Monique Dupree has close to 25 apparitions in horror films to date... in fact, she's often referred to as the "Black Scream Queen". As you'll discover, she's also a very intriguing alternative model!
1) So how does a little girl aims to become The First Black Scream Queen and Tromette? Did you already had a specific career plan as a youngster?
I always thought I'd be a singer, actress, dancer, lol! I pretty much thought it was all the same thing! Boy, was I wrong!! BUT the cool thing is that I am living that fantasy that I had... I'm just living it a little differently.
2) Can you remember what was the first horror movie that you’ve ever seen?
The first horror film I'd ever seen was The Fog (original). I remember how scared I was and how good that felt. I think that I was a pretty demented kid pretending to be normal (ewww, who wants to be "normal" anyway?)
3) Who are your favorite Scream Queens of the past?
Well, I'd have to say Jamie Lee Curtis. If I could even have a quarter of the success she's had while moving through this industry with grace, screen presence and talent... I'd be a happy camper.
4) Tell us a bit about the band that you front, Negro Childe. Are you still planning to release an album this summer?
The album was put on hold for a few months because my acting career just took off. We have a recording studio at home, so we do everything in house. Now, I just have to be home long enough to get things done, lol. We do have a song coming out on the For Christ's Sake soundtrack. But the release has been pushed back to 2010 for the album itself.
5) Oh, is it true that you have, hum…. seven kids? What gave you this awesome maternal instinct? And of course, what’s your secret in still looking so amazing?
Yes, I do have 7 children. I used to say when I was little, that I would have 7 children and a house with a picket fence. Well I no longer want the picket fence, but I do have the 7 children. I wouldn't change that for anything... ANYTHING! I've been told that I look a lot younger than my age. I don't really do anything different. But I will say that I take really good care of my skin and I drink a gallon of water per day!
6) What’s your view on the current trend of remaking lots of horror classics (Halloween, Last House on the Left, etc)?
Well, to each his/her own. I think that doing remakes can be dangerous territory. If done wrong, the fans will eat you alive (which sounds like a spin-off horror, lol... that could be a movie! Horror fans set out to kill directors of remakes, lol)
7) You seem to have a preference in playing a seductive vampire... what’s your appeal to that kind of role? And how to you deal with these extensive special effects makeup session?
Playing a vampire IS a very rewarding role for me. Especially if the script is good and the character is strong. I guess I love to bite people, so I have a commonality with that of how vampires have been written in the past. I ESPECIALLY love makeup effects. I don't mind sitting in a chair for ten hours while makeup effects are being applied. I can feel the transformation as the makeup's being applied. I think that Wicked Effects are some of the most talented sfx people I've come across in my career thus far.
8) Well, we should talk about fetish, right? Are you a frequent attendee/guest/performer to any fetish event?
Yes, I am!!! As a matter of fact, I'm attending the fetish prom at QXT's in Newark, NJ, on May 2, 2009. Anybody wanting to come and see me can get details from www.fixemagazine.com. They are one of the best clubs out there. They know how to run a proper fetish event. I'm a huge... umm, advocate of the fetish industry. Most of the fetish community refer to me as GATA. As a matter of fact, that name spread to my singing and overall modeling career as well. That's my one name, lol. I was told my animal totem is a panther. But I think its a serval.
9) What’s you degree of comfort wearing typical fetish clothing (latex, rubber, leather, etc.)?
I can go all the way baby!!! Rubber, latex... especially liquid latex! It's not about being comfortable for me. There's something really powerful about sashaying across the room wearing something skin-tight and shiny and commanding attention with no words!!!
10) What challenge is there left for you regarding your career? What are your short-term goals for the upcoming months?
Well, I take my career like I take life: day by day. I've been really blessed in my career thus far and it just keeps getting better. It's hard sometimes, but I rise to the occasion in the face of complication.