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Your new movie The After Dark
- in a few words, what's it about, and what can you tell us about your
character in it?
The After Dark is about two vampire clans on the opposite sides of
the spectrum coming head to head. It’s a love story involving a
vampire named Jack from a punk rock, free spirited clan, and a
vampire named Mary Beth from a traditional “obey your master”-type of clan. They fall in love and Mary Beth realizes there is a
whole different world out there to explore. What did you draw upon to bring your
character to life, and how much Ashley Ballou can we find in Beth? You can find a lot of myself in
this character actually! With it being my first time acting, I was
just as shy and nervous as Beth was while being in the Vanished
clan. We filmed majority of the Vanished scenes in the beginning
which was of course when I was the most nervous! By the end as we
got to do the Lobos scenes, I felt a lot more comfortable and
confident. How
did you get involved with the project in the first place? Well I was with
director Tom Devlin and a few others on a different
set assisting in makeup effects. I had a gig that day
somewhere else during our lunch break so I came in with my
hair slicked back, makeup done, and wearing plaid slacks
with a tight black top. I joked around that I was in my
acting era. I guess Tom and Corey said I looked like I could
be a vampire in their film so I sent in an audition tape
that week! To
what extent could you identify with The After Dark's
approach to the vampire genre? Well i’ve always loved vampires but for a much
different reason than everyone on set. Growing up I wasn’t
allowed to watch a lot of horror films so I really didn’t
get exposed to the classics until I was an adult. However,
the Twilight Saga was one of my favorite book/movie series.
Before filming The After Dark, I did make sure to watch
The Lost Boys so I knew the approach we were going for more.
You were also involved in the
special makeup effects of The After Dark
- so what can you tell us about that aspect of the movie? The makeup in this movie is so fun and crucial! I did
get the cool opportunity to sculpt and mold my own brow
prosthetic while also running all of the foam latex for this
film. There was a few times I tried my best to apply
prosthetics and paint them on the cast but I was pretty open
to letting everyone know that my focus was acting for this
first movie at least. Heather Henry killed the applications and
seamless paint jobs so it was amazing to watch her do her
craft. What
can you tell us about The After Dark's
director Tom Devlin, and what was your collaboration like? Tom is my hero! I moved to Las Vegas to meet Tom so
being able to work on a movie with him was a dream! He
helped me build my confidence everyday. Having him support
my joke of “being in my acting era” was honestly super
endearing. I left set everyday feeling excited for the next
day to show him what I’m capable of. He isn’t afraid to
really jump into action to show us what he wants from a
scene. He’s to the point, and quick. He also is the only
reason I had contacts through the movie as I couldn’t take
them out by myself! A
few words about the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere? Wow…
hard to really put into words if you weren’t there. We were all one big family on set telling jokes and
stories between takes and watching out/hyping up one another
that was in front of the camera. It was the most fun set I’ve experienced. A complete safe space for anyone. I
truly can’t express the genuine love that was there from
everyone! Any future projects you'd like to share? Oh man…we’ve had a few since
The After Dark! I’ll say the sets I've had this exact same feeling on is Laughterface
(I’ve never laughed so much in my life as I did on this set behind the scenes) and It Steals
Your Skin. If it’s a Plan 10 Pictures production,
it’s worth sharing!
What got you into
acting in the first place, and did you receive any formal training on the
subject? Well I think my answer with being similar to Mary Beth
answers this. Tom being the awesome mentor he is, and giving
me a shot in front of the camera was amazing. I’ll always
be so grateful to him for giving me that chance. I had no
training on how to act. Before I sent in the audition tape I
was googling “how to act for dummies”! I watched a few YouTube videos and played Britney Spears everyday going to
set to give myself confidence. What can you tell us about your filmwork prior
to The After Dark? Prior to
The After Dark I was just an HMUA/makeup
effects artist! I’ve assisted and been head of department
on a few different films. How
would you describe yourself as an actress, and some of your techniques to
bring your characters to life? Well I think I’m still trying to figure all of that
out honestly. I try to not think of myself as acting, and
more so just doing it. I try to ask myself “how would I
say this in real life to a friend?” so hopefully it
doesn’t come out as I’m trying to act. I love to ask for
advice from others on every set, and even every scene ask if
there are any notes. I’m open to critique and will always
want to improve with every project.
Actresses (and indeed
actors) who inspire you? Heath Ledger, Austin Butler, Zoe Saldana, Johnny Depp,
Robin Williams, Emma Stone, and Anthony Starr are all actors
that come to mind that have made me believe in their
performance, and admire the work they put into it off
screen. Your favourite movies? Titanic,
Avatar, the whole Star Wars series (I do love
the older movies), anything with Adam Sandler, The Pirates
of the Caribbean series, and almost anything Marvel! ...
and of course, films you really deplore? Since beginning acting, my point of view on making
movies is totally different. Even if the viewer doesn’t
enjoy a movie, they can be SO fun to make. Sometimes it’s
just the movie lacking an area like funding, education,
experience, or reliability. It’s hard to say what movies I
don’t like as most of them carry an aspect I really do
admire. Your website,
social media, whatever else?
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My Instagram/Facebook is @ashleyballoumua -
that’s where I’ll be the most active. I might have other things
launching but you’ll have to follow me to see when/what it
is! Anything else you're dying
to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask? I want to just give a shout out to all the crew on
this. Tom and Kayla are the best. They’re encouraging,
uplifting, and dedicated. Corey is the kindest person and
will always put a smile on anyone’s face even during the
tough times! Shane will make anyone feel welcome and
comfortable. Heather, Walid and Chris did remarkable
even when it was like 20 cast who needed brows on! Josh and
Lola killed it behind the camera AND in front!! Steve was
amazing with helping anywhere including set building and
acting. I mean truly the best crew that doubled up as cast. Thanks
for the interview!
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