Interview with Buried Treasure's Crista Flanagan

Crista is an Illinois native actress, comedian, and writer. She is best known for her work on Madtv and AMC’s ‘Mad Men’. She has been in movies like “Epic Movie”, “Meet the Spartans”, “Disaster Movie”, and  “Vampires Suck”. Currently, she is working on the short film entitled, “Buried Treasure”, which is being funded by Kickstarter. Check out our interview with Crista below, and donate to the Kickstarter for “Buried Treasure” here. You could even receive a signed copy of Crista’s Playboy cover!

Can you tell us about your upcoming role in Buried Treasure?

“I play a waitress who works at the diner that Jeff Galfer’s character comes into daily. He always orders the same thing. Over time we develop a relationship. Jeff’s character also has a relationship with the diner.”

Who are you most excited to work with on Buried Treasure?

“It’s different for films than television. When you work on a television show you get to know everybody and work with everybody. For films you only work with people in your scene. For me, on Buried Treasure, I will work with Jeff and Leslie (Hope) the director. I am very excited to work with Leslie. I’ve never worked with her before. I always like working with Jeff too.”

What else are you currently working on?

“I shot a pilot for NBC, but they just decided to not pick it up. I am working on two short films and couple of web series. I also just wrote a half-hour sitcom and a short film. I’m auditioning, working on these current projects, and writing.”

Do you prefer working on TV or films?

“I love being on location for films. Films are otherworldly. You go somewhere and do your thing then it’s totally over, but I prefer the daily grind of a TV show. I just like going to work every day.”

What actor would you consider to be your mentor?

“I worked with Michael McDonald on ‘Madtv’. When ‘Madtv’ ended he moved onto direct and produce ‘Cougar Town’ and I had a guest role on that show. He also created the pilot for NBC called ‘Beautiful People’ that I worked on. We’ve kept a great working relationship. I really admire him and learn a lot from him.”

 What would you consider to be your treasure?

 “Just like in the movie Buried Treasure my relationships are my the most important things to me. I just rescued a dog on Saturday and I already have another dog. I’m crazy about them. I’m surrounded by little yorkies. I love them!”

 What was it like shooting the Playboy cover?

 “It was amazing. I tried to get into the mindset of what these other women had done in the 50s and 60s and how they had posed. It was so different and cool. It was an experience I will never forget. I’m glad I did it.”

 If you could work with any actor dead or alive who would it be?

 “I was just thinking about this actually. I love Joel Kinnaman from ‘The Killing’, Sean Harris from ‘The Borgias’, and Jackie Earle Haley from ‘Human Target’. I would love to work with those three actors.”

 What would your dream role be?

“I would want an amazing role on a drama television show with a great ensemble cast.”