Kate Siegel Talks The Creep Tapes Season 3, Directing, and Found Footage [INTERVIEW]

Emerging as a modern day scream queen, Kate Siegel has become a go-to figure in the horror scene. Between her collaborations with husband Mike Flanagan and her role in the Becky series, Siegel has become a familiar face to genre fans. The hyper talented actress has joined The Creep Tapes in Season 3, starring in one of the most interesting characters the show has ever had. With her own career as a director starting to take off, we discussed The Creep Tapes Season 3, the found footage genre, and when we can expect to see her feature debut.

Kate Siegel Interview for The Creep Tapes Season 3

FandomWire: Kate, thank you so much for speaking with FandomWire about The Creep Tapes. How does collaboration kind of come about?

Kate Siegel: I was very lucky to receive an email from Mark Duplass, with the actor’s dream: “I have something weird. Are you interested?” I mean, you can’t you can’t write that. My response was absolutely yes before I had any idea. He was like, “Whoa, whoa! Let me tell you about it first.” I was thrilled. I loved the idea. I loved the character. I’m such a fan of Mark and Patrick in general and all that they’ve done with the Creep universe. I knew I was in good hands, and so there was never a moment’s hesitation.

FandomWire: I was going to ask about the subject matter being kind of risqué, even for your career in horror. You said there’s no hesitation. Was there anything in particular about the screenplay that really stood out to you?

Kate Siegel: There was care from both my side and Mark & Patrick’s side. We talked it through. There was respect and comfort for the subject matter. I felt safe in the sense that we all agreed from the very beginning that Crystal was never in danger of sexual violence. That was not going to be what this is about. Yes, there’s murder. But no, there’s not rape.

In terms of the sexuality, she would have agency. She’s the one in control. There was no nudity required. There was no exploitation required. And they were very careful with me the whole way. They understood the reality, which was, on some level, I’m making the same insane decision that Crystal’s making. I’m going to go on a boat with a bunch of men I don’t know to shoot a tape.

I felt totally safe. But that allowed me to be like, “Oh, Crystal feels totally safe.” She was there and she knew what’s expected of her. She didn’t feel that danger. What I got was a lifelong creative partnership, I hope, with people I really enjoyed working with. And what Crystal got was murdered. So, are we that different? I don’t know.

FandomWire: What’s it like to jump into a show that’s already been established?

Kate Siegel: What’s fun about Creep specifically is that, unlike a long running show like SVU or Grey’s Anatomy, where you have to fit into a universe, each episode of The Creep Tapes is its own episode. It exists in its own world. It has a recurring character in Peach Fuzz, but I can be entirely new. I’m not beholden to that. Patrick and Mark have such a strong North Star about their universe, their stories and their characters, it allows them to be collaborative. They know exactly where the boundaries are, and I found that very freeing. I just showed up with Crystal, and I just was her authentically in this world.

FandomWire: Not too long ago, you were able to make your directorial debut as a short film as part of the V/H/S series, and that is using found footage as well. How did that help you approach as an actor, knowing how to play to the angles of the camera in this medium?

Kate Siegel: I love found footage. I am a purist. I believe in the rules of found footage, and if I see somebody cheating in found footage, I get very offended on behalf of fans. Mark and Patrick never cheat. One of the things they do, which I love, is they are shooting on a camcorder. They don’t have a big Alexa that they’re hauling around. They are shooting for real. It’s not exactly the one-to-one, but I was able to hold that camera. They allow the guest star to operate when they are behind the camera.

That was really fun as a baby filmmaker getting to try out things with very experienced found footage filmmakers. So I was like, “Oh, I have this vape. Can I blow smoke at this particular moment? Won’t that look cool?” Yeah, that looks cool. Or it’s like, what if I do this? They’re like, “That doesn’t look as cool.” So it was very much like I felt like a brand new director getting to learn my favorite genre from iconic found footage filmmakers.

Then there’s this other thing that happens as an actor, which is in traditional filmmaking. Part of my job, as an actor, is to ignore the camera. When the camera is right here in my face for a close-up, I have to pretend that I don’t see this giant machine and the people behind it. But in found footage, you’re allowed to acknowledge the camera. The camera is a part of it, and so as an actor, you can take this one thing that can be very distracting and makes it a benefit to the story.

FandomWire: That’s an excellent point. Last question. Obviously, you’ve got Carrie on the horizon, where you directed at least one episode. You’ve got The Creep Tapes. When are we going to see your directorial debut as a feature filmmaker?

Kate Siegel: That’s such a good question, and the answer is soon. Oh, I’m not allowed to talk about it, but we are on our way down that path. You and I both want to see that, and hopefully, we’ll make it happen.

FandomWire: I can’t wait! So thank you so much for your time.

The Creep Tapes is currently airing on Shudder.