Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 2/25/20- Multi-talented Actress, Erika Prevost. who is from Montreal, Canada is not only a great actor, but a dancer and creator. Erika is in the much anticipated TV Series, Dare Me, as Brianna Bradley, a best friend of “Riri’s” (one of the leads) in their “Beth Faction.” Dare Me is airing on the USA Network and soon after on Netflix. Erika will be showing you what a young, high school student is capable of when it comes to surviving in a small midwestern town full of mystery and angst. Everything comes easy to her, popularity, boys and a good time. She is destined to be the head of her sorority (when she goes to college), go to the perfect school and she is one of the faithful soldiers in this series.
What is it about the Arts that resonates with your soul?
Erika Prevost: The Arts is a cathartic medium of expression that allows me to discover and exercise new parts of myself, or come to terms with existing parts of myself. For me, it’s a platform that permits me to unleash both the light and the darkness of my being. I am an actor and every role that comes into my life seems to have a reason for its specific timing. Your growth as an actor is so closely intertwined with your growth as a human. As an actor, you are constantly working your curiosity and empathy to understand your character, which makes you stay curious about getting to know yourself. Then having the bravery to share those discoveries with the world, which exercises your bravery to unapologetically be yourself. I think the real talent is the curiosity, bravery, and empathy that this art form allows you to cultivate.
When were you discovered?
Erika Prevost: I was working as a professional dancer before entering the acting world. I was discovered by the creator of the Family Channel show The Next Step. I thought I was auditioning for a dancer role but I ended up becoming a series regular. I had no acting experience whatsoever but he saw something in me and taught me so much on set. After working on that show for a full season, I was set on changing my career path from dance to acting. Since then, I never looked back.
What is your acting style?
Erika Prevost: I am currently in my last few months of training at the National Theatre School of Canada, where I’ve been learning so many acting fundamentals, which has equipped me with so many tools. But I can’t say I have a particular acting style. I am constantly learning and evolving and what I need on a given day isn’t necessarily what I will always need. I am not striving for consistency in my method but rather a consistency in my self-awareness so that I can figure out which tool will work best for me on any given day.
You will soon be in the much anticipated TV Series, Dare Me. Tell us about your role and why you chose this project.
Erika Prevost: I play Brianna Bradley in the new TV series Dare Me, which is currently airing on USA Network. The show revolves around the dynamic shifts that arises between cheerleaders in a small town upon the arrival of a new it-coach, which eventually leads to a death. It’s a murder mystery based on the novel of the same title by Megan Abbott.
Brianna is a cheerleader on the squad to whom everything comes easily. Cheer, boys, popularity, she’s a natural talent in everything she does but is still constantly craving approval and always wants more. She has a real hunger for climbing the social hierarchy that exists in high school, which sometimes leads her to cause harm to others.
After reading the novel, I was instantly captivated by the project. It’s a story about women’s experiences told through women’s perspective. Thankfully the industry is changing and that theme is more and more explored. But something that made this project stand out to me was how real the depiction is. The aggression, competition, desire and how it could all be so nasty. None of it is on the nose and it leaves you with a vast range of emotions rather than a cookie-cutter lesson. I think it gives the audience a lot of autonomy and sends a more powerful message. And Brianna is so different from who I am in a lot of ways and exploring that kind of character in this kind of world was an opportunity I couldn’t turn down.
How did you prepare for your role?
Erika Prevost: I started by reading the novel and then doing research about cheerleading to dive into the world.
Then to build the character, I started with who I, myself believe to be and then traced myself a journey to how I might have ended up as the person that she is. Because Brianna isn’t a character that’s originally in the novel, I had a lot of creative freedom when it came to building who she is. I also really enjoy using music to get inspiration for roles.
Tell us about your new thriller, Polaroid.
Erika Prevost: Polaroid is a feature film that was written based on the short film of the same title written by Lars Klevberg. He directed it as well and you could really tell how close to his heart the project was. It was such a pleasure to work on a passion project of the kind. It reveals the story and secrets attached to an old Polaroid camera and we eventually find out that the people who get their picture taken by it, will soon die.
I was apart of the opening sequence of the film with Madeleine Petsch and our scenes were what set the tone for the rest of the film, which is an exciting position to be in. It just got released on Netflix and is accessible to everyone so go check it out!
What’s upcoming for you?
Erika Prevost: I’m currently working on a play called Nell Gwynn by Jessica Swale, which is about the first women in the western world to have acted on stage. We are opening this week! After that I’m scheduled to work on a new play by Kalale Dalton. Then I have my fingers crossed for a second season of Dare Me but nothing is confirmed yet so we’ll see!
