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[TVR] Exclusive interview with Vinewood actress Alicia Johansson. Soon be returning to the big screen!


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Exclusive interview with Vinewood actress Alicia Johansson. Soon be returning to the big screen!

By Nina Garavano

Not every day we have the privilege to get to know and interview one of the most iconic figures in Vinewood movie industry. Tonight, actress Alicia Johansson shares her life with us. From her first steps as an actress for Vinewood Studios, her role in the movie “Pulled Apart”, her work as a model for Magnolia records, her relationship with DJ LeCamp, to her plans for the future with Torwald Pictures.


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Welcome Alicia, it’s an honor to have you with us. Can you tell us about you? What were your first steps in acting? How did you manage to become the Vinewood star you are now?

Well, I’ve just wanted to act since I was a kid. Always found it fun to entertain, and to act like I'm someone else. As soon as I finished school back in Sweden, I moved to London, to study at ISSA, the International School of Screen Acting. After graduating I moved down here, los Santos was like, /the/ place to be if you wanted to be in the movies. It was hard at first. Struggling to make ends meet, living in a tiny apartment near here in Morningwood. I worked at the local 24/7 at the gas station here, but I was very lucky to be welcomed in at Vinewood Studios, after not too long.They were the big studio back then.

 

Oh, Impressive, it must have been hard getting into big roles.

Oh yes. I had to start small of course, work my way up, so I started getting small roles in some of their shows. They were doing some TV shows back then, in addition to movies, so luckily there were plenty of productions to get a part in.

 

I see, what were their shows about?
Most of their shows were like a bit of a dark portrayal of the high-crime areas of Los Santos, and made-up characters from these parts. I was lucky to get to work alongside the then big stars, like Bodhi Hillier, Chuck Sullivan, Lacey Warren and Cody Jones.

 

Oh, I see. It seems like Los Santos didn't change at all, still a lot of high crime areas.
Los Santos is still Los Santos, yeah, will always be.

 

And after working at Vinewood Studios what did you do?
Well. After some very good times with Vinewood Studios, they started to struggle a bit with finances and getting talented directors. Sadly, they eventually had to shut down. For a long time there were no movies being made in Los Santos. However, after a while, the industry started to blossom again. We got multiple studios starting up, like Eiga Productions, Marchese Films and Vinewood Video. Those were a bunch of small studios, with mostly smaller productions. I managed to get cast in these productions but most of them never saw the screen. I could spend weeks filming for one production, only for it to get shut down later.

 

Oh, that 's sad!
It's part of the industry though. Not everything makes it to the screen. It's a tough business.

 

I see, that must be heartbreaking, did any of those small studios manage to release a movie or show?
The one worth mentioning is of course Marchese Films, and the movie Pulled Apart, it was definitely the one that got the most attention at this time.

 

How was it like shooting that movie? What do you think about the final product?
Personally, I enjoyed working on that movie and I liked the results too. It had mixed reviews, but it felt like people expected a serious blockbuster action movie, which was something this film wasn't trying to be. It was written and made as a college-film, sort of comedy and horror mix. And I think it served that role nicely. Despite the controversies around Marchese Film and the director, I quite enjoyed it.

 

I see, it sounds like fun. But what did you feel about the negative reviews? How do you handle that kind of pressure?
Well, those reviews are always going to be there, you know. People are different, and one movie is never going to please everyone. I think if the bad reviews were more directed towards my personal contributions to the film, I'd have a harder time with it.

 

Do you think that those high expectations from the audience are what makes those projects fail?
I think that's a big challenge for anyone wanting to make a movie today, yes. The public can be quite ungraceful, you know. But I think it's important to focus on those who actually enjoy it. The value you bring to them.

 

Moving on, can you tell me about your experience here, working as a model for Magnolia?
Sure. I generally look back at my time at Magnolia as a happy time. The best thing about Magnolia was how we were like a family, everyone who worked here, no matter what your position was, got close to each other and cared for each other. It was an honor to work with such a recognized and established brand, to be part of all the great music that came out of here and the great experiences Magnolia DJ's and staff created at the different nightclubs around the city.

