Interview with “Brains” Star Masha Danilenko

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In September 2015, Undead Burrito Productions released the first ten episode season of its original web series Brains. The series follows college neuropsychology student Alison Sumner as she navigates the dating world post­zombie apocalypse. Greta Hamilton is another student who has survived the apocalypse, but doesn’t often see eye-to-eye with Alison. Greta is played by Masha Danilenko, who we had the opportunity to talk with ahead of the “Brains” season two finale…

PH: Tell us a little about yourself, and how you landed a role in “Brains?”

Masha: My name is Masha, I’m 25 and I work in the entertainment industry.

I heard about Brains through my grad school classmate Alex, who was a producer on the first season. He knew that I had an interest in acting and asked me to audition to the part of Greta.

Actually, right before my audition I was dumped, so my emotional range was probably bigger than usual….

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PH: For those who might not have seen any of the series yet, introduce your character to them?

Masha: Greta is a tough, badass zombie killer. You definitely want her on your side…She and Alison were best friends before the apocalypse, but since then they’ve drifted apart for many reasons… One of them might be friend-envy…..

PH: It took about two and a half seasons, but things finally come to a head between Alison and you while looking for zombies. If the zombie hadn’t irrupted, how far do you think your disagreement with Alison would have went?

Masha: Not very long. I think that if it wasn’t going to be that zombie, it would’ve been another one. Things were getting to a boiling point and eventually something or someone would’ve incited it. 

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PH: In this scene where the zombie attacks, part of the action takes place off camera. Would you rather have been seen fighting with the zombie?

Masha: I think our director, Andrew, did a great job of choreographing the scene according to Bri’s script and I don’t think it could’ve been done in a better way. 

PH: Greta seems to be carrying an anger to her, and is at odds with more than just Alison. Do you view her as a bad guy in the series, or just misunderstood?

Masha: I don’t think she’s a bad person. I do think she is misunderstood by Alison, who sometimes is a bit too distracted to pay attention to Greta. That’s probably why she carries so much anger… Alison has other relationships on her mind- Greta is not her priority.

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PH: Take us behind the scenes. What’s a day on the set like?

Masha: We have a lot of fun and laugh a bunch between takes. There is some inappropriate joking (VERY welcome), a little bit of spontaneous singing, practicing lines…At the end of the day it’s a work family- we work hard and laugh hard. 

PH: Looking at the series from a fan perspective, what has been your favorite part of the series?

Masha: I think my favorite part would be the evolution of Alison’s relationships with the different men in her life- I love romantic storylines.

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PH: Your character seems like she would survive a long time in the apocalypse. Do you think you would be a survivor as well?

Masha: Oh not at ALL. I’d probably be one of the first to die, for sure. I’m small and not very strong. I don’t run fast either…. but I can run long distances… 

PH: What’s next for you? Do you have any projects coming up that you would like to mention?

Masha: No acting projects coming up yet, but hopefully soon!

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We would like to thank Masha for taking the time to answer our questions. Hopefully this interview gave you a good look at her character, and learned something about Masha. The big “Brains” season two finale is almost here, so if you haven’t caught the series we encourage you to do so. All you need to know about the series can be found at:

http://brainswebseries.com

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Our previous interviews with: 

Bri Castellini #1: http://promotehorror.com/2016/09/07/interview-with-bri-castellini/

Bri Castellini #2: http://promotehorror.com/2016/10/14/interview-with-bri-castellini-writerdirectoractress-of-the-brains-web-series/

Marshall Taylor Thurman: http://promotehorror.com/2016/09/13/interview-with-marshall-taylor-thurman/

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