You were raised in Beaumont, Texas. What were you like growing up?
I was a hellion of the first order! Growing up in Texas was a very “us against them” experience…Texas tends to be a Conformist Republican state, and freaks of all stripes tend to ban together! I found myself hanging out with a rich and colorful eclectic group of people including: Drag queens, graffiti artists, rockers, hip-hop heads, Slackers, artists, degenerates, intellectuals, and other rebels! I had a compulsive truancy problem, and got stoned regularly before 1st period, if I did attend school that day. I was enrolled in all creative “Gifted and Talented” and honors classes, except for Math…I was in BASIC, one step before remedial. Ha haaaa….I really didn’t care about school and found my education elsewhere! I had my “Girl Interrupted” phase where I was in and out of teen mental institutions and therapy and “special schools”…They did not know what to do with me!
So, you were in more than one mental institution?
Well, we had to keep moving me around, because the insurance would only pay for 30 days at each facility. Each one was a totally different experience. Fortunately, many friends of mine we locked up as well, it was very popular to do this at the time, almost a trend: institutionalizing teenagers. Sort of like a day care for adolescents…heheee. Anyway, some were more plush that others. There was one, where all we did was hang out, play pool and watch “The Simpsons.” But there were others, where at the slightest outburst, you’d be naked in a padded cell, with a shot of thorazine up your a*s!
How did you get into acting?
My only acting experience was playing “Puck” in “A Mid Summer’s Nights Dream” in the 7th grade! I completely fell into it after meeting Julie Strain for a photo session….She sh me and told me she could get me work as an actress, and the rest is history!
So, what’s Julie Strain really like?
Julie is a raving bitch on wheels and I love it! She makes the best chili under the sun, and is quite possibly the most generous person I know! She has magnificent discipline and is a fantastic role model for girls who want to own their sexuality! I am proud to say she is my Soul Sistahhh!
What was it like working on “The Bare Wench Project 2”?
The “Bare Wench Project 2” is quite possibly the most embarrassing thing I’ve ever done! I hope you all can get a laugh at my expense! It wasn’t that bad…any excuse to get naked in the woods is a good one!!!
Are B-movies the genre of film you initially set out to work in?
I have always LOVED Russ Meyer films and the exploitation genre. When I saw “Vegas in Space” one late night on USA, I knew I wanted to make movies like that! I’ve always preferred Julie Strain to Meg Ryan or Julia Roberts! Big, Busty. gutsy B-movie Goddesses are Wild and extraordinary! Mainstream American sweethearts like Sandra Bollocks make my stomach turn!
What sorts of roles would you really like to tackle?
I would like to continue playing Vampire Stripper types and a Sci-fi Heroine ala Barberella! I like “over the top” characters, where I can really let my ID go wild!
You’ve also done some directing. What sorts of projects have you done?
Right now I’m fine tuning a screenplay for a small independent project, I plan to produce, direct and star in…I’m also working on a line of fetish videos!
Get the rest of the interview in the next part of NOBODY’S DARLING: ARBAN ORNELAS>>>
