Interview with Actress Amy Halldin

Photo by: V.K. Rees

I've had a chance to meet some really special people along the way in my career. Back in 2007 I met the lovely Amy Halldin when we were both selected as HUGO BOSS promotional models. Amy is one of those special people who's truly a triple threat between her acting, modeling and singing she's really done it all. Personally, I've always wanted to try acting but never had the opportunity to really pursue it.

I'm fascinated by actors and recently had a chance to interview the super talented Amy and get an insider's perspective into the industry. 

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Hey! Ok, well I was born and raised in central Massachusetts and grew up a "theater nerd" so to speak. I was obsessed with movie musicals and performing for my family members and teddy bears. I remember for my 8th birthday we had an "Ariel" come to me and my sisters birthday party and I made her sit and watch me perform "Poor Unfortunate Souls". Now as an actress I work random side jobs sort of similar to that, so I can only imagine how unamused she was.


2. How did you get involved in acting?
Well I grew up doing community theater and plays in high school and it wasn't until I took a class trip to NYC to see my first Broadway show that I realized I could actually do this for a living. It was that day I decided to become an actress.

Photo by: V.K. Rees

3. I see from your online acting resume that you’ve done a lot of theater work, Film/TV as well as commercial. Which one has been your favorite to work on?

It's interesting, I never saw myself doing film and TV work when I first started acting. I think it's because my first love was the stage and that is where most of my training was, and believe me, I LOVE theatre, but I have really been enjoying learning all about the art of film acting and what goes into auditioning for commercials. And to be honest, the money in commercials is mind boggling. So, I guess to answer your question stage was my first love so to speak, and I will always love it, but I am in a new relationship with film and TV, and it's new and exciting and I am really enjoying that as well.

4. What kind of roles do you prefer?

I like playing all sorts of roles, but I mostly like to play woman who have sass and gumption and balls. I like playing strong women. Probably because I am one.  

5. Are you working on any current projects?

Yes, I have my hand in a few things at the moment. I just started filming my first feature film called "Delusions of Guinevere". It's a dark comedy and I am having an absolute blast!

6. You have quite an impressive acting bio. Can you tell me more about your skills set?

Oh, thanks! Well, I love to sing and do music theatre and I grew up dancing since the age of 5. I really want to do action films so I have been training really hard at the gym lately with boxing, circuit training and running and I also really want to get trained in firearms. I love comedy too and I have been training in improv. It's one of the scariest and most freeing things I have ever done. Oh, and I also have a mean Boston accent.  

7. Which actors have been sources of inspiration for you?
I am a huge fan of comedy. Like, obnoxiously huge fan. I love silly comedies with Kristen Wiig and Will Farrell, Steve Carrell, really anyone with a great back round in improv... I also love Julianne Moore, I mean, the woman can do it ALL. Oh, and Toni Collette. Good lord. Have you seen United States of Tara? She is actually a genius. I watched all three seasons in a week. 

8. Tell me about a favorite project that you had a chance to work on.
I worked on the musical The Who's Tommy at Arkansas Rep a few years back and I played Mrs. Walker. It was just an amazing time in my life because I was in love and in an amazing rock musical and I was working with an incredible cast at a great theatre. I felt really blessed every night to share the stage with such a talented company and sing the most amazing music and I was really proud of the production. I just look back at that as a really fulfilling time in my life. 

Photo by: The Arkansas Rep Theatre

9. What has been your biggest achievement in the field of acting?
That's a hard one because things can be achievements for so many different reasons; financial, artistic, personal. But, I am really proud to have recently booked my first national SAG commercial... so I'll say that.

10. Can you give a few tips on how to be a successful actor?
I guess the biggest tip would be to love what you do. I know that sounds SO cliche, but it's true. This business is hard. And I am not just saying that because people say that. I have cried and cried and cried and said I was going to quit a million times, and it's so hard to pour your heart out at an audition to not even have someone look up at the table. There's so many reasons why people say show business is the hardest business in the world... so be sure you are going to happy on this labor of love!


For more information about Amy's work visit: www.amyhalldin.com