We return this week featuring an interview with one of our favorite up and coming actresses...Nicole Rayburn. You may remember her from films such as "Boo" , "Scarecrow" and "The Candy Stripers". Our own Dr. Mowamba has the interview for us all....NOW!

(Q): Are you a horror movie fan?

(A): I like to be scared. I like suspense, but I'm not a horror movie buff. Like, I can't recall horror movie history for you on the spot.

(Q): What made you want to start acting and get into the horror genre?

(A):I didn't go looking for the horror movie genre; it definitely came to me, probably like many other actors in it’s genre. We're just out here to act no matter what, and we go on the auditions that come up. If you find you’re good at something, it seems to have a trickle effect and people talk and you get suggested for more and more roles. I love acting, whether it's acting scared, sexy, sad, angry, or otherwise. As long as I'm acting for real, for keeps, then for me, it's a job well done.

(Q): Your first horror movie was Scarecrow. Can you tell us a little about your role and how you got cast in it?

(A): O.K., I was working as a personal assistant to a Producer, Richard Elfman, at the time. He is friends with Emmanuel Itier who was directing Scarecrow. Itier had a table read, and they were short a reader so I filled in. He liked how I read but had already cast that part, so he wrote in a couple scenes for me. That's why my scenes seem to just pop up out of nowhere and it doesn't really tie in anywhere else. Anthony Ferrante actually directed my two scenes and that is how I later booked "Boo".

(Q): Did you get to know Tiffany Shepis and how was it working with her?

(A): Yeah, I was on set for a lot more than just my scenes because Elfman was working with Itier and being his personal assistant, so I was there all the time. I did get to know Tiffany pretty well. I didn't act in any scenes with her but she is fun, sexy, exciting and dangerous. Yes, dangerous. She is a really good actress and she seems to really revel in the Scream Queen role in life.

(Q): You were also in the movie Boo. Can you tell us a little about your role and filming it?

(A): My role was the bitchy friend that is clearly unworthy of her friend’s loyalty. It was fun to play because in life, most of us don't get to play out the rude insensitive bitch. In some ways it was the hardest role I've had to date because of the suspension of belief that was necessary. In all my other roles, I was a "normal" human being. But this one I died and came back and I also had to beg for my life in one scene. I definitely got to sink my teeth into some real acting, no matter what some critics say about the movie. Like I mentioned earlier, I had worked with Anthony Ferrante who directed this one and he had called me specifically for this role. I had a really good experience working with him and the cast. I'm still best friends with Trish and Jalone. And the special effects were really incredible. Ferrante had worked for years with FX mags and many FX artists so he called in a lot of favors owed to him. They did a great job on this film.

(Q): You also were in another horror movie Candy Stripers, Can you tell us a little about it?

(A): Oh my gosh, so much fun!!! This is actually my favorite role to date. “Crystal,” my character, was the biggest self-centered snotty bitch I've gotten to play and how much fun is that? And the whole film is tongue-in-cheek. Comedy is one of my two favorite genres. The other being suspense-action films. Kate Robbins wrote and directed this and she has a great sense of humor and she is the first woman I've met that is a mom, a filmmaker, and finds the humor in nudity and horror together. Suzanne Lyons co-produced with Robbins and these two women are my heros. They kept their set in good spirits at all times, even under times of pressure. Because on a film-set, there's always some times of pressure. I actually later interned with Kate and Suzanne because I already had an interest in producing but they set an example for me as women with families that proved you can do it all. O.K., back to Candy Stripers, funny, funny, horror, and boobs! And surprisingly enough, they’re not mine. “Crystal” was comic relief the whole way and I got to look hot the whole time. No goo or blood. All around good fun.

(Q): Out of all the horror movies you did which has been your favorite and why?

(A): Tough! That's the hardest question at this point in my career. So far I have different reasons for all of them. “Boo” is your classic, “kids stuck in a building,” with great FX, horror film. “Candy Stripers,” as I just explained was so tongue-in-cheek that it was just so much fun making it. My last horror film “Blur,” which technically falls under the Psychological Thriller category is my first real live grown up film. Those are my own words of course. But although my role wasn't as big as most of my other films and it wasn't a stretch for me at all "college student goes to a house party", the script and the rest of the cast and the production, make it the best one so far. So, I don't think I just answered your question at all but that's the best I can do on this one.

(Q): Are there any directors or actors you would really want to make a movie with?

(A): What a great question. I would really like to work with Wayne Kramer. I love his style, “The Cooler,” and “Running Scared.” His use of colors, and the way he stylizes his films just really hits home with me. I would love to collaborate with him. Mark Wahlberg also. He makes great choices as a producer and he's a great f'n actor. I think I could work really well with him. I think Kate Mara just did a great job opposite him in “Shooter.” I would love to work with Lindsay Lohan. I don't care about tabloids and social life. I look at the work. She's a really talented girl and I think we'd have great chemistry on film. It's tough to pick a few though: Angelina Jolie, Jim Carrey, Tea Leoni, Adam Sandler, Giovanni Ribisi, Kevin Spacey, James Caan, Vanessa Redgrave, Chazz Palminteri, Kevin Pollak, Oliver Platt, Jeffrey Tambor, Meryl Streep, Jennifer Tilly, Illeana Douglas, James Marsden, Isla Fisher... This list may seem random but I assure you it's very calculated and there are so many I've missed. How can you single out just a couple actors when the point of having so many different actors is because they evoke so many different things.

(Q): You also have a upcoming horror movie called Blur. Can you tell us anything about it?

(A): Yeah, first time writer Nikki Forston and writer Director Nick Briscoe wrote a really well thought out film that I was really excited to audition for: a suspense psychological thriller. It was dark and twisted and the pages just flew by when I was reading the script. I loved the part and the funny thing is that I didn't see myself as the right physical choice but I booked it anyway. The first scene that I'm in was a little challenging. It was a fully nude scene where I'm posing for a painter and I have some dialogue with these other actors. I was fully prepared for the scene but as we got closer to shooting it I started getting really nervous. But Salvator Xuereb and Michael Sorvino were perfect. They were the two other actors in the scene and once the camera was rolling and I was talking with my co-stars, I just started acting. You obviously don't forget your naked but I did forget all about being nervous. It was a really great cast. All I can tell you other than that is that everyone really hit the mark and I think Nick Briscoe got what he was going for. You should watch it, I'm really proud of this one.

(Q): Do you have any other films or projects you would like to let the fans know about?

(A): Well, yeah, “Cougar Club” is coming out next. It doesn't have a specific release date yet, just 2007 for now. But, I play “Casey Dixon,” the really brainy one at the party. O.K., so I play a complete ditz but I think this film is going to be really funny. You can check it out on IMDB and see the cast for yourself instead of me listing all their names here. They got some really classic funny people and the two young guys I think are really gonna break out soon. Jason Jurman has great comedic timing. I've also got a pilot in the works that could be the role of my life if it gets the funding it needs. Wish me luck!

(Q): Thanks so much for doing this interview with me. Is there anything else you would like to say?

(A): Just thank you back for having this interview. If people would like to keep up with me they can visit my site www.NicoleRayburn.com or they can just google the s#*t out of my name. And I'm always making changes to my site so they can check back every once in a while to see what's new. “Blur” is on DVD April 17th, so people can check it out pretty soon.