How did you first break into the industry?
Funny story, I went to college to study psychology and musical theatre, and was randomly asked THE day I moved into my dorm for my senior year to be in a 48 hour film by a friend of mine--who also studied theatre with me. I had never been in an actual film before, so I said "Why not!". 9 hours later, I had MAYBE been "on screen" for about 30 seconds, and loved EVERY minute of it. This lead to my first "lead" acting gig for another short film. Then another one, and another one, and as I met more and more people, I finally discovered I was being cast in more film gigs than theatre gigs, and never looked back!
Who/What inspires you as an actor?
I have quite a few role models in my life, not only actors. My parents, first and foremost, who have always incredibly supportive, especially with my decision at the tender age of 17 to give up my alternative life plans to be a journalist/college soccer player, to become an "actress". But I also grew up watching "old school" movies, musicals and shows, which was what made me the weirdo that I am in being able to do funny voices and different accents (and be able to recite every word/song and dance routine from movies like "Singin' in the Rain"... but I can't really dance, so they were bad reenactments). So several actors from that era have heavily inspired me!
However, recently, I would say actors like Brie Larson, Rooney Mara, Sarah Paulson, Emily Blunt and especially Tatiana Maslany have heavily inspired me/my work regarding STRONG women leads in the industry. Both in front of, and behind the camera.
What was your best set moment on ‘Fused’?
Oh man... my best set moment on Fused? I would probably have to say everyone being in Katie Rohlfing's ("Cassie's") apartment... not so much as "filmmakers", but more so as a bunch of WEIRD ass friends making a fun, collaborative film together and just sharing a bunch of laughs...
Also when I almost pooped my pants (or dress, rather) during a REALLY intense scene where my character has to battle her "inner demon". But that's a story for another time.
What sort of person is going to love this short?
I feel like the kind of person who would love this short film is someone who enjoys a good psychological thriller. Maybe even the kind of person who talks to themselves randomly... but what creative person doesn't do that, right? Just me? ... okay then...
What advice would you give aspiring actors?
The advice I would give aspiring actors would definitely be don't give up. Also don't just settle for any gig that comes your way. Ask for the script, READ the script, and if there's anything sus about it, ask the writer/director about it. If they aren't willing to compromise to make you feel 175% (yes I mean OVER 100%) comfortable during the filming process, don't be afraid to say "NO". You are a human being, and deserve to be treated as such. If someone isn't willing to see you as that on a film set, they don't deserve your time.
Where can we find more of your work?
Oooh... I have a few films on YouTube... one of my favorite short films that's available that I'm SO honored to be a part of is on Vimeo called "Safe States", I'm in a short film on Amazon Prime called "Devil's Food Cake", but the majority of the films I'm most recently in are either in film festivals or under distribution at the moment. I am the lead in a psychological thriller called "Below the Fold" that is premiering in December, which is super exciting! I also wrote, produced and starred in a short film called "Distortion" that will be available sometime in 2021, but you might also see it in film fests if we're lucky!
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