I can’t really remember a time in my life when I didn’t want to be an actor. Barring a 7-year break to focus on music, I spent most of my childhood acting in school plays, and fantasizing about gracing the big-screen one day. My first time on stage was a Thanksgiving play put on by the after school care program I attended. I was so nervous I couldn’t remember my lines, so my counselor wrote them all out on poster-sized cue cards for me. Shout out to Melissa! Sour Party is my first lead role in a feature film.
indieactivity: What acting technique do you use?
Samantha Westervelt (SW): I’ve been fortunate enough to study with many incredible teachers over the years, but the technique that resonates with me the most is Meisner. There is something so freeing about it that I never could quite get to with any other technique. Before taking a break to play music, I studied at Playhouse West for a year. And since filming Sour Party, which really reignited my passion for my craft, it felt very important to me to con5nue my training, and I am currently in the two-year program at the William Esper Studio in NYC, studying with Suzanne Esper.
The Official Trailer for Sour Party Starring Samantha Westervelt
How did you get connected to the project? Did you have to audition? If you did, would still have got the part?
Samantha Westervelt (SW): Michael and Amanda Drexton (The Drextons) are friends of mine. I acted in one of their short films at the beginning of 2021, and they had another short script they wanted to shoot with me. But that summer, some things were shifting in their careers, and in mine too, and they knew they wanted (really, needed) to make a feature. The first scene of Sour Party where we are stealing succulents was actually taken from the short film that we were going to shoot.
In August of 2021, we crashed the story of Sour Party together, and then piece by piece the Drextons wrote the screenplay, and would send along their progress for me to read and suggest edits. It was a super cool, collaborative experience, and I think each of our brains working together to make the story and screenplay come to life is part of what makes it such a rich, deep, yet buoyant and hilarious tale.
Let’s take this project you did; how did you prepare for such a role: the cast, the physicality, the terrain, the climate, weather and the demands of the project?
Samantha Westervelt (SW): It was really such a gift as an actor to also have such a hand in casting the character and the story. By the time we got to set, I knew Gwen so intimately that it really didn’t take too much preparation. Everything was all really leading up to the shoot. I feel fortunate to have a really strong imagination, and to have been on a set that allowed me to feel safe enough to be free in all of my choices. We were a really small crew, and everyone was so encouraging, and really made it very easy for me to do my job.
I also meditated every morning, which helps me connect to my body, mind, and spirit, and opens me up as a channel for the life I get to live that day/reality of the scene. We didn’t really have a lot of time for rehearsals, a lot of it was very on the fly. So just grounding in authenticity and my emotional understanding of the character really helped me stay present.
How do you create the character from a script into a person?
Samantha Westervelt (SW): I have a very vivid imagination, and typically emotionally connect to a story within minutes of beginning to read the script. As someone who has kind of been heady most of her life, it is very important for me to connect immediately to my emotional impulse about something, rather than breaking things down too intellectually at first. And then of course when receiving direction, you play around and adjust. We have to be so agile, emotionally, in this work. I feel like all of my life experiences shape who I am at any given moment, and a character in a script is really just a version of myself in a particular circumstance.
As the main cast in the film, describe the feeling of responsibility that you shouldered. Were you scared? Or did it fire you up? What scenes were difficult to shoot?
Samantha Westervelt (SW): I really loved everything about it. Even though behind-the-scenes was sometimes chaotic, things didn’t always go according to plan, things were always changing, part of this work is to be adaptable. I think I was just so thrilled to be back doing what I love so much that everything about it feels like a gift. I never worried about the responsibility of it. It was my absolute pleasure to work with each of my castmates to tell this story. Even on more emotional days, or intimate days, or stressful days, at the end of it all what stands out to me the most was a pure sense of childlike joy and wonder at the entire experience. I can’t wait to do it again!
What did you take away from the film production?
Samantha Westervelt (SW): That indie film is amazing! It’s a hard business to be in, but no one ever said following your calling was going to be easy. It’s vulnerable, chaotic, messy, but beautiful and so rewarding. I feel extremely grateful to Anchor Bay for picking up the film and giving us a platform to share our art with the world.
What do you like most about the director, and his/her collaboration with his/her team?
Samantha Westervelt (SW): The Drextons were so incredible to work with. They were always so receptive to my ideas, and I felt very honored artistically while we were writing the film and also on set. They created such a safe environment for me to play in, and I am eternally grateful!
What is next for you?
Samantha Westervelt (SW): I have just over a year left in my training at Esper Studio, and I am very focused on that these days, but also actively auditioning and writing a screenplay (or two).
What advice do you give actors regarding what you learnt on the project?
Samantha Westervelt (SW): Trust your intuition and give in to your imagination! Your truth is everything.
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