For the last two months, I've been completely absorbed in the task of auditioning for the leading role in Quantum Theory. Our search has been both absorbing and exhaustive, bringing us face-to-face with some of the most accomplished actresses of our generation. Folks who follow have heard me talking about needing to find someone with the ease, wit and timing of Jack Lemmon, someone who produces because they refuse accept the role our industry has marked for them, someone who connects effortlessly with an audience...
Ladies and gentlemen, America Young is all these things and more:
Rather than sit here rattling off her resume (which you can find here: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0949440/), I'd prefer to talk a little about the things I find so appealing about America personally. Quantum Theory, in many ways, is my own fantasy. This is a story about amazing people who love one another and love working together. Every day, these people break through the frontiers of human existence and discover new and incredible things. In fact, Quantum Theory is very much the story of 8 Sided Films... but that's a post for another day.
For now, the salient point is that the role of Chelsea demands an actress with whom I share trust and connection. Chelsea is the part of me that deserves success, she is the connective tissue that keeps the audience rooting... and the first thing you will notice about America Young is her smile. Without so much as a word, she is able to make you feel like you and she are working on the same team. She gives you confidence. It's a tremendous, inspiring thing.
Her love of acting is the second thing you'll notice about America Young. As a performer, America comes from the stage - just the same as the rest of us. She relishes every performance opportunity, she takes direction with complete commitment and attention, and she loves and respects the performers around her. I learned this in an audition, mind you!
Her love of storytelling is no less powerful than her love of performance - America is a skilled director, she's an experienced stuntwoman, and she's a big, big fan of genre. Her web series, Geek Therapy (http://www.comediva.com/geek-therapy-gq), has earned her acclaim online and in the mainstream media, including on CNN! ...and now you've caught me talking about her resume.
More to the point, I can talk with her about stuff like SkyChasers. Anyone who finds inherent value in teaching kids to be space commando dinosaur hunters is welcome here, and at the same time her sense of drama is very well-refined. Across the board, every project we are involved in can benefit from her creativity and passion - and the projects she is involved in are projects we would all be excited to help with. Her creative sensibilities make me want to write for her. Her skills make me see new opportunities for our ensemble as a whole. America Young is not just a cast member. She is someone who makes me excited for the future of my company and my collaborators.
I'm gonna be working real hard to keep her around, you guys. This one's a keeper.
There's one more thing I will say. None of this would matter if America Young's commitment or craftsmanship was any less profound than my own, Danielle's, Gerard's, Johnny's... but her craft and professionalism are consummate. Her skills are so well-developed and accessible that we were able to move past all pleasantries and start working together during her very first audition.
America Young is the kind of creative partner that comes along once in an age, and these are precisely the partnerships that form the core of 8 Sided Films. We are very, very lucky to have her.
America Young, welcome to 8 Sided Films! May they sing songs about this day!
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