Get To Know The Cast & Crew: Daisy Bilenkin

In today's cast Q&A, we chat to the amazing and extremely talented Daisy Bilenkin, who plays Charity in Episodes 4 and 5 of The Silt Verses! Hope you enjoy.

Hey, there! Could you please introduce yourself, and tell us which character do you play in The Silt Verses?

Hey! My name is Daisy Bilenkin and I play Charity on The Silt Verses.

What drew you to playing this character? How do you feel about them?

What drew me to playing Charity...To be honest, I didn’t think I would merit a role in this project at all - I sent in audio auditions for several characters not expecting to get a response. I had never done voice-acting! So my introduction to Charity came after I was offered that role, and I was very intrigued by the description of a meaty role for a character who is not all that she seems. 

And upon reading the script and noodling about it, that’s certainly what I got and I’m so very thankful to be playing her.

How I feel about playing Charity is...aw it’s a really fun time, the way that playing a proper villain can really be, y’know! So, and she has her own layers of course. She displays a pack loyalty and a pious devotion that makes her a valued and beloved member of her own community. And then, on the other hand, it’s reasonable to assume she’s deceived and killed many times - and quite gruesomely! 

I like to believe she loves a long-game of manipulation and disguise and relishes in the reveal. Also, she definitely likes to play with her food. Think that tracks...that she doesn’t view her victims as entities with a lot of agency; their function is just an inevitability to pledge to her God. 

And...she’s just found her own fun and fulfillment along the way.

I can’t say that describes any particular strong emotions, except just really morbid curiosity, I suppose!

How would your characters’ enemies describe them?

In terms of what Charity’s enemies would describe her as...in a word, I think “feral” would be appropriate!

If your character was to get into a 1-2-1 fight with any of the other characters, who would they fight with? Do you think your character could take them? What would be your character’s special move?

If Charity was to get into a 1-to-1 fight with any of the other characters, I think the first warning I would give is to never assume this fight is truly 1-to-1. Keep an eye out for movements in the underbrush!

However, in the case of Carpenter, I think Charity would relish the chance to go head to head. Carpenter definitely dealt a personal blow to her pride - I don’t think any of her would-be sacrificial victims have reacted in quite the same way, let alone in such a combustible fashion.

If this fight were to ever occur, I think Charity’s special move definitely lies in her...I’ll say “huntress” form: whatever four-legged, fast, and toothy thing she was halfway becoming when she took a chunk out of Carpenter. I’m pretty confident that’s a fight-winner, but I’d really be excited to see what other tricks Carpenter might pull out!

In this hypothetical fight, what would your characters’ entry music be?

In this hypothetical fight, I think the only entry music that really reaches the level of implied danger and grandiosity I’m looking for is something out of a Dark Souls boss fight. Like, bring in the choir, the escalating instrumentals - I want it all.

If your character was living in the ‘real world’ what kind of career would they have?

If Charity lived in the “real world”, the kind of career she would have would be something public-facing but inconspicuous.

I think Charity definitely has a robust understanding of how others view her - and, specifically as a feminine-presenting, smaller, weaker person. I think she knows that she can lean into the kind of qualities that attract men who want someone to control, to feel in charge of. I think she would really utilize this to attract would-be predators wearing the trappings of civilization.

I can just picture her: she’s going to be a clumsy and charming barista. Y’know, you never notice a barista moving around from coffee shop to coffee shop, it would be relatively easy to go under the radar that way. 

If she stuck around at a place, she would just be waiting for that observant regular who’s come by every single day to chat her up and work up the courage to ask her out. Oh dear...it’s definitely like a, “Honey, you’ve got a storm coming!” situation.

Have you voice acted or done any type of acting before, and if so, what kind of voice acting have you done in the past? What’s been the most interesting role you’ve ever played?

So, in terms of acting I’ve done before, this is my first voice acting role - Charity is also by far my most interesting role. Before this, I played several stage roles in community & school theater. I hope very much to be able to do more acting, vocally or physically, in the future!

