August 17, 2007 (Lake County News-Sun / Art Peterson) -- Lourdes Colon is taking a big bite out of Hollywood. Colon, a former Waukegan resident, is starring in "The Kiss," an independent film in which she becomes "Santa Maria, queen of the snake vampires."

Filming is complete and editing has begun, with release planned for film festivals this fall.

Colon, who attended Waukegan High School and the College of Lake County, has been knocking on the door to big-time stardom for nearly a decade. She was a guest star in the CBS series "Without A Trace," and had a lead role in the TV movie "Time Served", opposite Denzel Washington. She's hosted a weekly movie showcase TV series.

Recent roles seemed to be typecasting her as an immigrant woman, which she has done well, but she was excited when she saw the script for "The Kiss." She told the producer and director that the role of Santa Maria is "sexy, fun, vampy and evil -- what's not to like?"

Director Scott Madden said "the clouds parted" when Colon read for the role. "She's a serious actress with humor, is gorgeous and has a great resume."

She has also proved a role model on the set, he added, even while being drenched with 250 gallons of stage blood and wearing 25 pounds of latex (body mold) around her face during filming in July.

"It was yucky," she said.

Afterward, she was able to rinse off in a fancy 27-jet shower at the mansion (an alpaca-raising estate) where filming took place.

Getting made up took 45 minutes each day. She had to wear large "snake-eye" contact lenses that were so dark, when out of the set lights, someone else had to lead her around by hand. Her exquisite vampire dentures started with difficulty: Plaster was slathered on her face, with mouth full open, and took 15 minutes to set.

Her favorite part of the film was getting to slap her love interest, over jealousy.

"It was a close-up, so you couldn't fake it. It took several takes, so I kept smacking the guy. I had a little fun."

Her least favorite part was having to sidle up to her "brother", a live 14-foot dragon python.

"I never thought that I would be next to it. The snake kept moving and it took many takes," she said.

Producer Ron Feuer said that the instant "cut" rang out, signalling the end of shooting, Colon shot away from the snake -- "like a gun had gone off starting a race."

One of Colon's daughters, Anita, 21, worked in makeup for the film. And her husband, Chris Lavoy, played a next-door neighbor whose dog disappeared. "I had a delicious dessert," laughs the vampire.

How do Colon's family and friends back in Waukegan react to her being a snake vampire? They've seen photos from the set, which carry unflinching vampire horror. "They're like eeeww! But they still get a kick out of it," Colon said.

"My mother said, 'Oh my God, they made you look so horrible.' My sister Yolanda said it gives her nightmares. That's cool because I always used to scare as a kid; as an adult, I can do it over the Internet," she said.

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Posted by Vladimir Mon, 08/20/2007 - 22:04

 

How to Kill a Vampire (Try Wood, Ultraviolet Ammo)

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Chapter 3

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