February 2019

With the new Netflix movie “Polar” being so stylized and visually enticing, actress Fei Ren had the freedom in making her character Hilde her own. Adopting a soft look with her makeup over one eye and a harder look with the other, the asymmetric approach not only fit into the aesthetic of the film, but allowed her to tap into her character’s backstory and discover the A-team assassin’s duality.

“It’s a great creative playground because I had the option to make the character larger than life and explore it artistically.”

We recently sat down with Ren to discuss Hilde’s spirit animal, the film’s on-set atmosphere, and how acting was never part of her original game plan.

TrunkSpace: “Polar” is based on the webcomic/graphic novel of the same name. Comics continue to be a well that Hollywood taps, both for film and television adaptation. As an actor, what is it like having that source material (and existing audience!) available to you, but at the same time, not having the pressure of stepping into a brand that the masses have been exposed to yet, like a Spider-Man or Batman?
Ren: Finding Hilde and her layers was almost no different to working on any other characters. I think that with “Polar” being such a stylized graphic novel without words, I had lots of room to fill in the blanks of her backstory. It’s rather freeing. In acting, there is a saying that the more specific you get, the more universal and relatable your character becomes. I imagine that no matter how large a fan base a character has, our job is still connected to the human core and to make it our own. Pressure from the public will always be there, but when you are creating art, you can’t do it to please everybody’s idea of the character. You have to make it your own and step into that skin and become it.

TrunkSpace: The original comic was very stylized as you mentioned, and what’s great about the film adaptation is that a lot of that is carried over in terms of how it’s shot and the use of color. Visually, what makes the work you did on this project unique in comparison to previous roles?
Ren: It’s highly stylized and very edgy. It’s a great creative playground because I had the option to make the character larger than life and explore it artistically. The makeup, hair and costume department did such an amazing job creating my look. And working together as a team, I ended up discovering some of the character’s history. For example, the different makeup on each eye. It started as we were doing testing makeup on different eyes, and the whole team ended up loving the asymmetric look. So, Hilde had one soft look on one eye, and a harder look on the other, which worked with the hair too! The look inspired me to discover Hilde’s duality. Hilde’s past being soft and feminine didn’t serve her well in that world. Hence, she becomes the hardcore, sleek, efficient killer you see now. She only lets down her guard in front of Blut. So, every day, her soft eye is a reminder to her to stay focused and her hard eye shows her determination. Overall, it was plenty of fun because we were given room to create and explore!

TrunkSpace: From the outside looking in, this was a physically demanding project to be a part of. How did you prepare to slip into the butt-kicking shoes of assassin Hilde?
Ren: I had a personal trainer for kickboxing and did yoga daily. The production also gave me thorough gun and safety training for an entire week, so the weapons became part of my body. Listening to hardcore heavy metal music also helped me slip into Hilde’s mental space!

TrunkSpace: When you learned that you had been cast as Hilde, what aspects of her were you most excited to bring to life and did that change the further into production that you got? Did you discover new things about her that you ended up enjoying more than you would have expected?
Ren: When I first got the role of Hilde, I loved the idea that she is cocky, masculine and savage. I imagined her spirit animal as an ape. Then the chemistry of the “A-team” being so playful and family-like, Hilde becomes a black panther. She is sleek and economical with movements when she is hunting. She is protective of the A-team, playful at times and holds them together when necessary. So, she is still intense, but has more colors and shape, which is more fun to play!

TrunkSpace: For the viewer, the most memorable part of a film or television series is the end product, but for those involved in it, we would imagine it’s the experience. For you, what aspects of working on “Polar” will you carry with you through the rest of your career and life?
Ren: The grounded passionate energy of the people in the film’s crew. Rumor has it that some Hollywood stars and directors are tricky to work with. I had an excellent first-hand experience! On the set of “Polar,” there were no egos and no games. Everyone is passionate about the work, and not taking themselves too seriously. During lunchtime, we all got together and joked around, ate, talked about the scenes, and we all come from different parts of the world, so we shared stories. The production was in the winter, and sometimes the days got long and freezing cold. Shooting a movie is not easy, so having a great ensemble makes a huge difference!

