A few days ago, Michele Morrow revealed to Fangoria during their interview her interest in the Warcraft film. I reached her to learn more about her career, and her interest in games. I was surprised to hear she is a guild leader in World of Warcraft and currently tackling Saurfang Jr. in the Icecrown Citadel.
The actress is in love with the story and characteristics of Lady Sylvanas Windrunner, the leader of the Forsaken, and she admits she would love to earn the role in the upcoming Warcraft film. That's not just words. Her agency, L.A. Management will back her up once auditions are called by the production.
Michele Morrow has been actress in Basement Jack (2009), Bled (2009), The Seer (2007), True Love (2007), Alias (2006), Slaughterhouse of the Rising Sun (2005), Ashley's Ashes (2009) and VideoDome Rent-O-Rama (2009) -- among other films, especially Horror, Thriller and Drama films.
Medievaldragon: Hi Michele, you have talked widely about your gaming life in some of your film interviews. Which games have you played?
Michele: I got an NES at age 10 and was the only kid on the block with one for a few months – so my roots are in Zelda, Mario, Tetris…Ghosts and Goblins consumed most of age 12.
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Currently I play Bioshock, God of War (beat II but never played the original til now) – and I’m stoked for both of the sequels due out this spring. I saw God of War III at E3 this year and it looks sick. I love Lumines on Xbox when I need that Tetris on drugs fix, and World of Warcraft.
Medievaldragon: When and How did you start playing World of Warcraft?
Michele: Crappy story actually – a couple years back, I screwed up my neck in a stunt accident for this slasher movie called BASEMENT JACK. I jumped on an Air Ram – it shot me up and out about 15 feet and I landed on my head. I’m VERY lucky to be recovered and not dead or paralyzed. I was in a neck brace for about a year. During that time I got a copy of The Burning Crusade. Medievaldragon: A career as an actress is probably harder than other types of jobs like a normal 9am-5pm office work, or other freelance jobs. Your mind needs to be awake and alert, you need to read a lot and memorize your script lines. You need to go to the gym, eat healthy, stay fit, and train on whatever your role requires (horse riding, gun shooting, swords, etc.) – lot of work. How do you manage your time between your acting career and leading a raiding guild?
Michele: HAH! Wow, someone is actually asking me that. Yes. I’ll tell you – when I finally recovered from my injury, it wasn’t easy to pry away from, having to weave my normal life and work-out schedule back in. Its sorta hilarious how obsessed people get about this game. I mean…I even had dreams about the game. Although, that happened with Bioshock too….I guess that’s when you know a game is good. It seeps into your dreams. You’ll be at some dream supermarket buyin dream beer and a cartoon Orc will be behind the register saying “Ooooprah” and im like WTF get out of my DREAM.
Medievaldragon: What have you liked the most about World of Warcraft through your level 1-80 experience?
Michele: I guess the thing I liked the most 1-80 as a new player, was how the game naturally unfolded for me. I liked the stories. In some ways it feels like reading an interactive book. It’s a pretty incredible experience for a first timer – make sure to play with some big headphones and just zone out for awhile. It can be a bit tedious for starting alts, but relaxing all the same, especially with lvl 80 raiding pressures.
However, at level 80, it’s a new game. I co-lead a raiding guild on Thorium Brotherhood - I know, RP server, but honestly its no different from a PvE server…just don’t go to Silvermoon City at midnight dressed as a pirate and you’ll be alright. I have a toon on Mug’thol as well and very much enjoy PvP servers, I’m just glad I didn’t start out on one lol.
Medievaldragon: The other day you told me how much you love the lore behind Lady Sylvanas and Jaina Proudmoore. What do you enjoy out of all the lore diversity and rich characters in World of Warcraft?
Michele: I love Sylvanas and Jaina. I think I most enjoy the fact that Warcraft has very powerful female matriarchs. I mean, even Lord of the Rings – I grew up on that – had very few important women. Most of them filled the stereotypical chick roles … love interests, healers, mothers. Galadriel is one of the few that really stands out for me. And the Narnia series, although rich with female characters, mostly don’t let women in battle.
But it has always been this way … Helen of Troy launched a battle only by being abducted and I think I remember something about the dude sacrificing his daughter to get sweet winds for his travel to save Helen …. the whole sacrificing virgins thing lol. I realize that some people believe that “true power” comes through the female roles – through healing and comfort and reflection. And, wisdom generally comes from old men with long beards. I don’t disagree with any of that … but it’s pretty awesome that Warcraft lore features female heroes and leaders who struggle with similar issues that the men do.
Women fall too – like Azshara - and not because they were being slutbags, or because they were virgins, or because they were kidnapped. They fail because they are flawed. Or they teach because they know how to lead. Sylvanas has the coolest story for me, hands down … death by Frostmourne, mutilated and tortured, used against her own people, only to regain her free-will and build the Forsaken with the sole purpose of hunting down Arthas. I love her grit, her courage and her potential of fallacy. But Jaina is pretty rad too. She's a gifted mage, a major leader, and big advocate for peace. Not only that, but she was engaged to Arthas … so … that’s crazy.
Medievaldragon: Do you think stories such as these should be engaged by film directors more often?
Michele: Absolutely … they’re why I became an actress. I grew up in a neighborhood called Camelot where all the streets were named after the knights of the round table, we lived on King Arthur Drive. Everything seemed so lofty and magical when I was a kid. I loved Star Wars, The Neverending Story, The Dark Crystal … movies were imagination land. They were an escape from real life. I think the only reason these movies don’t get made as much it's because it’s a lot of money to make big epic features. I’m pretty sure each one of The Lord of the Rings & Harry Potters cost about $100 million to make. They did make an insane amount of money in return, but I’m sure it's hard to get people to fork over that kind of cash.
