A Taste:

Hall & Oates, Simon & Garfunkel, The Lonely Island

Riki Lindhome doesn’t simply act. She allows her characters to posses her. That’s exactly what she did in the terrifying re-imagining of The Last House On the Left. In order to play the particularly psychotic Sadie, she did everything she could to get into character.

“I’m such a dork,” laughs Riki. “I always have a mix CD of what my character would listen to. I made a playlist for Sadie. It’s the coolest way to center yourself because you’re in your trailer and there’s always noise. If I listen to my character’s music, I can get right into her headspace.”

And, what did she have on Sadie’s blood-spattered iPod?

“I had some heavy metal and some ’80s stuff,” she exclaims. “I did Comedia Dell’Arte for a long time. It’s Italian masked theater. It’s an outside-in form of acting. Usually acting classes are inside-out. However for Comedia Dell’Arte, you find your costume and your mask first, and you let that inform everything else you do. I like to have a combination of both. My costume, hair, makeup and nail polish are all really important to me—as is the character’s playlist. It all informs the performance and the perception of the character.”

Riki was cool enough to give us her and her character Sadie’s iTunes playlists. Peep the playlists below. Also check out Riki’s hilarious musical project, Garfunkel and Oates and Last House On the Left in theaters this Friday.

Sadie’s Playlist:

1. AC/DC

2. Kiss – “Rock and Roll All Nite (And Party Every Day)”

3. Metallica

4. Bon Jovi – “Bad Medicine”

“I was listening to ‘Bad Medicine’ a lot [Laughs]. I don’t know why, but the song just fit everything. The movie also had a different tone, and that song would put me in the right frame of mind for the character. I don’t normally listen to that. Garfunkel and Oates is what I’m into.”

5. Something for Rockets

“My mix CD for Sadie also had one song by my friend’s band, Something for Rockets. The song is about this girl going down on a guy and him rejecting her [Laughs].”

Riki Lindhome’s Playlist:

1. Hall & Oates

“I really do love Hall and Oates and Simon and Garfunkel. The last concert I saw was Hall and Oates at the Hollywood Bowl.”

2. Simon & Garfunkel

3. The Lonely Island

“I just got that new Lonely Island CD. I keep listening to it in my car. ‘I’m on a Boat’ is amazing!”

4. Tenacious D

5. Flight of the Conchords

6. Rilo Kiley

7. Jenny Lewis— Rabbit Fur Coat

“Jenny Lewis’ last solo album was amazing!”

—Rick Florino
03.09.09

Check out Riki’s Garfunkel and Oates’ videos below!

“Only You”
“Medley”
“Present Face”

—Rick Florino
03.09.09