The Crow actress attends Chatham screening, discusses impact of film

Coming up on its 30-year anniversary, The Crow continues to captivate audiences wherever it is shown.

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However, for many people, they likely haven’t watched the cult film on the big screen since its release in 1994, when they were probably not much older than the young actress starring in it.

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Rochelle Davis, who was 12 when she played Sarah, was on hand for the closing night of the Chatham-Kent International Film Festival, which showcased the film at the Kiwanis Theatre.

The film is known mostly for the tragic death of star Brandon Lee, who was killed by an improperly prepared prop gun on set.

While filming, Davis had become close friends with Lee, despite their relatively short time together.

“Honestly, I still have not had a chance to mourn,” she said. “I think the reason for that is that I’m such a public figure for that movie, that there is no safe place for me to mourn.

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“Just to be really candid with everyone, I cried through 75 per cent of (watching) the movie. It’s not something you heard, but it was something that was happening. …It’s just not something that I can control. It’s trauma.”

Davis said Lee went “out of his way to be extra nice” to her, adding she cherishes the many memories.

Lee’s role in the movie was a musician who comes back from the dead to seek vengeance against the gang who murdered him and his fiancée. Davis played the young girl who was cared for by the couple, and she later befriended the police officer investigating the gruesome case.

Drawn to the street-wise character right from the beginning, she said the part was different from many other roles usually available to a girl her age.

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“I saw the script and I was like this in an actual tough chick,” Davis said.

She noted that director Alex Proyas gave her the freedom to play Sarah however she felt was right, adding she believed that this trust helped her performance.

“He treated me like an adult and I loved that about him,” she said. “We had a lot of respect for each other.”

The Crow, which after Lee’s death was completed through script rewrites, a stunt double and digital effects, received positive reviews and grossed $94 million on a $23 million budget.

Admitting she didn’t expect the film to become a cult classic, Davis credited fans for helping to keep the film’s legacy alive for three decades.

“I really just wanted to do what I liked, which was acting,” she said. “Once I got the part, I was well aware it was a low-budget film. …At that age, I was interested in independent films and that’s what I wanted to do. I didn’t want to do big screen stuff.

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“So the fact that it became that big, not only was surprising to me, but I didn’t find out until about 15 years after it came out.”

Film festival co-founder Rob Bellamy said he was pleased Davis was able to attend the event and share her story.

“If any movie defined the 90s, it was The Crow,” he said.

Davis, who is in town throughout this week for Chatham-Kent Crowfest, is scheduled to be at the Game Master’s Emporium Tuesday from 3-5 pm to take photos and sign autographs.

Although the pain can feel like an “open wound” at times, she strives to live her life as a tribute to Lee, believing their paths will cross again.

“I didn’t get to mourn, but he didn’t get to live,” Davis said. “So I’m going to live, since he didn’t get to. I’ll cry when I see him.”

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