We've been trained to be quiet about things: Hollywood's 'scream queen' (IANS Interview)

Veteran American actress Lin Shaye, who has earned the epithet "scream queen", feels women are taught to suppress their voices since childhood with the initial life lessons being "say please, thank you, do what you are asked to and stay out of trouble" when, on the contrary, they need to be vocal about their views and concerns.

"We have sort of been trained to be quiet about things, say please and thank you... That is sort of how I was trained... Always do what you are asked and do what you are asked to politely... It is really our responsibility to not feel threatened enough that we don't speak up," Shaye told IANS over phone from Hong Kong while promoting her film "Insidious: The Last Key".

"I am pretty vocal. I often walk away from something if I don't want to make waves. Making trouble is also something we are sort of trained not to do, but I think there are ways to say no without being a troublemaker.

"I am very grateful that I never really had any negative experiences in that light," she added.

Shaye feels women should look out for each other.

"We have a responsibility to take care of each other in some way or the other. The male and female dynamic is always complicated. I think women need to stay strong and vocal if something is not correct for them, and if you don't feel comfortable in any workplace -- not just filmmaking," added the 74-year-old.

A lot of women from Hollywood are coming together to lead a change with several initiatives after a slew of sexual misconduct cases against popular Hollywood men rocked the West.

Shaye feels the movement seems to be a wake-up call for the world.

"It is great. There are ways to say no. Be clear, be concise, be strong and say no to anything which doesn't feel right to you. If you see something that is inappropriate to someone else make sure that they feel strong enough to say no."

Shaye got the tag of "scream queen" thanks to her contribution to the horror genre, and she is happy to live with it.

"As an actress, I consider myself to be a good storyteller... whether it is horror or comedy or whether it is drama. There is an emotional element which I hope I bring to my work and clarity to the story.

"If I am a 'scream queen', I just want to make sure I tell a good story while I am screaming."

During her career, Shaye has made a name for herself in the film, television and theatre circuits. The actress etched a permanent place for herself showing her range as an artiste in projects like "A Nightmare on Elm Street", "Amityville: A New Generation", "Snakes on a Plane", "Dumb and Dumber" and "Contagion".

Of late, she is associated with her on-screen avatar Elise Rainier -- a psychic, clairvoyant and demonologist, from the "Insidious" franchise. She reprised her role in "Insidious: The Last Key" -- the sequel to "Insidious: Chapter 3" and a prequel to "Insidious" and "Insidious: Chapter 2".

The supernatural thriller, released earlier this month, was brought to India by Sony Pictures Entertainment India, a banner which led the top five biggest Hollywood releases of 2017.

(Sugandha Rawal can be contacted at sugandha.r@ians.in)

--IANS

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