Interview with Dawna Lee Heising
Dawna Lee Heising:
Thank you for your interview!
https://endertalon.blogspot.com/2020/08/interview-with-dawna-lee-heising.html
Congratulations on making it into the top 150 most admired / beautiful women on IMDB actress guide and for being featured on a Billboard for Diana Carter’s Arykas & Ybots Management and Public Relations company. Please tell us about your film career and your recent films!
Dawna’s Bio:
I have had the privilege of acting in over 100 feature films, alongside legendary actors such as Eddie Griffin, Tommy Wiseau, Aki Aleong, Danny Trejo, Eric Roberts, Nicolas Turturro, Lorenzo Lamas, Mel Novak, Robert Amico, Justin Shenkarow, Manu Intiraymi, and many others. I am grateful and honored to have received awards for my acting by international film festivals, including Best Actress for playing Lady Macbeth in "Dark Classics" at the 2019 LANFA Film Festival; Best Actress for my role as Barbie in Dustin Ferguson's "Nemesis 5: The New Model" at the 2018 LANFA Film Festival; Best Actress for my role of Naomi in Jared Masters’ “Teachers’ Day” at the 2014 Shockfest Film Festival; and Best Supporting Actress for Gregory Blair's "Garden Party Massacre" at the 2018 Lucky Strike Film Festival. I have also won eight Best Ensemble acting awards for “Garden Party Massacre”.
I was especially honored to win "Actress of the Year" at the 2018 USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame Awards, and special thanks to Grand Master Dr. Jim Thomas, the CEO of the awards. I was also honored and privileged to be Mrs. Golden Global 2018 and the 2018 WIND International Film Festival Queen. It was an amazing experience in 2019 to be the Queen of Petra Deeter’s Hollywood Silver Screen Film Festival, and to co-host the Awards Ceremony with Manu Intiraymi and Marle Schaefer at the Warner Grand Theatre in San Pedro.
I have a B.S. Degree in Business Management and MBA from Pepperdine University, and my uncle is legendary director Tak Fujimoto, of “Silence of the Lambs”, “Philadelphia”, and “Sixth Sense”. My cousins David Wong and George Daugherty won a Primetime Emmy Award for their televised Broadway production "Peter and the Wolf on Broadway". I study acting with Matthew Arkin and Karole Foreman, and I am a long-time member of SAG-AFTRA.
In this interview, I am going to write about some films that I have already worked on! I am grateful to have many other films lined up for the near future!
BAD PRESIDENT
It was a fantastic experience to work with the great Eddie Griffin in Param Gill's hilarious feature film "Bad President", which premiered at the 2020 Cannes Film Festival. “Bad President” stars Griffin, Jeff Rector and Stormy Daniels. Param Gill co-wrote and directed “Bad President” and Eddie Griffin stars as Luther (the Devil), and both have garnered rave reviews. Robert Amico, Justin Shenkarow, and I play Luther’s minions: Shame, Anger and Misery. Robert is a graduate of the Actors Studio in New York and Justin won an Emmy and Golden Globe Award for “Pickett Fences”, and both have served on SAG Local Boards.
It was amazing to work with Robert and Justin, and all our scenes were with Eddie, who is an incredible talent. He would keep us all laughing between scenes, and then instantly become Luther when the cameras began rolling. Eddie invited the entire cast and crew to his Las Vegas show “The Eddie Griffin Experience”, and he is hysterical. I am now his biggest fan!!!
Jeff Rector does an amazing job as Trump, and director Param Gill is a genius. The screenplay, co-written by Gill and by the late journalist John Buchanan, is based on real life events, so whether you are for or against Trump, you will love this film. “Bad President” is slated to be released to theaters nationally and internationally in 2021, and is now available on Amazon Prime, iTunes, and other streaming platforms.
Website:
https://badpresidentmovie.com/
IMDb Page:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10047958/
BAD PRESIDENT Official Trailer:
BLACK CITY NIGHTS from Always You
"Black City Nights" is the first release from the upcoming Always You "Bloom Off the Rose" LP, which arrives on July 16, 2021, through record labels Shelflife and Discos de Kirlian. The glamorous music video "Black City Nights" from Always You is directed by Nathan Castiel. It is produced by Jerry Paper, mixed by Kenny Gilmore, and mastered by Josh Bonati. Nathan Castiel is an American filmmaker of Mexican and Moroccan Israeli descent and is a graduate of USC's School of Cinematic Arts. Jerry Paper is an American songwriter and producer who has been releasing music since 2009. The superstar sax solo is by Marta Tiesenga. Hair is styled by Allison DeMoss.
