Be proactive and creative and pave the way for yourself, build your own success.
I grew up as a “Military Brat” traveling around the world quite a bit! I was very creatively inclined and took interest in many different art forms. Dance was where my love of performance began and to be honest, it just kind of grew organically from there. I studied Jazz, Ballet, Tap and Contemporary dance from the age of 4.
I eventually started to earn speaking roles in musicals, and plays. I believe my first role was in The Nutcracker. I played a mouse, a flower and a snowflake! The Nutcracker is a ballet, but this version of the production had a few speaking roles and bits of dialogue between the solos and ensemble dances. I believe my first line was “For shame, for shaaaaame!” I continued to dance for 14 years and steadily became more and more drawn to the art of storytelling in the world of theatre and film. Every time I saw a performance that blew me away, it reaffirmed my commitment to being an actor and storyteller.
So many inspiring performances from my childhood and teen years from Kate Winslet, Cate Blanchette, Naomi Watts, Meryl Streep, Jodie Foster, Hilary Swank, Charlize Theron, Glenn Close, Sigourney Weaver and Jessica Lange- to name a few, really had a remarkable impression on me, they were my first teachers so to speak.
On set today filming LAid @LeahMyette @courtney0livier @cest_la_vyvy @MayaStojan #behindthescenes #actorslife pic.twitter.com/3w0CgcrsLR
— C. Ashleigh Caldwell (@AshinHollywood) June 14, 2015
Did you study acting
I can’t point to one instance or situation where I mentally remember thinking- “I want to become an actor!” It was always just there. I always felt that it was in my heart, I can’t remember a time where it wasn’t. I can’t remember ever wanting to become anything else or NOT knowing”I am going to be an actor when I grow up”.
I auditioned for one of the most prestigious BFA Acting schools in the country, Florida State University. It was the only program I auditioned for, because I knew if I was truly meant to do this, I would get in and I did! The BFA Acting program at Florida State University was phenomenal! I learned so much about the human condition, about being authentic, about people- it was absolutely life changing! The BFA program there teaches from all the acting greats and allows the student to incorporate whatever “method” or approach works for them in that moment.
We started with Stanislavski then learned different approaches from Lee Strasberg, Meisner, Utta Hagen and Stella Adler. For voice and breath work, which in my opinion were the most instrumental and life changing classes, we studied Kristin Linklater and later -Patsy Rodenburg. Knowing and experiencing the major works of influential playwrights that have shaped the theatre is an important element to being an acting student. We took several years of learning and performing Classical, Shakespeare, Chekov and Early American Realism, as well as Contemporary American Theatre.
As a part of my BFA program we spent an entire fall semester in England studying and experiencing some of the world’s greatest Theatre! I went to 10 other countries during that time and I was constantly inspired by the world around me and grew so much as an artist! Every play I saw inspired me more and more, every performance made me feel so connected to the world around me, it was truly incredible!
What acting technique do you use
I think for me it is important to have as many tools in your box as possible. So I am grateful to have studied the major great “methods’ of acting in college. For me, I love the use of imagination and experiencing the world you have created with your senses! I think imagination and specificity through the senses is the root of great acting and storytelling. Therefore, Stella Adler and Uta Hagen have hands down given us the greatest approaches to the craft. Not that you can’t use aspects from the others or shouldn’t learn the others.
I love how important the breath, voice and body are with these methods. I love the emphasis on imagination and creating an experience or a world for yourself. I love the emphasis on the senses- specifying the smells, images, touch, tastes of your environment. But you have to create these with a connection to your heart, not a cerebral academic, left brain oriented way.
You have to create these images, tastes, sounds and smells in a way that moves you to tell incredibly difficult stories. With these approaches, you have to be connected to your breath and body, you have to be listening and responding to the other person as well.
What wrong impressions do actors hold about acting
Acting is not psychodrama. It is not using and forcing your own experiences into a role. That is far too small and limiting. Why would you rely on your own experiences, when your own present life experiences are so small compared to what you can do with the power of your own imagination? Imagination- once you create it and live it- is just as real as your own experiences, they become non distinctive from your own personal memories once you create them, it’s incredible! So acting is not thinking about something traumatic from your personal life, while you are in a scene and trying to force out a result, rather than living truthfully in the moment.
Do you take courses to improve your craft
Diana Castle is amazing! She really takes the power of imagination to the next level. Her approach is based off of empathy, and expanding our capacity to empathize! We accept the circumstances as our own and create the world with our own imagination. There is no distancing ”the character” from ourselves. We don’t use words like the “character” or “scene”. We accept the circumstances on our own without judgement, without the need to understand them from a cognitive/logical sense. As a high empath I really learned so much about myself,the world and storytelling in a spiritual way!
What acting books do you read
Respect for Acting- Uta Hagen, The Art of Acting- Stella Adler, Acrobat of the Heart- Stephan Wangh, The Four Agreements-Don Miguel Ruiz. Those are just a few, I still have a chest full of all my college books but acting isn’t something to be intellectualized for the artist. So I don’t like to over examine it from an intellectual standpoint.
Once you read them, the knowledge stays with you and you can refer back to it when necessary. I always feel that it is more creatively fulfilling to play and revert back to a child. I like this approach rather than intellectualizing acting and approaching it with ego- which can understandably happen when you read and stay cooped up too much. You have to free yourself up as well.
However, knowing the craft is everything and going to college gave me 4 years of amazing education- I am really thankful I had that time!
How do you keep fit as an actor
We studied yoga in college, mostly Ashtanga Vinyasa and Sivanananda . These are great ways to stay balanced spiritually and physically. Meditation implements focus and inner peace, which can be difficult to maintain in this industry. Affirmations and declarations are important. Visualizing is Key. Those practices are going to drive actions from you. I love Buddhism, and its teachings, I encourage all artists to explore it on a deeper level and you will be amazed at the changes you begin to see in your life!
