Making Moves (and Movies!) with Actress-Writer-Producer Lanett Tachel
“My life is literally acting, learning lines, going to classes, auditioning and then writing until I fall asleep,” says multi-talented actress-writer-producer Lanett Tachel.
Her schedule is packed with projects, pitch meetings, location scouting, casting sessions, and everything in between. Lanett just finished filming the lead role in a short film called, “Happy,” about a single mom trying to raise her son in a dangerous neighborhood. After a tough round of auditions, she landed the role of Rhonda Parker, opposite the writer and producer Brian Parker, whose life the script was loosely based on. “It’s a story of good people, in bad circumstances, making it work with the resources that they do have,” Lanett explains. Directed by Dale Fabrigar, the film is intended for the festival circuit.
But Lanett does more than just act. In the film, “I Got the Hook Up 2,” which is a sequel to the 1998 comedy “I Got the Hook-Up,” Lanett is credited as an actress playing the fun, nemesis role of "Alexa" as well as being credited as a producer on the project. In addition, she served as one of the main writers and she was the exclusive writer on set in charge of crafting new scenes as the production evolved. The movie releases theatrically on July 12, 2019.
Although Lanett has extensive experience in comedy, she and her writing partner Corey Grant are in development of a horror/thriller film, “Alem,” that addresses a serious topic - suicide. Because Lanett has had to counsel friends who have contemplated suicide as well as known someone who has taken their own life, it was important for her to teach life lessons through the horror genre and open conversations surrounding the taboo topic. Set in a Northern California in a forest similar to suicide forest in Japan, “Alem,” tells the story of a woman who has her life shattered by tragedy and causes her to take a dark path, both literally and figuratively.
If that wasn’t enough on her plate, one of Lanett’s most exciting projects is a comedic series that she isn’t even allowed to talk about due to network restrictions. She can only reveal that it takes place in a gym with a crazy and diverse cast of characters. Lanett will hold the titles of Executive Producer, Creator, Writer, and will also be one of the Lead actors in the ensemble cast alongside a veritable list of name actors and actresses.
“Depending on the room I walk in, people know me as a writer, or an actress or a producer,” Lanett says. “I am an actress first and foremost. It is my heart. It is my passion. But with a competitive, ever-evolving industry, I've developed my talent for writing and producing along the way. I think it's important to always know your end goal and master more than one skill set so that when things slow down in front of the camera, you already have your hands in two or three other things that shape your destiny.”
With that mindset, Lanett Tachel has no signs of slowing down.
Interview by Giovannie Espiritu
