Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 8/06/20–
Your latest short film, Sessions with Dr. Quackenbush, won Best Comedic Short, 2019 Network Film Festival. Tell us about your role.
LAW: Sure! The short is about a therapist’s patients and their sessions with her. I play a wealthy Texas housewife whose cheating husband and his lover perish in a “mysterious” house fire. Hmmm..
What role has challenged you?
LAW: I would have to say The Syringa Tree, which is a one-woman show, was a beast. 24 characters spanning ages, genders, and ethnicities, several dialects including Afrikaans, and 90 minutes with no intermission, this show truly stretched my craft and demanded I uplevel myself past what I thought possible at the time.
You won Best Actress, and Janet in The Drowsy Chaperone (Golden Apple Theatre Co.).
LAW: Yes, Drowsy is probably the most all-out fun I’ve ever had doing a show – difficult yet immensely playful and joyful.
How have you evolved as an Actor?
LAW: Wow, how much time do you have? 😉 Each year, each season of life brings evolution if you choose it. So I would say I have become more thoughtful, more compassionate, more grounded, and also am more aware of my boundaries and of the things I need to have to continue growing. Mindset is a big one, too. Shifting my mindset to choose the life I want instead of looking at circumstances as the final say. Ben Bergeron says, “Like everything else, excellence is a habit.” So each day, I want to become better than I was yesterday. Bringing that into each role I get to play impacts that character’s journey and that’s really fun.
Tell us about your starring role in “Crumb Cake.” What intrigued you about this project?
LAW: Awwww, ALLIE! I love her. I was intrigued by her unstoppable optimism, naturally. But also by her relationship with each sister and with her mother. There is something special about our relationships with the women in our life, a bond that’s hard to put into words. I was really excited about exploring each unique relationship in this script. And I can’t say THAT without also pointing out that the chance to work with Carol Ann and Diane as my sisters was just tooooo good to pass up. They are such rich artists and absolutely delightful. I have to bring my A-game just to keep up with them. Anthony is quite literally one of the best directors I’ve ever gotten to work with and he is PERFECT for this project. So intelligent, deliberate, insightful.
How did you prepare for your role?
LAW: In addition to my personal prep work for Allie, and of course rehearsals, we have scheduled time to spend together as a cast, just chewing the fat, drinking wine, getting to know each other. And the crazy thing is, I immediately felt like I’d known them all my life. We just clicked and connected instinctually. And I think that kind of unique prep for this project has made all the pieces fit in a way that normal rehearsals can’t do.
What’s next for you?
LAW: I just started freelancing with an agent during quarantine, and I’m looking to move more in the direction of film and television, so I’ve been updating some of my materials to reflect that. Improving my equipment for self-taping has been a given during quarantine too! Gotta stay sharp 🙂 – so we’ll see where the journey goes!
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