We were lucky to catch up with Aimee McGuire recently and have shared our conversation below.

Aimee, appreciate you joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

Every project I work on, I find some meaning in. Sometimes the material resonates with me on a deep personal level. Perhaps booking that job at that time was meaningful because I was losing steam and considering giving up. Or I meet someone on a job that is really meaningful too. I think everything that comes to us has a purpose.

To date, the most meaningful thing I’ve worked on has been writing a script based on my experience having breast cancer, Breasties. I started writing it while I was still in treatment, and it was a script I had to put down and pick up numerous times because I felt too close to it. However, writing it while things were still fresh and raw has breathed a lot of authenticity and heart into the script. It was important to me to tell a story about cancer that was full and real. There are so many other factors that go into a diagnosis- relationships are tested, perspectives change, etc. There’s also a lot of comedy in tragedy- life has a sense of humor and it’s okay to laugh at it too. In fact, it’s helpful! So, this script is a love letter to my fellow Breasties and was an incredibly cathartic experience writing it. Which is the whole point of art, right? :)

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I was raised in a military family, the youngest of four girls. We moved around a bit when I was a kid but I was lucky enough to grow up mostly in the Albuquerque area. New Mexico is such a beautiful place and I completely took it for granted when I lived there. I never appreciated how rich in culture and history it is. I’m so glad it’s getting recognition and people are able to witness the magic of it with so many productions filming there.

I felt an appreciation for storytelling in general develop at a young age. My grandparents were so great at telling stories and captivated anyone that they would talk with socially. I didn’t know how to harness that skill for myself at a young age. Luckily, I took a drama class because my older sister, Jenn, was in one and naturally, I wanted to be just like her. That connected the dots for me. Acting was such a refreshing way for me to tell interesting stories and it felt really natural to me. So I kept taking classes and doing plays and realized that it’s something that I need to do.

During the pandemic, I was itching for a way to stay creative. I’d dabbled in writing before, but mostly only as a vessel to act. I had story ideas rolling around in my head, but had never executed so with the enormous amount of spare time I was given during quarantine, I decided to give it a shot again. One thing I was very focused on was developing my unique voice. My grandparents had such specific voices, so even hearing the same story told by my grandpa versus my grandma felt like a different experience. To me, that’s one thing that makes a script memorable and interesting. For example, everyone can spot Amy Sherman-Palladino’s voice. It’s unique to her and that’s what makes it special. Since I’ve only been writing for a few years, I’m still finding my voice but the great thing about art is that it’s okay for it to be always evolving. I tend to find the most joy in writing features that are led by interesting, dynamic and funny female characters though, and luckily, we always need more of those stories!

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive society for artists and creatives?

What’s so wonderful about being a kid is that creativity is available and encouraged constantly. There’s so much research on how it helps build really essential life skills. But once you reach a certain age, an outcome or grading of the art becomes tied to it and a lot of young adults just stop using that part of their brain forever. In my opinion, it’s crucial for everyone to nurture their creative side. Art is so freeing and such a wonderful way to explore curiosity with low stakes. You don’t have to paint like Monet to reap the benefits of picking up a paintbrush and playing around. Adults should be encouraged for all the same reasons children are to exercise their creativity. I think if we did that, a stronger appreciation for the arts would exist globally. Where there is appreciation, there is support.

And also, go see movies in theaters. Casual transition, I’m thrilled to be a part of the cast of A24’s Opus, which hit theaters March 14th! It’s a fun ride.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Well, a belief I had to unlearn was that I’m on my own in this business. Being an actor (especially post pandemic in the new world of self-tapes) can feel really isolating. You put a lot of care and energy into auditions, and then you just send them off into a void. It feels like an empty void, but really, there’s always someone on the other end of it. In this case, it’s a casting director. I also try to remember that your self tapes are not the start of the journey for this character or story at all. It started (probably) years ago, when the writer sent a draft into a void. On the other end of that void could’ve been a rep or a producer, etc. Everyone is just a piece of a greater puzzle with the same goal in mind. If you fit into that puzzle, great! If not, you can blame yourself for not fitting into the spot they are looking for. The person on the other end of the void is rooting for you to fit because that gets everyone one step closer to the goal. So reframing that belief has really helped me.Now, as long as we keep humans, not robots on this path, it can continue harmoniously!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://aimeemcguire.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aimeemcguire
• Other: IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3647107/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

Image Credits

A24
Adam Hendershott- CloseUp Crew
Stephanie Girard