gal pals because no one asked me. I was told to my face that guys did not like me. It was confusing and hard to navigate. I was lucky to have a wonderful arts program at my school to throw my whole self into, but I definitely wondered what was wrong with me. Hannah is 26, not 16, so for her it’s not as big of a deal. But I relate to her on that level.
I also relate to Evie. She has a supportive family that loves her, she excels every time she applies herself and she is well-liked by the community. From an outside perspective, she should be perfectly happy, but she’s not. Because I was inside her head, I know her pain was justified. She suffered a trauma, as did I around the same age, and that has emotional repercussions. But I also believe that teenage angst played a role into her leaving her family in the dramatic fashion that she did. I share those dramatic tendencies and the need to sometimes sit with deep pain for arguably longer than necessary. I also understand being spiritually confused, and full commitment to something I believe in.
"If a little boy or girl can look at the TV screen and see me being bad ass and strong and say, “That person looks like me,” I’ve accomplished something I am proud of."
What is your dream role?
Vera in August Wilson’s "7 Guitars" is one. Either female lead in “In The Heights” is another. I know once I’ve done both of those though, I’ll be looking for my next dream role.
What about the acting world drew you to become an actress?
The original draw was fame. Don’t get me wrong, I have loved acting since I was born, but as a kid I was lonely and desperate for attention and thought that being a famous actor / celebrity would fill that void. Now I'm no celebrity, but I’ve learned already that thinking is just not accurate. Nothing can fill “the void” as I like to call it - the human emptiness all of us feel - aside from self love and self acceptance. That’s hard and takes years. I’m only just beginning my self love journey. But realizing that has been freeing and has given me the ability to love acting simply for the love of acting without the pressure to try and “make it.” Fame drew me to become an actress, but an overwhelming need to create and tell stories has allowed me to stay.
What are your favorite types of roles to play? I see you play in comedies but you also play some serious roles.
My favorite type of role to play is any role that challenges me. I love deep dark dramas and I also love comedy and making people laugh. If something scares me and stretches me, it is automatically one of my favorites.
Which of the characters you have played can you relate to the most? Why?
I relate to Hannah in the film not yet released “Before You Say I Do” directed by Kevin Conner. Hannah likes herself, is happy as the friend who is always available and gives excellent romantic advice. She always wears a smile, but she's lonely. In high school I was well-liked by my peers and had friends on every level of the hierarchy - the jocks, the nerds, the theatre and choir geeks (me), the band kids, the academics (me depending on the subject), the language kids, the kids in art class, even the teachers… there was no one that outright disliked me to my face. But I couldn't get a date to save my life. I was homecoming queen but went with all of my