INTERVIEW: Kinga Philipps on her new multimedia project, ‘The Darkness Descending’

Kinga Philipps is quite the Renaissance woman. She’s a frequent presence on television, most recently as co-host of America’s Lost Treasures on National Geographic. And now she’s starring in an ambitious multimedia project known as The Darkness Descending. Sharing the bill with cult actor Danny Trejo, Philipps plays Chelsea Henderson, a first-time filmmaker who begins to document an unsettling culture of people who live beneath New York City’s streets. Within the snake-like tunnels of the subway system, people live and die according to a different set of rules.

The Darkness Descending is much more than just a feature film project. It can also be experienced as a digital series and downloadable app. Every step into this underground world unearths a new mystery.

Recently, Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Philipps about her new project and its unique format. Questions and answers have been slightly edited.

How did you get attached to the project?

The producers knew me from Legend Quest. They wanted a girl who the audience could believe would willingly put herself in rather scary places and could hold her own with some tough characters. I came in and met with them for the role of Chelsea, the journalist who goes into the tunnels to get the stories of the people who live there. The similarities between myself and Chelsea were pretty solid. It was a good fit.

Darkness Descending has an interesting format (digital series). Could you describe how audience members can experience it in 2013?

It’s actually a multimedia project which makes it very interesting. It’s going to be released as a feature film, a digital series and an app where people can explore the film’s environment as the characters. It’s a very novel way to do something like this.

The marketplace is flooded with movies, but Darkness Descending stands apart because of its unique format. Was this intentional? Does this give you more time to explore a character?

I think Darkness Descending already stands out because of the subject matter. The fact that it is based on an actual world beneath the streets of NYC and many of the characters are based on real people, it makes it that much more fascinating. The format offers a greater glimpse into the world and the characters. Anytime you can move beyond just what you see on the screen, it becomes more of an interactive adventure for the audience.

What was it like working with this cast?

Our cast was spectacular. First off, we shot in a warehouse in downtown LA for two weeks. Since most of the action was happening underground we had to shoot nights. We would get there at 8 p.m. and not leave till 5 or 6 a.m. It’s a schedule that really takes a toll on people, but everyone was so committed and amazing.

I was also really impressed with the quality of actors we had. We were all thrilled to have Danny Trejo come on board and he was fantastic in his role. It’s also the most dialogue he has had in any of the 241 projects he has listed on IMBD. Frank Kruger, the other male lead, is such a terrific actor and so positive and kind. We had some great names attached like Louis Mandylor and Kristoff St John, some wonderful newcomers like Chase Austin and Nicci Faires, and one of the most versatile character actors I’ve had the pleasure of working with, Michael Rene Walton.

We even had former professional wrestlers John Hennigan and Melina Perez. Darren Darnborough, Tiffany Adams, Wylie Small and Sara Maraffino were also all so so very talented.

What’s your hope for Darkness Descending? Do you see this going beyond the 24 episodes?

Our greatest hope for Darkness Descending is the message that “everyone has a story.” The idea that this hidden world exists full of people who have been rejected by society really opens our eyes to the issue of “invisible people” in general…the homeless, the sick, the lonely, the overlooked. In addition to the message, it’s a good story, so we of course hope its a success as a feature, a digital series and the interactive app.

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

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