When you’re offered a role, what do you do next
Personally I like to read the script several times. Then I put it away and create,create, create! I create all of the sensory details and memories that really fuel me emotionally. Images are extremely important, so I spend a lot of time on those. I believe all the clues are in the script, so I refer to it and use it as a guide to create all of the memories and past interactions with other people in the story or other events. I create details about other people in the story. What they smell like, the way it feels when they touch me, do I kiss them? What do they taste like? What do they sound like? Do they sound different when they speak to me? what do their eyes look like when they look at me, how these things make me feel etc. I just create the world I play in from there.
How do you take a character in a script to a honest, believable and breathing person
Well I begin by accepting the circumstances as my own. I already am a living breathing person, and through empathy I can experience all things. I don’t create distance by saying “The character”. If I am playing Salima in the play Ruined by Lynn Nottage, then I am Salima. I was kidnapped from my village, I was raped by rebel soldiers, I watched a soldier murder my new born child. I feel abandoned, I miss my husband, I long to hold my baby. I create all of the memories and experiences for myself through use of my senses. What my baby smells like, how does her laugh sound, what the weight of her in my arms feels like, is she soft? This world I have created, these memories are very real to me, they don’t feel any different than the experiences I’ve had in my own life!
That is the power of empathy and imagination. As I create, I like to go back to the script, adding specificity in areas I didn’t spend much time on, everything I create has an emotional connection, I don’t create details that are random, they are specific and have a powerful “hearts connection” as Diana would say. I don’t do things that are left brain oriented. I don’t write notes, or remind myself of what result I am supposed to achieve with every “beat”, line or any heady actory schmactor type stuff.
How do you stay fresh on set
Well, because I believe character is something you have, not a “thing” to be, and that the “character” is within me already I don’t really stuggle with this. I think you just have to apply your focus, and set yourself in the world you have created. Smells are very powerful, so are tastes they put me right back into the circumstances of the story. With imagination everything is so flexible, so there is no fear of losing something or not being able to go with certain changes a director may be asking of you. I just have to think about what my environment smells like, what the air tastes like, or a visual image that puts me right back in.
Describe a memorable character you played
Right now I am playing Seven, on a show called Laid. Its about 5 women- best friends living in LA and dealing with life. My favorite thing about the show- other than the amazing writing and multidimensional women we get to be- is that the cast is completely lead by women and the production itself was created by women. The topics are very frank and range from sex, to relationships, to professional strife. It’s awesome when you get to work on a project that gives an honest depiction of complex young women enjoying and supporting each other. This production will be released in 2016!
Explain one creative choice you took on set
I really love to play with wardrobe and surprise people! A lot of times, you won’t have too much freedom over the way in which you get to tell the story but they do sometimes ask for input from you as far as aesthetics and wardrobe. I love playing with that! It helps me bring something new to the way I physically move and behave in each particular story. For one film I was supposed to be a badass walking around the house in my bathrobe-so they asked me to bring something sort of edgy attire but I brought Hello Kitty house shoes! They had the big cat head on them and everything! We used black tape and put x marks over the Hello Kitty eyes and that became such a fun staple for that story! I have a gold certification in stage combat, so I also got to choreograph fight scenes for two other films I had lead parts in. The directors gave us free reign to create whatever story we wanted with the choreography, so that was a blast!
What do you want most from a director
I think communication is key and going into the project being on the same page with one another is really important.I feel like so often we hear “If you don’t get any feedback, you’re doing an amazing job!” However, coming unto a set hearing positive feedback can be reassuring because sometimes an actor can feel really out of the loop! If we don’t get any feedback at all we think; “Well, I felt good about it but the director didn’t say anything, maybe it’s not what they want, maybe I should change something, try something new.” So every now and then I think it is great to give both positive feedback and criticism. After a few takes, it’s always nice when the director says, “Okay, I’ve got what I think I want and need, now it’s your turn to play around a bit”-then it feels even more collaborative!
What actors do you long to work with
Jessica Lange
Why
Coming unto the scene Jessica Lange was a very striking woman, who came across so strong, but also with a lot of vulnerability. Her performance in Frances speaks so well to that. She has such a strong presence, which I can relate to, she tells her stories with such power, even when they are heartbreaking.
What advice would you give to actors
Be willing to create your own content to serve as a vehicle for yourself as an actor and the stories you want to tell! Be proactive and creative and pave the way for yourself, build your own success.
Briefly write about your career
I am a recent graduate of the prestigious BFA Acting program of Florida State University! It is here where I received extensive training in Classical, Period and Contemporary Theatre, while staring in several Graduate productions for the renowned Florida State University School of Motion Picture Arts . I continued my extensive training abroad, as the BFA program provided a semester at the London Theatre Academy. Here, I played Anne in Richard the 3rd at the famous Globe Theatre, as well as Queen Isabel in Richard the 2nd at the equally famous Tower of London. Being in London and performing on those stages were life changing and really reinforced my love for theatre and the relationship between the actor and a live audience! While abroad, I also earned a Gold Certification from the British Academy of Dramatic Combat, the only female that year to do so at the London Academy.
As a military brat and self-titled “Globe Trotter”, I enjoyed travel in 10 other countries, learned French and continued to cultivate my love for adventure, culture, people, film, theatre and the world of storytelling! Prior to my graduation, I booked a series regular role on a sci-fi pilot titled VEER. It is slated for release in 2016! I am looking forward to that show along with another role I booked shortly after as a series regular on a TV series called LAid. I have continued to book print modeling gigs and explore all avenues of this wonderful adventure! I am as excited as ever for what’s to come!
