Posted in: Interview, Movies | Tagged: Braden R. Duemmler, Ema Horvath, Haskiri Velazquez, interview, mena suvari, Saved by the Bell, trey tucker, Vertical Entertainment, what lies below

What Lies Below: Haskiri Velazquez Talks Bonding with Ema Horvath

The intrigue to be part of a horror/mystery film was too good to pass up for Haskiri Velazquez, who plays Marley, the best friend of the main character Liberty Wells (Ema Horvath) in Braden R Duemmler's What Lies Below. I spoke to the star about what attracted her to the role, her chemistry with Horvath, and the creative freedom she had.

"Initially, when I first got the breakdown, I really loved my character, Marley," Velazquez said."I just loved her description. She's bright, energetic. She has her friend's back. That's me outside of acting as a person. Also, as an actor, I always wanted to do a mystery or thriller movie. It was my opportunity to get my feet wet; no pun intended having to deal with the lake and stuff [laughs]. As soon as I heard about the film, it was something I wanted to be a part of." While she admits to not having much screen time in the film, the actress had nothing but glowing things to say about her co-star and the organic way she carried herself.

"When I first met Ema, we film in Lake George," Velazquez said."It was my first time there. I felt a little out of place in this area. The moment we met on set, we connected instantly. She was a very soft-spoken and warm actress. It almost didn't seem like she was playing this character. She was very helpful the first time being in a part of a film like this. She gave me some advice letting me know if I had any questions or wanted to run lines, she would be there to help me. I really appreciated that. We do play best friends in the film, and I think you got to see our dynamic on screen."

When it came to creative input, Velazquez credits writer and director Braden R. Duemmler for giving her and Horvath the space to operate. "Braden was very hands-on as director, and he gave us certain advice and certain direction, but he also allowed us to a space to create our own," she said."He wanted to see how we interacted before he interjected. I think we created this dynamic where we all put in where I, Ema, and Braden contributed. We created a station for these characters to really shine on the screen. He had a clear vision, and he succeeded in bringing it to life on the screen." Going in, she found a way to better immerse her character better into the film.

"When we filmed this in 2018, I created a small back story for my character because I wanted to ask, 'What drove my character Marley to help Liberty, which we been friends since the fifth grade,'" Velazquez recalled. "I feel like the other actors also did the same." The actress currently also stars in the Saved by the Bell sequel on the NBC Universal streamer Peacock. Vertical Entertainment's What Lies Below, which also stars Mena Suvari and Trey Tucker, is available on-demand and digital.

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