Producer Jerry Paper and I are featured in this beautiful music video, and I absolutely love the song. I could listen to it all day long, and I am very proud of being involved in this project. I sent the video out to all my family, including my extended family members, and I never do that. My Mom even sent me a message telling me how proud she was of me, and how great I looked! Thank you, Allison, – my hair may never look like that again lol! My manager Joe Williamson has been getting press for the music video, and my agent Diana Carter has been sharing it on social media.
I had a lot of fun working on this video and was amazed at the professionalism of the shoot. The last scene was shot at the Burbank train station around 2:00 am. We all showed up to shoot the scene and made friends with the night watchman. I was standing by the train tracks while they were shooting, and suddenly, a train whizzed by. It was a long train, and it was scary because I was so close! I had to hold onto the rail behind me to keep from being blown away. I would love to see that footage someday!
I was lucky enough to be recommended for the project by the talented Alan Wagner, who hired me for his video “Rickman’s Cobs”, which racked up thousands of views on Facebook and YouTube. Alan is also a graduate of USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, which is one of the top film schools in the nation. You can see “Rickman’s Cobs” here:
The very handsome twins Anton and Christoph Hochheim were formerly known as Ablebody, and now perform under the name Always You. Anton and Christoph are Eurasian like me, and they are both so talented. Christoph says that “Black City Nights” is about "loneliness and what people do to escape it, as well as the hopefulness that keeps us pushing through."
You can find out more about the incredibly talented duo Always You at these links:
https://alwaysyou.bandcamp.com/album/bloom-off-the-rose
https://www.facebook.com/youalwaysyou
Please check out the beautiful music video “Black City Nights” at:
DISTORTION
I spent the month of March 2021 in Belen, New Mexico, filming Rod Smith’s “DISTORTION”, along with Lainee Rhodes, Tatiana Larrea, Amara Raeanne, and Fawn Hanson. Michael Beran, Candace Saults, and Teri Lee are also featured in “DISTORTION”. Rod Smith is an award-winning screenwriter who wrote “Mayday” and “Lockdown”, both of which were released by Lionsgate.
“DISTORTION” has an incredible script, and I learned so much from Rod about acting and voice control during the month-long rehearsal in February and during filming. It was one of the most strenuous and stressful film shoots I have ever been involved in because my character of Dr. Epstein has a million lines and is in almost every scene, but it was worth it because I know it is going to be a fantastic film! “DISTORTION” will be released in early 2022, and I cannot wait for everyone to see it. Rod is a great screenwriter and director, but he is also an amazing cinematographer, as you can see from these pictures!
“DISTORTION” is based upon lies and deceit and the desire for power. My character of Dr. Epstein is a psychologist, but she is also a Gnostic Witch, who wants the obtain the power of a demon. Dr. Epstein invites five abused and tormented women to the home of the serial killer Vincent, who once tortured and brutalized them, to cure them of the evil that haunts each of them. But Dr. Epstein herself is shrouded in mystery and may be withholding her own sinister intentions. Very quickly the audience and, eventually the characters, understand that there are many evil forces at work in and around the house. The film twists and turns through a maze of lies and revelations, until the horrible truth is finally revealed in the very last scene. In the end, no one is safe, no one will ever be the same and a great evil is unleashed.
IMDb Page:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13211846
Canaan Land
I am excited and honored to be playing Connie in Richard Rossi’s “Canaan Land”. It is my first faith-based film, and it was up for consideration for the 2021 Academy Awards. The film stars Richard Rossi and Rebecca Holden, who played April Curtis on the popular network series “Knight Rider”.
Richard plays Brother Billy, who is a con man who swindles people by working as a fake psychic.
I play his rich girlfriend Connie, who finally kicks Billy out of her mansion for cheating on her and his unscrupulous business schemes. Billy meets Sister Sara (Rebecca Holden), who is sincere in doing the Lord’s work, and they fall in love. However, Billy cannot help reverting to his con artist ways, and finally learns a tough lesson when Sister Sara turns away from him.
Richard Rossi wrote, directed, produced, composed the music, edited, and performed many of the songs for “Canaan Land”. Rebecca Holden performs the theme song for “Canaan Land”, and she has the most beautiful voice that I have ever heard! “Canaan Land” has been accepted into the 2021 Burbank Film Festival and the 2021 Marina Del Rey Film Festival.
