Reprendre De La Vie: My Interview With Jeanne Lohnes

Jeanne Lohnes is no stranger to the paranormal. Growing up in a small village in Vermont brought many an experience into her childhood. Her family moved into an abandoned nursing home when she was 12 years old. Being that New England is rich in history and even richer in paranormal activity, Lohnes told me that she never felt alone living in the historic location, also stating that she never felt fear either. Even today the actress lives in a quaint New England seaside village filled with old Captains homes and as she states it, “  a plethora of ghost stories.” She can now add one more haunting experience to her reprendre de la vie, as Dr. Tryon in the paranormal thriller “Provoked”. 

Lohnes always new she wanted to be an actress. She told me that it had seemed like an “unattainable dream” that she kept tucked away, finally realizing that in order to make it a reality she had to seize the moments because in her own words it was “now or never”. And seize her moments she has. Besides “Provoked”, Jeanne Lohnes has several other features in various stages of production as well as a few unaccredited roles in such films as “Grown Ups 2” and “The Makeover”. Not bad for an actress who is just starting out in a new “life journey” that will surely only add to the colorful and rich life she has lead thus far, one that is bound in spirit and experience with the world of the paranormal. You will see just how supernaturally entwined her life has been when you read the interview I recently held with Lohnes, one in which she reveals her on paranormal experiences growing up and in her not so distant past.

ASouthernLife: In "Provoked" you play Dr. Tryon, tell me a little bit about the character and her relationship to the other characters and the story?
Jeanne Lohnes: Dr. Tryon is a nice doctor with great bedside manner. She is busy in her practice yet she takes the necessary time with her patients.

ASouthernLife: What in your character drew you to the part? How did you prepare for the part?
Jeanne Lohnes: People tell me I'm nice, so I took that part of me and treated Jamie with the kindness and respect she deserved. Just before filming I had an emergency and had to spend some time in the hospital. Once I knew I was fine, I spent the remainder of my visit observing the doctors in the ER purposefully preparing for my role.

ASouthernLife: How involved in the paranormal events in the story does your character become and are any of the scenes "scary"?
Jeanne Lohnes: I don't have any paranormal events in the story but it was scary for me when I forgot my few lines before filming!

ASouthernLife: Did you believe in ghosts or the supernatural prior to this role and has your views changed since taking on this role-if they differed prior to "Provoked"?
Jeanne Lohnes: Yes, I believe in ghosts! I always have!

ASouthernLife: Growing up did you here a lot of ghost stories or live in a town with a lot of "haunting" legends?
Jeanne Lohnes: Yes. My father was a natural storyteller. My first memory of a ghost story was about a young girl who lived in an old house with squeaking floors and a creaking door. I don't think there was much else to the story, but he would tell it so descriptively that you believed you were the little girl in the old house.  He would tell it over and over until I couldn't take it anymore.

ASouthernLife: Have you ever experienced anything paranormal in your life or something that you couldn't explain?
Jeanne Lohnes: Yes. My father passed away over 20 years ago and within the last 10 years he has been sending me white feathers when I am in distress. Sometimes the feathers are laid out in a straight line leading me directly to the answer to my problem, sometimes they are in a swirling whirling vortex and sometimes there is one single feather quietly waiting for me to notice it. I can't explain how I know they are from my father, I just do.

ASouthernLife: Have you picked up any trade knowledge or become interested in paranormal research since filming began?
Jeanne Lohnes: I have always been intrigued by paranormal research and find it fascinating to know Jordan and his participation in it. I haven't had a chance to sit down with him and discuss it more but some day I hope to do that.

ASouthernLife: What is the scariest ghost story that you have ever heard?
Jeanne Lohnes: A couple was visiting me for the weekend and left abruptly in the morning. The husband had woken to the chanting of "You are in the room with a mass murderer"...
When I saw him in the morning he was very pale and couldn't get out of there quick enough.This is the scariest ghost story because I lived in that house and had experiences that were similar to this but I never revealed it to anyone.

ASouthernLife: Who in the cast do you think would be most easily scared by an encounter with a ghost?
Jeanne Lohnes: I think that would be ME!