Jeanine Nerissa Sothcott Talks About ‘Renegades’ And Reveals Her Upcoming Movie Role

An actress that you need to know!

From ‘Nemesis’ to ‘Renegades’ Jeanine Nerissa Sothcott has starred in some of the best movies in recent years. Not to mention the fact that she co-founded the amazing production company, Shogun Films.

We had the amazing honor of talking with Jeanine about her favorite movie genre, working with her husband, and more!

You recently starred in the movie ‘Renegades’. What was that experience like for you?

J: “It was a blast, working with so many screen legends – Lee Majors, Stephanie Beacham, Michael Pare, Louis Mandylor – how could being part of a cast like that have been anything but a joy? That’s not to say it was an easy shoot – it was at the tail end of the lockdowns which was a massive headache for the whole entertainment business but we got through and people seem to really love the film… and from my point of view I loved playing a feisty cop – something I’ve always wanted to do and would love to do again – I love all the CSI shows, that would be my dream job!”

You have starred in everything from horror to action movies. What is your favorite movie genre?

J: “For me it’s actually Action – I’m from the 80s/90s video rental generation which was dominated by the big action stars like Stallone, Seagal, JCVD, and Arnie and so that really is a genre I love to watch and love being part of – pure escapism with clearly defined heroes and villains. I practiced karate for many years and am something of a secret tomboy – fast cars and anything involving speed are my kind of buzz.”

You are also the co-owner of Shogun Films. What is it like working alongside your husband?

J: “It is the best possible feeling – he’s 100% supportive of me and is always behind me and encouraging me every step of the way and vice versa. We spend so much of our time together and I think we instinctively understand each other immediately. Something a lot of people don’t know is that Jonathan is like a movie encyclopedia – especially when it comes to action and horror movies, there’s a side of his brain that’s like a one man IMDB, whereas most producers are just dealmakers, he loves film, he’s passionate about it and he respects the genres we work in and always strives to make the very best film possible. We believe that the only thing to make an indie movie stand out now is quality – you have to rely on word of mouth because the distributors don’t spend on promotion like they used to, so we are always trying to make something memorable. We still regularly rewatch movies we first saw 2, sometimes 3 decades ago and we want people to feel the same way about our movies in the future.”

How have you reacted to the success of the films you and Shogun Films have released?

J: “It is definitely a double-edged sword for me – it is lovely when people stop me in the shops or at the gym and tell me they’ve seen one of my movies – that is a really wonderful, rewarding feeling. Same when they leave a nice comment on Instagram. The flip side is the usually-anonymous trolls on social media who leave all the misogynistic comments for women in films and TV – we’re all told “be kind” but for some reason that doesn’t seem to apply when it comes to women receiving abuse online. Over the years Jonathan has taught me that indie genre films are really critic proof – you make them for audiences, not reviewers. Renegades has a 97% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes which means more to me than any amount of stars next to a review.”

If you had to choose, which is your personal favorite Shogun Film so far?

J: “Renegades is definitely the better film, but I also have a real soft spot for “Nemesis”. I loved playing a ballsy gangster’s moll and I could really get my teeth into that role. It was shot in the lockdown and a lot of compromises were made but the performances shine through. It was lovely working with my good friends Billy Murray and Nick Moran on both movies but on Renegades I also got to work with Patsy Kensit, Steph Beacham, Michael Pare, Ian Ogilvy and many more which was a lot of fun. It’s kind of like being asked who is your favorite child! I think like all actors though my favorite job is the next one!”

What type of character would you like to take on next?

J: “My next film is a western called “Reckoning Day”, which I’m really looking forward to – it’s an amazing script, set during the Gold Rush and I play a vengeful widow whose family have been slaughtered by a greedy prospector and so she hires a bounty hunter to teach her to kill. Robert Dunn, the writer, really has come up with something special and the director, Brandon Slagle, is a real level up – maybe the best young director working in action movies today. This one’s going to be really special.”

Can you tease what projects Shogun Films has in the works?

J: “There’s a couple of really high concept, low budget horror movies shooting this month, and a really ambitious slate in development… most of which, unfortunately, I cannot say much about… but some really exciting action, horror and western projects from great directors with world class casts. We’re also quite close to our first TV series but again I can’t talk about it until it is announced… you don’t want to jinx these things.”

Where can we follow your amazing journey?

J: “I’m not the biggest social media user but the best place is Instagram where I’m @jeaninenerissa – and you can follow @ShogunFilms just about everywhere!”

Photo Credits: Shogun Films

Je’Kayla Crawford– Founder and Director– Je’Kayla has been a journalist for years and decided to start a publication of her own, New Scene. When not helping her team and working on the monthly issues, you can find her watching a movie on Netflix or baking using a viral Tasty recipe.