AUDREY NEAL TALKS STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS
"There's going to be times you want to quit"
Daniel John
In ‘State of Consciousness’, a man learns the power of hypnosis and uses his new skill to get what he wants in life, even the things he hadn’t realized himself. You never know what lies underneath. Exploring themes of greed and lust, free choice, and the lack of it, what hypnotised you about this film?
This film really originally drew me in, or shall we say hypnotised me (laughs), because I really liked the role of Sarah. When I read the script, I knew she was a brave girl who is all around a good person. She loves her friend Mahal and Mahal’s little brother Minco, she is always there for them, which unfortunately ends up not working out in her favour. Then when things get really intense, the exploration of all said themes was exciting. I knew the fate of Sarah, but I was ready to bring the real emotions of going through what she does to try to survive. That’s something I truly love about acting, is we get to experience others’ stories, we get to walk in their shoes, even if the movie isn’t actually based on a true story, we know that humans still experience similar events, feelings and tribulations. I believe every character I’ve played has made me more empathetic and brought a deeper understanding of others’ situations. (Laughs) Sorry for any spoilers I might have mentioned!
Was it an intense experience to get where you needed to get into the mindset of Sarah. Not much goes her way?
Honestly, I’m one of those people who can kind of turn on and off their emotions. When I’m on set, until I hear action, I’m laughing, dancing around and chatting with the cast and crew. The moment the camera is rolling, I dive into character, especially with intense roles such as this one. Yes, sometimes I have to have a moment of solitude prior, but most of the time I don’t like to stay in a mindset of heavy subject matter like this for too long. I have to say, for the more intense scenes in this movie I did not prepare really as much as I just let myself be in the moment when filming. I studied Meisner in school at New York Film Academy, and it’s very much about letting oneself be in that moment. For those scenes, I was actually tied up and I actually did get dragged from my car, so it was very easy to feel like it was real. Rest assured, everyone on-set made sure I was completely safe, though. One funny moment was my shoes kept flying off while I was being dragged and we kept having to do re-takes, but it happened every time, no matter how hard I tried to keep them on, so it stayed in the movie.
There isn't much room for subtlety. You really have to go there, and you do in a fearlessness way, giving it your everything. Was it a challenge knowing when to hold back?
Thank you very much for the kind words, I appreciate it. When acting, I don’t like to hold back much because if it feels right to me and what Sarah or any of my characters are experiencing, I give it my all. The only thing I tried to hold back on for this specific project was tears, because Sarah is so fearless and strong that she wouldn’t let her weak side show. Even in the hardest of situations. So I tried to keep that in mind when filming those harder scenes. It does get draining when I have to film those difficult moments and I have cried after the camera cuts to let all of that emotion out. I do love it though, so it’s all very much worth it.
How do you deal with "control" in your own career, would you say you’re someone who lives in the moment, and is happy to go with it, or do you feel a need to be in control rather than simply accept what’s given?
I would say I split the difference between the two. I am a very, go with the flow, be in the moment kind of person because I love to appreciate the present and the people I’m with or the environment I’m in. On the other hand, I am a virgo and a true one at that, where I need to have some sort of plan so it is not entirely chaos in my life. So pretty much, when I know the plan, I’m in the moment (laughs).
Being named after Audrey Hepburn it seems like it was all set out for you to act, was it something you got into early on?
Yes, it was in fact, it’s funny because I always joke with my parents that they named me after Audrey, so they pretty much set my destiny for becoming an actress. I just hope I can live up to her one day.
When was it you really started to work?
I got into acting around the age of seven years old. I’m from Columbus, Ohio where there are many big brands, such as The Limited and Schottenstein’s. I modeled for those companies, I did a Christmas Foot Locker commercial where I played an elf in Santa’s workshop, appeared on many toy boxes and I even did a McGraw-Hill science book where my dad portrayed the teacher one time. Also, at that time, my sister was living in Santa Barbara, attending college. We went to visit her and while we were there, we happen to get to enjoy an exciting and lively street festival where they crack cascarónes, these hollowed out eggs that are filled with confetti, over peoples’ heads. I remember enjoying it so much, that I looked up at the palm trees with the the colorful, little pieces of paper all through my hair and said, “I am going to move out here and act when I’m older” and that’s what I did. However, I did happen to come across a few momentary lapses of career change growing up, as everyone has to explore that. I know at one point, I wanted to be a doctor, or a lawyer because I love biology, science and I was great at debate. But I decided I could do it all by playing those in movies or on TV. So, now I’m fully a hundred percent into acting, writing, and hopefully even directing, at one point.
You landed your first major role in the 2014 Keegan-Michael Key-vehicle 'Teacher of the Year', a very different film than this. What did that mean to you, at the time?
Oh, that’s a great question. Well, I was so excited to be on that set. Everyone was so kind, professional and Keegan Michael-Key is absolutely down right hilarious and such a great person. Everyone on that set was. I was just so thrilled to work with veteran-actors, like Matt Letscher, Keegan, Sunny Mabrey, Brenda Strong, Jamie Kaler, and so many other wonderful names. Also the director and his wife who was a producer on 'Teacher of the Year', Jason and Lainie Strouse, were absolute dreams to work with.
What would you tell the actress you were then now?
What would I tell her now? “Keep going, you will get there. It’s going to be tough and there will be times you want to quit. Don’t. You got this, baby”. And arguably, I’m not near where I want to be in my career yet but I know that it’s coming, I just have to keep working as hard as I can towards my goals.
Having acted since you were little, did you always have that needed persistence, or was that something you learned with experience?
I think its something that I’ve learned over my career, especially once I moved out to Los Angeles. It’s unfortunate because being out in LA, you see so many actors come out here, try for a bit then give up and move home. I’ve seen it happen to numerous friends, but I never let myself do that, it just isn’t an option. People always ask if I have a backup plan, nope, this is the only plan. I did have wavering thoughts many years ago when I was younger, and we all get stuck in a plateau here and there but I believe it’s really like any other career where being persistent, never giving up and knowing that even the most successful people in every different industry, all have been rejected many, many times. They stayed consistent, kept trying and that’s what made them successes! I’m trying my hardest to live up to that, as well.