TrunkSpace: From what we understand, your career in the arts began after you started modeling. Did pursuing modeling ultimately inspire you to change direction with your life and take a path that you may not have walked otherwise?
Ren: Oh, totally! I was so nerdy before I started modeling. My world view was my parents’ vision: get a degree in accounting or finance, get married at 25 and have babies. I didn’t know what I wanted, let along dare to dream of pursuing arts. Growing up trained in dancing and painting, I always liked arts and performing, but to think this passion could turn into a career path was seemingly impossible. My family is made of scientists, engineers and professors. They appreciate art as leisure, but never considered it as a job. Getting into modeling, traveling and starting to discover different artistic expressions freed and empowered me in so many ways. It awakened parts of me that had been suppressed. In modeling, I learned to take control of my own destiny, follow my passion, persevere in learning, which becomes essential for building my acting career.

TrunkSpace: You’ve been acting for about five years now. In that time, what is the biggest lesson you’ve learned either on set or in the midst of a job that you find yourself applying to all of your work moving forward now?
Ren: There is a balance in owning your character work and allowing it room to grow by collaborating with your team. You have to trust your instinct and allow yourself to play. I think filmmaking is such a collaborative art form. There is the initial audition, but once you’re on set, your role usually evolves and deepens or deviates quite a bit from your original idea. It’s important not to hold on to the idea of what you think your character should be, but get into the whole skin of it, get into the body, allow your body and instinct to play, allow yourself to be in the moment. It’s where the best work lives. On the other hand, though, you have to take ownership of your work. Sometimes people have inputs and ideas on what they think your character could be. It can be confusing if you take all the suggestions. So, you need to find a balance, trust what you’re bringing as long as you serve the true intention behind the story you are telling.

TrunkSpace: You’re also a director. Do you think having that perspective makes you a better actor and does knowing what an actor needs from a director make you a better director?
Ren: I believe they complement each other. When I am directing theater, I often use my own acting tools to help actors find the emotional truth of the characters and get very specific with relationships and intention in the story. Directing and coaching other actors can help me understand my own acting better. That said, I find it’s often still easier to bring other actors to do their best job than it is to direct yourself.

TrunkSpace: You have a passion for the theater. In terms of acting, does the stage give you a different experience personally than when you’re performing in front of the camera?
Ren: Very different in many ways. In theater, the effect of your work is immediate, there is an energy feeding back and forth from the audience. It’s electrifying. Especially in comedy, the laughter and energy of the audience become part of the play. Also, in theater, you live the character’s whole arc at once, without cut and reset. It feels more complete during performing. With film acting, lots of times there are hundreds of people around the set and when the director says action, it’s on. You’ll record a scene multiple times, from different angles. You experience the character in chunks and the challenge lies in staying focused, ready and keep discovering it moment to moment, takes after takes, with all that’s happening around you. Both are exciting and require you to show up and be present, put ego aside and serve the character and the story. And both are satisfying when you feel or see the impact and joy you brought to your audience at the end of the day.

TrunkSpace: Time machine question. If you could jump ahead 10 years and get a glimpse of what your career looks like a decade from now, would you take that journey? If not, why?
Ren: (Laughter) Maybe not! Life is magical, and I don’t want to know how the magic worked, and then watch the magic show. It would ruin the fun. I want to experience it moment to moment!

“Polar” is available now on Netflix.

Artist: Mackenzie Nicole

Song Title: “Complications”

Single Sentence Singles Review: A toe-tapping catchy track with a self-deprecating edge, Nicole sings herself into a relatable spotlight rather than placing herself up on a pop pedestal like so many other artists working within the genre today.

Beyond The Track: While “Complications” is a standalone single, Nicole does have a forthcoming album due to drop this summer. To learn more about the pop songstress, check out the TrunkSpace interview with her from 2018 here.

Artist: The Campfire Flies

Members: Ed Seifert (Speed The Plough), John and Toni Baumgartner (Speed The Plough), Deena Shoshkes and Jon Fried (The Cucumbers), Matt Davis (The Thousand Pities)

Socials: Facebook

Hometown: New Jersey

TrunkSpace: As you gear up to release “Sparks Like Little Stars” to the masses (available March 22), what kind of emotions are you juggling with?
Seifert: Well, excitement, primarily, of course, and gratitude. I’m so glad to be involved in a project with such talented, supportive and creative people. I THINK those are all the adjectives John told me to use.

TrunkSpace: This is the band’s first album. Do you feel any sort of creative pressure, particularly with a debut, knowing that for a lot of people this will be their first taste of who The Campfire Flies are creatively as a group?
Seifert: Not really. The fact that everyone contributes to the creative process meant that nobody had to overextend themselves. There’s no filler on the album, as far as we’re concerned.

