There are times when you come across an actor, and you realize they’re a creative force to be reckoned with. Yulia Klass is one of those actors. At times strikingly raw and intense on screen, you get the sense there’s quite a bit going on inside the clever mind of this ambitious human.
Look no further than her recent projects — Death Rider in the House of Vampires and Captors — and you’ll see this fact all too clearly. The former is a spaghetti western spoof that stirs some vampire dynamics into the creative sauce and lets it simmer — an ominous Death Rider enters a vampire sanctuary where the price of admission is a one female virgin. The film stars Julian Sands (What/If, The Killing Fields), Devon Sawa (Hacks, the Chucky TV series), and Danny Trejo (Desperado, From Dusk Till Dawn). The latter film finds Klass morphing into a disturbed woman who moves into a mansion, only to encounter bizarre hallucinations and, perhaps, deadly foes. Bruce Davison and Josh Kelly costar.
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“They’re two completely diverse and different movies,” Klass says of the projects. “Death Rider … is very animated and exciting, thanks to writer/director Glenn Danzig. It’s very ambitious. And Captors is unique because here’s this victim who survived being taken into slavery and sex trafficking and to witness what’s happening in her head is unbelievably scary. There’s also an element of a Stockholm Syndrome, where you develop positive feelings towards the captor as a survival mechanism. The film is raw, and it gives audiences an opportunity to understand the feelings and mental state of this victim.”
Picking Two Standout Roles
Klass was drawn to both projects for different reasons. For starters, she just couldn’t say no to a vampire movie. “I’m a big vampire fan, so this was my lucky opportunity. I learned a lot from the actors on set. I was fascinated with everything from the way Glenn directed to the costumes being used.” Captors struck a different, perhaps deeper, nerve, as Klass became passionate about the topic and the character of Alys. “She’s barely had an existence. She’s blocked all her memories associated with her ordeal. Ten years after being sold into sex trafficking, she gets a notice from an attorney that she was left an inheritance from her uncle. And that’s when things get creepy.
“It’s very psychological,” she adds. “At the end of the day, we don’t know what’s real and what’s not because his character is haunted by the nightmare [of her life]. So, there are a lot of things messing with your head here.”
The role gave Klass an opportunity to stretch her acting range, mainly because the film had scant dialogue and would have to be carried, mostly, by one person — her. “That was interesting to me,” she says. “I appreciated director James [Cullen Bressack]’s the brilliant camera work, and what he did with our cinematographer. It was challenging for all of us because there aren’t two or three people in a scene, just one person, and you have to tell this intense story. But I think we told it well.”
The film, which was delayed due to the pandemic, was penned by Philip Daay, whose previous thrillers include Abduct and Crystal’s Shadow. The two projects certainly boost Klass’ visibility. In many ways, it’s a dream come true.
Humble Beginnings
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Originally from Uzbekistan, Klass remembers always wanting to “perform” as a child. You’d often find her dancing in front of family members or being the “clown” in front of her posse. “My older sister put together those little neighborhood plays, pretending to be the casting director, and the kids would participate with us,” she says. “I always ended up being a background extra for the little ones. I was not to be trusted with major roles, I guess.”
Eventually, her love for acting grew and after countless hours watching films, she turned her life over to everything associated with performing, refining her craft, then nabbing an agent. One audition led to another and over time, producers and directors took notice. She’d go on to work alongside the likes of Steven Seagal (Beyond The Law), Jason Momoa (Sugar Mountain), and Bruce Willis in one of his last starring roles, Survive The Game.
“They’re all different actors and brilliant in their own ways,” Klass says of the icons. “I love being able to interact with the people you work with. Sometimes during shoots you’re doing so many scenes together but don’t have a chance to connect. When I was working with Steven in Romania, we shared a lot of interesting things and that was special to me. I’m inspired by these people and what they’ve achieved. My goal in my life is to strive to be constantly working and finding fulfillment in this craft.”
You may not know it from some of the projects she’s taken on, but Klass has a penchant for comedies. She appreciates the work of Sandra Bullock, Melissa McCarthy, and Ben Stiller. But if she could wave a magic wand and create the “best” project, she says she’d love to star in a World War II drama. “I love World War II stories, inspired by or based on true events. I have several things in the works now; very serious stories because my grandparents were in World War II battling fascists. My grandfather was injured three times. And I’ve always wanted to tell stories about female snipers of that era—the ‘Night Witches,’ for instance.”
Fittingly, her short film, Cold War, is generating buzz. Based on a true story and costarring Robert Patrick, the tale revolves around the training of female snipers. “We created this as a short; a prelude to a feature film currently in works, and I’m happy it’s received a lot of attention so far,” Klass says. “There’s just so many interesting things out there that haven’t been told yet, and I really want to tell some of those stories.”
