Disc Dish recently caught up with the charming Cuban-born actress Danay Garcia, late of the cult TV favorite Prison Break and currently of the popular zombified series Fear the Walking Dead. Danay (whose name comes from of the Greek name “Danae,” the mythological mother of Perseus by Zeus) was excited to tell us about her latest project, Sniper: Ultimate Kill, the seventh entry in the venerable action-thriller film franchise.
Disc Dish: You really come out swinging as a DEA agent tracking a Colombian narcotics dealer in your new movie Sniper: Ultimate Kill. In fact, in your first scene, when you are reprimanded for being late to a meeting, your first line is, “The f*ck I am…!”
Danay Garcia: Yeah, Kate Estrada is a bad-ass who gets the job done!. She uses everything within her reach to achieve her goals: intelligence, body, and experience. And she knows how to handle the men’s world – she can cry if she wants and not have to apologize for it. And say “the fuck I am,” as well! The character plays on the best parts of being a woman.
DD: It’s a real testosterone-driven movie.
Garcia: Yeah, a lot of action, with guys everywhere. Lots of challenging stuff going on…
DD: Speaking of guys, you worked alongside Billy Zane (Titanic) and Tom Berenger (Inception), both of whom starred in original Sniper nearly 25 years and six movies ago.
Garcia: I worked with both of them. Tom Berenger is like James Bond—he’s the perfect joker and very charismatic. And he speaks Spanish very well–he really knows the nuances of the language! It’s not surprising he had a great time with the American and Colombian crews.
DD: Tell us about filming on location in Colombia.
Garcia: Yes, in Bogota! It was such an amazing time there. We went to Colombia for a week before shooting and we got a chance to work with all the weapons we used and I was very comfortable with it. We trained with the Colombian National Guard.
Danay dons her fatigues and locks and loads in Sniper: Ultimate Kill.
DD: And what did you do during your down time?
Garcia: I was shooting for a month and then went to Santa Marta and then Cartagena and drove along the coast, which is covered with amazing beaches! And once you go inland more, there are beautiful green forests and horses. It’s all so beautiful.
DD: You’re best known on these shores for your ongoing role of Luciana on AMC’s Fear The Walking Dead. Can you describe the major differences between television acting and film acting?
Garcia: In a way, TV is much more re-acting when you are doing a scene, and then you have to move on. It’s all about action, action, action…and then quickly move on to the next. In movies, there’s much more of a beginning, middle and end–it’s all be written out. The journey is very defined, unlike television, where it’s always going forward and the story is constantly developiong. In the movies, you’re more in control of your journey.
DD: You’ve certainly seen your share of action on the screen in recent years. Can we expect a lot more of it?
Garcia: I hope so! To have people come at me with guns and knives—it’s so exciting, and I guess I knew it would be! But I’m really up for anything at this point of it contains a good story and character. I really love what I do—I’ve loved acting since the day I started with theater. It’s really something special and it keeps with me forever!
Sniper: Ultimate Kill is now available from Sony on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital.
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