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Your new movie Girl
in Woods - in a few words, what is it about, and what can you tell
us about your character in it?
It
is about a woman who has been through a lot of emotional turmoil and is
just really at a place where she getting her life together with the help
of her fiancé. She gets lost in the woods and is forced to confront the
demons in her past and needless to say, she unravels, mentally. What did you draw upon to
bring your character to life, and how much Juliet Reeves can we actually
find in Grace? For
me the most difficult parts to bring to life were the unpleasant memories
from her childhood. As anyone does, I have had some traumatic things to
deal with and it was a scary place to revisit but to really be emotionally
invested in this character I had to be brave enough to delve into my own
issues. I think I connected very much to this character on the level of
having so much to deal with from her past. However, I did often think: I
am much stronger than Grace. She seemed to get lost both physically and
mentally, much quicker than I would let myself. Grace goes through a bunch of quite
traumatic experiences in Girl
in Woods - so how straining was that for you as an actress? Emotionally,
this project was incredibly draining. By the end of filming I felt like I
was going a bit crazy myself. It is not easy to live through these type of
intense emotions but also to stay in them through several takes and hours
of shooting can be maddening some days and some days it is freeing and
therapeutic.
How
did you get involved with the project in the first place?
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I
actually had not done much acting in about 4 years before Girl
in Woods because I had become a mom and was focusing on that. I had recently
relocated near Memphis and just figured I was
finished making films. I was doing small commercials and a few fun little
projects because I love acting and will never quit. I opened my email one
morning and there was a very brief email from a director out of Memphis
saying he’d heard I was an actress in the area and wanted to see if I
would come in and read for the role. Initially I was skeptical because I
had been contacted before this way and it often did not lead to legitimate
productions. Going to the audition was vastly on a whim and because I
missed auditioning. A lot of actors hate auditioning but I have always
enjoyed the process. Once I saw just the scenes I was given to audition
for Girl
in Woods I just felt like it was a good fit. I did not have to
stretch to find my footing in the role. I walked right into it. What
can you tell us about Girl
in Woods' director Jeremy Benson, and what was your
collaboration like? Jeremy
is an incredible storyteller. What struck me right away about him is that
he has an exact picture in his head of the whole story down to the details
and that he writes actual characters who have unique traits and are
already so dimensional in script form. I had no idea exactly how rough the
shoot was going to be not just emotionally but physically. I was certainly
warned but until I was out in the elements shooting I really didn’t
grasp it. I was so tired most days and edgy due to the characters
emotional state. There were a lot of times I was sure Jeremy thought I was
the worst person in the world to deal with and I’m sure I was being
awful but it was an intense shoot. I feel bad about that. Jeremy was very
patient with me and I really think highly of him for that.
With Girl
in Woods being filmed mostly outdoors in what looks like harsh
conditions, how did that affect your performance, and do you
consider yourself at all an outdoorsy kind of woman?
Trying
to get into an intense emotional space on this set was sometimes like
trying to juggle and walk. I learned a lot! Climbing up the side of a
mountain while sobbing for hours on end is so difficult because you also
have to make sure you hit your marks and remember your lines. So many
things going on at once and being so erratic at the same time I would miss
so many beats and nuances. It was hard but I loved it too! I like a
challenge. I thought I was gonna die more than once. Almost got bit by a
rattlesnake, thought I could drown, fall off a cliff. What an adventure! I
was not that outdoorsy prior to the shoot but now I love it. Hiking,
kayaking, exploring. I definitely brought that from the shoot. I fell in
love with the mountains.
What can you tell us about the shoot as such, and the on-set
atmosphere?
Such
a small crew! Maybe a dozen people total for the initial shoot in the
mountains. We were like a little family. Like a very strange little summer
camp. I miss it! We stayed at this great cabin far up in the Smoky
Mountains and did not have internet or a phone signal so very isolated
from reality. On set, due to the size of the cast, mostly just me most
days, it was a tight nit group. A lot of days were so hard but the crew
was so helpful and supportive.
Any future projects you'd like to share?
My
husband, actor Jeremy London, who plays my fiancé Jim in the movie, and I
run an acting school together called London Arts and teach in New Orleans
and Biloxi, MS and we just shot a great short film, a comedy called
Monsters Anonymous starring most of our students and Brian C. O’Halloran
who was in Mallrats with Jeremy and is known best for Kevin Smith’s
Clerks. I have a small cameo role in it but was a blast doing a comedy for
a change.
What got you into
acting in the first place, and did you receive any formal training on the
subject? I
auditioned for a zombie film 10 years ago that was being shot locally in
Orlando where I lived at the time. Just for fun because I had a friend
going and it was an open call. I booked it! Yikes. I had no idea what I
was doing but it was a blast. After the shoot I decided I wanted to pursue
this but needed training because I was dreadful! Ha! I trained at Art Sake
in Winter Park, FL and also took classes in LA once I moved there. What can you tell us about your filmwork prior
to Girl
in Woods? Lots
of short films, festival films, tons of commercials and a couple of horror/thriller
features that went straight to the Blockbuster (remember
those places?) video shelves. So not exactly the best quality but was all
a learning process and I am fortunate to have had it. Since Girl
in Woods I have been on an HBO series Dallas Buyers Club and a few other small
roles in big movies. I have also had another baby so not yet back into the
swing of things but ready to get going again.
How
would you describe yourself as an actress, and some of your techniques to
bring your characters to life?
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It
is so important as an actor to learn what you’re marketing and I have
learned I book the gritty roles. I never thought I would be playing
strippers with drug problems, emotionally deranged women, etc. but it's far
from who I am and maybe that’s why. I have fun playing these characters.
It’s freeing to step outside of yourself. I draw from that little dark
place we often brush under the rug.
Actresses (and indeed actors) who inspire you?
Naomi
Watts! Favorite! Saw Mulholland Drive when I was in acting school and
thought, I wanna do that! That looks fun! I met her at the SAG Awards and
she was lovely too. She is certainly my role model. I also love Jack
Nicholson. He is so fierce and bold in every role.
Your favourite movies? The
Shining, Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind and Juno. ...
and of course, films you really deplore? Not
a chick flick person. Too sappy. Can’t handle it. Your website, Facebook, whatever else?
I am on Twitter @MRSJulietLondon and our acting school website is
www.LondonArtsActingStudio.com
for info on classes.
Anything else
you're dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask? I
think we got it all! Thanks
for the interview!
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