Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Amelia Mahrie. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Amelia, thanks for joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
Growing up in a secluded little Wisconsin neighborhood surrounded by trees, deer, and wild turkeys meant that my imagination was my best friend. I got up to all kinds of creative mischief with my three siblings: we’d design our own storybooks, crawl around like cats, and play “little lost kids in the woods,” which sounds rather psychotic—but don’t worry, we always stumbled upon “abandoned mansions” and “puppies that kept us company,” so we were in good hands. (Wait until I tell you what our Barbies got up to.) Imagination was something I always relied upon, and it felt most natural to transition into a creative field that allowed me to keep exercising this skill as I got older.
It was while living abroad in Malaysia and Germany that I discovered theatre and what tremendous joy it brought me being a part of a story told to audiences. When I moved back to Wisconsin in 2020, I didn’t have a theatrical outlet or community available to me, so I turned to film. Upon deciding to pursue acting professionally, student films and short films quickly became my “acting education.” At this time I had never taken lessons regarding how to act on camera and so the whole experience was an experiment: “Could I do it?” Four years later, with over 60 film credits to my name, I’ll say I can.
Amelia, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Actor, screenwriter, producer, casting director, script supervisor, production assistant, social media manager, the list goes on. I like to consider myself a sponge when I’m on set or on stage. Everything about the entertainment industry excites and fascinates me, and I’ve found that the best way to figure out your part in all of it is to just throw yourself head first onto the roller coaster.
I got my start on independent casting platforms such as Actors Access and Backstage. Every day I was submitting myself to projects begging anybody to look at my acting materials, even if these “materials” consisted of a solo shot of myself from family photos that I was using as a headshot. Self-tape requests slowly started rolling in and eventually, I found myself on a film set for the first time. I skipped school for it and drove out to a forest preserve in Illinois with my mom and on our first filming day we shot… nothing. Something about experiencing a heat wave while in an empty field outdoors didn’t mix well together. But my excitement wasn’t the least bit impacted. I had gotten to watch them build the camera, try on my costume for the first time, and listen to all the “film talk.” It was a language I didn’t yet know, but I was determined to learn.
This past summer, I had the absolute privilege of attending the Cannes Film Festival as a short film of mine was playing at the Marché du Film. Reasonable Doubt, directed by Daniel J. Pico was created for the 48-Hour “Yes We Cannes” Film Festival that our Wisconsin team, Pico Blvd Entertainment, was invited to compete in. The film covers a car accident that resulted in the death of a child and the four college students responsible for it. There’s something so unreal about watching your film in front of a live audience, and I feel so incredibly honored to have festivals accepting films that I’ve been a part of. Lint, another short film of mine created by Gabe Leistekow, just recently premiered at the Midwest Film Festival’s Emerging Filmmakers Night held in Chicago. There’s an astounding amount of talent in the Midwest and my dream list of collaborators has grown tremendously after witnessing their films.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
Vanity Fair just recently released an interview with Kate Rhodes James, the casting director for HBO’s “House of the Dragon,” and I don’t think I’ve turned it off since. In her interview, James discusses how she discovered all of the actors within the show and almost all of them she had known of prior to casting. Specifically when talking about Emma D’Arcy, who plays Rhaenerya, James reflected that she had first been introduced to them through theatre, and every time she brought D’Arcy in to audition for a role, they gave consistently impressive performances. “… I was on like a mission to find the right thing for them,” James remarked in the interview.
I know that I personally get very in my head about auditions, and when I don’t book a role, I feel as though I did something wrong. Additionally, what I feel like every actor who is not born a nepo-baby on the West coast struggles with is getting seen by the decision makers. Watching James’ interview was an incredible reminder to me that a) staying consistently strong — whether or not you book the role — creates an effective narrative in itself, and b) someone is on your side even if you don’t see it at the moment. There are casting directors out there who remember you and are patiently waiting for the perfect role to come across their desk that they know you’ll be the right fit for.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The relationships and personal connections that I build on productions is what lives with me afterwards. I thrive in ensemble settings, and acknowledging the fact that everyone is coming together to tell one story and complete the same project sparks spirit into me. There’s something so special about looking back on past films or shows and remembering the people behind it, our inside jokes, and the sheer amount of trust we had with one another. You build a very specific kind of bond with fellow creatives when you’re in the vulnerable environment that is acting and storytelling. I haven’t found anything else in this life that can replicate it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ameliamahrie.com/
- Instagram: @ameliamahrie
- Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12911407/
