I’ve been fortunate to work with a string of incredible indie directors and actors these past few years. “Where Hearts Lie” is a feature film which features Malik Yoba, Clifton Powell, and Taral Hicks and it came out this year at Ocktober Film Festival. My character is Sheila (Ebony Obsidian), the enemy of sorts to the lead character, which gets a bit, crazy. “Tough Love” is a web series that drops this fall about life and love in the city between a group of six friends. Throw in some therapy sessions, or rather confessionals, and here comes drama! “Traces: A Post Traumatic Love Story” is a slightly aggressive short cushioned by dry sarcasm and I play Amber, a young ex-EOD, bomb disabler, whose only chance at fitting back into the regular world is forgetting the real one. “Punkin Pie” is an incredibly emotionally charged story about the relationship between mother and daughter in a household where the father figure is extremely twisted. They are subjected to an irreversible amount of physical, emotional, and psychological abuse and the arc of the story is Katrina, my character, trying to save her mother without destroying herself in the process.
You haven’t seen Episode 3 doe 😳 https://t.co/9L3QYMPi9W 👊🏾❤️ #ToughLoveOnline pic.twitter.com/CAtjDoSRda
— Ebony Obsidian (@EObsidian) December 9, 2015
Did you study acting
I kind of fell into acting actually. I’m a singer, always have been. But I had been listening to the radio one day, which I never do, when I was like 12 and there was an audition in a nearby city which then sent me to Philadelphia. I found myself on a stage in front of just over 1,000 people acting out a monologue, which was new and scary but a major high. I knew I needed to be better though, so I graduated high school early, saved up, packed up, and moved to NYC from upstate NY. There I studied at The William Esper Studio, a phenomenal conservatory.
What acting technique do you use
The William Esper Studio teaches the Meisner technique. In essence it’s an acting style derived entirely from your imagination. You don’t use your past to create emotion, you create “memories” or current situations to create emotion. Because you can never run out of imagination you have complete freedom. You could do the same play over and over and it would never be exactly the same.
What wrong impressions do actors hold about acting
I am very grateful to have worked with a lot of actors who just get it. They understand that acting is hard work, they constantly fine tune their instruments (themselves), because they know they can’t fake it. I think there is a huge misconception that everyone who gets in front of a camera is an actor, and that’s just not the case.
Do you take courses to improve your craft
It is incredibly important to keep continuously be growing as a human being, and the same goes for acting. I have taken all of the above and will continue to do so. I previously referred to the body and mind as the actors instrument, and like an instrument if you don’t practice, you can never become a better artist.
How do you keep fit as an actor
I find that, among consistently studying my craft, peacefulness keeps my mind in shape. It allows me to soak in all that I’ve learned, marinate in it, and then step back into the next project. In terms of keeping my body in shape, healthy food, sleep, exercise. Healthy food, sleep, exercise!
When you’re offered a role, what do you do next
Speak to any writer or director I’ve worked with and they will tell you, I am the queen of questions! Being a writer it is so easy to fill in the blanks, but it’s important for me to understand the intended impression a character is to make. I love backstory. Backstory is responsible for the present state of a character.
How do you take a character in a script to a honest, believable and breathing person
You can never judge your character. Any of their decisions must be justified and no matter what I’ve done in a film, I can always justify why it happen. I can always understand that human decision that may have been their downfall and why they didn’t see it coming a mile away. That makes it real, when it’s real to you.
How do you stay fresh on set
Once I am committed to a character, it isn’t hard to stay in character. Everyone on set is in their zone, so I can easily stay in mine.
Describe a memorable character you played
A very memorable character I’ve played is Katrina from “Punkin Pie,” a very dark film coming next year 2016. Although our lives are worlds apart I had so much in common with her, like on a very personal level. So when I had to honestly put myself in her shoes it broke my heart because I could have easily been her. The consistent fire, or as some would call it, stubbornness, she wields in the face of everything and everyone trying to destroy her mind body and soul is beyond astonishing to me.
Explain one creative choice you took on set
I recently shot a film called “Twelve Dollar Words,” in Rhode Island. My characters name is Treasure and in one particular scene an argument is taking place, one of the many arguments in the story. The actor opposite me ends up throwing a backpack at me and it lands right on my feet. A tense silence, and then I kick the bag back in his face. When the scene cut the director was like, “I mean, I didn’t write that but I loved that!”
What do you want most from a director
I most enjoy working with Directors who have tunnel vision on the vision. The ones who can see the desired outcome, but then give you the freedom, or rather space, to interpret and get to that outcome. I think it’s very important to have a goal for what you want to create, what you want to leave behind when the story has been told.
What actors do you long to work with
Wow, that’s difficult. So many incredibly talented actors exist. But off the top of my head James McAvoy. He’s got this kind of subtle way of getting his points across, no matter what they are. Even with his less calm characters, if you watch closely, it’s still there and it’s electric. I truly enjoy watching him work.
What advice would you give to actors
In terms of giving advice to aspiring actors, it’s simply to keep growing. In all aspects of your life because it allows your artistry to grow as well. If ever you feel like you aren’t good enough, don’t let it make you quit, let it make you work harder. Nothing worth having is easy.
Briefly write about your career
Ebony Obsidian is an American actress born and raised in the small town of New Paltz, NY. She studied at the William Esper Studio and in less than a year of being in the city, she created a name for herself in the Indie world.
In Director Tony Lindsay’s award-winning feature “Where Hearts Lie,” Ebony plays Sheila; a snippy, slightly bitter, rich woman, alongside seasoned actors Clifton Powell, Malik Yoba and Taral Hicks. In the soon to be released short film “Traces: A Post Traumatic Love Story,” Ebony plays Amber, an ex-EOD who’s having a hard time adjusting to real life.
Ebony earned her first lead role in Director Allen Redwing’s; one of Variety Magazine’s “110 Students to Watch,” film “Punkin Pie.” The story follows Katrina, a young girl living with family that push far beyond the point of forgiveness, and her fight to save not only herself but the one thing she can’t live without. Outside of film Ebony had the opportunity to work with multi award-winning Director, Writer and Choreographer Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj in the world premiere of the documentary play with music “Black Footnotes.”
Up next is the controversial web series “#NoHomo” which has been covered in Pop Glitz, Towle Road, and Cinema Stalker articles to name a few. On November 10th the series “Tough Love” drops in which Ebony plays Alicia, a young entrepreneur who knows how to hold her man down through the toughest of hardships.
As Ebony puts it, “good things come to those who wait, great things come to those who don’t.” She continues to challenge herself through her role choices and is eager to take on the next mountain worth climbing.
