Interview with Traci Law
Interview with Traci Law by David KempfAs an actor, some of Traci's credits in film and television include Cold Case, The Wire, and Lovely Bones Most recently she worked with Terrance Howard and Colin Farrell on Dead Man Down and Silver Linings Playbook with Bradley Cooper and Robert DeNiro.
In 2011/2012, she developed and produced the web-series hit, Morbid Curiosity TV, which she also hosted.
Along with acting, she is an award-winning photographer. She has captured images from around the world including nature, wildlife and architecture.Whether it be Romania, Australia, Vancouver or Edinburgh, there are few places she has not been.
Traci has also been an active participant in many archaeological sites and historic preservation in and around the Philadelphia area for many years. It was through this that she had the opportunity to work in England as a photographer for the Wiltshire Heritage Museum as well.
She attended the New York Institute of Photography as well as studied creative writing and anthropology at Temple University and Montgomery County Community College.
How
did you become involved in acting?
Acting
was something I always enjoyed. In high school I was part of a local
television teen drama, ironically paranormal related, and it was
there that I found I enjoyed all aspects of being on set both in
front of and behind the camera. I’m not as involved as I would like
to be given the limitations of the Philadelphia area but do what I
can.
How
did you become interested in the paranormal?
The
paranormal was actually something I grew up in. We didn’t live in a
haunted house or anything like that but on weekends my mom and
grandmother would take me to historic sites or old graveyards mostly
for the history but at a young age I would tend to ‘feel’ other
things in the homes or locations. Thankfully when I mentioned it I
wasn’t told to keep quiet or that I was crazy. Instead it was
‘yeah, that runs in our family’. I sort of grew up in more of an
Addams Family house than a Leave it to Beaver house, which was
awesome. I was actually working as an archaeologist on a site with
possible ties to the pirate Blackbeard (and yes, that house was most
definitely haunted) when I was invited to join a paranormal group.
The church I currently attend also seems to be haunted so it’s
something I tend to be around most Sunday’s now too.
Do
you see interest in the paranormal as the same as horror movie buffs
or is it something spiritual?
It’s
a very odd field in this regard. For some it’s very much a
spiritual reason, for some it’s an interest in the unknown and for
others it is strictly scientific. I think for many first going into
the field because they saw it on TV or for those who don’t get
involved but enjoy the shows and movies it’s very similar to the
horror movie buffs. There are conventions and expos all over the
country for the paranormal. There’s no denying it can be fun going
into old, dark buildings no matter what your level of interest is.
Tell
us about your movie credits?
I’veworked on a number of films over the years, including Silver Linings
Playbook. We’ve been very fortunate to have a number of movies
made in Philadelphia which has given me the opportunity to work with
directors such as Peter Jackson, M. Night Shyamalan, James L. Brooks
among many others as well as such respected actors as Jack Nicholson,
Robert De Niro, Daniel Craig and Nicole Kidman just to name a few.
Over the summer I was in L.A. and was asked to be a guest voice on
Mysteries Most Macabre.
How
much have you worked in the theater?
I avoid
theater like the plague. I have the utmost respect for those who do
theater but I am too chicken to do live productions. I admit it.
Do
you consider the films you've been in to be more horror or thriller
oriented?
There
are many ranges of films but the ones that are in this genre I would
put more thriller than horror, though recently I worked on the
independent film ‘The Sickness’ which is definitely more horror.
The horror/thriller genre is definitely a different type of set to
work on in regards to there is a far darker humor behind the scenes.
They are a lot of fun.
Please
tell us all about Morbid Curiosity.
‘Morbid
Curiosity TV’ came about from an idea I had for a show. I’m in a
unique position of being involved in both the archaeology/history
side of things as well as being involved in the paranormal. The
current shows are quite popular with good reason but many historic
locations started to shut down to the paranormal because of a lack of
respect or regard for the site and the historic side of things. I
wanted to combine both of those while adding an exploration aspect
that is often involved. We were fortunate to be the first paranormal
group to many of the locations and the first television
production doing
the paranormal for most places, including Philadelphia City Hall and
Historic Boehm’s Church. The only problem was I kept forgetting to
bring a flashlight!
Who
are your favorite actors?
Fortalent? There are so many to list, most of whom are British. Maggie
Smith is just brilliant as is Alan Rickman and Tony Robinson among so
many others. I just admire how acting is truly an art to be respected
there whereas too often in the US it’s who can do the stupidest
thing and get a reality show anymore. However I refuse to name my
favorites in regard to the drool factor in case any of them are
reading this! LOL
Name
some of your favorite horror books.
I don’t
know if they fall under horror per se but the Pendergast series by
Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. I just finished the twelfth book
in the series, Two Graves, and I still haven’t lost interest in the
characters. Stephen King’s Children of the Corn and Pet Cemetery
still freak me out too.
Name
some of your favorite horror movies.
Nothing
beats The Shining with Jack Nicholson. The original Amityville Horror
is the reason I can’t stand basements and bay windows. My aunt and
uncle live near the real house and drove me by it once when I was a
kid – yep, that’s what my family does.
What
started your interest in photography?
Being
an outdoors person it was something I started doing with a point and
shoot camera when I was out and about mostly wildlife. When I started
traveling I enjoyed taking photos, maybe too many at times in the
days before digital. Photography is something that just sort of
merged with my other interests and became a way to tell stories that
many people might never see.
What
advice would you offer to aspiring actresses?
Don’t
sit in the local coffee shop hoping to be discovered. The internet
and technology has made it so easy for people to do their own shorts
and shows. If you think you have something interesting do it yourself
and put it on YouTube or your own website. Learn the process of
editing, production and marketing, even if on a basic level. Be in
front of the camera as much as possible. Network, network, network.
I’ll be the first to admit it can be extremely frustrating to work
so hard only to see a show like ‘Honey Boo Boo’ or the ‘Real
Housewives of whatever county’ make it big but keep at it.
You've
written a beautiful book with pictures of the U.K. and I gave it a
solid five star review which it did deserve. Is England your favorite
European country?
In a
word, yes. All of the U.K. is so amazing and the people are so
friendly. On my first trip to Edinburgh, Scotland I just felt like I
was home. Years later I discovered one set of great grandparents
migrated to the US from Edinburgh. On my last trip there I finally
braved driving on the left side and ventured all over Scotland, North
Wales and England. With ‘Enchanted Britain: A Photographic Journey’
I wanted to show the mystery, beauty and history of the U.K. with
those who’ve never been there or who only stay in the more tourist
destinations. So many places I found were completely accidental while
driving along.
A paragraph about Traci and her work.
As an actor, some of Traci's credits in film and television include Cold Case, The Wire, and Lovely Bones and Silver Linings Playbook.
In 2011 she developed, produced and hosted the hit web-series, Morbid Curiosity TV.
Along with acting, she is an award-winning photographer. She has captured images from around the world. Whether it is Romania, Australia, Vancouver or Edinburgh, there are few places she has not been. Traci’s work has been published in numerous books and magazines, including Extreme Pets, the children's book, Little, Like Me co-written with Kelly McKenzie-Day and, most recently, Enchanted Britain: A Photographic Journey. She has also won many awards for her photography.
Traci has also been an active participant in many archaeological sites and historic preservation in and around the Philadelphia area for many years. It was through this that she had the opportunity to work in England as a photographer for the Wiltshire Heritage Museum as well.
Book site - www.enchantedbritain.webs.com
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