And in the case of Deena and Jon with The Cucumbers, John and Toni with Speed the Plough, and Matt with The Thousand Pities, they’ve all got a base of fans who already know their work. I’m sure they’ll all be pleased with the results.

TrunkSpace: The band consists of six songwriters. How does having so many creative brains in the cooking process – particularly those used to working in a solo capacity – impact the dynamics in the kitchen itself? Did the process require massaging or did it gel right out of the gates?
Seifert: With two married couples in the group, most of the dynamics had already been established. And we all know the value of a cordial suggestion as opposed to a harsh criticism. We really didn’t have growing pains, since we were all friends and admirers of each other’s work even before we got together.

TrunkSpace: What do you get working in a band atmosphere that you have been unable to achieve as a solo artist/songwriting? Is there something inspiring about the process that sort of collectively fuels everyone’s creative fires?
Seifert: Quite a bit, speaking personally. As the only unmarried member, I’m the only one who doesn’t have another pair of critical ears at home. So I’m always sending demos around to friends, and most are too nice to say anything negative. It’s good to have some more detailed feedback.

TrunkSpace: What are you most proud of with the album?
Seifert: At the risk of sounding trite, I love how this project bloomed into something that’s more than the sum of its parts. It’s a very special, unique sound.

TrunkSpace: You’re all multi-instrumentalists. How many instruments appear on the album itself, and is it easy to translate these songs to the stage?
Seifert: The songs all translate well to the stage. The basic tracks were recorded with four or five of us playing at once. And although we all played multiple instruments over the course of the album, none of the songs are overloaded. Generally if I’m playing mandolin on a track, I’m NOT playing guitar, and if Toni’s playing clarinet, she’s not playing flute, and so on. I think it’s at least nine different instruments, plus percussion.

TrunkSpace: Can you envision a day when music is not a part of your life?
Seifert: Not until the day I check out!

TrunkSpace: Mother Nature had a hand in the band coming together. A storm rolled through and trapped you all under one roof with instruments but no power. Had that night not occurred, do you think we’d be here today talking about The Campfire Flies?
Seifert: Yes, as I mentioned before, we were all big fans of each other’s work, and knew each other well.

TrunkSpace: Which would you personally prefer… writing one album that the whole world adores, or writing a career’s worth that only a select group of people treasure?
Seifert: I’ll take the latter. I’m more tortoise than hare, and although I always am trying to add hooks to my songs and think they’re accessible, I don’t think they sound like today’s top sellers, from what I’ve heard!

TrunkSpace: Time machine question. If you could jump ahead 10 years and get a glimpse of what your musical journey looks like a decade from now, would you take that journey? If not, why?
Seifert: Why not, indeed? I’m a curious sort. I don’t know that I’d PAY for the privilege, but if I could take a look, I would. I hope I wouldn’t disappoint myself – or my cohorts!

“Space Like Little Stars” is available March 22 from OverPop Records.

Based on the graphic novel by Rick Remender, “Deadly Class” has been one of the most anticipated series of the new year for comic book-loving television viewers. With an incredible ensemble cast that represents the future of Hollywood, the Syfy action-fest takes place at a high school for assassins during the 1980s and is filled to the brim with counterculture references, many of which are still relevant today.

This time out we’re chatting with Taylor Hickson, who plays Petra, to discuss looking to cartoon character Daria for inspiration, embracing the cliché of happy on-set families, and her future with music.

TrunkSpace: If “Deadly Class” becomes a smash hit, are you prepared for what that could mean just in terms of your personal life and how it could change overnight?
Hickson: I don’t think anyone can prepare for something like that. I think it’s impossible to prepare for something like that. You can’t prepare. You can think you’re prepared, but I don’t think you’re ever prepared to see that immense take off, should it happen.

TrunkSpace: Your character Petra is so far removed from anything we have ever seen you tackle on-screen before. For you personally, was part of the appeal in playing her the chance to show a side of your talents that nobody has seen yet?
Hickson: It was very challenging, but also very playful. The pilot especially was challenging, trying to establish who she was, her interests, how she interacted with people. Bringing ink to life is always a tricky thing. You want to make the comic book fans who where there first happy, as well as the creator of the show, which he’s conveying pieces of his life, so you really want to make sure you get that right.