 

Did you think your voice and opinion was heard? What are your thoughts about the management back then?
Well I did eventually decide that it was time for me to move on. Like many others from the company at that time. It was a great place, but it was also very strict, it didn't leave room for people to grow, or to really bring their skills to the table. It was sort of an old hierarchical management style, where all decisions had to be done at the very top and the rest of us just had to be okay with whatever the big boss decided.

 

Some things never change!
It became clear that the company didn't want to do anything that wasn't related to music, there was an impression that the models were there to make the artists look good. We even used to have a stripping pole here. I didn't approve of this being a party den for the male managers and artists to take advantage of the girls.

 

I see, and what happened when you tried to change things? What ideas did you bring that weren't accepted?
As head of the modeling department, I tried getting more work for our models, by signing deals with other brands about using our models to market their products or brand. It was quite successful too and brought in a lot of money. But it wasn't about music. We also wanted to do a magazine that would cover music, entertainment, fashion, gossip, and so on, but that just ended in me getting a warning. It was not appreciated at all. Rather the opposite, it was like the management was offended if we did something outside of music.

 

I can totally relate to that as the current manager of Magnolia modeling scheme. Man is the only animal that trips twice over the same stone.
Well said.

 

Let's move on to another subject, are you currently in a relationship, Alicia? How do you handle dating and fame?
I currently am not, and yeah, fame can easily complicate things. I feel like I've kept a rather low profile recently though. Which is good, to get a break from all the attention in between big releases.

 

Oh, can you give me more details about your most meaningful relationships you had in the past?
I should have known this would come up. I've had a few relationships. But they usually don't end well.

 

I'm sure they deserve a whole article on their own! But can you briefly tell us what happened?
 I don't even know where to start. But yeah, it's definitely something for a scandalous article in itself. I was with DJ LeCamp for a while, he was like a very famous DJ back then, and the fame didn't really help either of us. He was actually engaged to someone else when I started seeing him, someone else here at Nolia, and so of course the unavoidable drama of getting caught and all that. So he eventually broke it off with her, which was my boss here at Nolia. That's when we officially got together and we did great for a while.

 

Oh wow! That must have been really complicated, what happened in the end?
Well, I guess the tables turned. I felt like he was distancing himself more and more from me and I saw him with other girls all the time. And then lots of rumours started floating, it ended quite badly, it was an ugly breakup. To comfort me in everything after that, was his best friend and we eventually got together. That was too much for Leo so he left the city.

 

Oh! That's sad... a true engaging love story.
Yeah... these are just crumbles of it all. It's enough material for a book, really.

 

Let's get back to your career, what are your plans for the future?
Well. I'm currently working with Torwald Pictures. So I'm very excited about that. I wish I had something to tell you, but unfortunately, at this point everything is still being kept very secretive, but I'm sure we will all see great things from Torwald Pictures to come.

 

Oh I see... but should we expect to see the one and only Alicia Johansson back on the big screen?
Absolutely, I do my best every day to make that a reality. Torwald Pictures is actually quite sizable already, they have a big team of very talented people and they have some great facilities down at the studio lot. My impressions of Torwald Pictures is that they are very professional and I'm very happy to be a part of it.

 

What will their next movie be about?
I wish I could tell you, Nina. I really do, but I'm afraid you'll just have to wait a little bit longer. I promise I'll share with you whatever I can when I can. Your readers will just have to stay tuned.

 

I'd like to keep going, but let's wrap things up. What would you say to other aspiring actresses who want to follow your steps?
Chase your dreams! And get representation! There are so many people in this city that want to try to take advantage of young actresses, so you have to be careful. If you can get representation, you'll have an agent that will help you find real work, and it keeps the creeps away. I'm very grateful to the agents I've worked with, like James Burke. He's got a character for sure, but he gets results.

 

Any final words? Anything else you want to add?
Thank you for having me!

 

Oh, thank you Alicia! It was my pleasure!


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