 If you could pick anything, what acting role would you like to take on? Feel free to choose any character from any film or book.

A role I would like to take on, as a character from any film or book...I’ve been thinking about this for a while, actually. I would...I would give a lot to be able to play Margarita from “The Master and Margarita”, by Mikhail Bulgakov. I was very privileged to see a stage production in Moscow a few years ago and it was absolutely amazing! 

And, Margarita in particular, she’s a woman who is, internally, very vivacious, intelligent, kind; very passionate and devoted lover for literature, art, and her soulmate of course. However, she is stifled and boxed in by the restrictive circumstance she lives in, and she doesn’t have any kind of outlet for her in her life that doesn’t lead to ostracization.

So, the Margarita we meet during the main story is at a point where she feels utterly disconnected from her life and lives in great emotional pain. Realistically, she has options to change her circumstance or find happiness in the life she already has, but she’s also convinced herself she has no agency or right to move on with her life. She falls into deep regret over the failure of a significant opportunity earlier in the timeline of the book. And that’s highly relatable for me!

However, a hilariously short while later in the main timeline, she gets to become a witch, wreaks havoc on a few folks, and hosts a large party for the dead denizens of Hell as a personal favor for the Devil himself. And I think that’s character growth we can all appreciate.

By the way, I can’t tell you all how much you all need to read “The Master and Margarita” if you haven’t. Just - brilliant satirical, a magical realism romp through 1930’s Moscow with the Devil and his entourage.

What’s your favourite genre of literature/audio drama?

My favorite genre in both literature and audio drama is definitely horror - barring that, definitely fantasy, mysteries, and thrillers, preferably with some darkness on the side!

If you could be a monster of horror (book, story, film, or even lore), which would you be and why?

If I could be a monster of horror, I think I would go with a classic: a witch! I would like to be a witch in the vein of folklore legends like Baba Yaga. So, by that, I would be morally ambiguous at best to mortals, but I can be very benevolent if paid the proper respect and if mutual interests align of course. Personally, I would stick exclusively with horticulture and zoology and, y’know, being benignly hedonistic rather than eating children.

 Not to yuck anyone’s yum, but I’ll leave cannibalism off the table! And I would also take the opportunity to get all the fluffy and feathery and scaly familiars I can get my hands on!

And what would be your catchphrase?

What would my catchphrase be...I’m actually wracking my head about this, I’m not sure witches have catchphrases? But I think maybe I’ll be bad and crib from a Shakespeare quote I like, “I have witchcraft in my lips.”

Many monsters have weaknesses, for example garlic for vampires and silver for werewolves. If you had to pick a weakness for yourself, what’s a weakness could you cope with?

If I had to pick a weakness for myself that has classically plagued witch-kind, a weakness I could continue coping with is a sensitivity to fire! I could definitely continue my already respectful and cautious relationship with fire and avoiding people who want to put me harmfully close to fire. 

Yes, I think that’s fair!

What do you like to do when you’re not voice acting?

When I am not voice-acting, I like to cycle through other hobbies currently within range of my attention span. During the pandemic, for example, I’ve been ballroom dancing and cross-stitching. 

And next on the docket, I think I would like to get into sewing and making my own clothing! I also love watching movies, and in particular I love to watch Youtube video essays about film analysis.

Do you have any other special talents?

Do I have any other special talents? Well, oh boy! I dabble in drawing + painting. I sing a bit, and I can speak Russian.

Can you select a question for the next cast member who will be taking this interview on?

A question I’d love for the next cast member to answer is, “What is your character’s secret guilty pleasure”! Like, they would just DIE if someone were to know about it.

So, yeah! This is the first Q&A I’ve ever done - it’s very exciting and very nerve-wracking, but I hope it brought you some enjoyment. 

And I hope that you’re following and/or falling in love with The Silt Verses like we all have on the cast and crew! I’m so honored to be a part of this project and can’t wait to see where the story takes us! Thank you.