Monique Parent Interviewed

Softcore superstar Monique Parent joins the cast of Sinsations this week which shoots this Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Michelle Maylene, Cytherea, McKenzie Lee, Syren, Evan Stone, Jezebelle Bond, Jacy Andrews and Anna Mills already have had parts in this series. Lacie Heart also joins the cast.

Parent is interviewed on www.srreviews.com: Monique is a popular multi-talented actress who has starred in dozens of softcore movies and videos. Our friend "propdoc" recently had a chat with her about her career and plans for the future. Interview by propdoc

Softcore Reviews: Thank you for taking time out to do this interview. You are one of the most well known actresses in the softcore genre, along with one of this interviewer's favorites. Not just because you are very attractive, but you can act. Some people call you a "thinking man's sex symbol." You've had a long and successful career. What do you attribute to your success?

Monique Parent: I don't really consider myself successful to be honest. I'm still waiting to do really good work. This has all just been practice up until now. I'm just doing my learning in a very public forum. I love acting. I love creating a character. But I am never truly happy with my work. I always feel as though I could have done more or given more. Will I ever feel as though I've really done a good job? What do you think?

You were born in San Luis Obispo, California, and other than a brief time in living in Arizona, spent your youth there. In previous interviews you described it as your normal small town life. Yet you also said you felt out of place there?

I think most artists are a little "different" from everyone else. We expect more from ourselves than is truly reasonable. We don't understand why some people think some things are so important (you know, like math and stuff). I think that most artists grow up feeling out of place until they meet other artists--other people that think they way they do or at least respect the fact that there are differences and that those differences are not only OK but wonderful.

You began studying ballet at age three, followed by tap and jazz. Then you were cast in your first play, a community college rendition of "Fiddler on the Roof", at age nine. So you caught the acting bug early?

'Fraid so. Either that or I've just always been psychotic.

Do you think acting helped you with your feelings of being out of place in a small town, or did it make you yearn for wider horizons?

It definitely made me yearn for more. I still am. I think if I stop wanting more I may as well call it quits.

After high school you enrolled in Alan Hancock College to in your words "Take a few theatre and dance classes while you figured out what you wanted to do with your life." You also tried your hand in the business world by opening your own bathing suit store.

I really tried to do the things that I was brought up believing I was supposed to do. My parents were in business for themselves and naturally I thought that was what I was supposed to do. I mean, gosh, who goes out and pursues an acting career? That's for special people--people who are exceptionally beautiful or talented. Not for regular people like me.

Yet when you first got to LA during the summer of 1990, you chose not to immediately look for parts, but to study at the Beverly Hills Playhouse. Why the hesitation?

It took a lot to just get myself to LA to pursue acting and I think that just because I got my ass down here I still wasn't ready. I needed that time to learn my craft and to learn how to live in a different environment.

You've said that after being in LA for about a year, you woke up one morning and remembered why you came. You then got an agent, went on a couple of auditions and started working right away.

It's a scary thing. Being an actor. It's a lot of rejection as everyone knows. If you are not auditioning, you are not being rejected. It's like being single and saying you want to meet someone and get married but never leaving your house. Oh sure, you want to but it's just not going to happen. I think I was insulating myself. I could say I was an actor but I wasn't taking a chance on anyone challenging that. Or judging me. Eventually I realized that I damn well better start putting it out there!

Persistence and hard work certainly can help with a career, but as an actor you are also very versatile. You've described yourself as a "chameleon", able to change yourself into anyone or anything.

Well, not quite anyone or anything. We all have our limitations. I have a blank canvas kind of face. That's neither good nor bad, it just is. I have a face that can easily be transformed into a lot of different looks, which is a really great thing as an actor.

But that adaptability has a price. You had a hard time playing the character Valerie in the 1995 feature "Married People, Single Sex II: For Better or Worse".

Valerie was a tough role for me. She's very victim-y. I'm not so good at victims. I'm kind of feisty myself and I'm better with stronger characters. But it's good to do other stuff, good to stretch myself. I should do more of it but damn, it's uncomfortable! I really need to do more stretching like that .

Your film debut was a minor role in the 1992 feature "Secret Games" with just one scene. The same year you got your first staring role in "Bufford's Beach Bunnies". How was acting in a pair of hot pink bunny ears?

Harder than you might think. I have red hair for the love of God--between my very white skin, my very red hair, hot pink bunny ears and orange suspenders it's amazing that nobody went blind! Actually I had a blast on that film. I love playing dumb. It's incredibly liberating. Any idea, no matter how off the wall-just going for it! Of course, I should do that with every role, but somehow the ditzy roles seem the bring it out more in me.

