[Interview] Jordan Phipps Talks ’10/31′ and ‘Close Calls’ On Set
Jordan Phipps is making big waves this year in the genre community, with a stellar performance in this year’s festival favorite Close Calls and a lead role in the upcoming Halloween horror anthology 10/31, so we were thrilled to catch up with Jordan on the Orange Carpet for quick interview following our screening of Close Calls at the 2017 Halloween International Film Festival in Kill Devil Hills, NC, where she would go on to win the Best Actress award.
In Close Calls, Jordan plays a young girl who is left home alone one rainy night to face a variety of terrors, including her crazy grandmother in the attic, a mysterious psycho caller who keeps dialing her number, and the creepy friend of her dad’s who just showed up knocking on her door and asking to come in.
With a run time of more than two hours, Phipps is in almost every scene, and the role is quite demanding, but she more than holds her own and delivers a strong, believable performance. She tells us that while making the movie was overall a great experience, she did suffer a few real life injuries during filming.
Read on for our interview with Jordan Phipps, as we discuss her close calls on set, what we can expect from 10/31, and some of her own favorite Halloween memories!
You were telling us earlier that you did your own stunts in Close Calls, and you got hurt going through a table. Can you tell us about that?
Yeah, I’m an adrenaline junkie, I guess. So the director had actually ordered the Hollywood glass that you’re supposed to be able to step through, but it’s made for a lot heavier people. So I actually totally busted through that table face first. And we only had one take of it, because we only had one table. So I’m being pulled by my pigtails by (actor) Greg Fallon who plays Barry Cone, and he’s just like swing, and I knew that I had to like football dive into it, and I did.
I do still have the scar on my shoulder from the glass. I was totally scraped up. My knees were ruined, and I had a bruise on my rib (laughs).
What can you tell us about 10/31?
My involvement with it started with Rocky Gray, who is actually the composer for Close Calls, so that’s how I got in touch with him. We had started talking about the project and he sent me the script. I was one of the first people to get to read his segment in it, and he was coming up with an anthology and this was going to be the wraparound story that he wanted me to be the lead in. I was really excited. It’s kind of like an integration type thing, talking to Rocky about 10/31 as we were finishing up Close Calls, so I knew it was going to be a good project.
So you’re in Rocky’s segment, which is his directorial debut. So how did he do as a director, in your opinion?
He did really good. He’s a very sweet guy. He really understands the genre a lot. He knows what fans want. He’s really particular about what he wants. I liked the way he directed, because he really did let me have a lot of freedom with the role, which I like, because I do kind of make my own characters. I take them and kind of make them my own, and he was really flexible with that.
I know you can’t spoil anything, but is there anything you can tell us about the story or your character?
Just prepare for a very nostalgic feel.
And it takes place on Halloween?
Yes.
So can we expect some cool costumes?
Oh yeah, the costumes are definitely a prominent theme.
How do you feel about Halloween, the holiday itself?
I love it. I’ve always loved it. When I was a little girl, I used to have about 20 costume ideas each year that I’d have to narrow down. I love Halloween.
Do you have any favorite costumes from when you were a kid?
My favorite was when I took a Renaissance princess costume and made it into a Renaissance vampire. It was pretty gothic looking.
 So what other projects do you have coming up?
I have Safe Place, with (director) Nick Hunt, which I have a pretty cool cameo in. I actually have another feature that is kind of under the radar right now and I can’t really say anything, but I’m going to start shooting that soon. It will be a big surprise for everyone when it comes out. You’ll definitely hear about it.
For more Halloween news, follow @HalloweenDaily.
