Dana Lee Al Qattan is a German-Kuwaiti actress, writer, filmmaker and singer.
She is best known for her roles in Irish films, such as 7 Days (2021), Disembodied Hitman and Mad Cows From Planet Moo.
Tropes associated with her work:
- Action Girl: She's a brown belt in tae kwon do, as well as trained in screen combat, and plays a Dark Action Girl in Deadly Divergence and Confusion, and plays an Action Survivor in Mad Cows From Planet Moo. She also directed an action comedy titled Easy Going.
- Actor-Inspired Element:
- For Mad Cows From Planet Moo, she suggested that Ricky and Suzie be dancing when Gordie comes home, and affected a light southern accent.
- In The Casting Man, it was her idea for Emily to be The Faceless, as she was ill during filming. Her face is shown as part of a magazine cover in the ending.
- Cast the Runner-Up: She was at one point considered for the lead role of Elena in The Uninvited, but was later deemed a better fit for Ruby instead.
- Celebrity Resemblance: She's often been compared to Kiana Madeira, who played Deena in Fear Street.
- Creator-Chosen Casting: She was the first choice for Rosie in 7 Days and Suzie in Mad Cows From Planet Moo.
- Creator Couple: She and then-boyfriend Greg Young starred together in 7 Days, Accidental Suspect and Nightscapes. They also worked together in crew capacity on other films such as Private First Class, Mayday Mayday, An Rogha Cheart, Deadly Divergence and Here They Come.
- Dawson Casting: She plays a high school graduate who's just been accepted into college in 7 Days. She was 22.
- Descended Creator: She was the cinematographer for the Fatal Deviation parody Deadly Divergence, and also played a Dark Action Girl for the female lead to have a fight scene with. She also choreographed said fight scene.
- Directed by Cast Member: She directed the film 5 Seconds and played the main character's best friend.
- Enforced Method Acting: As she would need to be very emotional for her scene in Disembodied Hitman, she watched a lot of sad YouTube videos to get her in the proper mood.
- Fake American: Well she was born in Louisiana and speaks with an American-sounding accent due to attending an international school in Kuwait, where she was educated by western teachers. She jokes that "Disney Channel and Nickelodeon" are also to blame.
- Fake Russian: She played the Russian duchess Olga Katrina in a stage production of You Can't Take It With You.
- Friendship on the Set: One of the first films she produced, the short For His Eyes Only, saw her befriending Tom O'Brien and Greg Young, with whom she has collaborated many times.
- Ms. Fanservice: She has a Cat Fight in a skintight costume in Deadly Divergence, and The Casting Man sees her getting Leg Focus, a closeup of her chest and a scene where she dances in lingerie.
- Older Than They Look: She recalls being mistaken for 13 years old a few weeks before turning 25!
- Playing Against Type:
- Often cast as tomboyish Shrinking Violets, she recalls playing Olga Katrina in a production of You Can't Take It With You, and her friends not recognising her.
- She also plays the sultry Emily Cupido in The Casting Man.
- The horror film One Good Scare was the rare time she got to play an Alpha Bitch.
- She Cleans Up Nicely: Usually tomboyish and only rarely wearing dresses, she enjoyed the chance to appear in a Little Black Dress and High-Class Gloves for Mad Cows From Planet Moo. Nightscapes was also the first time she wore makeup on camera.
- Throw It In!:
- 7 Days (2021) saw her ad-libbing whacking Jake Hyland with a stick and saying "try me, bitch".
- During a table read for Mad Cows, she instinctively said "oh hell no" after Ricky's joke about letting "the Commies take over" and it was incorporated into the script. She also ad-libbed slapping Ricky with her glove in another scene.
- Voice-Only Cameo: She's done a few voiceovers for Better With Bob, a friend of hers.
- You Look Familiar: She appears in two segments of the Deadly Numbers anthology, Disembodied Hitman and 7 Days. She dies in both too.
- Write What You Know: Her film Rose Coloured Specs was based on her own experiences in an emotionally abusive relationship.
