I was a shy child and to help build my confidence, my parents sent me to weekend drama school around age nine. As my interest grew, I went to the odd professional audition and booked a couple of very small things. However, it wasn’t until around age fifteen that an amazing teacher joined my school and changed everything for me. She really believed in me and cast me in the lead roles.
She created amazing opportunities for us, including: performing at the National Theatre and The Edinburgh Fringe. I was hooked, but I was still nervous about pursuing drama without any kind of ‘back up plan’, so decided to study geography at The University of Nottingham. On completing my degree, I was still drawn to acting and I went on to do a postgraduate acting course at Drama Studio London and have been acting professionally ever since.
indieactivity: What acting technique do you use?
Marie Everett (ME): I read and re-read the script, noting all the ‘clues’ that build a sense of my character as well as the subtext of scenes. I spend a lot of time imagining past events of the character, which allows me to create a greater affinity with them and know how to authentically portray their behavior as the scene unfolds. By creating all these memories, I can go into the scene totally present and able to respond instinctively to what the other actor/actors bring to the scene.
How did you get connected to the project? Did you have to audition? If you did, would you still have got the part?
Marie Everett (ME): I had previously worked with Nicholas Winter the director on a feature film and a couple of shorts. He offered me the role quite early on in the process without auditioning. This meant I was able to watch the character evolve with each draft. I’ve never actually auditioned for Nick so I have no idea if I would have got the job!
How did you prepare for the role?
Marie Everett (ME): Between being cast in the role and filming I had a child. So, I worked with Emma Titelbaum to help me create the physique of how I envisaged Maya.
How do you create the character from a script into a person?
Marie Everett (ME): I was struggling with this on our first day of shooting, but Nick helped me with this a lot. I hadn’t worked for a while as I had just had my baby and was feeling unsure if I had ‘found the character’. When my confidence was faltering and I was questioning my choices he said to me ‘you are the character, it’s you’.
This was a good example of how the right words for the right actor from a director at the right time can be so game changing. Something switched in my head and it was like he gave me permission to totally take ownership of the character. Which may sound silly as really who else is going to! But it was an important mental shift for me which allowed Maya to become a real person and not just words on a page anymore.
What part of the story challenged you when you read it? What drove you to get on the project?
Marie Everett (ME): An element of Maya’s past changed significantly in the final draft and suddenly my character risked being disliked. This felt scary to me and was something important that I needed to navigate as both a person and an actor. In the end, this challenging part of the script brought more depth to the character, actually making her easier to play and completed her. It taught me that if it scares you lean in, that’s where the good stuff lies.
Explain one creative choice you took on set of this production?
Marie Everett (ME): The night before shooting the final scene the final words that Maya should say to close the film came to me (or the gist anyway). It wasn’t anything ‘new’ as such. We had been discussing the ending of the film a lot throughout the filming and suddenly I just felt I knew what needed to be said. When I shared my idea with Nick, he allowed me a few takes to improvise this ending and it made the final cut. This is the first time I have ever done anything like that.
You’re not new to indie films. What do you enjoy about the work that keeps you working?
Marie Everett (ME): When the budget is low, the creativity and teamwork are even more critical to make an interesting and successful film. If the mix of people is right there is so much joy in the process and collective achievement.
Give an example of a direction you received from the director during the production?
Marie Everett (ME): When I was unsure about the vibe of a pivotal scene, Nick played a song to illustrate what he envisioned. The music instantly took the whole cast to the place that Nick intended.
How did you collaborate with your cast members from scene to scene?
Marie Everett (ME): Most of my scenes were with Chynna Walker. She is a great scene partner as she is always totally free in what she does. We would talk before scenes about what they meant, what was happening, but never about how we will do the scene. The dance always played out organically in front of the camera.
As the main cast in the film, describe the feeling of responsibility that you shouldered?
Marie Everett (ME): I felt a big responsibility during the most intimate scenes. As the lead and the oldest member of the film I felt it was import to bring confidence to these scenes and also make sure everyone else was feeling comfortable.
What did you take away from the film production?
Marie Everett (ME): Who you work with is everything. It is the people leading the project, not the budget that set the tone on set.
What do you like most about the director, and his/her collaboration with his/her team?
Marie Everett (ME): I like how he gets shit done. This is not to be underestimated. You can work with a very talented director who is not sensible or practical and in the low budget world that can be disastrous. You need someone who is both artistic but also a realistic pragmatic doer. Without this, things can go awry and make for a terrible work environment.
What is next for you?
Marie Everett (ME): I shot an American series Pilot as a series regular so now we wait to see if that will get picked up.
What advice do you give actors regarding what you learnt on the project?
Marie Everett (ME): Don’t shy away from things that scare you. When something is challenging and pushes you out of your comfort zone, interesting things start to happen… you often surprise yourself.
Tell us what you think of the interview with Marie Everett. What do you think of it? What ideas did you get? Do you have any suggestions? Or did it help you? Let’s have your comments below and/or on Facebook or Instagram! Or join me on Twitter.
Socials
IMDb
Twitter
Instagram
ACTOR INTERVIEWS
