Roxane Mesquida is sinking her teeth into the American box office this weekend…

The 31-year-old part-Spanish actress is starring in the vampire drama/thriller Kiss of the Damned, which opens in limited release this weekend.

Written and directed by Xan Cassavetes, the film revolves around a vampire, Djuna, who resists the advances of Paolo, but soon gives into their passion.

Cassavetes initially had the idea for Kiss Of The Damned after taking a house tour some years ago. The home eventually became the venue for the thriller/drama.

“I went through the house and the nature of its setting felt so transitory — it’s a weekend house and it’s the setting for a transitory vampire,” said Cassavetes. “I looked at the house a year and a half before writing the screenplay.”

After working on other projects, Cassavetes remembered the house and wrote the screenplay for Kiss Of The Damned in only three weeks. She and her team were able to put together the financing elements from previous films.

“I wanted French actors because the movie has the flavor of a beautiful European flavor,” said Cassavetes. “I also wanted relatively unknown actors because I thought it was more powerful to buy into that.”

Along with Mesquida, the film also stars Joséphine de La Baume, Milo Ventimiglia, Anna Mouglalis and Michael Rapaport
.

Kiss Of The Damned will open in New York and Los Angeles this weekend, then expand to Atlanta, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Seattle, Washington, D.C., Cambridge, MA and Coral Gables, FL the following weekend with additional cities added throughout May and early June.