Elise Jackson Interview
I first saw Elise in the great film Beautiful Dreamer and thought her performance was good and one of the highlights of the movie for me. So thought an interview was a must. So read and find out why this actor is going places.
1. What has been your favorite role to date?
I would have to say my favorite role to date as far as my film work goes would have to be Sherry in the film “Beautiful Dreamer”. That was my first time on a big Hollywood set (we shot my scenes on the Universal Studios backlot) and going to festivals all over the world to promote the film was amazing.
2. What do you do to prepare for a role?
My initial preparation has 3 easy steps – Research, Reflect, and Retail! In order to get into a character I have to dress the part so once I’ve researched about where and when the character is living and made emotional connections to my character through my own experiences, I look for clothes that represent the picture I have of her in my mind. Also, since I am constantly in traffic in LA, music is a big part of my day. So once I’ve got my character figured out, I make a special playlist on my iPod that I listen to during the days I’m shooting or doing character work.
3. Any techniques to remember lines?
You know, I’ve always been good at memorizing. When I was a little girl I would memorize the Disney movies my mom would play for me and recite them back to her word-for-word so I guess I was just born to memorize! I also think my theater background has helped with memorization. In film sometimes I feel so lazy because I don’t have to worry about having the entire script memorized, only the parts that I’m filming that day. In theater, actors have to know all of their lines every show without a cheat sheet.
4. How did you get involved with Beautiful Dreamer?
I got involved with “Beautiful Dreamer” through my grandpa. He was a World War II B-24 pilot and was very active in the veterans groups. One day, a couple of the film’s producers approached him about coming on as a co-producer for the film and he jumped on board. Once they found out he had a granddaughter who was an actress they brought me in to audition. I was really only focused on theater at the time but I had so much fun on set that I decided to veer off into film and as a
result have been a part of some really fun projects! So, thanks
Grandpa!
on “Beautiful Dreamer” was a blast! First of all, any time I get to do
a period piece I love it because it’s really fun to wear different
clothes and hair styles. Secondly, the people on that project were
wonderful. We had so much fun on set together. My on-set-mother Susan
Barnes and I had adjoining trailers so we would pull back the dividers
and chat for hours in between scenes. And then when the film was making
its way in the festival circuit, we got to travel together. One trip
in particular that stands out was when Susan and I went to the Sedona
Film Festival along with Rusty Schwimmer and Barry Corbin. I don’t
think I’ve ever laughed harder in my life than when I was driving around
with those three. They are not only amazing actors but really great
and fun people!
Unfortunately I was only in the audition scene so I didn’t get to wear
the glitzy costumes but I did get to see all of them. Since it was a
big budget movie, my one scene shot for 2 days. The theater set it was
shot in was beautiful and I was fortunate enough to have Cher and
Stanley Tucci there. Just being in the same room as those two was an
incredible experience.
internet has helped my career by enabling me to get my face and name
out to people all over the world. Having a reputable list of my credits
on IMBD, a personal website, and profiles on all of the electronic
casting websites has made it easy for people who see me in a film or TV
show to find and contact me for other jobs.
Through web series, blogs, YouTube, etc. actors can make their work
available for anyone to see anytime they feel like it. This is far more
efficient than in the past where actors would burn tons of DVDs, mail
them out, and pray that casting directors would watch them (which I’m
sure rarely happened – if ever). Instead, the actor can email a link to
their website or reel, which is a much greener way of operating, and
less annoying for the casting directors.
It’s terrible! But aside from that, I don’t like how fake Hollywood
can be at times. Everyone always seems to be out to get something from
you and it can get a little tiring. I do love when I meet quality
people though when I’m out and about because there are some truly
amazing people that are in this town – it’s just a little hard to sift
through all the B.S.ers and find them!
preparation for my characters in theater and film is the same. I use
my Research, Reflection, Retail approach to develop my characters (it
gives me an excuse to shop!). However, my delivery totally changes from
theater to film. In a theater, the audience is obviously far away. My
voice and emotions have to carry all the way to the back row so I have
to play everything bigger in order to do that. For a film, the camera
is right there in your face seeing every twitch of every muscle which
calls for a more subtle and natural type of acting.
Barnes on “Beautiful Dreamer”, as I said before, was amazing to work
with. She was such an inspiration to me when I was just starting my
career and is a truly wonderful person. Also, Colin Egglesfield, who
played the romantic lead in “Beautiful Dreamer” and can most recently be
seen in movie theaters starring in “Something Borrowed”, was so great
to be on set with. You don’t get a lot of actors that are good looking,
smart, and incredibly nice but he’s proof that they do exist!
stereo at the moment?
enjoyed?
LOVED IT!!! I get a little tired of seeing the same thing over and
over again in movies but this was so different from anything else. I
definitely recommend seeing it if you haven’t.
favorite movies are kind of a funny mix: “Dirty Dancing”, “Fast and the
Furious”, “Harry Potter”, and “Funny Face” – I guess I have one in each
genre!
opening scene for a miniseries called “Blackout” that I believe is set
to be shown on NBC here in the U.S. I also have another indie project
on hold right now called “Manhaters” which is a girl-power thriller
movie that will hopefully be up and in production soon. Other than
acting work, a feature-length screenplay I’ve written is currently in
competitions and so far has received rave reviews!
think that Amy Adams seems like such a sweet person so I’d love to work
with her someday. Also, I always hear that I look like a young Diane
Lane so it’d be awesome to do a mother-daughter role with her since she
is so genuine on screen.
