CALYPSO CRAGG TALKS AN AMERICAN IN AUSTEN

Interviewed by Culture Coast Talks editor Daniel John. Interview transcripts might have been edited for length and clarity.

Since you began acting at nine, did you realize early that acting was it for you?

Well, I feel like I have always known. It just feels like it’s such a big part of who I am. I remember being very young, about four and always performing alongside every film I would watch. My parents only ever allowed me to watch old Hollywood classics, so I would dance around our living room, dressed in a flamenco dress. Copying Ginger Rodgers and Fred Astaire. I would become fixated and obsessed with certain films and I wanted to live the characters’ lives so badly, and I felt so much jealousy, that I could not. They were never actors on a screen to me, but instead wonderful, exciting characters.

Is there something you can point to and say, “That is why I am where I am creatively today”?

Good question, there is something I can point to, and for me it is classical music, it fuels me creatively in so many ways imaginable. I think being a creative requires so much dedication and persistence and there's something about classical music that always reminds me of why I am doing this.

Hallmark will have a bit more mainstream appeal but you started by making a name for yourself on the indie scene, presenting your own projects in the festival circuit. Did you feel like you were taken seriously doing that as early as you did?

I loved filmmaking. It is such a challenge. But also so incredibly satisfying. Yes, I do think I was taken seriously and because of my age people seemed to hear what I had to say more. I think it gave me a great USP. I wish I had started filmmaking earlier. There is so much fun, and freedom to be had and youth comes with so many advantages when it comes to creativity.

What was it about taking your seat at the picnic of Clare Niederpreums picturesque ‘An American in Austen’ that drew you in. This being both a re-telling and re-imagining of the world of Jane Austen?

Working on a 'Pride and Prejudice' adaption was quite surreal for me, because for as long as I can remember I have always dreamt of being in a period drama. If you had asked me when I was younger what my "ideal film" to act in would be, it was always 'Pride and Prejudice'. I used to even make regency-inspired dresses when I was younger. Just to feel like one of the characters. So, you can not even imagine my excitement when I found out I booked this job. Wearing the dresses, and shooting in most magical locations, was just a dream come true. Add the most hilarious, joyful, and beautiful cast and crew, and I had the time of my life. I can’t even put into words how amazing everyone is.

Literally ‘Pride and Prejudice’, but seen through a modern lens that quite naturally reality checks the romanticised view of the original, the novel did after all turn 211 years old this year. How did you want to play Mary Bennet with that in mind. Did you look to play her as traditionally was written, or is there anything you see as off-book in your portrayal of her?

I wanted to play Mary as traditionally as possible, so I did quite a bit of research into her character. I managed to discover Mary’s world through music, reading, and watching other actresses "take" on her character. Knowing her inner thoughts inside and out helped, knowing where in the body she would hold tension in social situations, and how she would breathe, and hold herself. To me, she was like a mystery I was obsessed with solving. Of course, I soon discovered my reflection in her. After believing we were worlds apart, getting to know her so intimately, helped me bridge the gap between us. Acting alongside my wonderful castmates tied the whole thing together. Because they played their characters so perfectly, I was able to give Mary a place and a setting, and fully allow her to come to life. I also did a lot of research into female etiquette at the time. Mary is incredibly traditional and religious, so she behaves with a slight arrogance towards her least favorite sisters. Jane Austen is known for being an observer of the human spirit, and most importantly, of women. All of her work contains so many clues as to how women behaved back then.

Is your own writing a way of finding out who a character is?

My writing is absolutely something I use when delving into a character. I write essays about who I am playing, as if I were them in another life. To feel like I am someone, I need to trick myself into believing I know them inside and out, also writing lists of things Mary loves and hates was very helpful in getting to know her unconscious world.

Are the dream and purpose with acting still the same for you now as when you started or what meaning does doing this hold for you now?

I would say my views on acting have changed. Before this job it was starting to feel like a dream I could never live. I wanted it to happen so badly but I just wasn’t getting luck. Until I did. Now I know with much more certainty that I want to do this job for the rest of my life. If I can do it every day, even better. I now believe that becoming a full-time, professional, actor could, just maybe, become a reality for me. I would love to get back into filmmaking a bit more and explore that as I am a little older as well.

Which characters and stories would you dye your hair for?

In terms of telling stories in general, I look forward to playing as many varied characters as possible. If that means cutting all of my hair off and dying it pink, count me in!