You did several more films in 92 and 93, including "Sex and the Single Alien". The lead Eric Kohner aka Harry, is abducted by a UFO and after being experimented on by the aliens, gains the power to give women orgasms simply by looking at them. You play one of the women this happens to. Reviewers have said your performance makes Meg Ryan's "When Harry Meet Sally" routine "sound like a Sunday school sermon.

I was originally cast in one of the lead roles in that film but because of scheduling conflicts I wasn't able to do it. I thought I wouldn't be in that film at all but then they asked me to do that scene. I am so glad that I got to because once again I was able to just let go and enjoy doing comedy. Plus, it's really nice to do smaller roles. When you have the lead in a movie, that's a lot of responsibility and a lot of screen time. With smaller roles, you can just show up, be wonderful (uhhh...we hope) and be on your merry way.

After that you really started doing a lot of films. The Internet Movie Database lists over thirty between 93 and 96. One of those was the 1994 feature Play Time . Fans have always ranked that movie as one of the best soft-core films of all times. Much of its recognition is the on screen chemistry between you and our co-star Jennifer Burton. You yourself mentioned in another interview that while you were shooting that you found certain scenes "incredibly erotic". When you were finished filming it, did you have any inkling of how popular it would become?

No idea at all. We all kind of thought the movie was a joke, you know some of the stuff we were asked to do we just rolled our eyes at each other and laughed about it. Shows how much we know...

I recently ran across another film you did during that period, the 1995 feature "Alien Escape" aka "Galaxy Girls". You are in the movie for a mere 3 minutes, just long enough for a quick shower and then get killed.

Still have never seen it. Interesting trivia: I shot that the day before my wedding. As a wedding present for my husband, I had the total bikini wax--everything. And then I got called to do "Galaxy Girls" and of course it was a shower scene. I was so embarrassed. Yeah, I know, guys think it's hot but I thought I looked I looked like a twelve year old. Now everyone reading this is going to run out to find "Galaxy Girls", I know how you boys are!

That's right, much to many of your fans' probable disappointment, you've been married now since 1995.

Haven't killed him yet. Been tempted to...

You meet your husband Harry when you first got to LA in 1990, so he's watched your career grow. What does he think of you being such an icon of the softcore industry?

You know, you can't really be famous to the people who are close to you. It's as absurd to him as it is to me. He does get a big kick out of it when I get recognized and people ask for autographs.

He was though bothered by your role in the 1996 feature "Ladykiller".

He has no problem watching a love scene of mine. He's been there for real so he can see the difference between what I am like in real life versus movie life. It's different watching someone you love get killed. He really doesn't like to see that. I usually warn him not to look, but when we were watching "Ladykiller" my death kind of snuck up on me. See, they show my throat being cut. Except that it wasn't actually my throat. In fact, I wasn't even on set the day they shot that. Movie magic. So you can see how I forgot about it happening. He was not a happy camper.

On the lighter side, in several of your films, you've played "creatures of the night", such as a cannibal baroness in "Tender Flesh" and a pseudo vampire in "Bloodthirsty". If you could be any fantasy creature, what would it be?

Definitely something magical. I remember when I read "The Mists of Avalon" and the writing was so wonderful I felt like I could go out and call up storms and cast spells. And of course, being a woman I'm already a bit of a witch. Or do I mean I have the wit of a bitch. Something like that...

And on the darker side, in researching for this interview I came across a dead link to "Strictly "Speaking With Mistress Karen and Monique Parent", an official site to a BDSM documentary. Dare I ask?

"Strictly Speaking" is a very good little documentary. It's still available somewhere. Hard to find though. I just got it myself about three months ago. It's shot very MTV style. B & W, grainy mixed with very crisp. My part in it is pretty boring. I just model the outfits. That's all. Nothing sinister or sensational. I left that to the pros.

Wow, Monique Parent modeling fetish wear! Something for fans to add to their collection. Back to the interview though, in 1996 you got to do a more mainstream part, acting in an episode of "Walker, Texas Ranger". How was that?

It was a great experience. I was the bad guy (as usual). One thing that's nice about doing so much low budget stuff is that I got do make all my mistakes and learn what I should and shouldn't do on a smaller level so when I'm thrown into bigger stuff, I'm ready. Of course I'm still making mistakes and trying to learn what to do--but that's the fun part of life.

The next year you landed the role of Ursula Andress in the 1997 mainstream feature "James Dean: Race With Destiny", and a small part in "L.A. Confidential" which unfortunately was cut from the final film. Unlike most actresses who do a lot of softcore features, you have actually had some success at crossing over into the mainstream.

I'm a harsh critic. My opinion is that I've had no success crossing over. On that note, let me say that I was very disappointed with my performance in "James Dean..." I was a last minute casting and I never got the time to get the accent right. Shit like that haunts me forever. On the plus side, I got to make out with Casper Van Dien.

