Alix Angelis: A Deep Dive into 'Imaginary' and 'This Is Me... Now'

[00:00:00] Alex, thank you for joining me today on Pop Culture Unplugged.

[00:00:12] I'm so happy to be here.

[00:00:14] Exciting times.

[00:00:15] I was doing some research out of you.

[00:00:16] Like, did you guys start off with the interview saying that the listeners of yours could

[00:00:19] tune in but you have multiple projects.

[00:00:21] You've been busy.

[00:00:22] Yeah.

[00:00:23] It's been a long time.

[00:00:25] Eddie breaks it between there and you just keep going one project to another.

[00:00:29] There was definitely a break when the whole industry went on strike.

[00:00:34] Yeah, but I was lucky.

[00:00:37] I was working right up to the strike and then we figured some stuff out.

[00:00:42] That was important.

[00:00:44] But it was nice to get my head on straight before the next thing.

[00:00:48] There you go.

[00:00:49] We'll jump into those projects in a few minutes too.

[00:00:52] But let's get a little scoop on you, entertain industry.

[00:00:56] What made you jump into it?

[00:00:59] When I was a kid, I was really, really shy.

[00:01:02] And my parents put me in like kids theater camp to get me out of my shell and I liked it.

[00:01:12] Much to their chagrin.

[00:01:13] They're like, oh no.

[00:01:15] What have we done?

[00:01:17] Now she's an artist.

[00:01:21] So what's been the reaction now that they've seen you on TV and film?

[00:01:25] Now that my parents.

[00:01:27] Oh.

[00:01:28] Through the whole journey and everything.

[00:01:29] And now they see you on projects like this.

[00:01:32] Yeah, they both are not artists.

[00:01:37] So they don't really get it in terms of the struggle

[00:01:41] and all the rejection and how the industry works.

[00:01:45] But they're really supportive.

[00:01:47] And of course, they love to see me doing what I love to do.

[00:01:51] What was the hardest part going from theater and a young age

[00:01:54] and right now it's a TV and film?

[00:01:56] What do you think was like the big challenge for you?

[00:02:00] You know, I don't think it was difficult

[00:02:04] in terms of my own journey, like inner journey

[00:02:09] to switch from theater to film television.

[00:02:12] It's just in film and television,

[00:02:14] the sense of family is much shorter.

[00:02:20] Except for, I guess if you are on a TV show for years and years,

[00:02:23] I'm sure that kind of thing happens.

[00:02:26] But there's such a camaraderie that happens with theater

[00:02:29] that I kind of miss.

[00:02:32] And pros and cons, you know,

[00:02:35] you get to have new families and meet new people

[00:02:38] in every project and I really like that too.

[00:02:40] Would you ever jump back to theater and theater work?

[00:02:43] Yeah.

[00:02:45] To be very honest, I think I developed some stage, right?

[00:02:51] In the interim, but I think that's a good reason to go back.

[00:02:56] You know, face that fear and figure out what that is all about

[00:03:00] and not be afraid of growth.

[00:03:02] Right.

[00:03:03] What's the ultimate goal?

[00:03:04] What do you hope you can accomplish someday in the industry?

[00:03:08] Oh gosh.

[00:03:10] I don't know.

[00:03:11] I don't know if there's an ultimate goal in terms of art.

[00:03:14] I think I just want to do this for my whole life.

[00:03:17] I'd love to get to a place where I consistently do projects

[00:03:22] that feel really meaningful to me with people

[00:03:25] that I adore and also have like a work life balance

[00:03:30] and show my little daughter that you can follow your dreams.

[00:03:34] You can have it all.

[00:03:35] Yeah.

[00:03:36] You've dabbed mostly like, you know,

[00:03:38] I was doing some research.

[00:03:39] You've done a lot of like the horror genre

[00:03:40] like is there a certain thing you want to hit next

[00:03:43] that you haven't be able to hit yet?

[00:03:48] You know, there are certain shows

[00:03:52] especially kind of limited series actually that I love.

[00:03:58] Cause something like Dead To Me or Fleabag

[00:04:03] kind of in that zone where it's very relationshipy

[00:04:07] there's some sort of longing and some twist

[00:04:11] but not necessarily, I mean there's twists and horror too

[00:04:14] but it's a different vibe.

[00:04:16] Something very like emotional.

[00:04:18] Yeah.

[00:04:20] What are you bitching these days?

