Jenn Gotzon Talks About Supernatural Mystery Movie “Doonby”

From unknown spectator in David E. Kelley’s Girl’s Club to President Nixon’s daughter in Frost/Nixon, Jenn Gotzon‘s career has built steadily into one most actresses would kill for. Having put in the requisite time pounding the pavement from television show to television show without even a proper name, Gotzon has since become an indie film favorite.

During her tenure in television, Gotzon made brief appearances in Murder 101 with Dick Van Dyke, CSI: NY, and most recently as a magician’s assistant in Pushing Daisies. But it was when she embraced independent films that Gotzon not only got roles with names instead of titles, she got the chance to display her wide range of acting prowess.

It was in the back-to-back 2008 films Stained and Frost/Nixon that Gotzon became the girl to watch. She demonstrated that she could play polar opposites: the harrowing portrayal of a woman trapped in an oppressive society in Stained and the picture perfect daughter of Richard Nixon in Frost/Nixon.

It was no wonder that Gotzon was quickly snatched up to portray the complex role of Laura Reaper in Doonby. In fact, Gotzon was surprised to be contacted out of the blue and offered the role. In an interview with NiceGirlsTV, Gotzon laughingly recalled that perhaps she was the first Facebook casting ever. It was through mutual friends on Facebook that Gotzon was introduced to producer Mark Joseph who promptly sent her the script and recruited her to work on Doonby.

Immediately Gotzon was intrigued by the premise of Doonby and was excited to be asked to play such a complex character. She fell in love with the film and her character Laura Reaper — the silly, sassy, outgoing daughter of a wealthy doctor. Due to her privileged background, Laura had traveled and seen the world. However, it made her worldly, jaded and an alcoholic. Even after all her privileges and experience, Laura was empty inside. It is not until a mysterious stranger, Sam Doonby, arrived in town and gave her a glimpse as to a new way of life that Laura began to feel that life had meaning again.

It was precisely all these intertwined issues that drew Gotzon to the character. She also relished the challenges of portraying an alcoholic. She even interviewed and spoke with several alcoholics in order to find out how they dealt with their disease: like how they dealt with the nuances of hiding their alcoholism and how they chose the choices that they made. Thus, in the film, when Doonby came to Laura and showed her the darkness that she was trapped in and offered to help her make a transformation, that portion of the story really appealed to Gotzon. This was not a mere two dimensional character, but one who had multi-dimensions and who would strive to reach beyond the life she found herself living.

Another fun aspect to the character was the wide range of costuming for the role. Writer/director Peter Mackenzie had hired Patricia Wolf to be the film’s costume designer. Mackenzie had apparently discovered Wolf while walking down the street in Smithville, Texas and wandering into her store. Prior to that, Wolf was already famous for her designs within the country western community and her store just happens to be based in Smithville. Despite having never working on a film before, Mackenzie hired Wolf as the film costumer designer.

Thus, it was Wolf who created Gotzon’s film wardrobe, creating the wild, tight and provocative look for Laura. Wolf also added the big jewelry and accessories and the signature “Brazilian Rocks” jeans that Gotzon wears in the film. Wolf subsequently created a new look for Laura after meeting Doonby so that it would reflect a new more modest and flowing look with more worn and tattered attire as the film progressed. For it was necessary for Gotzon’s costuming to reflect the inner struggles and changes that Laura was going through and it came across beautifully through the wardrobe pieces selected by Wolf.

Gotzon recalled fondly her time spent in Smithville, Texas where Doonby was filmed. She loved the people and how they embraced them so warmly. In fact, the townsfolk threw the entire cast and crew a big celebration once the film wrapped. It even had fireworks. The entire experience was wonderful and Gotzon hopes her future films will be as joyous to work on.

In addition to having such a fun character, cool wardrobe and fun filming experience, Gotzon loved working with her co-stars. She thought John Schneider, who played Sam Doonby, was amazing; that Ernie Hudson was a great sport (having endured a few Ghostbusters pranks which he took good-naturedly); and that Robert David was simply electric to work with due to his amazing energy.

As for Doonby, Gotzon feels that those who see the film will come away with a different perspective — that every life is important and that every life touches another in ways that cannot always be initially seen. Gotzon is excited to see how audiences will receive the film and hopes they love it as much as she does.

Gotzon has since been in demand and has an additional three film projects that she is working on. She feels blessed that her career is so busy and providing so many great opportunities. She is excited to see where it all goes.

Look for Doonby in theaters when it is released early next year.

For more insights on Doonby, see also the NiceGirlsTV interview with Ernie Hudson.