The Actress Pages

In Association with the
Screeen Actors Guild (SAG)

Actresses Workshop

by Sandra Kearns

Practical Advice from some of Hollywood's most experienced performers

VOLUME 16

Holly Bonita has been with FX for nearly fifteen
years and worked on almost 400 feature productions
as a prop manager. She also acts and has appeared
in numerous television and motion picture productions

Hollywood Bound

Sooner or later during evey actress' career, she will encounter a part which requires the character to perform while bound - the ubiquitous 'damsel in distress' scene. Known in the industry as a 'tie up', they represent a recurring theme in many mainstream television and motion picture productions. Usually, tie ups are used as vehicles to generate suspense and are popular with audiences because they are are form of dramatic irony, wherein the viewer knows something that the characters in the story do not - for example: The hero rushes in to rescue the damsel in distress not realising that the villain is simply using her as bait and is waiting nearby to spring the trap. Many actresses are in a quandry of how to act in such a situation for the simple reason that many of the basic tools of the actor's craft such as movement, gestures, and speech (if gagged) are not available. What are left are basically facial expression, body language, and sometimes limited sounds.

All of the male actors I know hate to do tie ups - it just isn't part of the 'macho' image to be portrayed as bound and helpless. On the other hand actresses, if they know how to act in such scenes, look on it as an opportunity to demonstrate their talents.

This volume covers the subject with the advice of several Hollywood actresses who have performed a number of tie up scenes and offer an inside look at technique. Not to be outdone, I have included my own scene from the children's program 'Action Jack', the wonder dog, and an episode of 'The Sorceress'. The premise of this workshop is to provide a visual reference for actresses to assist them in doing a tie up scene. Since any actress' most important feature is the face, and the proper use of expression, the emphasis is placed on situations where she is required to wear a gag at some point in the production, or is required to be gagged on camera and must react accordingly, both visually and making the proper sounds.

Holly Bonita - FX
Action Jack the wonder dog:

Situation: I play the role of 'Miss Waters', a schoolteacher. Thieves arrive at the classroom after school intending to steal a secret formula that the kids accidently discovered during chemistry class and leave Miss Waters tied to a chair and gagged. Miss Waters struggles for quite some time, and although only able to 'mmm...mmm' because of the gag, manages to attract the attention of Jack the wonder dog who burns through the ropes with his laser vision. notes: The red scarf does not show up very well on camera - best colors are white, light blue or black solids: patterns tend to muddy the picture. This was a children's program so the tie up was just for fun and low key. I made the best of the situation and concentrated on making muffled 'mmm....mmm' sounds while biting down on the gag and stuggling fiercely. This scene was shot when I was only 20 and very inexperienced, but I liked it and the show ran for three seasons.

Holly Bonita - FX
The Sorceress - 1998

Set in Medieval England, I play the part of a witch named Rowena. The townspeople are determined to burn me at the stake but are stopped by an evil knight named Richard who decides that I may have some value if sold to the right person, and am promptly trussed up and taken back to the castle. To prevent me from casting any evil spells, I wear a gag for most of the episode.
notes: Since there was almost no chance of escape for the character in this production, I played it passively with almost no struggling, other than a token bit of protest when my wrists and ankles were bound tightly. In the second set of stills, I've refused to cooperate by answering any questions and play the gagging scene for subtle humor by adopting a pouty and defiant look. Note for prop assistants: When doing a gag scene, experiment beforehand to see whether or not it looks best tied over the hair or under. If under, have the actress put her hair in a ponytail until you're finished and then let it down

Angelica Rivera
Angeles - Television (2000)

Angelica Rivera plays a housewife who is surprised at home by burglars and left bound and gagged in a closet. She struggles to free herself throughout the episode (definitely not passive!) and finally succeeds.
notes: Angelica Rivera: "This was a fairly violent episode so I had to portray the woman being bound on the floor against her will and struggled quite a bit. I asked for only a small cloth to be used in the gagging scenes, of which there were several, mostly because I don't like to cover my face any more than normal. For most scenes where I had to make noise, I'd bite down on the gag, shake my head etc... and pretend that I could make no more than faint 'mmmm...mmmm' sounds".

Janine Smith
La Duena - Television (1999)

In this western, Janine stumbles across a gang planning to rob a bank and is tied up in a stable to keep her from alerting the Sheriff. Although only 14, she plays the part perfectly with terrific facial expression.

Kerri Russell
Honey I Blew Up the Kid - 1996

Kerry Plays the babysitter who knows too much - a good example of an actress using a tie up to create humor.

Debra Feuer
The Burglar - Television (1998)

Debra plays Dr. Wendy who is busy getting dressed for her shift at the hospital when accosted in her bedroom by a burglar. She is tied up to a chair in her underwear and gagged with a slip - definitely naughty undertones but very tastefully done. She spends a good twenty minutes onscreen 'mmmphing' and squirming at her bonds to real comic effect - on a scale of 1-10, a Ten!

Natali Ciugliari
Simon Sez - Motion Picture (1999)

Having been in the wrong place at the wrong time and witnessed a murder, the bad guys truss Natalie up with the nearest objects handy and hustle her off to their hideout where she is again secured, this time tied to a chair and gagged with a scarf

Charisma Carpenter
Angel - Television (2000)

In this cult classic series, Charisma plays a 'Seer' who can see into the future. The bad guys think that they can attain the same power by using her transplanted eyes! Charisma is kidnapped and finds herself in dire peril. With really expressive features, she looks the part while being roughly bound. A good deal of humor as she notices her captor taking a white scarf out of his pocket and tries to talk him out of gagging her - she is cut off in mid sentence and continues with muffled speech until he tightens it enough that she can only 'mmmphh'.
notes: This scene essentially illustrates every acting techique in one episode so all actresses should take careful note!

Jocelyn Seagrave
Assault on Dome-4, Television (1997)

Jocelyn plays a computer technician working in a lab when terrorists barge in intent on sabotaging the computer system. She is bound to an office chair very tightly and gagged with a plain white handkerchief. The director wanted realistic sounds so the prop man used a second small piece of cloth stuffed in her mouth and held in place by the gag -one of the perils of young actresses in their first roles!!

Various Actresses:
All of the following are good examples of techniques which can be employed and allow the actress full range of expression and sound.

Patricia Collins
Night Heat - Television (1992)

Stacey Waters
Young Indiana Jones - Television (1995)

Stacey's character has been caught snooping around the bad guy's camp. The boss tosses his partner a bandana and says: "Gag her good and keep her quiet..." Since Stacey is already tied, she accepts the inevitable and opens her mouth on cue.