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Hello! Thanks for visiting my web site. I am an actress, singer, costumer and dialectician, living
in Los Angeles. My first name is spelled with an accent on the é and pronounced with the stress on the second syllable.
Here is a brief synopsis of my most recent projects. Links are located at the bottom of each page.
ACTING
LOOK FOR ME ON HBO! I am one of the stars of The Pretty Boy
Project, a comedy now running on HBO throughout 2008. See details about the film, below. You can
check HBO's website for air times.
My interview in Backstage West is too large a file to reproduce
here, but if you would like a copy, I can forward it to you via email. Use the link at the bottom of this page to contact
me. The article focused primarily on The Pretty Boy Project.
Currently I am shooting Adios, Mi Amigo. This dramatic feature by
Kalpana Singh-Chitnis is about the abiding friendship between a hispanic man (thus the title) and a woman from India.
I play the woman's harsh mother-in-law, who is also a native of India. I have never worked in this dialect
before, and the role is an exciting challenge.
Most recently I finished work in Swords and Savages, a sweet little tale by
Mitch Fiat, which combines elements similar to The Princess Bride and A Christmas Story into the tale
of a boy learning to accept his grandfather into his life. I play Mrs. Warwick, the wicked witch in the boy's recurring
fantasy adventures. I have some sword-fighting scenes. I will be doubled by the stunt
coordinator (who doubled Antonio Banderas in his Zorro projects and trained Russell Crowe in Master and Commander)
in the long shots, but for my closeups I worked with the fencing master, which was even more fun than I expected.
My face and hands were painted red, and the heavy-duty makeup caused a lot of eye swelling, but at least I didn't have
to try to look pretty for this role! The film premieres on April 26.
El Cocinero was filmed in 2007 and screened in January at Warner Brothers Studios.
In this grim drama by Jose Roberto Figueroa, I played a leading role as the mother of the victim of a drug-dealing gang.
I won't tell you what became of my dead son, but will only hint that the title of the film translates as The Cook. ...
In this bilingual film I worked with a director from Mexico and a cast and crew largely from Puerto Rico.
In January, the History Channel premiered The Hunt for John Wilkes Booth, in which
I played the leading role of Mary Surratt, who was hanged as a conspirator in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
I also designed and created my 1860s costume for this television project, which was filmed in May of 2007 at historic
Fort Tejon.
Immediately prior to that project, I played the supporting role of a medieval serving woman in Then
and Now, a comedic film with a moral, intended to encourage conservation and recycling, which was directed
by Seth Pinsker.
In April of 2007, I fulfilled a longtime ambition when I played a zombie in the comedy thriller It's
a Wonderful Death. Now really, doesn't everyone need a chance to play a zombie at least once?
What silly fun! The cast includes Jack Betts (of Spiderman and Office Space) and Anthony Tyler Quinn,
son of legendary actor Anthony Quinn.
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| It's weird and gooey in here, but not as bad as it looks. |
Filming soon is Costa Chica, by producer/director David Heavener, a horror flick
which is currentlly shooting in Mojave. I am working in Spanish, which I always enjoy, and it's going to be quite
an exercise -- I get to rant and rave, be possessed by a demon, and die in a gruesome way!
Here, the SFX team is making a life-cast of my head for my death scene. Now is this fun, or what?
I had this same life-cast process done in October, but in that case it was from throat to hips, as a
body double for Catherine Deneuve in a recent episode of Nip/Tuck.
In late 2006, I played the enticingly complex role of Delilah in the feature film Exodus? This
isn't exactly the Bible story. But the character lives up to her namesake, in this crime drama with a moral, directed
by Jeremy Jason.
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| as Joanna, March 2006 |
Prior to that, I completed work in Jae Hark Roh's thesis film for Art Center, Joanna,
in which I played the alter ego of Joanna.
This psychological-metaphysical drama employs dark dream sequences, Freudian implications, and a mystifying
premise.
The film is in postproduction.
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| Mama Pretty hands over cash to the Pretty Boys |
In 2005, I starred in a very funny film entitled The Pretty Boy Project, in
which I played the mother of three beautiful black con men. Yes, that's right. I said they were ...beautiful. Or,
more precisely, Pretty!