You were cautioned at the beginning of your career, "Avoid nudity, it's going to hurt your career." Do you feel that mainstream casting agents have a prejudice where it comes to actresses who've done a lot of nudity? Or is it just a case of them being ignorant of the genre?

I have to say that I got my start with Robert Lombard and he was the one to say that to me! Interesting how our lives change. But I could never have done anything without all his hard work for me. Have to give credit where credit is due. Anyway, he felt that nudity would be detrimental, but then my first audition was for "Secret Games" and it was a union film. It's not easy to get in the union, so Robert and I agreed that I would do nudity just this once. Uh-huh. Shows what we knew! It actually opened a lot of doors for both of us and led us to where we are today.

I think that some casting agents do have a prejudice against actors who have done nudity. But I tend to think that most of them are just ignorant of the genre. Casting people usually stick to whatever genre they are (currently) casting.

You've said that "Gone With The Wind" is a favorite of yours. In the "what if?" category, as an actress is there a part in either an older film or one more recent that you would have liked to have been cast in and had a chance to do?

Can't think of anything that I've watched and thought "oh, it should have been me". A dream role for me would be "Medea" or Anne Rice's "The Witching Hour". Oh hell, anything by Anne Rice would be cool.

You've sometimes called the parts in many of your films not acting but just "stripping and posing." This has lead to some frustration for you hasn't it?

Oh definitely. But at the same time, there really is no point in regretting the past. I might not be where I am now if I had done things differently. My career might be better, or non-exisistent, or whatever. The way I look at it--I'm not dead yet. I still have time.

What are your goals for the future? Where do you see your career in 5, 10 or 15 years?

I'll still be acting. Hopefully surprising myself and learning more all the time. I want to do better work. That doesn't mean more money or fame. It means better work. I can always do more, give more.

Because you've had such a long career in softcore, you've had directors in the past say "You've shot more love scenes than I have. Just tell me what you want to do and where I should place the cameras". Have you ever thought about stepping behind the camera and directing?

I'm too much of a control freak not to! Oh yeah, I know that's where I'm headed--but I'm not there yet. I don't know enough yet.

Your most recent film is the 2003 feature "Los Jornaleros", which tells the interwoven stories of three young Hispanic men who come to this country to pursue the American dream and instead end up struggling as day-laborers. What can you tell us about the film and your part?

Evil White Chick. Yeah, I know, big stretch. It's a really great little movie. Everyone should run out and see it. I should warn you--I actually keep my clothes on. Mostly. But seriously, it is a good film. Worth watching.

The film is in Spanish. You also did an earlier feature "Tender Flesh", also in Spanish. Do you speak any other languages?

When I travel to other countries I make a point of learning how to order coffee and say thank you. Once I have the caffeine in my system I do pretty well with smile and point. I can always fall back on my high school French--" Donde esta la biblioteca" --no wait, that's not it...hmmm... better stick with smile and point!

How do you react when people on the street recognize you? Do you have any funny fan stories? Also you recently attended Chiller Theatre's Toy, Model and Film Expo. How was that? Do you like to meet your fans?

I don't often get recognized on the street. I rarely wear make-up and I'm one of those people that films different than they look in person. And I'm much shorter than people think. I get a lot of, "Wow, you look familiar, what high school did you go to?"

I had a lot of fun at the Chiller Theatre Expo. Totally new experience for me. I've never really done the whole "I'm-a-movie-star-worhip-me" thing. It could get very addictive. It's great to meet with fans and wonderful to hear that I've made people happy, or amused them or aroused them or whatever--but it's important to remember that all that stuff isn't real. It's not the reason I do what I do. I think a lot of actors lose that along the way.

If a friend wanted to follow in your foot steps and become a softcore actress, would you recommend it? What advice would you have for her?

You damn well better love it. 'Cause it'll rip your heart out and feed it back to you. You gotta be able to take the rejection, the friends stabbing you in the back, the armchair critic posting horrible disparaging remarks on some internet message board, the highs of achieving something you didn't think you could do (but the movie loses it's financing so nobody ever gets to see what you did), the "other guy" always getting noticed more, the too old-too young-too fat-too thin-too sexy-not sexy at all-too short-too tall-too everyfuckingthingyoucouldimagine. If you still love it--go for it!

And finally a couple of those silly personal questions interviewers love to submit. First, if you could commit a wickedly sinful, totally illegal act that the next day no one in the world would remember, what would it be?

What makes you think I haven't already done it? So of course I can't tell. My lawyer makes too much as it is.

And if you could have lunch with just one of the two, would you invite God or the Devil?

God, of course. I dine with the Devil on a regular basis. Plus, God seems like she'd be a cool chick to hang out with. (I just know I pissed somebody off with that comment--ooh goody!) My job is to comfort the disturbed...and disturb the comfortable.

Thank you again for taking the time to do this interview. Hopefully we can do this again in 10 years.

You got a date!