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Aug. 21--RICHARDSON, Texas -- Yancy Butler, who starred as NYPD detective Sara Pezzini on the TNT drama "Witchblade," will take on another comic-book role in an upcoming film based on a comic book by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.
Butler appeared at the Dallas Comic-Con in Richardson last weekend, and appeared on a panel hosted by Devin Pike of redcarpetcrash.com. She talked about her career and current projects with the gathered fans.
"I was asked to do a small cameo in a Nicolas Cage film called 'Kick-Ass,' that a lot of you might know," Butler said. "It's based on a comic book; at the time we did it there were only four of those comics. ... The nemesis to Nicolas Cage is a gangster, and I played the moll, his wife."
The movie features children who want to become superheroes even though they have no superpowers. It's a dark comedy that is extremely violent.
The film was directed by Matthew Vaughn and was picked up this week for distribution by Lionsgate. Butler described a scene shown to her by Vaughn while she was working on the film.
"Nicolas Cage's daughter (in the film), who wants to be a superhero basically, climbs up this gangster's back ... shoots him from below, and it turns into a comic book where you see this blood splat like you would, but in pink," Butler said. "And you could see through the hole in his head. It's completely fascinating."
Also upcoming for Butler is a Syfy channel film currently titled "Wolvesbayne." She plays Lilith, who according to some legends was the first wife of Adam.
"They got rid of her, because she was just horrible and really corrupt," Butler said. "And (in this film) they made Lilith the queen vampire."
Butler compared working in film and television, as she has experience with both.
"You have a lot more time to prepare everything for a film. The role, the script, the costumes," she said. "In television, I liken it to the 'I Love Lucy' episode with the chocolate conveyor belt, and they're shoving chocolate in their mouth as quickly as they can ... that's television. It can't go fast enough; it's just this beast that goes so quickly, because if you don't have something you can put on the air, you're looking at dead air space."
"Witchblade" was originally planned to be a TV movie, but it was so successful that it was expanded to a series, which ran for two seasons. The entire series is available on DVD. Butler said she was aware of trying to keep two different fan bases entertained with the property.
"It was hard to straddle that line making sure we were making fans of the comic book happy ... and also establishing a fan base of people who were unfamiliar with the comic book," she said.
Butler said she enjoyed her time as Sara Pezzini, and would enjoy a return to the character if such a project came together.
"I had a blast. It was a character that I really felt like the writers and producers and I were all collaborating," she said.
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Copyright (c) 2009, The Oklahoman, Oklahoma City
-- Edited by mara on Sunday 23rd of August 2009 06:16:05 AM
-- Edited by mara on Sunday 23rd of August 2009 06:20:45 AM
LOL! You're very welcome! This sort of thing is not normally my cup of tea either. I'll prob catch it on video.......
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"Hell begins on the day when God grants us a clear vision of all that we might have achieved, of all the gifts which we have wasted, of all that we might have done which we did not do" ~~Gian Carlo Menotti~~
Thank you for posting this piece...albeit, now I DO NOT want to see the movie at all. You see, I just watched 'The Watchman' the other day....it was GROSS! It seems like 'KICK ASS' is more of the same.
"Hell begins on the day when God grants us a clear vision of all that we might have achieved, of all the gifts which we have wasted, of all that we might have done which we did not do" ~~Gian Carlo Menotti~~