[00:04:21] You mentioned those shows

[00:04:22] but what have you been bitching the last few weeks?

[00:04:24] Oh my gosh, I should have an answer to this

[00:04:28] but the truth is I haven't been since my daughter was born.

[00:04:32] I get to hear advice.

[00:04:35] I have two kids so when they were first born

[00:04:41] I felt behind years worth the TV movies.

[00:04:43] Yeah, it's a huge list.

[00:04:47] And actually the latest show I've been watching

[00:04:49] as Murders in the Building with Steve Martin and...

[00:04:51] Oh yeah, it's only Murders in the Building.

[00:04:53] I love that I just watched that

[00:04:54] because it's a fan favorite.

[00:04:58] I can watch it with my parents and...

[00:05:01] I'm still on the first season

[00:05:02] but so far what I've seen I love it.

[00:05:04] Oh, it's so great.

[00:05:05] And Meryl Streep is in season three like...

[00:05:07] That's what I heard, yeah.

[00:05:09] Agend, yeah.

[00:05:10] Amazing.

[00:05:11] So let's jump into imaginary now.

[00:05:13] How were you approached for this film?

[00:05:16] For imaginary, I sent in an audition tape.

[00:05:19] It was classic.

[00:05:22] And I was so excited because Blum House

[00:05:25] is the sort of pinnacle horror production studio.

[00:05:33] And I've been having a good time being in horror movies

[00:05:37] so this was like a nice opening.

[00:05:40] Yeah.

[00:05:41] Was that the first role that they offered you?

[00:05:43] Was it for Samantha?

[00:05:46] What was the description you were given for her?

[00:05:49] Oh gosh, I'm trying to think.

[00:05:50] What would the breakdown say?

[00:05:52] So she is a drug addicted birth mom

[00:05:58] of these two girls that...

[00:06:02] comes back and causes problems.

[00:06:05] Yeah.

[00:06:06] Well, so was it any challenges

[00:06:08] in playing this character?

[00:06:09] Would you first step on the set?

[00:06:11] Yeah, there are challenges with every character.

[00:06:14] But I think that this was really good timing

[00:06:18] with my personal life too

[00:06:20] because I was a new mom,

[00:06:21] pretty fairly new mom.

[00:06:23] My daughter was one at the time.

[00:06:25] And so, you know,

[00:06:27] I think I could have imagined to certain extent

[00:06:29] what it felt like to have to go through

[00:06:34] whatever was necessary.

[00:06:36] I literally walk barefoot through the forest kind of vibes

[00:06:40] to get back to my daughters who I feel are in danger.

[00:06:45] But being a parent,

[00:06:47] I was like, oh no, I get that.

[00:06:49] If there was a dark entity threatening my daughter,

[00:06:51] I'd be like, I'm there, no matter what.

[00:06:55] You mentioned that she had a drug addiction

[00:06:57] in the movie.

[00:06:58] Like how did you dark aspects?

[00:07:01] You know, how did you like get into that character?

[00:07:05] Like what did you study after somebody else's performance

[00:07:09] in a different movie or how did you approach it?

[00:07:13] I actually am friends with

[00:07:17] man named Thomas Marquesi who's a director,

[00:07:19] but used to be a cop.

[00:07:21] And I was like, have you ever dealt with this kind of thing

[00:07:29] a person who is in withdrawal

[00:07:32] and how they behave

[00:07:34] and kind of what wears their mind?

[00:07:38] And he really helped me out a lot

[00:07:39] and he, of course I've dealt with this a lot.

[00:07:42] So yeah, I just asked someone who is in the know.

[00:07:47] We see Samantha also.

[00:07:49] Her journey was protected daughters like you said.

[00:07:52] How was it filming those intense scenes with them?

[00:07:59] Well,

[00:08:00] so Piper and Tegan are both such beautiful performers.

[00:08:06] They have such vulnerability.

[00:08:08] And it was just like stepping into a little family right away,

[00:08:14] you know, being there and like holding them.

[00:08:17] God, it was, it was really, it got me.

[00:08:22] There was no problem getting to that place.

[00:08:26] I had taken on the show.

[00:08:27] She was amazing.

[00:08:29] I know she's so great.

[00:08:30] So sweet, very sweet girl.

[00:08:32] Yeah.

[00:08:33] So what's been like the feedback from your performance

[00:08:37] from the film and overall people watching this film?

[00:08:42] So the audiences seem to really like it.

