Crystal J's Weblog

See this article and more at blkhollywoodnews.com
I got the opportunity to talk with Dana Davis of the film
Prom Night and more notably, NBC’s Heroes. Stirred by great
performances by Al Pacino, and Denzel Washington when
Davis was just a little girl in Iowa, she knew she wanted to
become an actress. Davis says, “I would pester my mom, ‘can
we please move to LA?’” Her mom caved in. They packed up
their belongings and moved to Los Angeles in 1997.

It would take three years before Dana landed a small part on
the Steve Harvey Show and from there the work grew in
consistency. Of her success, she says, “God has been really
good to me.” The last few years have included ensemble cast
work on highly praised shows such as: the short-lived ABC
show, The Nine, and the NBC’s smash hit, Heroes. Davis joined
season two of Heroes as Monica Dawson, a character
described as a “young hero” who is willing to give up
everything to help the people around her. Davis admits the
strike shook things up as far as the direction of Heroes,
however, she confirms that her character, Monica will be a part
of season three although she is not at liberty to say in what
capacity. Davis loves representing Heroes and the reaction
she gets from fans. As for other projects, she has choices in
the pipeline, but is opting to be picky when it comes to scripts
coming off a phenomenal series and Prom Night.

Although Prom Night hit theaters in April 2008, Davis actually
filmed it prior to working on Heroes. Davis co-stars in the film
featuring Idris Elba and Brittany Snow, two actors to whom she
extends accolades for not only carrying the film but for taking
the film to another level with their acting abilities. She
describes herself as “shocking surprised” about her work
experience with co-star Brianne Davis who plays the mean girl
in the movie. They play girls on the prom court vying to be
prom queen. She recalls, on the first day the work together she
became impressed with her quickly. When asked if the film
does well in paying homage to the original Prom Night, Davis
clarifies “It’s really not a remake. The only thing we have in
common is that is a horror movie called Prom Night. It is an
original story.” She adds, “I think it does a great job of staying
true to what prom is.” Despite the body count, filmgoers will
leave the film with a feeling of prom night nostalgia.

Dana encourages people from small towns to be encouraged
by other small town success stories and to go for their dreams.
Davis warns to stray from naysayers but rather to surround
yourself with positive people. She says, “We live in a country
where the sky is the limit. You really have the resources here.
This is a great country to pursue anything that you want to
pursue.”