411 Movies Interview: Ashley Bank of The Monster Squad Posted by Tony Farinella on 07.22.2007
411's Tony Farinella sits down with Phoebe from The Monster Squad!
TONY: What have you been up to since The Monster Squad was released in 1987?
ASHLEY: Oh boy. I did a lot more acting after Monster Squad. I did a lot of TV, movies, commercials, sitcoms, and all sorts of stuff. I left the business as a teenager to sort of be a normal kid, which I did. It was great. My parents were really supportive about that. I went to college and studied politics and journalism. I was a journalist for a couple of years, but I could not shake the film business. I did a favor for a friend and helped produce their thesis film. Being on the set for the first time in eight or ten years, at that point, I walked on set and I was like: "Oh, my god. It's home." I feel more comfortable and at home on a movie set than anywhere else I could imagine. It's sort of like being at your favorite summer camp or something for me.
TONY: How do you think the film holds up after all these years?
ASHLEY: I think it's actually gotten better with age. I think it was a little ahead of its time. When I watch it now, I think it's better than I thought it was, when it first came out.
TONY: What's surprised you the most about The Monster Squad fans?
ASHLEY: Probably the thing that surprised me the most is how many fans of the film there actually were. I had no idea the kind of cult following that the film had until last year. I had a couple of friends here and there say: "Oh, I love that movie!" The sheer numbers is really shocking to me.
TONY: When I interviewed Fred a couple of days ago, I could really sense his passion and love for this project. Why do you think it's so important to him?
ASHLEY: I'm not sure. It's definitely an important movie for him, and he definitely feels very passionately about it. I think it was very hard for him when the movie wasn't successful at first. I think it's really great for him to be able to see it finally being praised by people. He really pours his heart and soul into it. He loves monster movies and has a great comic sensibility. The pairing of those two was something that really moved him.
TONY: Since this was your first feature film, what do you think helped land you the role of Phoebe?
ASHLEY: I was brilliant, of course! (laughs) That's probably a question for Fred. I didn't really know that much about monsters going into the movie at all, and I think that I was just your typical five-year-old girl. The characters are so well-written. One of the reasons that I think the movie is actually really great is that the characters were really true to life. Even though the subject matter is monsters, the characters are based in a really strong reality. Being able to just sort of play as though it was real life, I think that's what set me apart, probably. That's really a question for Fred. I have no idea!
TONY: Since this was your first time on a feature film, were you nervous at all?
ASHLEY: No. At that age, you don't even know to be nervous, you know what I mean? I don't think I really grasped what it was that I was doing. I knew what I was doing in terms of the acting, but in terms of the scope of the film, I don't think I really had any idea how big it was until we had some big premier party. People were asking me for autographs and I was like: "What!?"
TONY: One of the most memorable scenes of the film is when Dracula picks you up and hisses at you. What was it like filming that scene?
ASHLEY: Oh, my god. I was so terrified! I'll never forget it. I can picture it in my head right now as I'm talking to you ... From setting the plank up that I'm going to stand on, so it looks like my feet are dangling. Fred pulled me aside and said: "In this scene, I'm going to want you to scream." I go: "When?" He goes: "You'll know when. You'll know." I was like: "OK" I didn't think anything of it. Whenever I had any scenes with Dracula, he'd always take his red-eyed contacts and his fangs out, because they really frightened me. He's standing there and his eyes are closed and his mouth is closed, and all of sudden Fred yells "action." His eyes pop open and his mouth opens, and he starts hissing at me. And I think we definitely did that scene in one take.
TONY: Another memorable scene in the film is the scene at the end with you and Frankenstein. What was it like filming that scene? It seemed like you were going to blown away!
ASHLEY: I don't remember how many times we did that. We might have done it a few times, because we had to get the effects right with the wind and the benches. It had to be choreographed, so you do those scenes more often than you probably do other scenes. I was maybe 40 or 45 pounds at the time, and these fans were HUGE. They're blowing, and I'm supposed to hold onto the bench. At one point, someone had pulled the bench too hard and had blown the bench away. I'm sitting there in the middle of the back-lot clutching onto the grass for fear that I was going to get blown over. It was a little scary, but I have a really strong sense of adventure. Stuff like that, while it can be a little scary, I always find it to be exciting as well.
TONY: What do you think about the current crop of child actors?
ASHLEY: I'm constantly blown away. I feel like the bar is only going up for these kids who are really young. I look at Abigail Breslin and Dakota Fanning, and I'm really sort of in awe of what they do, because I wasn't doing that at their age by any stretch of the imagination. They're so mature, and they really think about their roles the way an adult would think about their role, which is amazing. I'm very impressed with them.
TONY: Unfortunately, one of the members of The Monster Squad passed away a couple of years ago. How hard did you take his death, what are your memories of Brent Chalem?
ASHLEY: I had no idea that he passed away until last year. Obviously, it was shocking. This guy, that I spent three months hanging out with, died at such a young age so tragically and before his time. It was really shocking and very upsetting. It's a gift, in a way, to have not been in touch for so long, if you know what I mean. He was the sweetest kid. He was so sweet and so kind. He was really generous and had a great sense of humor. He's fantastic in the movie. He has one of the greatest lines of the whole movie. I was the youngest in terms of age in the movie. But as far as the guys, he was ten. I was five, and Michael was six. We were kind of the young kids on set. Ryan and Robby and Andre were much older. Brent was sort of in the middle. He really did such a fantastic job. We're all very sad that he's not around for this, because I'm sure he would have loved to have been invited to all these screenings and seen such amazing fan reaction.
TONY: Are you still close with the cast and crew today?
ASHLEY: I've been out of touch with everyone until the first screening in Austin last year. Since then, I've been in really close touch with Andre, Fred, and Ryan, which has been really great. They're all such wonderful people.
TONY: Why do you think so many young girls like Lindsay Lohan get into so much trouble in Hollywood, and how did you stay out of trouble?
ASHLEY: I wouldn't know the first thing about speaking about Lindsay's life, but I think it comes down to your family. I was really lucky that my parents were not stage parents. I didn't get treated any differently, even when I was acting. I had chores and everything. I was treated like a normal kid. I wasn't allowed to go out and party. It wasn't even an option for me. I think it really starts at home with the parents.
TONY: I think the funniest part of the film is when you say shit. Was that your first time swearing?
ASHLEY: It was my first time saying a swear word. I was so excited. It was awesome. I was also kind of nervous, because I didn't know if my parents would let me. I was like: "Is it okay, mom? Am I allowed? Am I going to get in trouble?" She was like: "No, no, it's okay. It's fine." I was like: "This is so cool!"
TONY: Finally, what are your plans for the future?
ASHLEY: I just started acting again. I came back to L.A. about a year ago, and I've been brushing up my skills. I think of acting sort of like you're a ballet dancer. If you don't practice for ten years, you get a little rusty. I've just been back and taking classes and working on my skill. Every time I go to one of these events, I get really anxious to work again. Hopefully there will be some fun stuff in the future.
