Rose McGowan

by Joanna Orland

Rose McGowan arrived at the Filmmaker’s Breakfast for the Sundance London Film & Music Festival in yellow trousers and t-shirt with the bold black letters of “Niente”, Italian for “Nothing”, plastered across her front.  The brazen outfit was topped off literally with a red hat that she stated was an ode to the Matador.  Before she sat down, I knew this was going to be a fabulous interview.

Rose is best known for her acting roles including Paige Matthews in the TV series Charmed and the lead Cherry Darling in Robert Rodriguez’s Planet Terror.  Rose has now stepped back behind the camera to try her hand at directing.  She makes her short film debut with Dawn, a film that was chosen to be part of the Short Film Programme at Sundance Film Festival.

Dawn is a film that explores themes such as identity, female and male archetypes, and gender roles.  Rose decided to make this film because she wanted a voice.  She was bored of reading books or following stories and seeing cinematic translations on screen that differed greatly to what she was picturing in her head. Directing allows Rose to do much more than what she’s been allowed to do as an actor.

A prolific reader who was reading Poe at age 4, Rose has always had a strong design influence in her personal life, wanting to carry it over into her professional.  She not only directed this film, but also did the production design which is something she is very proud of.  Directing came naturally to the storyteller who finds herself much more nervous in front of the camera than behind it.  Becoming a director has empowered Rose to explore her creative side even further and to express the ideas that have been stirring in her head.

“I’m allowed to be whatever I want to be and that’s hugely freeing, I think for anybody to realize.”

If there were one word to summarize Rose McGowan? Punk.