We actually ended up putting in some pieces from the ‘90s cartoon character Daria, that sort of flat thing that Petra carries. Lee (Toland Krieger), the director of the pilot, we sort of worked together and after about a week of trying different things, he’s like, “I want you to go home and watch this and I want to see you bring this back to me tomorrow.” As soon as I watched it, I was just, “This is it! There’s no other way to do this!” But from my tape… because they booked me on just one tape… it was just myself, and I’m much more bubbly and animated than Petra is, so that’s what I brought because that’s what I was hired off of. And I wasn’t wearing extremely goth makeup. I didn’t have dark hair or anything in the tape, too. It was really interesting to see them base this character around me.

TrunkSpace: You mentioned that you want to make the original comic fans happy, but what’s nice here is that a character like Petra, she’s not Mary Jane from “Spider-Man” where there’s been so many different versions of her on-screen. You get to bring a piece of yourself to this character.
Hickson: Yeah, she’s not what I was expecting to bring to the show at all. I think we’re very pleased with where we took it.

TrunkSpace: If all goes well, a series like “Deadly Class” can go on for years and you will get the opportunity to see the multi-year growth and continuous arc of the character. Is that something that, as an actress, you’re excited to see play out?
Hickson: Oh absolutely. You know, in the comic, Petra completely… she moves over to the Preps at one point. She has so much going on for her over her entire story arc. I think that’ll be incredible to play with because it will be like moving – shifting – into separate characters.

TrunkSpace: That must be a really interesting thing when doing an adaptation like this, because most actors don’t know the future of their character, but with so much of her journey already written in the books, you kind of know where she could end up.
Hickson: Yes. Absolutely. To know what’s coming and then to see it translated onto page always differs though. It’s always different from what you think it’s gonna be. We’ve added in a lot of that surprise element that wasn’t originally in the comics. We adapted… the pilot is completely from the page… but coming up, even going into the second episode, there’s a lot of things that differ. I’m super excited and little bit nervous to see how the audience takes it.

TrunkSpace: For the audience, the end product is always what’s memorable, but for you, it must be the experience. What has been the most memorably aspect of your “Deadly Class” journey thus far?
Hickson: Just the people… working with people. I know a lot of people say that when they’re on set it’s like a family – it’s like a very cliché thing to say – but it couldn’t be truer. We are all in an Airbnb and everyone’s sleeping in the same bed. I was just watching them and they’re all smiling, laughing and there’s dresses and suits, and we have candles and they’re dancing to ‘70s music. We had these two huge pizzas that we ordered… Mama Siobhan ordered it. (Laughter) It was just beautiful to watch. I would watch all these people from all different walks of life, from all over the place, come be in one spot just to celebrate something we created. It was beautiful.

TrunkSpace: And in a way, that’s a little like high school, which brings it full circle back to “Deadly Class.” Here you are, all of these people from different walks of life all co-inhabiting, just like high school.
Hickson: Totally! We have people from different countries… from all over the place. All over the world. It’s really cool to see all of these personalities mesh together. It is a lot like high school. It’s as playful as high school. We’ve pulled some pranks on each other. The one thing that’s missing though is the cliqueyness. There isn’t cliqueyness, which I admire. There’s no judgment. It’s missing all the shitty parts of high school that we convey onscreen.

TrunkSpace: Yeah, keep that onscreen, right?
Hickson: Yeah, exactly! (Laughter)

TrunkSpace: You mentioned the cast, but there’s so many great people behind the scenes as well. Did you view your time on the series thus far just as much of an education as you did a job?
Hickson: Yeah. I think with every project you grow as an artist and grow as a person. Everyone embraces you. They don’t try to change you. I think I learned a lot about myself being in a high school setting, about things that I did that I’m not proud of in high school and things that were wrong and I didn’t speak up about and damage that I carried with me for a long time. Being around good people and feeling like you can talk to them free of judgment, I think a lot of people will let go of stuff that they were carrying around.

And there’s a heavily recurring theme of mental health. With Marcus being very open and transparent about his mental health and his depression… whereas Maria is bipolar and medicates secretly to disguise her illness from the other students… you see all of this is a massive conversation as the show went on.

