|
First of all, why don't you introduce yourself to those of us
unfortunate enough to not already know you?
Hello
there! My name is Alba O’Neill, I’m a French-American actor living in
Paris. I’m 30 years old and have been acting professionally since
January 2020. I’m vegan, I have an adorable dog called Yuki. I’m
slightly obsessed with workouts and love learning different languages –
I’m currently learning Korean, German and some Zulu.
Do talk
about some of your current and future projects!
I
just booked a French feature that will be shooting at the end of the year
–
I can’t say much more about it. Recently,
I've been booking lots of commercials
and auditioning for more and more American films that are shooting in
France, which is very exciting! What got
you into acting in the first place, and did you receive any formal
training on the subject?
I
knew I wanted to act when I first saw The Lion King in 1994 when it came
out in theaters
–
we were living in Nagoya, Japan at
the time and the cinema was packed. They decided to let people in despite
all the seats being taken. My Mom had to carry me in her arms for the
entire duration of the film. I never really started acting, out of fear
and outside pressure mostly, until my Dad passed away in December 2019.
That prodded me to start living my dream and I took full advantage of the
lockdown: I trained at all the American and British studios that I was
interested in and that opened their classes online. I met so many amazing
coaches and actors during that time and am so thankful for them.
Can you still remember your
first time in front of a movie camera, and what can you tell us about that
experience?
Yes!
It was a shoot for the SF48 film festival contest, the short was called
An Unsatisfied Man by Oliver Wilkins. I was very self-conscious but our
director was very good and encouraging – I didn’t shoot anything for a
number of years after that, but he definitely contributed to making me
want to be in more projects. That short was my first official IMDb credit,
and we won the Grand Jury Prize as well. Do talk about your past filmwork, and some
of your career highlights!
I’ve
been in a multitude of short films, industry films and TV/web commercials.
I’ve also starred in a handful of independent films, and have made an
episodic appearance on French TV. One of my most memorable experiences was
definitely seeing myself on TV for the first time – it was for a
commercial for Mon Lit Cabane. Another was certainly the TV pilot I
shot last year for the Banjay group – it wasn’t picked up but it was
an intense 48 hours of shooting with the most amazing cast and crew –
I’ll never forget it! The most trying experience was the episode of Petits Secrets en Famille that I guest starred on. I had no idea
that the time constraints were so extreme! At times, we only had a couple
minutes to shoot a scene, and I won’t lie, I was not ready for it!
It’s far from being my best acting, but it was definitely a positive
experience, and a necessary one!
 |
Having made films both in
France and the US, what are some of the main differences of the French and
the American approach to filmmaking?
I
think it's pretty clear just from traditional
French movie genres that as a whole we're
much more attached to a naturalistic approach than Americans are, and to
the power of the words
–
which is why I generally catch on
better to American projects than French ones. I like the freedom and
independence that are granted to actors on American sets
–
because you guys usually have a more fast-paced approach and a different
take on on-set work ethics. Everyone is expected to be efficient and
usually is
–
whereas to my dismay I'
m oftentimes praised on French sets
for just knowing my lines, which blows my mind!
However,
I like the profoundness that French projects explore in the simplest of
settings, and the power that can be pulled from everyday life. It’s
certainly a talent and a specific take on la
vie de tous les jours that I don’t think can be found in any other
genre.
You seem to have
tried your hands on many a genre - so which genre(s) are the most
challenging for you, which do you enjoy the most?
I
used to get in my head when it comes to drama. But I’m in an amazing
Meisner class at Playhouse Paris that allows me to get out of my own way
so it’s most definitely less of a challenge. I usually exceed at comedy,
and any type of scene in which I have the freedom to improvise. You're
also part of the hip hop improv group Chrome XX - so what can you
tell us about the group, the music, and does this in any way inform your
acting (and vice versa)?
We’re not the girl group you’d expect – we’re
from all different walks of life, of different ages and origins, but
we’ve become a super solid group of friends thanks to our coach Derek
Reid who brought us together. We’re fun and funny, bold and crude and we
don’t take “no” for an answer – but at the same time, we’re very
vulnerable and connected to one another, which is what makes us so strong
and unique.
|
|
 |
 |
Feeling lucky ?
Want to
search
any of my partnershops yourself
for more, better results ?
|
The links below
will take you
just there!!!
|
|
 |
|
How would you describe yourself
as an actress, and some of your techniques to bring your characters to
life?
I'm
the hardest worker in the room. I absolutely love my work and aim to
please
–
as most actors do, I am in search of a certain level of validation. So,
the advantages and inconveniences to that are twofold: I adore what I do, I
work very hard to be good at it, but I also get in my head at times when I
feel like my performance is not meeting my expectations, and I need to
snap myself out of that state of mind, which can be a challenge. Actresses (and indeed actors) who inspire you?
Laura
Dern, Toni Collette, Sally Field and Sarah Paulson. Your
favourite movies?
I
adore horror
–
I’m
a big Ari Aster fan. I love Jordan Peele’s work as well, and Annihilation is one of my favorite films to date.
The Love
Birds is by far the best rom com I've ever seen
–
the improv is gold! I’m a 90s movie girl and will never get enough of
Jim Carrey or Robin Williams – Liar Liar and Mrs. Doubtfire
for the win! Parasite is definitely in my top faves as well. But the
list is potentially never ending, there are so many good projects out
there!
Your website, social media, whatever else?
Sure!
My Instagram handle is @albao_off - https://www.instagram.com/albao_off/ Anything
else you're dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask? Thank
you for the opportunity, and to Phil Herman for being such an awesome
friend and collaborator – he’s the one who introduced me to your work J Thanks
for the interview!
|
amazon.com
amazon.co.uk
amazon.de
eThaiCD.com