[00:08:45] You know, John C. Bear is really fun to be scared of

[00:08:49] because it's, you know, sort of silly

[00:08:52] and you get to imagine like all your stuffed animals

[00:08:56] when you go, what if it came to life?

[00:08:58] Right.

[00:09:00] And my part in particular actually a couple of reviews

[00:09:06] have said that they wanted to sort of see

[00:09:08] what my character was about more than is in the film

[00:09:11] which I have to say I agree.

[00:09:16] We'll see what happens in the sequel.

[00:09:19] Has that been talks for a sequel?

[00:09:21] A lot of people have been asking about it.

[00:09:22] Yeah.

[00:09:23] I don't know.

[00:09:25] Yeah, I guess you got to push you with the writers

[00:09:27] and the directors to get it going.

[00:09:29] Yeah.

[00:09:30] And the audience, you know, if you want to sequel just

[00:09:33] ask for it.

[00:09:34] Right.

[00:09:36] So you also had another project.

[00:09:38] This is me now, Love Story, JLo.

[00:09:41] You play one of her closest friends in the film.

[00:09:44] How was it portraying a character like this?

[00:09:48] That was really special because I have to

[00:09:51] commend her for being so brave to tell her story,

[00:09:57] such a personal story on such a large grand scale.

[00:10:01] And to be chosen and hand picked by her

[00:10:05] to play one of her closest people was wild.

[00:10:12] And you know, we all were the friends,

[00:10:17] the group of friends.

[00:10:19] We were all put together as a group that would be

[00:10:22] the right kind of vibes and like give her

[00:10:25] the little different perspectives on her love life.

[00:10:29] And we all became really good close friends in real life.

[00:10:33] So that was a really fun aspect too.

[00:10:36] She gave you any tips playing this character?

[00:10:39] Did the real person forgive me tips?

[00:10:42] Yeah, on like how to portray this person?

[00:10:45] Yeah, or her friend.

[00:10:46] Yeah.

[00:10:47] It wasn't quite an exact like I'm playing a certain person.

[00:10:52] I did find out who I was sort of molded after.

[00:10:56] Yeah, that's what I meant.

[00:10:57] Yeah.

[00:10:58] Yeah, Elaine Goldsmith Thomas,

[00:10:59] who's her longtime producing partner.

[00:11:03] And I met her and it was really fun to be like,

[00:11:06] you're playing me.

[00:11:09] But I wasn't portraying her.

[00:11:11] It was more of the essence of her kind of POV

[00:11:16] on the life story.

[00:11:20] So yeah, she gave me kind of a perspective to come from.

[00:11:28] What was your favorite moment in this film?

[00:11:32] In This Is Me Now.

[00:11:33] I really liked the wedding weddings scene

[00:11:37] because I got to be really silly and funny in that one.

[00:11:43] And I get to be funny.

[00:11:45] How do you balance these type of roles

[00:11:47] going from a horror movie to something like this?

[00:11:53] It's just a gift.

[00:11:55] It's a variety is the spice of life.

[00:11:57] So I can tap into different emotions

[00:12:02] and different exciting aspects of being alive.

[00:12:08] Yeah, it's just I'm so happy that I get to do

[00:12:13] such a range of things.

[00:12:14] Amazing.

[00:12:15] What's next for you now?

[00:12:15] Any other projects you'll have to tell us about coming out

[00:12:18] or about to work on?

[00:12:19] Yeah, I have actually another thriller coming out

[00:12:23] called Do Not Watch.

[00:12:26] It's on the festival circuit right now.

[00:12:28] And it's kind of mysterious,

[00:12:31] but it's about this anomaly that goes,

[00:12:33] spans over decades.

[00:12:36] So watch out for that in the next few months, I think.

[00:12:39] Streamy isom.

[00:12:40] Maybe a stream isomware.

[00:12:42] I believe maybe I don't know.

[00:12:48] Lastly, now how can the listeners of viewers

[00:12:50] find you on social media to keep up

[00:12:52] with you with all these projects

[00:12:53] that you've done and all the projects you've about coming out?

[00:12:56] Yeah, I'm on Instagram.

[00:12:57] That's basically where I am.

[00:12:59] It's just my name.

[00:13:01] Alex Angelus.

[00:13:02] Amazing.

[00:13:03] Alex, this was great.

[00:13:05] We'll hopefully get you back on with the next project.

[00:13:08] Yeah, thank you so much.