TrunkSpace: It takes place in the ‘80s, but really not much has changed in terms of the things people are dealing with in 2019. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Hickson: No, if anything it’s so overly sensitized. We’re bringing such heavy content and we thought there’s no way we’re gonna put this kind of stuff on television. We were like, “How is this ever gonna air? There’s no way they’re gonna air this on television.”

It happens with every project. Every project has some moment. It’s just how you tackle love and revenge and betrayal and all those things, amplified by adding raging hormones, but the certain messages we’re gonna convey are about the repercussions and effects of violence rather than the act of it. With people accusing us of being stereotypical in our roles… we’re actually fighting to break those roles, assigned by the old patriarch. The kids are rebelling against traditions and the vision that the patriarchy has. We’re not victimizing. We’re not promoting or glorifying drugs or violence. These are things that do happen and they need to be talked about. It’s about the effects of these things on young kids and how to remain good and moral in such a fundamentally awful place.

TrunkSpace: Beyond acting, we know that you’re also a singer/songwriter. Is music still a part of your life?
Hickson: Absolutely. I’ve been working on an album for what seems like forever. Work has sort of taken off. I’m trying to keep up but yeah, working on two television series doesn’t leave time for much music. (Laughter) I do have an album written and I self-produced, so I created all of it with synth and drum pads… just super fun to design and make. It’s still in the works. It still needs to be mastered and I’m learning how to track vocals and playing around with different equipment to find my sound.

TrunkSpace: What’s great about your current on-screen success as an actress is that you could then carry that success into your music career as well.
Hickson: Yeah. I think music was my original thing. I sort of got into acting accidentally, which is a whole other story. Music went on the back burner for a while. Just a big piece of me felt like it was missing and I felt for a while that I had to choose, which was impossible for me just because I have such a deep love for both. I think the music industry, had I kept that going, it would’ve been much harder for me to find some success or a team… you know, those steps on a ladder.

Music, for me, I can procrastinate for years… weeks, weeks, months on end. Whereas I have a deadline with acting. I can’t procrastinate and say, “Well, I don’t how I felt.” It’ll come out whether you like it or not, and that’s what I love about film is that it’s not my decision. It’s gonna come out and someone else will see it. That’s been the trickier side of my music is that I can’t always get to it but it’s also the beautiful thing because it always waits for me.

“Deadly Class” airs Wednesdays on Syfy.

Featured image:
Photography – Ron Mey
Photo Assist – Julian Morales
Makeup – Brandy Allen
Hair – Mika Fowler
Styling – Cassy Meier

Chilling Out is where TrunkSpace talks all things horror and genre with those who work in the projects that give us the thrills and chills to keep coming back for more. This time out we’re chatting with Chantelle Albers, producer and star of the new film “The 6th Friend,” which is available now on VOD.

We recently sat down with Albers to discuss how women drove “The 6th Friend,” marketing a film in this content-driven marketplace, and why she goes as deep as possible with every character.

TrunkSpace: When you’re working on a project in multiple capacities as you are with “The 6th Friend,” do you feel more pressure for it to succeed and find an audience? Creatively, is there more at stake for you?
Albers: Oh definitely, it was a lot more pressure to succeed and to have the film be received well with your audience. As the producer, and the film’s financier, I felt a lot more pressure to succeed. I felt pressure to make a movie that people within the horror genre and other genres would enjoy and want to watch more than once. We wanted to reach a wide audience, which is why we stayed away from gruesome violence and made it more about the chase and having quick kills. I really wanted the audience to relate to the characters, and feel the relationship between the six women, so that when something happens to one of them we care about them. I also think it helps create the suspense and horror when the audience is connected to the characters.

TrunkSpace: Do you view working in front of the camera and working behind the camera as part of the same creative journey, or are they two separate paths that you’re traveling on?
Albers: Working as producer behind the camera and actress in front of the camera is definitely the same creative journey for me. Both aspects deal with creating the same movie and the same outcome. I feel almost more connected to the character as an actress by also being a producer because you become so invested in the project creatively, emotionally and financially. I was completely emerged in the movie by creating it from the ground up. Working behind the camera gave me a lot of creative freedom when it came to the technical side of the film, and playing the part of Melissa gave me creative freedom in front of the camera. For me, the two roles were interchangeable because the actress in me and the producer in me both wanted to make a good movie.

