Friday, April 1, 2011

An Interview with Actress Scarlett O'Neil

You may not recognise the name "Scarlett O'Neil," but I suspect in a few years you will. Scarlett O'Neil is a talented young actress who has already appeared in commercials, short subjects, independent films, and in the major motion picture Piranha 3D.  Following is my interview with this up and coming star.

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Terence: Now many people might think you were named for the old comic strip character, Invisible Scarlett O'Neil, but that's not the case. Who were you named for?

Scarlett: Actually, a lot of people think I was named after Scarlett Johanssen. I'm not sure why. She is only a few years older than me, so that wouldn't make much sense. I'm glad I'm not named after her. I'm not convinced that's even her real name. Anyway, I was named after Scarlett O'Hara from Gone With the Wind. My mom loves that movie. My older sister is named Tara after the plantation, and my younger sister is Bonnie B from Scarlett's daughter. Out of the three names, I personally think I have the best one. It's also funny because I was the only one of the sisters that has brown hair like Scarlett O'Hara.


Terence: How did you become interested in acting? And have you always wanted to be an actress?

Scarlett: I've wanted to be an actress as long as I can remember. I was watching the Rugrats one day when I was little, and it came to me that I needed to act. It was really strange how suddenly that feeling came over me, and it's been with me ever since. I want to act because it's another world. It's a world of fantasy where anything can happen, and I love that. That is the only reason I've modelled as well. Modelling is acting without words to me. I don't consider myself to be a hot swimsuit model, but I can pretend to be and it works.

Terence: What have you done so far as movies and the stage?

Scarlett: I've done more theatre than film. I acted in a lot of school plays during high school, and I did a few church stories in college. I can't really remember the first film I did. Isn't that strange? My first photo shoot was when I was 18 years old, and I was acting officially soon after that. I was featured in Piranha 3D, and I have done countless independent films such as Monique and Hollywood Gamble. Hollywood Gamble was my first film that I made in LA, and I hope to make many more soon. My main goal is to act in film, but I wouldn't mind acting in television as well. I've been meeting with casting directors so hopefully something good will happen soon.

Terence: Are there any arts besides acting that you have pursued, such as writing, singing, dancing, etc.?

Scarlett: I haven't pursued anything else as a career if that's what you mean. I'm not sure if modelling counts, but modeling was never my dream job. I do that to build a fan base, and it does help me get noticed from casting directors. I do love to write though. I have a lot of followers on fanfiction, but I try to keep that world separate from my acting world. I love to write. I also love to dance and sing. I did Irish dancing when I was younger, but I prefer ballet. I also love horseback riding.

Terence: What movies have inspired you in your life?

Scarlett: That's a hard one. I don't know if any movies have actually inspired me. I know that certain people have, and stories throughout history inspire me every day, but I don't know about a film. I think all movies are amazing. When you sit back and think about it, we are actually watching real people through a little box in our family rooms. That really is mind bobbling, and I'm sure if we traveled back in time 100 years, people would never have believed that this could really happen.

Terence: Is there any particular genre of movie in which you would prefer to act?

Scarlett: It doesn't matter to me at all. I'll act in anything. My favourite genre right now is horror, but that is because I am trying to find a movie that will really scare me. Casting directors have told me time and time again that I am perfect for the girlfriend type, and so I will probably be playing a lot of those. I'm also double jointed in both arms which basically means I can break my arms on command. Horror movie directors LOVE that. In every horror film I've done, the director was like, "In this scene, we're going to break your arms". It's classic.

Terence: What actors have inspired you in your career?

Scarlett: Well, my favourite actress is Vivien Leigh. If she didn't play Scarlett, I might not have gotten my name. She was a brilliant actress, and she was beautiful. She took acting seriously, and she wanted to act since she was a child as well. I also love Lillian Gish simply because she was one of the first actresses to perform on film, and she was talented. I think I am partial towards the old actors like Buster Keaton and Mary Pickford simply because they were the first. I also love Judy Garland and Clark Gable. As for the newer actors, I think Nicole Kidman and Catherine Zeta Jones are amazing. Alex Reid from England (Beth from The Descent) has a promising career, and Johnny Depp continues to inspire me in everything he is in. I also love Matthew Gray Gubler, but that might be because he is adorable. =)

Terence: Okay, now for the big question. How many times have you seen Gone With the Wind?

Scarlett: Does anyone really want to know that? I think I have seen it more times than I can count which is sad seeing as the movie is over 3 hours long. I also have the behind the scenes edition, photographs, letters from set, interviews, and the dolls. Isn't that fun?

Terence: Any closing thoughts?

Scarlett: I had a fun time with this interview. The questions were interesting, and I love to talk about movies. Any of the readers can feel free to add me on Facebook, MySpace, or follow me on Twitter. Just look up my name and I am the one and only. =)

xoxo



1 comment:

Unknown said...

Good work!