Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with A Snow White Christmas’ Carolyn Hennesy

Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who’s the most talented of them all? It’s Carolyn Hennesy. The gifted actress is a Hollywood legend with over 100 credits to her name. Best known for her starring roles on General Hospital, True Blood, Jessie, and Revenge, Carolyn has proven she can truly embody any character. Her latest role sees her stepping into the shoes of Victoria Snow in a modern take of the classic retelling of Snow White. Pop Culturalist had the pleasure of speaking with Carolyn about all things A Snow White Christmas.

PC: Tell us about A Snow White Christmas, your character, and what drew you to this project?
Carolyn: I was actually offered the role! In this competitive world when someone says, “Hey, we’d like you to do this,” it’s a lovely thing to be able to say, “Yes!”

The film is a modern twist on the Snow White fairytale. I play the evil queen, or should I say, evil stepmother, Victoria Snow. There’s a great saying in show business, “The snake gets the best lines and the best shoes.” That’s absolutely true with Victoria Snow. I had so much fun playing her because she’s one of those deliciously evil characters that you love to hate and hate to love. Rich Barnes, who is the personification of the mirror on the wall, and I had so much fun on set that all we basically did with the director, Kristin Fairweather, was laugh. Then we’d be evil, and then we’d laugh about it. Then we’d be evil some more and then we’d laugh about it. We had the best time. Hopefully, it translates onto the screen.

PC: How does this adaptation of a classic fairytale differentiate itself from previous ones?
Carolyn: It’s far more modern. It takes into account all the new technology. It’s very sleek and stylized. The colors aren’t very vibrant with the exception of Snow White herself, who’s in these delightful reds, pinks, and rose colors. But the rest is just silver, white, and stark. It’s not terribly homey. But it manages to retain its charm. There’s also a little bit of cultism in there with the medium and the trance, and how we get her to do our will.

PC: We see from the trailer that Victoria doesn’t have the best intentions. As the story progresses, will she have any redeeming qualities?
Carolyn: Well, if you ask her, she has nothing but redeeming qualities. She wants to bring beauty, style, and grace everywhere she goes. If a few heads have to roll for that to happen well, you know, what’s the larger picture here? So with Victoria, the end absolutely justifies the means. I think she has tremendous redeeming qualities. Nobody else might, but I do.

PC: Were you able to draw any parallels between Victoria and Diane, who you play on General Hospital?
Carolyn: They’re very witty. They’re very sharp. Diane has a big, big heart where Victoria has none. She’s got a cold, dark stone for a heart. They’re very smart and sassy. Diane is only calculating in the courtroom. She has a tendency to let her better nature come to the surface when she’s talking with Alexis, Nina, Max, or Sonny. But in the courtroom, she’s very calculating. Victoria is nothing but calculating. Diane can make it all about somebody else. Victoria, it’s all about her. But still they’re both very funny, witty, and sharp.

PC: If you had to pick a scene that you’re most excited for your fans to see, what would it be and why?
Carolyn: Probably when we hatch the plan! You get to see how the wheels work with Victoria. There’s a lot of physical comedy in this too. It’s visually funny.

PC: With the film coming out on this week, what do you hope audiences take away?
Carolyn: “She’s so pretty, how could she be so mean?” [laughs] I’m kidding. It’s a cautionary tale. Don’t be mean or it’ll bite you in the butt.

PC: Besides A Snow White Christmas, do you have any other upcoming projects that you can chat about at this time?
Carolyn: Yes, yes I do. I’ve got St. Agatha, which is my first lead in a horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman of the Saw franchise fame. I play an evil Mother Superior, and there’s no humor there. Now, this was a very interesting role because if you know the character’s going to get a comeuppance, you’ve read the script and you know that there’s some retribution waiting at the end, you can really kind of go balls to the wall as I like to say, with having a good time. But if the character is simply born evil, I mean, pure evil, I mean, really psychotic, then it’s a much more difficult line to walk. You have to go to places within yourself that are truly scary. Not funny scary, but really scary. St. Agatha, I think, is going to be a bit of a new showcase for me with regard to the people who know what I can do and what’s in my wheelhouse. It comes out February 8!

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Carolyn: A guilty pleasure TV show? There are no guilty pleasure TV shows because everything is fabulous. Every once and a while I will watch an episode of Hoarders and get down on my knees and thank God.

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Carolyn: Count Dracula and His Vampire Bride

PC: Favorite book?
Carolyn: Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Carolyn: Master Class by Terrence McNally

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Carolyn: ABBA

PC: Hidden talent?
Carolyn: I don’t know if it’s hidden, but I fly trapeze.

Make sure to follow Carolyn on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and catch A Snow White Christmas premiering on December 9 on ION.

Photo Credit: Suzette Troche-Stapp