By Joe Puccio
Some future celebrities know that they are destined for the public eye years before society has heard of them. Legendary screen bombshell Marilyn Monroe, despite acknowledging the massive number of starlets with the same dream, was convinced she would be one of the most famous sex symbols of all time. Comic icon Eddie Murphy, competing in the cutthroat world of stand-up comedy, declared he’d achieve stardom by 21 and was correct, becoming Saturday Night Live’s breakout performer by just that age. And Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF), at just five years old, told the world on The Rosie O’Donnell Show that he’d be a professional wrestler; Friedman is the current All Elite Wrestling (AEW) World Heavyweight Champion.
For the multifaceted Fabianne Therese, her life trajectory could have easily taken her in several different directions. Genre fans, however, are undoubtedly pleased with the choice she ultimately made. As the lead in the new independent slasher film Dolly, which is now available on top horror streaming service Shudder following a successful theatrical run earlier this year, Therese has gained a legion of followers for her fierce yet vulnerable portrayal of Macy, a young woman abducted by a monstrous figure intent on raising her as its child in the isolated mountains of Tennessee. But acting clearly wasn’t the only possibility for the Kansas City, Missouri born over achiever.
“I’m obsessed with printing, layout, and design. I thought I would be a writer, or I would work in publishing of some kind,” Therese shared, during a recent conversation with Generation X Wire. “I do woodworking. I make magazines. I do ceramics. I have an insane garden. I love learning new things and so much of it has nothing to do with my career. So, it was a very lucky turn of events that led this to be my profession.”
After obtaining steady work doing commercials and theater, Therese went on her first film audition. But the script nearly proved to be too abstruse for the then-ingenue. “It was so bizarre. It made no sense to me,” she admitted. “I got a call back and actually almost didn’t go because I was so used to theater and I just couldn’t wrap my head around it.” Luckily, a friend who was already an accomplished actor provided her with a bit of keen advice. “He told me that his career had primarily been built on being the best thing in bad movies and that he took everything he was offered in the beginning with the hope that people would leave the movie and think it was terrible but hopefully think that guy was good,” she recalled. “So, I decided to do it. It was only later that I found out it was John Dies at the End by Don Coscarelli! I had seen Phantasm and Bubba Ho-Tep and as soon as I went to work on it and understood Don’s unique style, it all fell into place for me. Imagine reading a script by Quentin Tarantino without knowing who wrote it. Your first instinct would be very different.”
The picture ended up being featured at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, eventually cementing cult classic status – while simultaneously launching Therese’s show business career. “Don made the entire experience feel so easy, light, and fun. His set was a place where we could really experiment with different ideas. I love him,” she gushed. “Since then, he’s come to plays of mine. Once you’re part of the Coscarelli family, you’re in the Coscarelli family for life.”
Although it has fright flick elements, the tone of John Dies at the End has little in common with Dolly. The graphic body horror project is relentless in its terror throughout its entire succinct 83-minute run time. Yet in spite of the extreme nature of the picture, Therese never had reservations of accepting the role as she did with John. Instead, she consulted with a trusted colleague and kept a notebook at her side as she read the script. “Scoot McNairy (Argo, Halt and Catch Fire) and I have the same manager, and he’d worked with Rod (Blackhurst), who was directing Dolly, and he had a wonderful experience with him. As I read it, I made notes of anything that was a possible red flag. And each time I said to myself that the script could not get any crazier, I’d turn the page and it did,” Therese laughed. “The diaper scene, specifically, I told him I didn’t think I could do.”
Blackhurst’s easygoing, protective demeanor provided a sense of comfort for the actress, listening to her concerns and working through anything she felt needed another look. “There were some things that were scary to shoot but he always put me at ease. If I commit to something, I’m 110% in. So, I’ve learned to have these discussions early in the process so that once I’m ‘there,’ I’m fully ‘there.’ But Rod was great. It’s funny – these horror directors are such daddies. He constantly told me that if I needed anything, he was there.”
Costarring Seann William Scott (The Dukes of Hazzard, American Pie), a conventional choice for sure, Dolly’s cast is also notable for the hiring of its titular character. Brought to life by Max Lindsey (Max the Impaler), a terrifying professional wrestler with a ghoulish gimmick, Lindsey’s depiction of Dolly matched the intensity that they bring to the squared circle each time they compete. Their personality in real life, however, was a complete 180. “I don’t know if they’re going to love that I’m giving up their cover, but they’re not imposing at all. Max is incredible. It was their first film and a dream of theirs to be a horror villain,” she added. “They’re funny, sweet, and incredibly goofy. It was a real bonding experience for us.”
Therese, currently residing in Los Angeles, California (“I don’t think I’ve ever been more jealous to not be in New York as now,” referring to the New York Knicks’ recent NBA World Championship), has experienced quite the nomadic life since leaving the Midwest, with Sri Lanka in South Asia, Abu Dhabi in the Middle East, and the mountainous country of Austria just three of her past home bases. In addition to her aforementioned impressive eclectic tastes, the striking lifelong learner also studies Bharatanatyam, an Indian classical dance form, and excelled in track as a teenager. “At the time, I thought I might do long distance running forever. But it really messed up my knees and shins,” she acknowledged. “I’m a walker now.”
Presently starring in a play by Jessica Garrison named Couch about a girl who treats her sofa as a source of sustenance, it’s not a surprise that Therese names dark comedy as her favorite genre. “I just did a reading of it in L.A. with Steve Little from Eastbound & Down. Afterward, people were telling me that they couldn’t believe they were actually crying and were so moved by it. And that’s what I love,” she explained. “To be able to make people laugh, cry, be afraid, and have hope all at the same time. And a lot of the stuff that I personally write and direct has that kind of tone too.”
One of said endeavors is The Ex, about a young woman’s battle with her past, and another, titled Earth is a Paradise, focuses on an overnight struggle between two strangers following a drunken fender bender. Obsessed tells the tale of a hoarder preoccupied with immediate gratification during the pandemic. “I’m editing Obsessed now and hope to have it out this year,” she stated. But perhaps the future project that Therese is most anticipating is called Lake Travis, currently being prepared for festival release. “It’s about four siblings who had been pretending they have everything under control that go back to their family home after their father takes his life. It was fun because I got to play a more masculine character, which I don’t often get,” she remarked. “Melora Walters from Magnolia is in too, who’s really great.”
As for Dolly, as with all fruitful films, there is already talk of both a sequel as well as a potential prequel. “I have a little bit of an understanding of what the trajectory would be if they move forward with them,” Therese smiled. “In this industry, you can never really count your chickens before they hatch. You just never know what’s going to stick. And I’m so happy that this has.”
Generation X Wire 