Website:
https://www.canaanlandmovie.com/
IMDb Page:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5585836
Official Trailer:
Dino Film
I played Butch Patrick’s wife in Dustin Ferguson’s Dinosaur film in May 2021, which is produced by Julie Ann Ream of “Unsolved Mysteries” and by my rockstar manager Joe Williamson. We shot my scene at 4Hearts Studio in Sylmar, California. Great events photographer Sheri Determan covered the shoot, and these pictures were all taken by her. This is going to be a HUGE film for Dustin for an established studio, and the project is still shrouded in secrecy. I still do not know the title lol!
IN3DRAGON
JJ Stomp is a businessman, martial artist, film director, producer, writer, stunt man and actor. He has been inducted into many martial arts Halls of Fame, including the Worldwide Martial Arts Council, Action Martial Arts Magazine Hall of Honors, USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame, Masters Hall of Fame, Martial Arts History Museum, All-Pro Tae Kwon Do Hall of Fame, Masters of Martial Arts Hall of Fame, Legends of The Martial Arts Hall of Fame, Munich Hall of Fame, Kuroshi-Do Systems Hall of Honors, the Elite Black Belt Hall of Fame, and many more. JJ is the CEO of Lao Hollywood Productions.
IN3DRAGON was written and directed by JJ and has already won five major Best Feature Film Awards, even though it has not been released yet. Aki Aleong and I are very grateful and honored to be producers of IN3DRAGON, and to have a scene in the film. Our scene was shot at my rockstar manager Joe Williamson’s office in Panorama City and in the office of the President of the Panorama City Chamber of Commerce Saul Mejia. Joe and Saul are associate producers of IN3DRAGON. The executive producers of IN3DRAGON are JJ Stomp, Rodica Isabella Shaldan, and Ron Whitaker. Please check out the IN3DRAGON trailer – it is truly spectacular! I am very excited and thankful to be working with JJ in future films!
IMDb Page:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7498180
Official Trailer:
Social Distance
B. Luciano Barsuglia’s “Social Distance” is about a slow slide into insanity as a group of distance workers discover their work-from-home mandate is part of dark and deceptive conspiracy meant to dwindle the numbers of middle-class workers. The film stars Vern Wells, and was written, directed, and edited by B. Luciano Barsuglia. The film has won 13 awards so far, including Best Feature Film and Best Director, and has garnered rave reviews.
“Social Distance” was filmed during the pandemic and quarantine. Brian wrote scenes for each character and filmed them remotely through Zoom. My character of Ashley Flowers works as a fitness instructor on the cruise ship, and I was so excited that I got to pole dance and do martial arts in my segment. My part was filmed in my house by my husband Paul, who is a Certified Financial Planner, and not a cameraman. Brian had to show us how to use Zoom so he could direct the scene and instruct Paul on how to shoot the scene. Luckily, I have a pole in my house that I did the dance on. Paul and I learned so much from Brian during the shoot, and I learned how much work it takes to be behind the camera! It was incredibly fun for me and very stressful for Paul lol, but he got it done! I love Brian’s films, and I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to work with him on “Social Distance” and on his award-winning documentary “A Bard for the Ages: Shakespeare’s Timeless Effect”. I am also proud of being an associate producer on his star studded “The Electric Man”, starring Jed Rowen, Eric Roberts, Vern Wells, and Tom Sizemore.
IMDb Page:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12057590/
Official Trailer:
ARACHNADO 2: Flaming Spiders
I filmed a scene for Dustin Ferguson’s “ARACHNADO 2: Flaming Spiders in March 2021 at Huntington Beach. We filmed my scene down the street from my house, and it was a really fun shoot. I love working with Dustin because it is always perfectly planned out, and he knows exactly what he wants you to do. I was sitting in a beach chair on the sand during the “ARACHNADO 2” shoot, and I was supposed to reach down for a tube of suntan lotion. I reached down and the whole chair fell over, and I ended up doing a somersault in the sand. It was so funny that Dustin decided to keep it in.
I love Dustin’s predator series of films because they grab your attention and are so entertaining. They always get rave reviews. I played Shaun C. Phillip’s Mother in “Rattlers 2”, which starred Brinke Stevens. I got to wear a bikini at the beach during the “ARACHNADO 2” shoot, and also during the “Apex Predators” shoot. “Apex Predators” is now in Walmart stores across the country and is listed high on the Amazon Prime charts.
