Actress Sandra Vergara discusses playing Ginger in Fright Night
Actress Sandra Vergara has spent the past few years working her way up the Hollywood ladder through guest-starring appearances on shows like Nip/Tuck and CSI: Miami. This year, the Colombian beauty (and cousin of Sofía Vergara) starred in Fright Night as Ginger, the girlfriend of David Tennant's Peter Vincent. I recently had the chance to speak with Sandra Vergara about her experience working on Fright Night, which arrives on 3D Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD December 13. Here's what she had to say below.
I thought the character was probably one of the funniest in the whole movie, so I was wondering if you could talk about your first reaction to reading this script?
Sandra Vergara: You're going to love this one. Guess what? When I read the script, my character didn't exist (Laughs). I was supposed to have two lines. We were filming in Albuquerque, so I get there and the director goes, 'Guess what? I loved your audition so much, I wrote this whole new character for you.' I was like, 'What?' He said, 'Yeah, you're amazing, so we fired whoever was going to be Peter Vincent's assistant,' because he was going to be a male. So he's like, 'Yeah, you're Peter Vincent's assistant/girlfriend. Here's the script.' I was like, 'Great, I have to do this tomorrow.' I was so happy and excited, because I love the script, and I knew I was going to do something way smaller, as a part of a magic show. When I got there and got the news, it sounds like I made it.
The Peter character is a lot different. He had that talk show in the original. Obviously your character wasn't in the original, and that's a pretty awesome story.
Sandra Vergara: Yeah, he was really funny, but I was basically playing myself, fiesty and fiery. She has this crazy love/hate relationship with her boyfriend, and it's not hard for me to play a spicy Colombian.
Since the character was written on the fly, was there a lot of freedom for you here?
Sandra Vergara: A lot, yeah. Those curse words you hear, that's all me. He'd say to me, 'Try to be a little nastier,' and I'd say, 'OK, no problem.'
Can you talk a bit about just working with David on the set? This is a different kind of role for him. Did you have any time with him before shooting to get to know him?
Sandra Vergara: No, but the time in between takes was wonderful on the set. It was amazing. He's such a talented actor, and it's crazy to see someone who used to do Broadway in very dramatic roles, it's crazy to see him go from Doctor Who to this crazy magician. It was incredible. He called me as soon as we were done and left me a voice mail. He was very thankful for the time we spent, and it was such a great experience. I just loved that movie. Anton Yelchin is such a talented kid, Colin Farrell, and everybody. It was such a fun project.
I haven't gotten a chance to watch the special features yet, but is there any kind of gag reel material on there? Was he cracking you up a lot?
Sandra Vergara: Yeah, there's a lot of that. Craig (Gillespie), the director, he will squeeze you like an orange until he gets the best out of you. We'd be on like the 18th take, exhausted, and he'd say something hysterical, and it worked. At the beginning, I was like, 'Oh my God. This guy is a perfectionist.' He's really good at what he does. He makes sure he gets the best of you, and he won't stop until you're doing the best. That's great. You want to be the best you can, whenever you do a movie or TV show. Some people are OK to be mediocre, but no, this guy will make it happen.
How would you compare Craig's style then, with other director's you've worked with?
Sandra Vergara: I think he's the best I've worked with. Not that the others haven't been good, but Craig was the best because he was really funny, and he let me be myself and directed me into the best I could do. I think he knew the potential for my role, better than myself. He was always like, 'You can make that better. You know that.' He was very, very good to work with. At times it was a little exhausting, but it was always for the best results.
Can you talk about shooting in Albuquerque? That's starting to become a town where many projects are shooting in.
Sandra Vergara: There's nothing in Albuquerque. There's just a P.F. Chang's and a Mongolian barbecue (Laughs). The time on set was actually where the fun was. Have you ever been to Albuquerque?
Yeah, a couple of years ago.
Sandra Vergara: Yeah, you know what I'm talking about then.
It's interesting though because with the tax credits, its becoming this hot spot for filming. The city has such a unique look too.
Sandra Vergara: Oh, totally. There are a lot of productions there. But, imagine after work, going to hang out at like the Holiday Inn? We actually all went to this strip joint a couple of times.
Is there a scene or maybe just a moment between takes that will always stand out when you think back on this project? Was there a defining moment, for you, on the set?
Sandra Vergara: Yes. That was when I was showing him the tour of Peter Vincent's apartment. I think that was my defining moment, when I turn around and call him an asswipe. Also flying up in the magic show was pretty amazing. I never thought that harness would make me sore for three days and give me bruises, but hey, it was worth it.
You've never done any wire work like that before?
Sandra Vergara: No, no. It was my first time, and I was scared, but it was so much fun. I was in so much pain by like the 30th time, but the bruises were worth it. No pain, no gain.
I saw you're in Bobcat (Goldthwait)'s new movie God Bless America.
Sandra Vergara: Yes! God Bless America. I love Bobcat. I just did that like three months ago, four months ago, and it was pretty fun to do that job. I play an American Idol judge. I had a blast. It was great. Bobcat is really funny, and he's a great director as well.
Yeah, I've heard really good things about that. I can't wait to see it.
Sandra Vergara: Yeah, I haven't seen it as well. I can't wait.
Have you heard anything about it being distributed at all?
Sandra Vergara: I think it does have a deal. I'm not sure when it will come out, but I think it does. It did great in Toronto, so fingers crossed.
I'm a huge Modern Family fan. Has there ever been any talk of you coming on as Sofía (Vergara)'s sister or cousin or something? Has there ever been any talk about that?
Sandra Vergara: I hope so, because it's such a good show. The guest stars on that show are like Nathan Lane and Elizabeth Banks, so maybe I'm not that big of a household name yet, to be on that show. I'm pretty sure, though, if they write in that Gloria has a sister, I hope they cast me.
You hear her talk about her family every now and then, but we haven't ever seen anyone, so I'm always waiting for that episode where we see that.
Sandra Vergara: Yeah, exactly. That'd be fun. We haven't talked about it, but when that happens, I'm sure I'll be be a part of it.
Is there anything else that you're currently working on now that you can talk about?
Sandra Vergara: Yeah. I just did a pilot for MTV called Dumb Girls. It's about girls who are smart, but very dumb with boys. They're all in their 20s and it's a younger version of Sex and the City. It's from the writer of Awkward, she did that for MTV too and it's really fun. Hopefully we'll get to see it next year?
Do you know when you're supposed to hear if it's picked up or not?
Sandra Vergara: We're supposed to hear in January, so hopefully you're going to like it and say good things about it.
Can you say who you play in that?
Sandra Vergara: Oh yeah. I play one of those dumb girls, obviously, but my name is Marisol. Originally, my role was written as Mary Kate, but I guess since I'm Latin, she changed it to Marisol. It's called Marisol a.k.a. The Bombshell, so I guess that's my role, the sexy one. There's the funny one, the quirky one, the nerdy one, and the sexy one. That's not a bad thing. I'd rather be the sexy one than the nerdy one (Laughs).
Finally, what would you like to say to anyone who didn't get a chance to see Fright Night about why they should pick it up on Blu-ray or DVD?
Sandra Vergara: Because Colin Farrell is a great vampire, and it's extremely funny. If they liked the original, then they're going to love Fright Night the remake, because it is way better.
Excellent. Well, that's my time. Thanks so much. It was great talking to you, Sandra
Sandra Vergara: Thank you. Have a good one.
You can watch Sandra Vergara as Ginger when Fright Night hits the shelves on 3D Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD December 13.