Johanna Rae must be one of the busiest actresses in LA – and one of the most versatile.

I first saw her as Jamie, a gripping performance in the very demanding central part in the horror short Lilitu (2015), and in total contrast she was hilariously goofy Britany in the caper comedy Masterminds (2016).

Neither are obvious roles for the glamorous and athletic former swimsuit model and track champion. But she’s an actor who loves her job and all the variety it brings – whether that’s being sexy or scary or silly. Or anything else.

What a thrill, then, that she found time for a brief interview for Piece of Pink Pie. Here it is:

You were a track athlete in high school, I believe. Can you tell me about that? What you achieved? How far you took it, and why you stopped?

Yes , I played high school basketball as starting point guard, and I  was co-captain  on the cheerleader team. My true shining sport, though, was track and field, and cross country. I was a state champion throughout  7th grade to senior year,  and I still hold two all-time state records for the state of Arkansas. I went on to run at the Junior Olympics in USATF [the governing body, USA Track & Field]. I then became a division 1 scholarship athlete and competed. I loved sports, yet  my true passion, acting, sent me get to LA  to  pursue my dreams!

That’s a very impressive record. How do you keep fit now?

I still run and have been thinking of doing some 5 and 10k races lately. I also have been working on some martial arts training, karate and kick boxing.

So how did you get into modelling? And can you tell us about some of the highlights from the modelling side of your career?

I first started out as a swimsuit model for Hawaiian Tropic and bikini competitions. I then came to LA and did print modeling.

And how did the move into acting take place?

Modelling gave me experience in front of a camera, and confidence, but I knew I wanted more and I started studying acting to build  the skills and experience I would need .

The thing that strikes me about you as an actress is your versatility. It’s easy to assume that a model might be on screen for her looks alone, but I first saw you in Lilitu – a very demanding performance, in which you excelled. In total contrast, there’s the crazy comedy Masterminds, in which you are very funny as the clumsy, dopey Britany. Do you prefer playing these sort of parts which are far removed from the glamorous, sexy roles?

I enjoy all roles! I look forward to playing the femme fatale or Bond girl, but I really would love to play a kick ass female such Ripley from Alien. I grew up as a child with an obsession about being an attorney or a detective, and would love to work with some filmmakers in a drama crime thriller and getting to play those sort of characters.

What has been your favourite role in film so far?

The role is out there waiting for me and the filmmaker still! It would be a role such as Ripley played by Sigourney Weaver in Alien, or a character similar to Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty  or Charlize Theron in Monster. One of my favourites is Silence of the Lambs and Jodie Foster. All of these actresses and roles have always stuck with me and made an impression on me as an actor.

I can see why those roles would appeal to you. Are there any other movie characters that you would love to play?

I would have to add Sarah Connor played by Linda Hamilton [in the Terminator franchise] to the list.

You always seem to be busy. What’s next for you [in late January 2018]?

I may be filming on a series that was shot as a pilot SYN – at the moment it’s talks for production. Also I will be working on a film with director Sandy Chukhadarian as a lead in a drama thriller, and I have been shooting on an action film High Alert .

We’ll look out for those, and meanwhile be sure to check out Johanna on IMDb and Twitter.

You may also be interested in these posts on indie film actors Ryan Ralph Gerrard, Samantha Schnitzler, Kate Davies-Speak, Antonia Tootill, Francesca Louise White, and Dawn Noel.