Exclusive Interview With Rising Starlet Denise Yuen

One of the must-see horror movies in 2015 is “Bite” and thanks to the vivacious Denise Yuen who has a leading role in the film, we’ve hooked. Odds on to be a cult classic, Denise and her fellow cast-mates are the highlight of “Bite”, infusing their characters with degrees of complexity, elevating the status of women in horror to one of significant quintessence. The seraphic Denise is thoroughly charming and offers purity to balance the vileness of the body horror flick which draws inspiration from “The Fly”. Already having a great run at numerous film festivals, the buzz is bound to descend on Canadian actress Denise who has magnified “Bite” into becoming a prominently compelling watch.

Here’s the interview with the lovely Denise as she gives juicy details about starring in “Bite” and what scares her the most:

1. Tell me more about your role in “Bite” and also what drew you to your role?

I played the role of Kirsten in Bite, who is one of Casey’s two best friends. To put it simply, Casey has a good best friend and a bad best friend. Kirsten is definitely the good one who is constantly concerned about Casey’s well-being and doesn’t sleep with her fiancee… like Jill does (spoiler alert)! I’d like to think that I’m a pretty terrific best friend in real life, so that part of it wasn’t hard to relate to. She also has an easy-going straightforwardness to her, which felt very me, and a wallop of integrity, which I was particularly drawn to.

2. Any upcoming projects that you can tell us?

Next up is a Corus Entertainment web series called All For One about the hijinks of a sorority on a college campus. I play Jeanne Treville– a sorority recruitment counselor with a particularly hard and uptight edge. She was super fun to play and really let me dive into some character-driven comedy.

3. Since there were some really creepy scenes in “Bite”, what is your biggest fear?

Oh, man… my biggest fear is definitely my Trypophobia. I’ve had it all my life and am pretty sure it’s genetic because my sister and aunt have it as well. It’s a fear of dots or punch holes, and it makes my skin crawl! There was actually a lot of imagery in Bite that triggered this phobia– with all the bug bites and blisters– so, that made for quite an uncomfortable viewing experience. If you’ve read anything about all the puking and the fainting at our premiere, you’d know that those Black Fawn Film boys really know what they’re doing!

4. Why do you think women are shining in the horror genre?

I think that audiences are finally ready, if not eager, to see strong and complex women in film. In the past and especially in horror, women have so often been portrayed as mere victims or sex-objects in the most one-dimensional ways. So, it really hits the horror zeitgeist to see this new wave of badass women who still have real vulnerabilities to them, and yet don’t need saving from men.

5. As an actress, what type of role would you like to “sink your teeth” into?

God, I feel like a kid in a candy store with this question! I tend to gravitate towards tougher, feistier roles with lots of hidden vulnerability. So… maybe a dominatrix with a bleeding heart? I don’t know. Give me anything layered and challenging that drags me far out of my comfort zone, please!

Don’t forget to check out her reel: https://vimeo.com/101980890