Tanna Frederick

The Courageous & Amazing Tanna Frederick

Interviewed and written by Aaron Robinson - Editor
Photo By Rose CefaluI

Recently wrapping up production for Henry Jaglom’s romantic mystery “Ovation,” I was fortunate to catch with to actress and philanthropist Tanna Frederick for a second interview in regards to her recent endeavors. The talented actress briefly speaks about her role in Ovation. “Ovation is the third installment of a trilogy that we have really begun as our current film “Hollywood Dream”. It’s about a woman who comes out from Iowa to be a movie star. And we continue that on with “Queen of the Lot”, same character, and she has become sort of a B-list action star. She became involved with this very old Hollywood family structure. Now “Ovation” is the same character- the third movie, where she is pursuing stake. She is kind of burning out on the superficiality town because of all the crazy disillusions that she has. So, she is doing theater really trying to get back into the roots of her passion for acting and she ended falling in love with a character played by James Denton, from Desperate House Wives. It was so much fun working with him. “Ovation” is just a very honest and relevant mystery on art and time,” excited explains Frederick.

Frederick has several more films coming out this year, “The M Words,” which is a comedy and love story that comes out in theaters in April, “Garner, Iowa” which is still in post-productions but will be out this summer “It’s about a topic. I did the movie with Frances Fisher, [who] is one of my heroes of film. She plays my mother who is going through menopause, which is one of the M words, and comes to live with me. It’s a love triangle of myself, Corey Feldman and Michael Imperioli. And it’s this girl who’s trying to fight to save her TV station from being shut down by corporate executives. The M words are menstruation, menopause, and men,” says Frederick. Some of Fredericks past films include, “Irene in Time,” “Rising Shores” and “Just 45 Minutes from Broadway,” just to name several. She has also played a role in theater such as A.R. Gurney’s Sylvia, N. Richard Nash’s The Rainmaker, and Claire Chafee’s Why We Have a Body.

The gifted actress briefly speaks about “Garner, Iowa” which is directed by Ron Vignone and written by Richard Schinnow. “He’s (Ron Vignone) a fantastic director. The film was shot in Iowa and it was very close to home for me. I had a complicated relationship with him (biological grandfather),” says Frederick as she compares her grandfather in the story played by Tom Bower to her real life grandfather. She continues. “This girl in the story is dealing with bi-polar issues. She has to come back and try to make good with her family. She has a 14 year old daughter and a grandfather who is being put into a home and therefore is losing all of his land. So, she’s fighting for her grandfather to stay on the land. It’s a beautiful story. It was very well received.”

Since last speaking with Frederick, she has been highly successful in pushing forward her Non-profit organization Project Save Our Surf where she is founder. “It’s going great! I am really really really happy with it! We have been giving a new destination for our clean water project, which is in Vietnam,” joyously says Frederick as she and her team look forward to visit Vietnam near a village where children have been protected from sex trafficking, drug trafficking and have been taken off the street. “There’s about probably 200 children in these 10 villages that we are going to. [We will] take water filters [and] give them fresh water. All these villages get their water from the same river that they bath in, use for cleaning, use for drinking, and use to go to the bathroom in, because they are relying on this source. There are women there who are trying to teach the children and educate the children. The kids can’t obviously go to school and learn from these women if they are constantly sick from this unsanitary water attacking their immune system.”

While in Vietnam, Frederick and her team will insert water filters throughout the river, as well as have a beach clean-up for every weekend. “Our numbers keep growing and that’s my goal to just keep growing the numbers for children who are going through this camp from the Latino Boys and Girls Foundation and the underprivileged kids who wouldn’t normally be able to go to camp,” expresses Frederick. While at camp, the children will also be given the opportunity to learn about recycling and how water is processed. During the end of the program, the children (fourth and fifth graders) will be taken out to the ocean by Frederick and the team members, and will have the opportunity to learn how to surf. “It’s absolutely indescribable. It’s just empowerment from a fundamental level. I’m constantly inspired by these guys,” happily says Frederick. Frederick is also the founder of Project Cornlight and the co-founder of the Iowa Independent Film Festival.

As an exceptional and triumphant actress, surfer, marathoner, philanthropist and now a second-degree Tae Kwon Do black belt, Frederick has recently signed up for pilot lessons. “I’m excited about pilot lessons. I’m afraid of heights, so I want to do some things that I’m afraid of,” laughs Frederick.

For more information about Tanna Frederick’s current, up-and-coming projects and exciting, fun and heart-warming ventures, please feel free to visit her at www.tannafrederick.com.