Medievaldragon: Have you seen a lack of films based on fantasy worlds beyond Lord of the Rings from 2000-2010?
Michele: Well, the Narnias, Harry Potters – probably can all be categorized as the like. I think we saw a lot of comic book movies that cross-promoted the fantasy demographic.
Medievaldragon: Your previous film roles are focused mostly in the Terror genre, have you considered other genres or have you been invited to play roles in those?
Michele: I’ve done comedies and drama – but horror is certainly the genre I’ve worked the most in. I’m open to any genre that has a strong story attached. It's all about the story.
Medievaldragon: Why do you wish the role of Lady Sylvanas Windrunner in the Warcraft film?
Michele: To be honest, I’d be happy to play any of the characters in the movie. But, Sylvanas … I love her because she’s determined. She’s insidious. She’s arrogant and spiteful, but you can’t really blame her. She's very tortured. http://www.wowwiki.com/File:Sylvanas.jpg I love this imagination of her. She truly takes her own council.
Medievaldragon: Have you played Warcraft III or have you read its facsimile World of Warcraft: Arthas, Rise of the Lich King? That's where her story as a cunning and stubborn High Elf Ranger and all the drama with Arthas as her biggest nemesis starts at. What about her rich past did catch your attention the most?
Michele: She’s really effing brave. And she’s been through hell. To be honest, its not far off from many of the horror movie roles I’ve played. Karen Cook in Basement Jack is a lot like her. At 18 years old she finds her entire family slaughtered, posed around the dining room table, tied to glasses and silverware, with the dog as the main course. It’s a horrific thing to imagine. She has an epic battle in the basement with the killer and narrowly escapes. 11 years later she has sharpened her combat skills, and he gets let out of a mental institution. Now she’s hunting him - and he’s happy to kill her. She’s sorta on another level – you are able to see her as a tragic hero, it kinda takes gender away … its past that, if that makes sense. You can see her mind working, always thinking, always one step ahead. She’s smart and beautiful and tragic and courageous all at once.
Medievaldragon: What new things have you learned about Lady Sylvanas in your raid advancement through Forge of Souls, Pit of Saron, the Halls of Reflections and Icecrown Citadel that you feel have allowed you to learn this character inside and out?
Michele: Mostly I really dislike her voice over lol. I have an alliance toon and get to see Jaina do something similar so its not super unique enough to learn anything more than I already did from the 5 mans. But it is cool to see the story progress. Besides, I’m mostly only thinking about the 10,000g I can make from that Battered Hilt drop to pay any attention lol.
Medievaldragon: What do you think about World of Warcraft: Cataclysm?
Michele: You know, I’m sure however all the details will undoubtedly change, it’ll be cool. This MMO is more popular than any other of all time, I think the guys at Blizzard know what they’re doing. I have a high amount of faith in their imaginations based on what they’ve produced so far.
Medievaldragon: If you were a WoW developer, what would you do to further enrich the world of Azeroth and the player's gameplay? (story, features or fixes)
Michele: ALTERAC VALLEY! HELP!! People do not know how to play. Period. They just run to the group and fight in the road and make me want to tear out all my hair. Has anyone noticed that AV Chat has become like Trade Chat but with more insults? Which is awesome and annoying all at once.
….mmaybe in CATACLYSM, the earth shakes up Alterac Valley and the battleground gets a facelift. Maybe even do some sort of strat guide or in-game tutorial for people when they queue for the first time. Redesign the map because its not clear enough for new players…they’re all like “Towers? Bunkers? Cap what? Who’s Bal?” …except they don’t ask for fear of ridicule lol. Because regardless of the infinite resources they could find online by simply minimizing their screen, they won’t lol. The double honor thing for defending is a start, but you really do miss out on a lot of action. Maybe they can up that reward to encourage better game play. The other Battlegrounds are much smaller and easier to catch on to – there’s just too much going on in AV for the legions of noobs.
Medievaldragon: Which recent and upcoming films or TV projects fans can find you working on?
Michele: I have a film in the summer shooting in Tennessee, its currently untitled but revolves around a meth addict. I’ll be starring next to Katrena Rochell from the upcoming Kickass. I’m also producing a reality show about a big cat rescue facility called Cat Tales Rescue with my childhood best friend, Jan-Michael Gambill who is a professional tennis and another wow player. Pilot season is coming up as well, so anything can happen. I recently heard Spidey got pushed back too…so maybe Warcraft?!?!? fingers crossed
Medievaldragon: Which have been your biggest achievements both in your persona life and in your career?
Michele: My biggest achievement has yet to surface in my career, I am sure. But so far, personally I'm proud of my recovery from my neck injury – that I didn't let it stop me. It's so easy to quit, and I'll tell you, I did get close to giving everything up … I gained 25 pounds, I lost two movie roles, and fairweather friends certainly slunk into the shadows. When you hit the bottom, you can either sulk there forever or pick yourself up. Determination can do a lot for a person.
Medievaldragon: I listened to your Voice Over Reel. Awesome. Have you done voice over for games or would consider proposals for them?
Michele: Thank you smile Besides my demo, I also did a voice over for G4's X-Play. I would love to do voices for games! That would be so stupidly fun.
Medievaldragon: Thanks, It was great having you, Michele. Hope you get the role of Sylvanas in the Warcraft film. What do you think guys?