DIORA BAIRD TALKS WITCHY WAYS
"Fearlessness tends to fade as we age"
Daniel John
'Witchy Ways' intertwines the realness of loss and heartbreak with mystical fantasy. What was it about the words you found on the page that cast a spell on you first reading the script?
The script got my attention immediately based on the name alone, I am a fan of witch-themed films, and the fact it had a female director attached really interested me since I have mostly worked with male directors. No offense to men but working with women is definitely a goal.
Eve doesn't seem too sure of what she is in search of, or at least not what she is hoping to find. How did you see her pilgrimage?
The character I portray, Eve, is very much at a transitional place in life having to let go of the past in order to move forward. The loss of her mother is a huge motivation for Eve to make a change in her life.
Despite their witchy ways the energy between you all feels so good and positive, how was it getting into that energy and flow with everyone on set?
The energy on set was truly magical in its own way, which is a very special experience. Some of my most favorite projects to work on have been the smallest of films with the least money attached because everyone is there for the love of creating art, creating magic.
How did the magic of acting first find you. How early on was there a nerdy little thespian Diora Baird?
I’ve grown up modeling and acting since I was a child, so I was always on camera in some capacity, but it was the theatre program in my high school that really got me hooked on the “acting bug” and I've pretty much been working in the world of make-believe ever since then.
This film conveys a theme about being brave enough for change, risking the old and familiar for an unknown that might just be even better. How do you handle embracing life’s changes?
Embracing life-changes is something I have gotten quite good considering the life of an actor is always changing and evolving. Filming in different cities, states, countries, and so on. As well as just being a human in this wild world. My goal is to live in the present as much as is possible, taking it day by day.
On that note, moving out to Los Angeles at seventeen to make the magic real. A bewitching charm gone wrong so many times?
Looking back at my time moving to LA in pursuit of my dreams at such a young age is definitely something I am still in awe of. The magic that comes with youth is a level of fearlessness that tends to fade as we age, so I am grateful I was so willing to follow my dreams of acting, as crazy as it may have seemed. Everything I had to navigate is what helped me become who I am today, so I think even the struggles served its purpose and I choose to live without regret because that would be pointless. We learn by making mistakes and I could write a book of all my mistakes (laughs).
What is the magic of it nowadays. What opportunities are you passionate about and inspires your full dedication?
My current energy is less career driven and more family focused. I am loving living in a quiet chapter filled with raising children, cooking, nature, and just really soaking up as much simple life as possible. Getting to slow down and spend as much time with my loved ones is my favorite kind of magic right now. That being said, I know there will be a time in the near future where I will get the itch to act and create again, perhaps I will finally write that book I've always desired to write, only time will tell.
