There are bad movies, and then there are bad movies. And then there’s Birdemic. Shot in Northern California for a budget that apparently consisted mostly of expired bus tokens, the film tells the tale of a small town besieged by exploding eagles and acid-spewing vultures. Except none of that even happens until the movie’s more than halfway over. The first half of the movie is mostly about how this guy Rod is a really good software salesman. But whatever.

Leading the proceedings an incongruous veneer of respectability is lead actress Whitney Moore, whose performance often seems like it’s been edited in from another, better film. Prior to the threatened commercial release of Birdemic in late 2009, strange, increasingly isolated screenwriter Simon Barrett (Dead Birds, Frankenfish) spoke on the phone with Whitney Moore, who is now 20 years old and attending West Valley College, regarding her work in the movie.

Simon: How did you become involved in Birdemic?

Whitney Moore: Well, like I said, it was my first movie. I was just starting my first year of college, and [writer/director/producer James Nguyen] emailed me because my resume was up on a casting site, so that’s how he found me. And I did a really quick, fast audition – there was no callback or anything – but, you know, I was excited, because I’d never been offered a role in a feature film before. So I just sort of signed up for it. The process was a lot quicker than I’d imagined it would be.

Simon: What was your first thought when you read the script?

Whitney Moore: Um, well, he actually… I wasn’t able to get the whole script at once. He only gave the cast the script in thirds, so I, yeah, the script was obviously broken English. And I, uh, I didn’t think much of it, you know, it wasn’t a great script, But he wrote it himself, and his first language is Vietnamese. So I didn’t think it was that great, but I’d signed up to be in the movie, so I wasn’t gonna quit. And, you know, I thought it would be fun.

Simon: Did he allow for any kind of improvisation on set?

Whitney Moore: No. No, he was very by the book. He really was very strict about sticking to the script.

Simon: So your audition process was fairly conventional, as opposed to, you know, allegations of bathroom auditions, et cetera, that have haunted James Nguyen since then?

Whitney Moore: Oh yeah. There was was nothing like that, ever. It was unconventional in the sense that there was no callback; it was pretty much just, I slated my name, and then read a few lines and I got the part. There was no callback or anything. So it was unconventional in that sense. There was absolutely nothing like the… what happened on… what was it, on YouTube, there’s something like that?

Simon: Yeah, on YouTube a user posted an allegation that she auditioned for the director of Birdemic in a public restroom, at which time he began groping her. And she’s threatening, I guess, litigation.

Whitney Moore: Right. Yeah. I have no idea what happened with that.

Simon: Okay. What about your fellow actors? Were you a friendly group? Did you know any of them beforehand?

Whitney Moore: Oh, yeah, we were all friendly with each other. I never knew any of them before the film. We still speak; I actually just saw [Alan Bagh, co-star] yesterday. I’ll tell you about that after this, because it’s a funny story. But he and I were so funny together, because we’re sort of opposites, but we were able to be very friendly on the set because of all the crazy stuff that happened. We had some funny experiences together.

Simon: All the bird effects in Birdemic appear to be computer graphics added during the post-production process. When you were shooting, was there anything there for you to react to?

Whitney Moore: No. And you know, he made it seem like the effects were going to be a little better. He said that there were going to be people working on the models. And they were going to be like, a little better, but maybe the budget ran out or something? So it kind of just looks like- Oh, I don’t know, it looks like somebody just cut out a picture and posted it back in, you know?

Simon: Yes.

Whitney Moore: We definitely had no idea what to expect, and there was nothing to react to. Especially in the scene where we’re fighting with the coathangers. That was too funny. And it was sort of impromptu, too. We definitely didn’t have anything pointing to that.

Simon: That’s my favorite scene in the film. What was your first reaction when you saw the completed effects?

Whitney Moore: The whole movie, well, we laughed pretty hard. I was with all my friends and yeah, we had a ball, just laughing. It was a really good time. I mean, we knew it was going to be a bad movie, but we had no idea it was going to be so awesomely bad, you know?

Simon: This is sort of plot-based stuff, but after your characters in the film go to see AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH, and then you all go to a hotel, do you know why suddenly everyone has assault rifles?

Whitney Moore: Oh, I have no idea. You know, all the major decisions that were made in the movie, I’ll say- we didn’t have any control over anything. If we asked a question about any of the major plot twists - for example, why are the eagles exploding, or why do we have M16s, or why are these people getting acid dumped on them? The answer to all these questions would be, because it’s a movie. And it would be left at that. And we would sort of not ask any more questions, because you wouldn’t get any more answers.

Simon: Is it true that there was a very small crew on Birdemic?

Whitney Moore: Yeah, meaning that there was no crew, really? It was Alan and myself. I remember one scene where it was a dialogue between Alan and myself, and we sort of had to hold the boom between our knees. [laughs] It was difficult. It makes for a funny memory. So yeah, we carried most of the stuff. And actually, in James’ defense, it made it harder for him to direct, because he was also working on the sound and holding the camera and everything. So a lot of the time, we had to get each other’s backs.

Simon: So are you going to be involved at all in his announced sequel to Birdemic, which is supposed to be in 3-D?

Whitney Moore: Well, uh, his announced budget for that is twenty million dollars. So, if he can get the budget… you never know.

Simon: Are there any other projects that we can see you in coming out soon?

Whitney Moore: Since I’m in school now, I really only do student productions. I do a lot of student films. But if I do anything more with James, you’ll be the first to know.

Simon: I definitely would. Are you at all worried that you’ll grow to regret the online cult of Birdemic, or is it something that you’re willing to embrace?

Whitney Moore: Um, at first I was worried that it was going to be a little incriminating. But, you know, I think it’s so awesome that people are willing to take an interest in it at all. I think it’s great.