Next up on our Actor Highlight series is Emily Geary. Emily is basically a supermodel and got into acting through modeling.
To add to the legend of Gretchen and Gretchen’s Lock another story has been told about a bride who was left at the alter that is within a 15 minute walking distance from Gretchen’s Lock. There are many versions of the Esther Hale story so I decided to incorporate some of those ideas and create my own rendition. I wanted Esther’s character to be a distraught, lonely, and heartbroken bride that evolved into a sinister being.
Due to scheduling conflicts Emily was unable to make the auditions so she submitted a video audition. I literally got goosebumps as I watched her audition for the first as I saw her transform from a sad, frail, brokenhearted girl to this vindictive, vengeful woman. I felt like I had to look over my shoulder to make sure there wasn’t anything there creeping behind me.
Emily has been a featured extra in The Last Witch Hunter, Banshee, and The Outsiders. She is the lead actress in a new country music video called “Countrified” by The Stickers that you can check out here: http://www.cmt.com/videos/the-stickers/1271010/countrified.jhtml. She has also modeled for Pittsburgh Fashion Week, Tampa Swim Week, as well as many other fashion shows throughout the country.
Emily has done promotional work for GNC, Nemacolin, and has been featured in many magazines including Fahrenheit, Glady’s, and was on the cover for The Wig Company. She is also the host for StickersTV.
You can learn more about Emily here: http://modelemilygeary.wix.com/emilygeary
Here are the questions we asked Emily:
MPF: What was your favorite part of filming for Gretchen’s Lock?
Emily: Of course the actual filming and getting to work with such an awesome cast and crew was amazing and was such a great time. But my favorite part was actually getting to film at the real site of the legend. Often in films, the location is just a set made to look like the real place, but in our case, we got to film on the actual grounds of where the legend took place! This made the acting so much more real because, for me, there was an added eerie feeling!
MPF: Did you know anything about the local legends of Gretchen’s Lock before auditioning?
Emily: Growing up in the Pittsburgh area, I’ve heard about “Gretchen’s Lock” many times. A lot of my friends made it up to the lock a few times but I never got the chance to go until we filmed so I was really excited about that! The actual legend of my character, Esther Hale, was new to me when I heard about the role. Getting to research Esther and learn more about her story before filming was very interesting and made the whole legend even better for me!
MPF: Do you believe in ghosts?
Emily: I’m very much a believer in ghosts! Growing up I was always interested in ghost hunting and Ouija boards. I’d love to have an actual encounter.
MPF: What’s your favorite role you’ve ever played? (Don’t worry; it doesn’t have to be your role in Gretchen’s Lock). 🙂
Emily: Acting is very new to me, I’ve been modeling for a while now and that’s where my focus is. In the future I would love to get more involved in acting, as of now playing Esther was one of the only major roles I’ve done and I loved it! I’ve done background work and I’m core background for the WGN Americas series Outsiders which is so much fun, I spent the majority of my time last summer with the cast and crew and got to be a part of so much of the show, it really made me realize how much I enjoy being on set and want to pursue acting!
MPF: Which actor(s) inspire you?
Emily: Margot Robbie is my favorite actress, she is an inspiration to me in many ways. She is a beautiful and talented actress. I’m also very inspired by Julia Roberts and Sandra Bullock, they’re both very talented women, along with so many others!
MPF: What’s your favorite movie of all time?
Emily: I’ve always been very interested with the Holocaust. It’s one of the saddest things in history and so hard to believe that such horrible things existed. I’ve taken classes, read many books, have been to the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC., and have even had the opportunity to visit the Dachau concentration camp in Germany. With this being said, one of my all time favorite movies is The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. It’s a must see movie!
MPF: What are a couple of your hobbies?
Emily: As I mentioned before, I’m a model, so this is what I spend the majority of my time doing. I guess this is considered my career, but when you love your job so much you can still consider it a hobby, right? With this, I get to travel to different places all the time and I just love traveling and meeting new people and seeing new places! Recently moving to Florida from Pittsburgh, PA to pursue my career I left pretty much everyone and everything I know, getting time to visit home and spend time with friends and family is a real treat to me as well!
MPF: What made you interested in acting?
Emily: Unlike a lot of actors, I had different interests growing up and I didn’t participate in school plays or acting lessons. It wasn’t until after graduating I realized this was something I was very interested in. Modeling lead me to acting when different films called for models, once being on set and getting to watch the actors do what they do best, I knew immediately I wanted to get more into acting.
MPF: Favorite color?
Emily: This is kind of weird, but I love white and nude/neutral colors. I just think these colors, especially together, look so classy and then they can always be spruced up with a touch of color or just a touch of gold or silver, I love it.
MPF: Who is your favorite character in the Gretchen’s Lock film?
Emily: All of the characters were really great! Gretchen’s character was awesome. Sarah Hunter just fit the character so perfectly and she was so interesting to watch. Watching her transform from her naturally beautiful self into this scary, dead girl was just great. We had so much fun getting our makeup and hair done and turning into our characters!
MPF: Do you have any advice for aspiring actors?
Emily: Always go after your dreams! People often think what I’m doing is silly and try convincing me to go in a different direction, but I’m so happy with my choices and lucky to have the people who do support me! Don’t ever let anyone persuade you to do something you’re uncomfortable with and stay true to yourself. You’ll meet so many wonderful people along the way and you’ll find yourself in many ways!
Thank you, Emily, for your terrific performance in the film! We’re so glad that you were a part of the production and you did a fantastic job!
For more information about the Gretchen’s Lock film & for tickets to the ONLY local showings in Columbiana, go HERE. We’re thrilled to bring you a locally made independent film production featuring local legends and made in Beaver Creek State Park! Thank you for your support in our endeavors & we hope to see you at the Grand Premiere of Gretchen’s Lock on April 23. It’ll be a haunting experience!
