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Your upcoming morie Stay - in a few words, what is it about?
Paige (Alex Lynn Ward) has a choice to make. Caught in an abusive
relationship with a man, she has fallen in love with her best friend Chris
(Gabrielle Stone). Terrified to leave him she hides who she really is from
the world. Driven by fear and love, they both must learn what consequences
acting off those emotions will bring. While Chris fights her own demons of
the past, will it be too late once Paige finally makes a choice? We are
currently still raising funds for the movie:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/stay--3#
What
will you draw upon to bring her to life, and how much of Gabrielle Stone
will we be able to find in Chris? And have you written her with yourself
in mind from the get-go?
When I wrote this I originally saw
myself as Paige. I've played similar roles that call for great emotional
scenes and a very good girl/innocent feel to her. Once I finished writing
it I knew I wanted the challenge of playing Chris. Although I always find
elements of myself end up in my work, Chris is definitely a different
person than myself. However the beauty of acting is to play a character
that is polar opposite of you, and still find the truths and similarities
between yourself and that character. What were your sources of
inspiration when writing Stay, and is any of this based on personal
experience? No. None of this is based off of personal
experience. However I wanted to write a gritty and compelling drama that
made an impact on people. I have a lot of friends in the LGBT community
and I don't think we ever get the chance to see those dynamic
relationships explored on screen. I also wanted to make a statement about
the seriousness of domestic violence and help shine light on what can
happen if help is not received. How did the project fall together actually? I
had written the script a while back and when a feature film that I was
supposed to work on was pushed back, I decided to take steps to getting Stay
rolling. There's been lots (and still much more) that needs to
happen, but we decided we wanted to move forward to make a compelling
festival drama.
What
can you tell us about your director Roze, and what has your collaboration
been like so far? Roze is an amazing director and I
immediately knew I wanted to have him on this project with me. We worked
together on Speak No Evil that ended up being bought and distributed by
Lionsgate and MonteCristo Ent. I believe he is one director to watch and
his creativity never ceases to amaze me. He is an actor's director and that
to me is vital to the success of a project like Stay. Do talk about your co-stars for a bit,
and to what extent were you involved in the casting process? As
of now we only have officially cast Alex Lynn Ward as Paige. I've known
Alex for years and although I considered different options for this role,
she ultimately was the perfect fit for it. She has such a strength in her
work which I feel is so important when playing a victim. I know she's
going to blow people away with this performance. As far as the other two
roles that are open, we've been reaching out to certain names and will be
releasing that info in the near future when casting has been solidified. As
far as I know you're still in the process of raising funds for Stay
- so what can you tell us about your fundraising efforts?
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Alex Lynn Ward |
Fundraising is never fun, no matter what stage or route you're taking.
Although I have invested some of my own money into the project, we
decided to go the crowd funding way because of the subject matter and
style of the film. I know we want to take it to festivals and in order
to bring the vision to life the right way I wanted to be in control
creatively. We've had a great start on IndieGoGo and hope that people
continue to spread the word, contribute, and share it on their social
media sites.
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/stay--3#
Once
your funds are raised, what's the schedule ... and any idea when and where
your film will be released onto the general public yet, however
tentatively? If all goes well with the fundraiser we plan
to shoot in late July. Post will follow immediately after and we hope to
be submitting to festivals for the 2016 circuit.
You
recently also starred in the movie Once,
When I Was Dead - so what can you tell us about that one, and your
character in it? I play Amelia in Once,
When I Was Dead,
which was a fun and different role for me. The script had a great mix of
fantasy and realism and I loved getting to show a darker side in that
project. From what I hear it's currently making its rounds at the
festivals and I'm interested to see how people perceive and identify with
the story. Especially taking into account that the art world isn't at
all unlike the acting world (which is of course only an assumption), to
what degree could you identify with your character in Once,
When I Was Dead? I wouldn't say I identified with
her from the art standpoint, more of the frustration of feeling like
you're not succeeding in the business you're working so hard in. Although
I love acting, this industry can be very up and down and have highs and
lows, so that I definitely connected with while playing Amelia.
What can you tell us about Once,
When I Was Dead's director Scott W. Perry [Scott
W. Perry interview - click here], and what was your collaboration
like?
Scott was great in letting me find the character
myself which can sometimes be challenging for a director/writer who has
envisioned a particular character for so long. He definitely was very
close to this project and I appreciated how much freedom he gave me as an
actress. What can you tell us about the shoot as such, and
the on-set atmosphere? The shoot was intense and
stressful, which is often the case with shorts since you're trying to get
in so much in such a short amount of time. But our producer Tony [Tony
DeBenedetto interview - click here] was great
and everyone came together in the end to get the project done. Any other current and future
projects you'd like to share? I'll be shooting a sequel to
one of my films later this year (I'm not sure I'm allowed to share which
project as of yet). I will also be starring in Harrison Smith's upcoming
horror film Wretched as well as a few other films that haven't been
announce yet.
What got you into acting
to begin with, and did you receive any formal training on the subject? My
parents were both in the business from the day I was born so I always felt
that was where I might end up. After doing my first film I realized I
didn't want to do anything else. I've taken many different classes with
many different teachers over the years, but am constantly learning and
growing.
What
can you tell us about your filmwork prior to Stay
and Once,
When I Was Dead?
Speak No Evil from
Lionsgate is available On Demand.
Zombie Killers from Anchor Bay is available On Demand.
For a full filmography, check my IMDb:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2740647/reference How would you describe yourself
as an actress, and some of your techniques to bring your characters to
life? I've done a lot of drama in my career so far so I'm
definitely known for my strong dramatic work. I did a comedy earlier this
year and had such a blast on it, I definitely want to start doing more. As
far as technique I approach every character differently but like to get my
energy up, be in the moment, and see where the scene takes me.
Actresses (and indeed actors) who inspire you?
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This
may be an eye roll to some but without a doubt #1 is my mother. Her
performance in Cujo I thought deserved an Oscar. She's taught me some
amazing things that I use (and will always use) in my work. As far as
others I absolutely love Ellen Burstyn (her performance in Reqiuem for a
Dream is still in my top list), the great Robin Williams, Jessica
Chastain, just to name a few.
Your
favourite movies?
Requiem for a Dream, What Dreams May Come, Cujo, Forgetting Sarah
Marshall (yep).
... and of course, films you really
deplore? I don't like to list the films I dislike...
Everyone has different tastes and every film has its own
strengths and weaknesses. Some just more than others :) Your/your movie's website, Facebook, IndieGoGo,
whatever else? IndieGoGo:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/stay--3#
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/themoviestay Twitter:
@StayMovie Thanks for the
interview!
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