Director Karl Reid describes this clever little stereotype-challenging film as
"a quirky, off-center tale of a nomadic mother and her three metrosexual, street-hustling sons."
HBO's website summarizes it this way: "Three metrosexual brothers challenge Oakland's most outrageous
thug to a $1,000 duel in this amusing short film, starring T. Ashanti Mozelle, Justin Wade, Claudis Caine, Tony Tucker and
Janet Vincent Lee."
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| I am seen driving the infamous old motor home. |
This film began a 2-year run on HBO in December, after a year of burning
up the festival circuit!
It was a selection in eight film festivals, from Hollywood to New York. In June
the film won a Jury Award at CineVegas Film Festival in Las Vegas, Special Recognition in
the Short Film category. And in an interview on KNPR radio, a spokesman for the festival mentioned it as one of the
films not to be missed. It was also nominated for the prestigious Golden Gate Award as Best
Narrative Short at the 49th Annual San Francisco International Film Festival. It was also nominated for Best
Actor and as Best Short Film at the Independent Black Film Festival in Atlanta. A trailer
can be viewed at www.theprettyboyproject.com. Here is the film's poster, which can also be seen on the website.
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| Julie't s rockin' nurse, 2005 |
Also in 2005, I costarred in the feature film Rockin' Romeo and Juliet, a
rock-musical version of the classic tragedy, in the comedic role of Juliet's Nurse. I also served as Shakespearean
dialect coach to the cast. The concept of this unique film was the brainchild of British director David McGaw,
who describes it as "a cross between Shakespeare in Love and The Rocky Horror Picture Show."
You can view the trailer at
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| Laura Napoli, Mark Petrie, Joe Hendrix, Stacey Jackson |
COSTUMING
"Janet Vincent Lee's costumes are noteworthy and fun."
- Backstage West
"...bright, whimsical costumes by Janét Vincent Lee."
- Los Angeles Times
In March of 2006 my work was seen on stage in the play Claire Z.
at Sacred Fools Theatre in Hollywood. I created 34 costumes from the 1960s era for this unique adaptation
of the tragi-comedy The Visit by Swiss playwright Friedrich Durrenmatt. The play was adapted, with
music and innovative motion-and-gesture work, by director John Wuchte.
Please also see my Costuming page.
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| Justin Downing, with Amanda Bauer as the ghostly visitor from 1926. |
In 2006 I served as costume designer for the film Residual Effect, written
and directed by Jaime Lynn Riegel. This is the story of a haunting, for which I created 1920s costumes including
the two shown here.
The challenge was to create a dress for the ghostly visitor which was authentically mid-1920s in style, yet
modern enough to also be worn by a present-day teenager. A duplicate dress was then created for a double-exposure sequence.
The couple at left appeared in a sepia-tone portrait in the film.
Please see my Costuming page for additional photos.
Also in 2006, I served as wardrobe stylist and costume history advisor on Randall Yarbrough's dramatic feature, The
Unknowing, set in 1890 in the American West. The film stars Jennifer Lutheran of Deadwood and
is in postproduction.
In January, I guest-starred on the TV series Designing Your Future, where I was
interviewed about various aspects of costume design. The series focuses on careers in different design fields, and is
aired on GCGI Skyline, a global satellite station with a large Asian viewership.
In 2002 I formed the country music band, Southern Thunder, in which I have been proud to take the stage
with some very talented and experienced musicians (see link below). After our very well-received concert in
2004 for the City of Mission Viejo as part of their Cultural Arts Series, we took a hiatus to work on the CD.
Since then I have been busy with film projects, and the band remains on hiatus for the time being.
In 2004 I recorded a CD entitled Southern Thunder, which includes several of
my original songs along with some golden oldies and contemporary hits. Two of these originals ("Southern Thunder"
and "Sunday Cowboy") will be featured in the film The Vanguard.
Thanks again for your visit. There are pages here illustrating some of the characters I have played, costumes
I have created, and excerpts from my résumé and reviews. If you have questions, feel free to send me an e-mail.
God bless!
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