TrunkSpace: What was it that drew you to “The 6th Friend” and how did you envision it fitting into today’s cinematic horror landscape?
Albers: I was drawn to the strong female aspect of it because I thought it was a good time for a film like this, and I thought it would resonate well with audiences. The heroine and the villain are both female which makes it have this “girl power” sort of feel without being too much of a feminist film. I also was drawn to the humor, which I think there is a lot of, and it makes us connect with the storyline and the suspense that will happen moments after the laughs. It’s more of a clean horror film, in that the kills are gruesome and will make you cringe, but they don’t go on for long periods of time. There are no torture kills in the script, which I appreciated and liked. For this movie that was just not my taste due to the all-female facet.

TrunkSpace: Is there something kind of nice about working in the horror genre, because in a way, it feels like it comes with a bit of a built-in audience. Those who follow the genre seem more willing to try out a new film they haven’t heard of before rather than someone who might be interested in a drama or comedy, for example.
Albers: Oh yes, horror fans are very loyal and they do seem to have an open mind when it comes to new films and new styles of horror. Some may not always like every movie, but they will still watch it and that’s what we want. We as artists want people to see our work and be inspired and entertained by it, and the horror genre seems willing to watch and give new movies a try. I also love working in comedy and drama too. It’s hard for me to stay in just one genre because I have such a love and desire for all different acting styles and characters. I love creating all different kinds of art and that includes different movie genres. That’s where my love of producing comes into play, I love producing projects of all genres that I’m passionate about and connect with the characters.

TrunkSpace: The film won several awards on the festival circuit and built up a nice amount of word of mouth leading into its release. With so much content competition out there today, how does a film like “The 6th Friend” capture an audience and turn a casual viewer into a fan? What is the key in 2019 to breaking through the noise on any given streaming platform and being the film that gets chosen by the viewer?
Albers: I think a good way to market a movie in order to gather a fanbase is to have something to sell in your movie. People really seemed to like the fact that we are female written/directed/produced/ and have a female main cast. It sort of put us in this female film niche. We also have some cast members that are well known to the genre and their fanbase has picked up on the buzz of the film. My team and I used social media as a way to promote the film in the beginning and that was a huge help in getting word out about it. I think a major component in getting your movie seen is having really eye catching artwork that would make audiences want to choose your movie to watch. Another element is recognizable cast members and having a strong visibility on the VOD streaming sites.

TrunkSpace: Speaking strictly to the Chantelle with the producer hat on, what lessons did you learn while filming and promoting “The 6th Friend” that you’ll apply to future projects that you step behind the camera on?
Albers: There was so much I learned and there were so many things that I know to do and not to do now that I’ve lived through it, but the biggest lesson I learned is to have patience with your project, because everything works at different paces and has different times. Sometimes we would need one thing done immediately, but we had to wait. So you shift your focus, and you start in on finishing another element that needs to be done. Filmmaking is fun and creative, and having patience and trust in the outcome of your work will help you enjoy the journey of the ride.

TrunkSpace: What has been the highlight of your career thus far?
Albers: There have been so many wonderful moments in my career both on stage and on camera, and they all were such special and unique experiences that it’s hard to pick out just one. Some of the highlights have been performing in front of thousands of people and having a standing ovation during live theater, and others were working with some incredibly talented and truthful actors that you could fall in love with. It’s also very flattering to be recognized for your work. With “The 6th Friend” we won several awards and had numerous nominations, and it was an honor to have them with a project so close to you.

TrunkSpace: Has there been a character that you’ve played that you wished you had more time to spend with, and if so, why would you have liked to inhabit that particular person just a little bit (or a lot) longer?
Albers: Whenever I play a character I go pretty deep into it, so I always end up spending more than enough time with my characters! (Laughter) I put a lot of research, character study and attention to detail in my work in order to make the characters fleshed out individuals with a strong desire and objective to accomplish what is in the script. It’s sort of like living with the character for a while. Rehearsing, researching and then finally playing always seems to fulfill my time with characters.

I maybe haven’t gotten enough of Melissa though. We’ll see if she emerges again.

A genre that I have always wanted to do is a Western! I am an avid horseback rider and I would really would love to play a sassy saloon girl who can take off on horseback out of gun fire.

TrunkSpace: We’re only about a month into the new year. Did you set any resolutions for yourself this year and if so, what is your plan to carry them out?
Albers: YES, I’m setting it right now… now that you mention it. I am going to try and take the time to meditate and read “The Stoic Philosophy” every day. I’m just going to make the time to do it!

“The 6th Friend” is available now on VOD.