Meadow Williams
By Rich Rossi
From playing a vampire in Raven, to an angelic figure in Light Years Away, actress-producer Meadow Williams’ diverse acting range allows her to transform before audiences’ eyes. With each character she plays, this talented actress has such physical, emotional, and characteristic changes that you might find yourself double-checking the credits to be sure it is, in fact, Meadow Williams that you’re watching. Her latest Sci-fi venture, Light Years Away, starring Eric Roberts, Christopher Knight, and Adrianne Curry, is included in ITN Distribution’s 2010 Marché du Film line-up.
Independent Film Quarterly sat down with Meadow to discuss her role preparation, acting techniques, feelings about her co-stars, and her criteria when choosing parts.
IFQ: You have such a diverse acting range: a vampire in Raven to the angelic figure in Light Years Away. How do you prepare for such vastly different roles?
Meadow Williams: I think a lot about the characters’ lives and what they lived through before. I think a lot about their emotions in the scenes — why they do the things they do, and why they talk the way they do. I really try to find the meaning behind them and I just sort of absorb into them. A friend of mine said they thought I find the part of my personality that is that person, and I sort of live in that part of my personality for a while. I don’t know if that’s true, but I do spend a lot of time thinking about who they are, what they lived through, and what they want in the future. I feel like it’s such an honor to be able to live someone else’s life for a little while. You are actually kind of breathing life into them, this inanimate character, and you blow them up to this creature, this person, this thing that never was. I think that is such a beautiful thing, and it’s so exciting and invigorating to do.
IFQ: Are there any particular types of acting techniques (method acting, Meisner, or sense memory) that you use to develop your characters?
MW: I studied all of them. I used to try every kind of method but none of them worked completely for me. I just found that it sort of morphed together. It all became a part of me. You can compare it to a patchwork quilt. It’s like a sculpture. I don’t know which one I’m coming off of a lot of the time. It just sort of melted all together.
IFQ: What was your motivation for your character, Misty, in Light Years Away?
MW: Misty is all love. Everything she does is for love. She comes from a very pure place. I consider her extremely evolved, almost like a dolphin. She is very, very, loving and kind, and does not have anger and does not have selfishness.
IFQ: Did you rely on sense memory or any past experiences?
MW: I just thought about a love that is deep enough that you would die for it. I hung on to that and I thought about the times in my life I felt deep love and I just stayed on that, because that’s who she is.
IFQ: Your character has striking eyes in the film. What did you use to create that effect?
MW: I hated those metal contacts. They were actually made of metal and they dent like a tin can after you’ve had them in a couple of times. They are the most horrible things! [Laughs.] I actually started getting double vision. You can’t see though them. Someone would have to lead me around during my scenes. I could only see outlines. However, they look fantastic.
IFQ: What was it like working with Nicolas Cage’s son, Weston Cage?
MW: Weston Cage has the most beautiful eyes that you’ve ever seen, and all this long black hair. He’s the perfect vampire, and he has an extraordinary talent. His mother is an actress and had actually played a vampire before. She’s a beautiful actress. And, Nicolas Cage is, of course, a world-class actor. Weston has enormous amounts of natural talent and ability. The camera loves him. We were fortunate to have him. He has a rock band called, Eyes of Noctom, and the band members were kind enough to play vampires. They gave us one song that we used as a part of our soundtrack.
IFQ: What was it like working with Eric Roberts in Light Years Away?
MW: Eric Roberts is the perfect, professional actor. He has everything you want in whatever character he is playing. In this film, he played a scientist, so he was the perfect scientist. Working with Eric was a dream come true. He is an absolutely, unbelievably, talented actor. You can tell that he’s had years of incredible acting— all integrity and professional. He’s actually fun; that’s the part you don’t expect. He snaps in and out of his character faster than I do. He actually becomes quite playful.
IFQ: In Light Years Away, you also worked with Adrianne Curry and Christopher Knight. What was it like working with them?
MW: [Laughs.] They are so fun. I love going out to dinner with Chris and Adrianne. They are absolutely a riot! And that’s the way they really are. Adrianne is exactly what you think she is. She is fun, she is spirited, she says exactly what she thinks, and she has the most beautiful eyes. She’s a gorgeous woman and insanely tall. She won America’s Next Top Model. She doesn’t act in any way like a stereotypical, beautiful woman. She’s a playful truck driver in a beautiful model’s body.
IFQ: You’ve done a number of films with Steven Bauer, such as Raven and The Intruders. What’s it like working with him?
MW: The first thing that strikes you about Steven is his voice. His voice is absolutely amazing and it radiates through the room. Steven is really charming. He likes to sing on set between takes. He’s got a wonderful laugh and people love him. People just sort of make a circle around Steven and that’s where they are between takes. Everybody is around Steven.
IFQ: There is a rather talented character actor I’ve seen in a number of your films. He played a detective in Skeletons in the Desert. Can you tell us a little about him?
MW: His name is Gerald A. Kessler. He is a very gifted actor who brings authenticity to the parts he plays. He plays a priest in Sebastian.
IFQ: Tell us about your role in Sebastian.
MW: I play Miranda Barnes. She is a cancer victim who is miraculously healed, but the miracle has a price.
IFQ: Your role in Sebastian sounds like a challenge. What kind of criteria do you use to choose a project?
MW: I go for a character I connect with. It’s all about feeling something when you read the script, and feeling some kind of connection with the character. I have to feel something about her, some kind of camaraderie. It has to be a strong connection, because I’m going to be living with this girl. You have to deal with strong feelings. That’s how I choose my scripts.
IFQ: What has been your favorite project thus far?
MW: I loved Raven. Also, I loved the part of Misty in Light Years Away. She’s loving and it’s wonderful to be that evolved and beautiful.
IFQ: What is your involvement with Gruntworks Entertainment?
MW: I act for them, I produce with them, and I write for them.
IFQ: It seems to me that you are on the edge of fame. Will fame change you?
MW: No. I don’t think so. I think I’ll be exactly the same person—with slightly better shoes. [Laughs.]
*Photo Credit: Gruntworks Entertainment