified example but my point is, just be who you want to be. If blue hair is you, do it. The right roles will find you and you’ll be happier in the process. What’s unique about us makes our interpretation of any role completely our own.

Briefly write about your career
I started in NYC doing stage plays (Hedda Gabler, Margaret in Much Ado, Lady Mary in The Admirable Crichton) and working in commercials and soaps, with the occasional TV show or film gig. My desire to do more TV and film took me to LA and I’ve loved working on both coasts equally. For me, “the harder I work the luckier I get” holds true. That’s why I’m one of the lucky ones who makes my living acting.