Interviewing the talented young actress, Kristi Ray, even via a telephone call, was quite enjoyable. This beautiful 20 year-old woman has enough sunshine in her voice alone, even after not sleeping for 24 hours to brighten up anyone’s day, and it shows onscreen in her acting endeavors. However, Ray tapped into her darker side for the lead character of “Charlotte” in the film Pieces of Talent, directed by Joe Stauffer of Shutter Blade Media.
After speaking with Kristi Ray for over an hour, I learned that she is an intelligent young woman with big dreams and enough talent to conquer the acting world, which is exactly what she’s likely to be doing in the next few years: conquering.
Ray was browsing an independent film casting site where directors and actors communicate and came across an ad from Shutter Blade Media. At the time she thought it was rather vague but had a good feeling about it so decided to go for it. Auditioning for the role of “Charlotte,” Ray played the part to a “T.” Obviously, Kristi Ray nailed that audition.
Although the character “Charlotte” is nothing like Ray, she felt that she could bring her to life even with some doubts cast upon her by a few friends and family, who see her as the girl-next-door. “I wanted them to believe that I could do this. I’m nothing like Charlotte, but I believe that I should bleed into the character to give her life,” Ray told me, “the differences between me and the character is what attracted me to the role.”
A very long script was brought out for Ray to read from, and it was a very intense, emotional audition that felt “really good when we read it.” She brought along a pack of cigarettes and was completely within that character for the audition-and Ray does not smoke.
Kristi Ray has had to cry on cue on several occasions in Pieces of Talent. Some actors think about things or situations that make them sad and pull from those feelings. That is not how Ray does it. She explains, “For me it’s more of connecting with the character and putting myself in a character’s shoes and experiencing the scale of what she is going through. If you are being true to yourself and your character, becoming one person, it’s almost like you don’t have to think about it.”
Kristi added, “It’s pretty traumatic what Charlotte goes through. Just seeing it and feeling overwhelmed by it helped me to channel that energy. There has to be some emotion behind it, being on the same level with her, becoming one, and making decisions for Charlotte. I refer to her in the third person. We relate well to each other now.”
The rest of us will have a chance to relate to Charlotte’s experience, too. Pieces of Talent will premier in Wilmington, NC on Halloween night, October 31, 2011, with a promotional tour for the film following the next day covering over 45 U.S. cities. Kristi Ray will be touring with the film for several of these states and looks forward to the adventure and meeting fans.