"I Wanted My Acting To Speak Louder Than Anything Else": An Interview with Next Action Star's Mae Moreno

Mae Moreno may have come across as one tough cookie, but it ultimately wasn't enough to make her the Next Action Star. Having worked as an Assistant Camerawoman on several movies filmed in Texas before making it to the Final 14 in Next Action Star, Mae has taken turns both behind and in front of the camera, although she's firmly committed to acting now. She has even starred in two independent films.

The first film is Cornman: American Vegetable Hero, where Moreno plays the role of Waxy. In the second film, Prison-A-Go-Go, a parody of "women in prison" movies, Moreno plays a character with the unusual name of Boom Boom. The movie won Best Film at the B-Movie Film Festival in New York last March.

Reality News Online: How did you find out about the audition and why did you decide to try out?

Mae Moreno: I heard about the audition through my Dallas agent, Linda McAlister. She cautioned those she notified about the audition saying that she was by no means an advocate of reality TV, but then went on to mention that Joel Silver was producing the show and Victoria Burrows was casting the show. I had my doubts about the legitimacy of using a reality TV show as a career springboard, but I suspended them for obvious reasons. The roads actually iced over really hard the morning before the audition. I remember waking up thinking, "it is so cold outside, I don't feel like going"… but I got a bad case of the "what ifs" so I went after all.

RNO: It's a good thing you did. You were described on the show as a software tech. What did that entail?

Mae: After I quit freelancing as an AC (assistant camerawoman) in the Texas Film industry, I took up a variety of flexible odd jobs that allowed me to audition during the day. I did tech support for Dell Software for a few months, Toshiba Digital Cameras for another few, I worked at a print company typesetting and running press machines, bartending at an Irish pub… you name it, I probably did it!

RNO: So sort of a Jackie-of-all-trades? What did you think of your makeover when you got short hair?

Mae: I have baby fine hair. For years, hairstylists the world over have tried to bully me into short hair because of it. I caved in once and vowed never to again. I've always loved long hair. I've been such a tomboy for most of my life. I think the long hair made me feel more feminine, and I liked the versatility.

I was honestly expecting mass carnage at the unveiling of the new cut, but I loved it. It was edgy and fit my attitude well. I could straighten it to give off attitude or put rollers in it to give it an old Marilyn Monroe feel. I did the latter for my headshots and it was a mistake because my manager says the feedback is that I look older and more glam. She said, "you are not in your 30s so why look like it? You'll have plenty of time to play those roles when you get older…". She's right and I'm getting new headshots!

RNO: During the "Leap of Faith" screen test, you were partnered with John. Did his fear of heights concern you?

Mae: No way. In my opinion, John was the best actor out of all the males. Mentally, he is a very strong person, and I believe he externally amplifies his fear of heights for the love of drama and adrenaline. It wasn't an issue at all and the thought never crossed my mind.

RNO: How did you feel about getting the Casting Card for the "Watery Grave" screen test?

Mae: Indifferent. I knew by this time that I was the one that would be leaving. With the exception of Corinne and Sean, all other players were secondary and it was apparent who was leaving and why others were staying.

I made a conscious decision to lay low and stay out of the drama in the reality segments. Ideally, I wanted my acting to speak louder than anything else I could say or do, but I neglected to respect that people need to get to know you and feel as if they can connect to you on some level before they will believe and accept you as a 'star' or bankable personality.

Whom I chose and the subsequent chemistry would definitely have an effect on how the scene looked overall, but in the real world the casting director, film director, or producer would have the final say as to who is cast and who is paired with whom. The casting card was not an advantage in this scene, at least for me.