Actress/Producer Erin Áine on Following a Group of Bullied Cosplayers Harassed For Being Simply Who They Are and What They Like in ZombieCON
(Read the full Q&A here with Erin on FilmCourage.com)
Actress/Producer Erin Áine on Following a Group of Bullied Cosplayers Harassed For Being Simply Who They Are and What They Like in ZombieCON
Film Courage: Where did you grow up?
Erin Áine: I spent my first 19 years living in the same house in Buckhead, Atlanta. Life at home was like one continuous theater production — there was always room for playtime, theatrics, love, team activities, imagination, learning on the go, the unexpected… I have very supportive parents and a wonderful older sister. We are a tight knit family with a lot of love for each other, heart and laughter. I was fortunate to have a wonderful childhood.
Film Courage: How did you get involved in acting?
Erin: Whew! Can’t answer this because I literally have always been performing — really. When I was 3 and my family was on vacation, my dad signed my sister and I up for the local North Carolina town’s talent show. My act: tumbling, because I’d just learned to somersault and of course I did the show and even jumped into Kitsy’s act too! I’ve been in choir and theater productions since I was 5 years old, and added TV/Film/Commerical acting when I signed with a talent agent at 12. I feel alive, at home and strangely at ease when I’m performing, and it’s always been that way. I’m lucky I have had supportive family to encourage and foster that passion.
Film Courage: Upon graduation, was it a tough decision for you to pursue a Hollywood career? How supportive or concerned were family and friends before doing it?
Erin: Ha! I think I got ahead of myself and answered this in my last answer! My family and friends were very supportive, thankfully that’s never been a problem. The tough part about graduating early to move to LA was the fear that comes with leaving what you’re most familiar with in exchange for the unknown. But even then, I had already spent long periods of time in LA and knew for certain this was the only path I wanted to take — so I embraced it. Those earlier LA trips included 2 stays during pilot seasons, in which my mom literally dropped everything to live with me in a one bedroom Oakwood Apartment for a month so that I could audition. After a childhood of chasing my dreams, growing my career inch by inch and sometimes having to live across the country from family, the ‘big move’ after graduation wasn’t something I was uncertain about whether or not to do; I just knew it was my next step.
Film Courage: What character was the toughest for you to change into?
Erin: That’s a tough one! My role in Quarantine 2 had some unique challenges — I played a German tourist and in many scenes we were given the opportunity to improv lines. Thankfully I’d memorized a long list of phrases in German in addition to prepping my lines and accent (I had never spoken German before booking the role), but it was very challenging to stay fully in the scene, while racking my brain for translations on lines I wanted to improv! The roles I play are most often heavily emotional, dramatic characters, so I’m used to the character work being demanding, I love that aspect! A female tossed into a sudden, life or death scenario, usually involving a supernatural threat… it seems most of my roles have all been preparing me for ZombieCON.
(Read the full Q&A here with Erin on FilmCourage.com)
