The Cathode Ray Mission: September 2014

Recently I had the great pleasure to interview Alex Covington and Rica de Ocampo, the stars in a new Web series We Might Be Superheroes! A new web series by Pat Bishow, writer/director of such films as The Adventures of El Frenetico & Go-Girl,The Girls from H.A.R.M.!, and It's a Haunted Happenin'!

What first made you want to become an actress?

Alex Covington: That’s a hard question! LOL…I feel like I’ve just always wanted that. I was obsessed with “The Wizard of Oz” as a two year old…and then fell in love with singing and Musical Theater, I’d say the Movie Musical and singing started it for me. I’ve done a lot of Musical Theater professionally since then…and have more recently become VERY interested in TV/Sitcom Comedy, etc. “We Might Be Superheroes” has introduced me to that world!

Rica de Ocampo: I've been singing my entire life. Growing up I was constantly singing and performing for family and in church. When I was 8 I was in a production of, "Sound of Music." I played Marta. I loved being on stage and performing for an audience that was larger than just my family. I think I'm happiest being a performer and telling a story.

Is there any one actress or actor you'd like to work with in the future?

Rica : I watch a lot of different shows and there's so many actors I'd love to work with! But I think the most fun would be to work with my brother, Ramon. He's an actor as well and works in LA. (He's in the new SyFy series, "Twelve Monkeys."

Alex: Not in particular...I daydream more about working with specific composers like,
Jason Robert Brown, or Tom Kitt...to name a few in Musical Theater…or working on a network TV show…like in the style of “How I Met Your Mother.”

Can you tell us a little about your character and how you came to be cast in We Might Be Superheroes!?

Alex: Sure! Well Christine/Faith is a very honest, good hearted girl. She’s a bit of a dork. She’s little awkward and tries too hard sometimes. But she’s VERY smart and great with gadgets and breaking into computer systems, etc. I got cast by submitting through backstage.com. I saw the add for the project and was immediately interested. It just felt right. Pat Bishow, the producer, contacted me, set up an appt to audition and sent me sides. He also mentioned that he appreciates actors that ask questions. And I took that as a clue! LOL So I asked a LOT of questions. I asked about backstory, details about the character, etc. We were emailing back and forth quite a bit before the first audition. He said at one point, "Wow, i'm impressed. You've out Nancy Drew'd me!" LOL I think I just WAS Christine from the get-go in how I pursued answers to my questions. And the rest is history! LOL

Rica : I play Riley aka Hope. I usually describe her as a surly badass, who's a great fighter and never stops eating. Riley is a rough and tough girl that can roll with the punches and hang with the boys. But under that tough girl exterior, Riley is actually a real softy with a good moral compass. I love playing Riley, she's a fun smart aleck that gets to fight. It's great!

I saw the casting notice for We Might Be Superheroes in Backstage. A fight heavy show modeled after 60's batman with deep comic roots? I thought it was perfect for me! So I submitted...for Christine not Riley. I really connected to the geeky/nerdy side of Christine and thought that was a great choice.
When I walked into the audition, Pat (the producer for the show) said, "You're here for Riley right?" I said, "No." and read for Christine. After the audition, I realized that I was better suited for Riley and was a little down on myself for submitting for the wrong part. Well the team must have felt the same way cause I got called back for Riley instead and that's all she wrote!

In We Might Be Superheroes! you play a superhero. Is there any comic books or superhero films you enjoy?

Rica : My favorite show of all time is Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I started watching it in college and still have binge days. Buffy, (all versions of) Willow, Giles, Faith and Spike are my favorite characters. I love everything in the Whedon universe and would LOVE to work with him one day. I love comic books! My favorites are in the Marvel Universe. I grew up watching X-men and really loved Rogue, Gambit and Nightcrawler. Once I got into reading comics I really fell in love with X-23 and still want to go to Comic Con dressed as her.

Alex: Yes! I really like Spiderman. And recently watched the new Spiderman movies again….SO good!

In your superhero identities you guys have to wear masks and costumes. What kind of challenges does that entail?

Alex: Its not hard, actually, to work in at all! They move great and are easy to wear :)

Rica : There really isn't a ton that difficult. I love our costumes. But since I'm not the gentlest of women I tend to break my gear. I rip the hose and we've gone through at least 2 different leotards. And then just staying cool while constantly wearing gloves! (Which I sometimes forget to wear and we have to redo takes!)

When you have the costume on, do you ever feel like a superhero?

Rica : There have been times, after putting on the costume, that I've felt like I could barrel through walls. And the mask makes me feel pretty awesome.

Alex: Yes absolutely! I feel like I can handle anything that crosses my path!

How much of the fighting and stunts did you do yourself?

Alex: We do all of our own stunts! One of our directors/writers, Daria Morra, is super talented (she plays Troya Nice as well ) she is our Fight Choreographer. So she creates the fight scenes and we rehearse them!

Rica : As far as the fighting goes, i do everything myself. I help choreograph the fighting and Daria is just amazing. She does a ton of falls and actual stunty thing. I simply throw kicks and punches. :D

You guys look like your having a lot of fun. What's it like on set?

Rica : It's fun on set! We have a rotating crew of great people. There's a ton of inside jokes and comic jokes and nerd jokes that make me smile. And of course Alex is one of my best friends so it's always a great time to hang out and work with her. I love the Amusement Films family and always look forward to our next shoots.

Alex: It is an absolute blast!! This Team has been a total pleasure to work with! We have become a little family. We laugh a ton, but can also get down to business and create great work! I also love the freedom they give me to improvise. They trust my choices and that feels amazing as an actor!

So what's next for you?

Rica : Well there's Season 3 of We Might Be Superheroes, which I'm super excited about! Next month I'll be in a feature film called, "Wild Men" It's a found footage comedy parodying reality shows that search for bigfoot. I play a lowly intern. I'm excited to start filming! (If you want to learn more you can check it out here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1075857075/wild-men-a-found-footage-feature-comedy )

Alex: Well, A season 3 is in the works. Otherwise, I am always out there auditioning for Voice Over, Commercials and Musical Theater…so I”m hoping to book more spots,commercials and shows this upcoming year. I also have my own Acting Studio for Musical Theater, called “Find Your Honesty: Acting Through Song” which I adore. Coaching is another passion of mine and I”m constantly inspired by the actors I coach! So I will continue expanding my studio! For more info regarding coaching with me you can visit my website www.actingthroughsong.org.

Do you have a final message for our readers?

Alex: Thank You all so much for watching “We Might Be Superheroes!” We all, as a group, really love what we do and we hope to keep entertaining you guys!!

Rica : If you watch our show: Thanks so much! Like I said earlier, I love this little mondo universe I've dropped into and I love that other people enjoy it as well. If you don't watch the show: Check it out! Alex is super cute in every episode and I'm a pretty moody chick but I'm pretty funny and I kick some ass.

Thanks so much!
:D