“ARACHNADO 2” IMDb Page:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13904218
“ARACHNADO 2” Official Trailer:
The Horrific Evil Monsters
“The Horrific Evil Monsters” is about a secret government agency that recruits the most hazardous horror icons to battle a biblical force. It was written and produced by Adam and Kristin Steigert and directed by Adam Steigert. I feel extremely fortunate to have a scene in this awesome film. I had wanted to work with Adam ever since I saw his film “A Grim Becoming” at a film festival, where it won Best Picture. Adam and Kristin have won tons of awards for their films ever since.
My scene was shot in an actual television studio in Buffalo, New York. I play an annoying cookbook author and knife expert named Winney Swinney, who appears on Bishop Steven’s cooking show. Bishop is one of the stars of the film, and it was wonderful working with him. My character looks like a demented “I Love Lucy” character, and I changed my voice during the entire scene. I was watching the premiere of “The Horrific Evil Monsters” in the car and my husband was driving. When my scene came on, he asked, “WHO is that?!!” I chalk it up to great acting on my part lol!
IMDb Page:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7343800/
Official Trailer:
Bubba’s Dead: The Final Massacre
In 2017, I played Ma Fleischer for the first time in Dustin Ferguson’s “Meathook Massacre 1” in the famous Underground Caves in Lincoln, Nebraska. Deborah Dutch played my sister Aunty Deb and Nebraska Senator Colby Coash played my husband. In 2018, I played Ma Fleischer again in the Pahrump, Nevada desert in “Meathook Massacre 4”. In 2021, Bubba, Aunty Deb, Sissy, and Ma Fleischer all returned for the very final installment in the infamous Meathook Massacre series. This time Jeremiah Douglas joined the family as Cousin Henry. I loved the scene that Jzun Lankford wrote for me in “Bubba’s Dead: The Final Massacre”, which was again directed by Dustin!
IMDb Page:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13351992
Official Trailer:
Dark Classics
I believe that I have learned the most about acting from performing Lady Macbeth’s Act 5 Scene 1 monologue in Craig Railsback’s “Dark Classics” and B. Luciano Barsuglia’s “A Bard for the Ages: Shakespeare’s Timeless Effect”, and Hamlet’s Act 5 Scene 1 monologue for Tony Mardon’s “Witches of the Sands”. I never dreamed of performing Shakespeare before I was cast in B. Luciano Barsuglia’s award-winning documentary “A Bard for the Ages: Shakespeare’s Timeless Effect”. I studied with Shakespearean expert Karole Foreman for months and I am enormously proud of performing monologues by Lady Macbeth and Hamlet.
I won Best Actress for “Dark Classics” at the 2019 LANFA Film Festival. B. Luciano Barsuglia’s “A Bard for the Ages: Shakespeare’s Timeless Effect” has won seven awards at major film festivals across the country, including awards for Best Director and Best Documentary. I am very grateful to Brian for giving me the confidence and opportunity to tackle Shakespeare!
“Dark Classics” IMDb Page:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10100532/
“Dark Classics”:
“A Bard for the Ages: Shakespeare’s Timeless Effect” IMDb Page:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9799292/
“A Bard for All Ages: Shakespeare’s Timeless Effect” Official Trailer:
Fireside Classics
Filmmaker and actor Tony Mardon cast me in his star packed film “The Witches of the Sands” and he came up with the brilliant idea for me to play Hamlet. He adapted Hamlet’s Act 5, Scene 1 monologue from Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet”, and since Tony is in the United Kingdom, filmmaker Craig Railsback shot the scene and edited with Dr. Renah Wolzinger. “The Witches of the Sands” is filled with stars, including Linnea Quigley, Lynn Lowrey, Lloyd Kaufman, Brinke Stevens, Eileen Dietz, Tony Mardon, Barbara Magnolfi, and many more!
Craig’s lighting made the scene spectacular and Tony was happy with what we sent him. Craig, Renah, and I changed the beginning and ending of the scene and made it into a short film called “Fireside Classics”. We feel very blessed that “Fireside Classics” won Best Micro-Short at the 2020 SoCal Film Festival, an Award of Recognition at the 2021 Best Shorts Competition, and a Special Mention Award at the 2021 Global Shorts Film Festival.
“Fireside Classics” IMDb Page:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13813682
“Fireside Classics”:
“The Witches of the Sands” IMDb Page:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12867298/
“The Witches of the Sands” Promo Video: