Interview: Gwendolyn Edwards (part 3 of 3)
Up-and-coming actress Gwendolyn Edwards shares some thoughts on her first production The Last Confederate and what it’s like breaking into the business.
Part 3 (of 3)
FC: Honestly, if you were to have asked me, I wouldn’t have said that you had just come from theatre. It seemed that you did it so naturally, knowing it now, that it improves the movie. What do you look to improve as you progress with your acting career in film acting?
GE: Because I had never done film, I didn’t realize that I’m naturally suited to do film because of the way I act. I’m very subtle and the things I do are very small, but with a lot of passion behind them. In theatre, you can’t just think something, whereas in film I could just think it, and you could see it everywhere. I loved it. All of a sudden I had this whole new set of tools I could use that I didn’t have. I’m much more suited for film. I’ll always do theatre. Theatre for me is more for fun; it’s more of an acting exercise. I learn a lot as an actor, but I feel like my strengths are in film. When I got this role, I didn’t expect in a million years that I would be doing it. I went and secretly hired a coach and worked with him three days a week for eight months to learn the ropes really fast. I need to attribute some of that to him.
FC: The film it was shot in, what, South Carolina, North Carolina?
GE: Yes, it was filmed in South Carolina and North Carolina and also some locations in Atlanta and Maryland.
FC: Well, it starts out as a regional picture, but gets picked up by ThinkFilm. Most independent filmmakers only dream of getting something like that. What has it done for your career as an actor since you are going into film?
GE: It’s done a lot. Because this is my first film, I quit my first career, did this film and moved out here when it was finished. I haven’t been out here long. Just since ThinkFilm picked it up, it’s added a lot of credibility. It helps tremendously. I’ve been reached out to by two of the top five agencies on the planet, which I’m completely humbled by. I’m not boasting anything and I’m not denying that the great roles are easy to snag, but I can see some of them and I can reach some of them right now. It’s just nice to be on the receiving end of some of that. I’ll try to turn it into some more roles that I can be proud of. I feel like if I was in a modern piece, it would be so much less restrictive on my performance. I just can’t wait to crawl into another character.
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