PHOTOGRAPHY: SARAH PARTAIN
How did you come about being casted for Ambitions in the first place? I self-taped for the role of Lori a month prior to being cast. By then, I had completely forgotten about the audition. I got a call on a Thursday that I was put on avail and when I didn’t hear back with a final word on Friday, I knew I hadn’t booked it. The weekend went by and I had a trip booked to Mexico for Dia De Los Muertos on Wednesday. Monday I got a call that I booked the role and the next day I was on a flight to Atlanta. Oprah still owes me a trip!!! How would you say relate to your character Lori? I think over the last 2 years I have really come into my own. I have always believed that I was a pretty confident person but it wasn’t until more recently that I really developed a strong self-awareness. I know this because had I been given this role 2 years ago, I would have struggled a lot more with it. Since Lori IS so confident, there was no room for nerves or self-doubt when playing her. It was challenging but I also believe that it made me more confident as a woman and as an actor. I relate to how guarded Lori is. Lori doesn’t like showing weakness and because of that she always has a wall up. When she does try to express emotions, you sort of see her reluctance in doing so. I relate to that. Lori is definitely on the wild side of things, how would you personally describe her personality. I don’t always agree with everything Lori does but I respect that she says what she feels and goes after what she wants. Sure, she knows how to get a rise out of people, but I think it’s empowering. She is unapologetic, but also incredibly smart and witty. She’s wild, but it’s always calculated. What’s something you miss the most from set? The people. Working on set is like going to Summer camp. You’re around these people for 16-hour days and they truly become family. Shooting Ambitions was the first time I had ever been to Atlanta and it was such a pleasure working there. Because of where Georgia is geographically located, the people there have this East Coast edge and sass mixed with this sincere level of Southern hospitality. I love it. Any funny stories from set you can share with us? Since there are so many different plots and families on Ambitions, most of us were working with the same characters throughout the season so everyone has their own stories. The “Lip Lick” scene that you saw between Kayla and me (Carly & Lori) was actually the first scene that was shot of the entire season. I had just met Kayla for the first time 2 days prior and we had a 3am calltime that day. Will Packer was there watching and I nearly wanted to crawl inside of my skin and hide. It was probably one of the most intimidating mornings of my life. But that was also something that I had to immediately recognize and shut off because my character Lori IS so confident that I knew I couldn’t show those nerves. It was very empowering to overcome that.
MODEL: MCKENNA NEWELL MODEL: MCKENNA NEWELL PHOTOGRAPHER/MUA: CAITLYN HASTINGS PHOTOGRAPHER/MUA: CAITLYN HASTINGS