INTERVIEW with ALEXIS MERCER: “Don’t get discouraged that things don’t happen right away.”
Alexis Mercer grew up in Western Australia and began a love of acting after visiting the theatre as a child. She has previously studied at Theatre at Curtin University, after moving to the UK she also began studying at the Identity School of Acting and has been enjoying the sights and weather in London in between jobs.
Thank you so much for interviewing with us! Can you share your story on how did you get started in the film industry?
I always loved to daydream and had an active imagination, I always wished I could disappear into the shows and films I watched. Acting gives me the opportunity to do just that.
Who are you grateful for your success and can you share a story about that?
One of the people I’m grateful to would be James Berlin, former director of the Western Australian Youth Theatre Company (WAYTCo). I was doing well, but he was just so supportive and really helped me find myself and pushed me to keep going.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
I think the most interesting was during the Perth Fringe Festival as part of WAYTCo. We did a devised piece that was interactive and all about the human experience and how we connect with each other. One part was simply sitting and talking to an audience member for two minutes about a small story we had about connection. It was amazing to experience different people’s reactions and experiences.
What has been the biggest challenge in your career so far? How did you overcome it?
My biggest challenge so far has been moving to the UK, back in Perth it’s so much smaller, but over here there is so much more to do and so many more people that it can get really overwhelming.
The biggest thing I do to overcome that feeling is to break down what I’m doing into smaller pieces and to focus on those. It allows everything to slowly come together.
What do you do to prepare for the role?
Knowing the location, period, and social setting are three of the fastest things I find that immediately start my understanding of the character and their world. I then like to read and research about that period to gain a greater understanding of the setting.
I like to look at where they start and where they finish and how they get there overall. This allows me to examine how they got there and find details about certain reactions or reasonings they may have, as well as how they are able to change over time.
Build a backstory. Sometimes you’ll be given a character’s full backstory which is great and gives something interesting and in depth to work off, other times I get to create my own. Having a backstory really sets the foundation of who the character is and why they have certain goals and ideas. It’s always important to be able to know who you are creating, even things like their favourite food or least favourite colour can come in handy.
Once I start to understand the character, I like to write a journal as them. It isn’t always detailed but just journaling their thoughts and/or feelings can help me to find their voice and get to know them better. Once I start, I find it really helps to get a feeling of what they think, not what I think they should say or feel.
Meditation, I always like to meditate, just to calm myself and help get into the right headspace for a role. I will often meditate the morning of filming or sometimes during long breaks, just to help calm myself and get inside the character’s head.
What methods or techniques do you use to find truth in your character’s behaviour?
My go to is during the breaking down of a script into four categories — what others say about my character, what they say to my character, how my character interacts with others, and what my character says. I look at them all and then see where and how they all connect if they connect. It really helps me find when they are lying if they’re telling the truth and why.
What are your top 3 tips for actors that are starting?
1. Make sure you want to act because you love it, not just because you want to get famous
2. Don’t get discouraged that things don’t happen right away
3. Find an acting style that works for you, don’t use one simply because you were told you should or that it’s ‘the best’
What has been inspiring you lately?
I’ve just been focusing on what I want to continue doing and why I want to be an actor, keeping that all in my mind has really helped me recently.
What movie would you recommend watching and why?
My go to currently is definitely ‘Dungeons and Dragons’, it’s a great fun adventure film that perfectly captures the experience of playing D&D and is fantastic for those that play D&D and people that have never heard of it. It’s just a great film and amazing adaptation.
What is one message you would give to your fans?
Thank you for your support, I love you all and I hope I don’t let you down.
How can our readers find you online?
You can find me on:
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9166204
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actor_alexis
