Paris Warner, A Voice of Hope for the Voiceless in Finding Grace

Hi! I’m Paris Warner and I play Alaska Rose in the Finding Grace. I’ve been acting for about 13 years now. I was always watching movies as a kid. I became obsessed with the film Death Becomes Her when I was 8 years old. Like I basically had the script memorized. And then I got very attached to the idea of the blonde woman (Meryl Streep) and started studying her films particularly.

I guess that’s the moment the actor in me was triggered. The moment I found out who Meryl Streep was and what she was capable of. My mom started me in acting camps shortly after that where I fell in love with musical theatre. Then shortly after that fell in love with theatre in general. Then at 14 I booked my first film role and continued in that direction. All 3 have a huge place in my heart but I’m focusing on film and television for now.

indieactivity : What acting technique do you use?
Paris Warner : For the past few years I’ve been studying under a strictly imagination and empathy based technique. I find substitution and some forms of sense memory to be very limiting for an actor because our lives and experiences as actors are just that; limited. I find that using empathy and 110% stepping into another persons shoes and imagining and creating all the specificity of THEIR lives as dictated by the writer to create a new world is so much more beneficial to the story and to the capacity of an actors empathetic embrace as a human.

indieactivity : How did you get connected to the project? Did you have to audition? If you did, would still have got the part?
Paris Warner : This project actually kind of found me to be honest. The director and producer had seen some of my previous works and they enjoyed them so much that they invited me on board without having to audition. I’m not sure how many other girls auditioned for the part but I’m sure there were a lot of close calls and it was a difficult and well thought through choice on castings part. A lot of the time it all comes down to past training, preparation and luck in my opinion.

indieactivity : 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?
Paris Warner : I actually got to take a lot of time analyzing the script and my dialogue within it because fortunately I was given a few months notice to prepare before filming. I did table reads with friends and workshopped some of the scenes in class. I don’t like to rehearse too much though as to prevent dialogue from sounding robotic or linear at all.

indieactivity : How do you create the character from a script into a person?
Paris Warner : I don’t approach a character in a script as someone who isn’t already a part of who I am. We’re all people and we all have unlimited interpretive frameworks that we can see the world through. I believe as human beings we already have all of the tools and experiences that have ever existed inside of us to be able to tell any story through empathy. We’re all made up of stories and my story is just as valuable and valid as anyone else’s.

indieactivity : What part of the story challenged you when you read it? What drove you to get on the project?
Paris Warner : There were a few challenges that came up along the way but in having an open and collaborative dialogue with the director and writer we were usually able to come to a compromise or a solution pretty quickly. What drew me to the script is that when I read it I saw a lot of opportunity to show a new perspective on some historically controversial topics and I felt that a lot of messages in the story could initiate positive social change in the world. I’m always all for that.

indieactivity : Explain one creative choice you took on set of this production?
Paris Warner : I believe that this set and our team were always very open for collaboration and compromise and creative freedom was always encouraged. We were always throwing new and exciting ideas around and I felt like we really made something unique.

indieactivity : You’re not new to indie films. What do you enjoy about the work that keeps you working?
Paris Warner : It always comes back to empathy for me. Our collective consciousness as human beings. I think every story is worthy of being told and it’s my job to be a vessel for those stories. A voice for the voiceless. A mirror for the broken. If I can help another person from feeling alone or to heal through the art of storytelling… that’s always a win in my book. No matter the story.

indieactivity : How did you collaborate with your cast members from scene to scene?
Paris Warner : All of the cast members brought their own unique flare and style to the story. And they were all very open to collaboration and play. I always had a lot of fun on set and enjoyed everyone’s company!

indieactivity : As main cast on the film, describe the feeling of responsibility that you shouldered. Where you scared? Or did it fire you up? What scenes where difficult to shoot?
Paris Warner : It can be very intimidating playing the lead role in a film. Because ultimately there are a lot of things that are out of your control and a lot of trust has to go into the team. A lot of audiences see the main faces on the poster and put all of the weight and responsibility on the main actors to make sure the film is perfect. But what they don’t realize is how many people have to work behind the scenes to make the project truly sparkle. Actors are only a percentage of it. There were a few scenes where I had to go to some dark places and those are always tricky to live up to the responsibility and truth of. But I felt that I was in a safe environment to go to those places and that is so important on a set.

indieactivity : What did you take away from the film production?
Paris Warner : That at the end of the day things can always be better and you can always grow and improve in someway on your craft. Nothing will ever be perfect. But as long as you’re telling a story that has the ability to touch the hearts of others that’s all that matters!

indieactivity : What do you like most about the director, and his/her collaboration with his/her team?
Paris Warner : Warren was always very kind and respectful to me and the team and he had a very collaborative spirit. I always felt I had a lot of artistic freedom and could talk to him about anything without judgment or ego involved.

indieactivity : What is next for you?
Paris Warner : Since filming Finding Grace I’ve moved out to Los Angeles to explore greater opportunities in a larger market and I’m loving it so far! I have the best team of reps and I’m training with a rockstar coach named Diana Castle who speaks my language and is always pushing me to be my best and explore my limitless potential.

indieactivity : What advice do you give actors regarding what you learnt on the project?
Paris Warner : Always try your best and know that acting is a craft of continuous and never ending growth. Don’t get down on yourself if you feel like you could’ve done better, it’s because you can! You will never have enough time to do complete justice to an entire life someone has lived when you’ve only been exploring their life for a few months or weeks. But if you have a growth mind set and don’t let yourself be swayed by externals you can make something beautiful and affective.

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