Tell us about your upcoming project(s).

I just moved into my own apartment, and I am working at creating a healthy and balanced creative space for my work and myself.

I am in post production on the first two episodes of After Hours, a series set in the world of bars and nightclubs, which I wrote, directed, produced and in which I play a young woman rebelling against the lack of authenticity in our world. The show follows three bartenders, all at different breaking points in their lives, and explores the sacrifices we make in the pursuit of our dreams, how it changes us, for better or for worse and the friends that keep us sane along the way. I plan to have the first two episodes completed in the Spring 2011 and then secure financing to film the remainder of the series.

You’ve been busy since you graduated; tell us about your other projects and what you’ve learned.

At the time of graduation I was finalizing rewrites on the 33 episodes of After Hours in a little Alameda coffee shop. A couple months later, I put everything I owned in storage and moved back to Los Angeles and began pre-production. I spent 8 months working around the clock on the show, along with my loyal and talented teammates, Steve Hansen and Monica Murray and completed principal photography in early December.

While I have had multiple experiences as a filmmaker over the past ten years, this was the first project I wrote, directed, produced and acted in. I learned more than I ever expected, very fast. Among all I’ve learned, the top five lessons would have to be:
- Your movie is made in pre-production. Whatever isn’t addressed then will only get dragged through production and then post-production; preparation is key.
-Get a DP who has a camera. No, really…get a DP who has a camera.
-TRUST your gut. From hiring cast and crew to every decision you make about the project.
-Be realistic with your budget, and then double it; zero is never truly zero.
-Acting and directing at once is an unimaginable challenge.

The Training:

Sanford Meisner: Created a technique that goes to the root of what I believe art is; your artistic ceiling and depth depends on the refining of your imagination and not the number of horrible experiences you’ve had in your life.

The #1 thing I learned in class was: Don’t be good, be truthful and know why you are doing what you are doing…I guess that’s three but without punctuation it can almost pass as one…right?

The best advice I can give current students at the Meisner Technique Studio is: Be fearless and give it all you’ve got. You’ll thank yourself for the rest of your life even if you choose not to become an actor down the road.

The #1 thing I’ve learned since graduating: Keep your artistic family close to you and the rest of the world in the audience.

The biggest adjustment since I graduated: Taking everything I’ve learned as an actor and as a person and owning it every day.

The hardest adjustment since I graduated: Surrounding myself with like-minded artists while 400 miles away from The Meisner Technique Studio.

The #1 thing I miss about being in class: As my fellow alumnus said so well: “Three and a half hours of feeling like you’re in exactly the right place at the right time.”

The #1 thing I don’t miss about being in class is: Nothing. There is nothing I wish was different. Not even the drive from LA to SF I did twice a week during first year.

Jim said this over and over but I never realized how true it was until I got out and into the real world was: “Trust your training.” Those words kept me sane while I wore so many hats during production. Do the work, give it all you’ve got and let it go. Trust that your training is solid and that your “OK” is probably better than you think. Keeping that saying fresh in my mind allows me to focus on the truth in the moment instead of clinging to a false idea of perfection.

The Business:

The Business of Your Dream class was: Empowering. In an industry where being an actor is too often seen as being subservient to the Hollywood system, this class is a leaping tool for an actor seeking a career in this business.

The # 1 thing I took from it was: I have the power to make my dreams come true.

Getting an agent: Is something one should research wisely.

One year from now: I will be have completed all 33 episodes of After Hours, have representation as an actor with a team who believes in my talent and be in pre-production on a feature film.

Five years from now: I will be making a living as an actor and a filmmaker, and I will have traveled the world.

The best thing about where you are in your dream is: I am creating my own path. I feel rich from all of the learning experiences I have had in this industry and solid as a person and as an actor thanks to the training I have received from this Studio.

The worst thing about where you are in your dream is: My day job which is actually a night job. I bartend. Don’t get me wrong, I am endlessly grateful for my day job and I appreciate the money, freedom and flexibility it gives me. But the day that I actually make a living as an actor cannot come soon enough!

The #1 thing I wish directors knew about working with actors: They are the soul to your project. If you give them room to fly they will make your project come to life.

You:

If I could work with any actor, it would be: Meryl Streep.

If I could re-cast a Hollywood movie role with myself, it would be: The first thing that comes to mind is Titanic…but when I actually think about it, I would much rather it be La Vie en Rose.

My greatest influence(s): My grandfather for teaching me it all depends on how you perceive it, my mother for raising me in a world threaded with imagination, Jim Jarrett for his mentorship, my father for his determination and his work ethic.

I first knew I wanted to be an actor: Bach et Bottine was the name of the movie. I was 6, had been playing characters with my mother every day of my life for the past 2 years and I couldn’t help but look at this little girl and think, I can do that. I want to do that.

I’ll always be: True to who I am.

My mother: Is the embodiment of “A childlike imagination.” She is a wonderful writer, a magician with words, a brilliant artist and above all, the greatest influence in my life.

My father: Is a bohemian child locked inside a very responsible grown up body. An idealist, an overachiever, a go-getter, an inspiration, and my favorite traveling partner.

My #1 problem is: I do not have an off switch when it comes to working and creating.

I wish: There were more hours in a day.

I wish Jim had told me: …I can’t think of anything more he could have said.

I wish somebody had told me: …I don’t know yet. I tend to find myself somewhere and think “Oh, that’s why he or she told me that.” I have a hard time listening to advice without experiencing it first hand. “Don’t try to be something you’re not” would have been a wonderful reminder though, a few years ago when I was juggling agents, managers, and casting directors who all wanted me to look like the girl on the magazine cover.

Someday I’m going to: Be a great creative force in our industry.

My favorite actor: They change a lot. I do have great respect for Marion Cotillard and Cate Blanchette.

My favorite film: Gloomy Sunday

My favorite book: The Alchemist. I read it for the first time when I turned 18, right before I left Quebec to move to LA. I live by it’s code to this day.

When I get overwhelmed: I seek silence and nature.

The biggest waste: People who let their voices and ideas disappear because society told them they had to fit in.

If I were not an actor: I wouldn’t be me. But If I weren’t planning to pursue a career in acting I would be a field biologist studying African wildlife.

Courage ­­: Is an important seasoning of my life.

I’ll never: Make the same mistakes twice.

Is there anything else you’d like to say? Thank you for inviting me to be the featured actor of the month. Is it a great honor and I am proud to be part of this artistic family.

The Meisner Technique Studio would like to thank Marie-Noelle, for taking time to share with us and with all of you. We wish her all the very best.