Cain Manoli: Entertainment’s Next Great, Gruesome Wonder! By Brian Kirst
Funny, forthright and talented musician-actor Cain Manoli (www.cainontheweb.com) most likely has produced envy in every horror wanna-be’s hearts with his first two leading roles. As Jeremy in Return of the Living Dead 5: Rave to the Grave, Manoli not only gets to offer up the movie’s delirious title during its’ party sequence, but he practically steals the screen from all his undead co-stars with his honest and charismatic charm. As Leon in the Pink starring fright fest Catacombs, he also proves to have a winning and magnetic glow despite the film’s gloomy subterranean surroundings. The very busy Manoli recently took some time to answer some questions for this fright-filled Horror Society exclusive!
Brian: Who were your first performing influences – Albert Finney cruising down the Orient Express- Peter Ustinov grappling with the Evil Under the Sun – David Suchet figuring every last minor detail of the mystery out?
Cain: I’m not sure why you chose Agatha Christie movies for this question, but the truth is I’ve only seen the David Suchet ones. He’s absolutely great as Poirot, in my opinion. Going back to your question, my performing influences are Johnny Depp, John Malkovich, Glenn Close and Meryl Streep. By that I mean that these are the top actors I admire. In terms of acting technique, I usually use a combination of Strasberg and Chubbuck and some other bits and pieces I discovered work for me.
Brian: When you use music to get into a role – is it more for character essence or does it help you find a rhythm to the dialogue? Or – imagine that – does it do both?
Cain: It’s only to set the mood, to help me get into the skin of the character. Music is such a powerful tool. To give you an example: I recorded a short recently in which I played a character in the vein of Sebastian Valmont of Cruel Intentions. I listened to Madonna’s “Secret” and “Candy Perfume Girl” as well as Billie Myers’ “Tell Me”, to get myself in that sexual-predator mood.
Brian: Speaking of excess – Let’s say you’re at the end of your life – How would you have liked to have ‘raved’ to the grave?
Cain: Wow, I hate thinking about death. I’d love to go out in a good mood, but the best way to die is during an orgasm, I would think. You come and you go. He he.
Brian: Wow! Okay – You got to deal with some special effects (drug induced saliva; zombiedom) as Jeremy in ROLTD: Rave to the Grave. What was that experience like?
Cain: I love, love, loved every minute of it. Of course I heard my share of sperm jokes when they kept putting that gooey saliva on my face, but the zombie make-up was amazing. – Especially with all the pieces of glass in my face. The only crappy part was my death scene in which I’m wearing only this thin hoodie covered in blood and it was literally 50 degrees outside. Romania can get really cold in the fall/winter.
Brian: Do you have a favorite behind-the-scenes moment from Rave to the Grave?
Cain: – Probably when I got the part. I always love hearing “You got the part”. Ha-ha. But from the set, it was all fun. It was my very first time on a professional film set so I was constantly in everyone’s business when I wasn’t filming. To the point where they had to tell me politely that it would be better if I didn’t show up on the days when I wasn’t filming. But the point is I was really excited to be part of the whole moviemaking process.
Brian: Cool. – You have now reached your goal of playing a zombie on film – any other creatures that you’d care to tackle?
Cain: Vampires, man!!! I want to be a bad-ass vampire so bad. But in a good movie, like “Interview with a Vampire”. I had an audition recently in which I had to play a really old vampire. I had so much fun preparing for the role, imagining how it would feel like being so old in years, but remaining always young… The wisdom and cynicism that would come with it, or if the evil side would take over, since consequences are not an issue anymore…
Sadly, when I got there, they changed the role on me and made me audition for the young vampire who just got turned. I was bummed about that…
Brian: Did the constructed ‘Catacombs’ of – wait for it – Catacombs help the cast develop a sense of other-worldliness and establish the fear needed for the project?
Cain: I can’t speak for the others, but it definitely helped me. It was all so realistic and creepy. However, my character was not afraid in the Catacombs. He helped organize parties there, so obviously he was much more comfortable in them than Shannyn’s character. Still, as an actor, whenever you don’t have to strain your imagination to help create the reality of your scene, your work only gets easier, so I definitely appreciated it.
Brian: As a musician with one CD under your belt, were you able to talk music biz with the fabulous Pink on the set of Catacombs?
Cain: Ha-ha. She is fabulous. But no, I didn’t talk music biz a lot. I am careful to remain professional in every project that I do. I know for a fact an extra on the set was annoying her, trying to push his album in her hands and so on, and I find that ridiculous. There’s a time and place for everything. When you’re making a movie, you’re making a movie, not trying to leech on someone more successful than you.
Brian: Good point. Alas, you didn’t get to shoot Leon’s death scene in Catacombs– but if you had – what would his final words have been?
Cain: Ha-ha. Well, he was French so probably “Merde!” or “Putaine!” Look them up.
Brian: H-m-m…Well – Lastly, as I try to refrain from blushing, do you have any words of advice (IE: Never take a shot of Z in the dark with someone’s crazy stepsister) or future projects that you’d like to leave us with? And thanks – this has been better than burying thousands of bodies underneath the streets of Paris!
Cain: The one thing I know for sure is that you should enjoy every moment of your life. – Whatever the project, the situation, try to look at the glass half-full. On a less serious note, don’t play pranks on people on medication. As for future projects, you can keep track of me at www.cainontheweb.com – And don’t knock burying bodies under Paris until you’ve tried it!
