Artist Spotlight: Actress Emily Peachey
LOS ANGELES - Actress Emily Peachey, who gained acclaim for her pivotal role in the teen drama “The Fault in Our Stars,” and was featured in last fall's Ewan McGregor film “American Pastoral,” is set to appear in the upcoming drama "Strange Weather," starring Holly Hunter as well as the films "Tar," and "Fishbowl.
The young blond actress has been on the rise since appearing in 2014's "The Fault in Our Stars" starring Shailene Woodley. She has since a
ppeared in HBO’s “Veep,” and MTV’s “Awkward,” as well as the film “Gearheads,” "Abduction," "He's Just Not that Into You," and others.
We met up with Emily to chat about her upcoming films and her career and here's the interview:
Question: You're starring in "Fishbowl," a new film with MacKenzie Astin of "Scandal" and brother of Sean Astin of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. What is that movie about and what is your role in the film?
Answer: It’s an incredible, heart-wrenching story. It’s about a man who loses his wife and, in his grief, decides to follow a televangelist and forces his daughters to go along with him. I play his middle daughter, Rachel. My character is the most respectful of her father and wants to do right by him even as he descends into madness.
Q: Coming off working with Ewan McGregor on "American Pastoral," what were your expectations of working on "Fishbowl"?
A: I had such an incredible experience working with Ewan on "American Pastoral," that I wanted that same great experience on "Fishbowl." I wanted it to be fun and have everyone on set be kind and get along and that’s exactly how it turned out. It was such a great group of people to work with and I know this sounds really cliché, but we really all became like family. I was very lucky I got to work with them.
Q: What was it like to shoot on location on "Fishbowl"? Where you and the rest of the cast able to spend time together off the set?
A: It was amazing! Because none of the cast was from the area, we all got to explore and discover it together which really bonded us. My movie sisters and I became friends instantly; after the first day of filming we were already acting like sisters. I remember when we wrapped the first day, we looked at each other and were like “can you believe we’ve only know each other for 12 hours?” Everyone is so kind and outgoing, it was really the perfect situation. The directors are from the area, and we, too, became like family. I spent a lot of time with them off set, as did much of the crew, and it was so much fun. After shooting every day, we would all hangout and have dinner together, and it was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had.
Q: You play Rachel, a teenager in this film. How different was it from your role of Monica in the teen drama "The Fault in Our Stars"?
A: Monica was the polar opposite of Rachel. Monica was a typical teenager that liked to have fun and show a lot of PDA with her boyfriend, whereas Rachel is very shy when it comes to boys and is the voice of reason. Her main focus in life is to obey the rules and make her dad proud.
Q: When will Fishbowl be released what do you think your fans will think of your role in this new movie?
A: It doesn’t have an exact release date yet; however, it should be out in about a year. I think everyone is going to love it! It’s very different from other movies out there, and the directors did an amazing job creating this town that is askew and eerie. One of our directors has been taking these amazing photos to promote the movie, and I have already gotten a ton of Instagram messages from people intrigued by what the movie is about.
Emily Peachey on the set of the teen drama "The Fault in Our Stars."
Q: You've been on a few films before your breakout role in "The Fault in Our Stars." What was that experience like and how did such an emotional movie impact you since it's about a girl dying of cancer?
A: The Fault in our Stars changed my life in every way - not only in regards to my acting career, but just the way I looked at life. In the movie, the support group consisted of real cancer patients. Working with them was an incredible experience; they were in such good spirits and so happy everyday even though they were incredibly ill, much like the protagonist in the story, Augustus Waters. And I think John Green wrote two of the best characters in young adult novel history in Augustus Waters and Hazel Grace Lancaster. The dynamic between the two of them evokes so many emotions. Shailene and Ansel did an incredible job of portraying them. It taught me that my problems are not that bad and it’s important to keep a positive attitude in life. “I’m on a roller coaster that only goes up, my friends” I tell myself on a weekly basis.
Q: Did you learn a lot about working on a big movie with Shailene Woodley? Was it intimidating?
A: Before I arrived on set, I was intimidated because I was working with such incredible actors. I had just seen "The Descendants" in which Shailene gave a Golden Globe-nominated performance and was incredibly captivating and I was this girl who had 2 credits at the time. But the second I arrived to set, everyone was so welcoming and Shailene came up and gave me a big hug and my nerves immediately subsided. The cast was amazing at making me feel like one of them and as soon as I met them, the intimidation factor was completely gone. I learned so much from them by just watching them perform and hanging out with them. Nat Wolff, who plays my boyfriend in the movie, and I went to dinner before we started filming to develop our characters and come up with a whole back story for their relationship. It was such a cool idea and I never would have thought to do that if it weren’t for Nat.
Q: You were still in school when the movie was being shot so how were you able to juggle your school work and filming?
A: I actually found out I got the role in the Fault in our Stars on my first day of law school. It felt like a sign that I needed to pursue acting, so I put law school on hold for now. It’s something I may go back to in the future, but I am really living my dream acting right now and I want to ride that wave.
Q: Where did you grow up and what kinds of things were you into growing up?
A: I grew up in Alexandria, Virginia, right outside of Washington D.C. I was involved in everything growing up. I played softball, basketball and was a competitive cheerleader and dancer. I was on the crew team in high school and I also loved to draw and paint. However, my favorite activity was always acting class and I would travel to Baltimore every Monday night to attend class.
Q: What got you interested in acting? How did your parents react to that?
A: I was first bit by the acting bug in 7th grade, when I had to go to a different school than all of my friends. I joined theater as a way to meet new people and I’ve been hooked ever since. I have the greatest and most supportive parents in the entire world! My mom would drive me 4 hours to acting class every week. And both of my parents, despite being lawyers, completely supported me when I postponed law school and moved across the country to pursue my dream.
Q: You were also going to law school before you decided to quit and come to California. What made you decide to leave law school?
A: It was a hard decision to make, but I knew in my heart it was the right one and I went with my gut feeling. I had just graduated from college and it was the perfect time for me to go and live my dream and pursue an opportunity that might never come around again. It turned out to be the right one, because the next month I booked a part on "Veep"!
Q: You've had roles in comedies like HBO's "Veep" with Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and MTV's "Awkward." Did you enjoy working on those shows and do you like doing comedy as much as drama?
A: I LOVED working on both of them! Comedy is so different from drama, but I like doing both equally. Being on a show with a comedy legend like Julia Louis-Dreyfus was so incredible. I’ve been such a fan for years and it was an amazing feeling to see my name mentioned with hers in the credits. And I had watched "Awkward" for years before I was on it. It’s really surreal to see your self in a show you are a fan of.
Q: What's next for you?
A: I have a few projects in the works right now, and I am still auditioning very frequently!
Q: Where can we find you on social media and online?
A: I am on Instagram and twitter with the handle @epeachh and on Facebook under Emily Peachey.
