Here in the Boston area where winter seems unwilling to relinquish its grasp on the thermometer, spring is the forgotten season, which is why we were so eager to speak with Violett Beane, whose very name sparks thoughts of April showers and May flowers. As speedster Jesse Quick on The CW series “The Flash,” the Texas-raised actress sprinted into the hearts of fanboys/fangirls everywhere. Earlier this year, Beane took a dramatic turn, appearing as cancer patient Lily Kendall on the medical drama “The Resident.” And now, proving that variety is indeed the spice of life, she’s set to star in the horror film “Truth or Dare,” which opens today in theaters everywhere.
We recently sat down with Beane to discuss going all-in on acting at 18, bonding with her “Truth or Dare” costars on a road trip, and why she’s so grateful for the jobs she has landed thus far in her career.
TrunkSpace: It’s impossible to plan in this business or any business for that matter because life always zigs when you want it to zag, but has your career these last few years met or exceeded your expectations when you thought of this career as a path for yourself?
Beane: Oh, absolutely. I really started focusing on acting as a “career” when I was 18. When I was applying for colleges and stuff, I just kind of sat down with myself and really figured out, “Do I need college to pursue this creative acting career?” And for some people that answer is yes, but for me I kind of decided that I would take acting classes outside of college, but that I didn’t need the normal route, and I think personally that was the best decision I ever made because it made me go out and find work. I didn’t have the excuse of, “Oh, I have so much work from school. I don’t have any time.” Because all I had was time so it really made me go out there. And I found an agent in my hometown and I started auditioning for things and sending in tapes and then that’s how I booked “The Flash.”
TrunkSpace: To have so many projects all being released at or around the same time as you do right now, is that exciting when all of the work comes to fruition?
Beane: Totally. You have some idea of how things are going when you’re filming and you’re enjoying yourself and living in the moment, but the reality is that it comes out and that’s kind of an amazing moment to see all that hard work. My favorite thing is watching – if I do watch it, I don’t always watch every episode – but if I do watch my work, I’m remembering the times that I had during that scene or how difficult it was to get that or whatever, and I find that kind of fun. It’s like reliving that moment over.
TrunkSpace: Your new movie “Truth or Dare” hits theaters today. Horror tends to have a built-in audience as fans of the genre will give new projects and characters a chance. Do you think the movie is the kind of horror that will appeal to both die-hard fans of the genre and general moviegoers as well?
Beane: I think it actually will because I have a lot friends who are very into horror films and they consider horror to be the gore, the gore of it, and not necessarily the storyline. And so I think there’s a lot of gore. You see some pretty gnarly deaths in this movie, but at the same time it’s great for people who just like suspenseful movies and that’s kind of where I am on the spectrum. I love being on the edge of my seat and not knowing what’s going to happen and who’s going to live and that’s what I like in a horror movie. So I think it has equal parts of both and people are really going to enjoy it.
TrunkSpace: It also has that creepy factor too because of those sinister smiles that pop up in the movie… they’re very unsettling.
Beane: Oh yeah!
TrunkSpace: What will you carry with you for the rest of your life and career from your time working on “Truth or Dare?”
Beane: From “Truth or Dare,” definitely the first day we all met. We actually met for the first time and then drove out to Mexico for one night to shoot the beginning opening credits. There’s a montage of all of the characters on spring break in Mexico, and so what we did was we all got in a van, we drove out to Mexico and we all had our cast phones and we were just videoing and photoing for 24 hours while we did random things in Mexico. And that was just such a great bonding experience. I think a lot of TV shows and movies don’t realize that people have to have immediate chemistry in these roles so when you meet someone five seconds before you start your first scene, it’s really hard to have that natural chemistry. But doing that with the cast was the perfect thing.
TrunkSpace: Your character has blonde hair in the movie and her physical appearance overall differs from your other recent characters in “The Flash” and “The Resident.” Is that something that’s fun for you as an actor, to be able to make those physical transformations?
Beane: It’s absolutely one of my favorite things. I feel like hair, makeup and wardrobe is a huge turn for me when I’m working as a character because, especially with wardrobe – also in hair and makeup – you’re making decisions that your character would make and all of a sudden it doesn’t matter like, “Oh, do I think that’s cute or would I wear that?” It’s, “Would my character wear that?” And I think once you’re in that headspace it’s easier to tap into the other intricacies of the character. So for me it’s an amazing, amazing time to work on the character. And what I also think is kind of cool is, I know a lot of people have messaged me or commented like, “Oh, I didn’t even know you were in ‘Truth or Dare’,” because I was blonde. I find that kind of interesting. I’ve had a couple of other people mention that about “The Resident” because I wear a very short wig and I wear a scarf on my head. And so I think it’s kind of cool that maybe people are seeing this character and liking it or not, but not knowing it’s me and then finding that out. I think that’s kind of fun.
TrunkSpace: Your character in “The Resident” has a pretty emotionally-heavy storyline and backstory. Again, speaking from a performance standpoint, do you think that character allowed you the opportunity to show a side of your work that some of these other projects haven’t been able to just because of the nature of the role?
Beane: Oh, definitely. “The Resident” was a very dramatic television series, so a lot of the issues that you’re dealing with are real issues and you dive deeper into them. And playing Lily, I was able to reach a different side of myself that’s a lot more calm. In my life I tend to be frantic and loud and Lily is very demure and she is very kind and soft spoken and that’s something that I’ve never played in a character either, so it was really interesting to try that.
TrunkSpace: And what’s so interesting is that all of the characters you’ve been playing recently from “Truth or Dare” to “The Resident” and “The Flash,” they’re all so different. Is that a bit of living out the dream, getting to play so many different types of characters and not being pigeonholed into any one type of role?
Beane: Yeah. It’s been pretty amazing. And I only started when I was 18, so to have these kind of opportunities right now is something I’m forever grateful for and I’m just trying to enjoy the moment.
TrunkSpace: Is it hard to do that, to enjoy the moment when you’re probably moving at a million miles a minute? Do you still sit back and go, “Wow, this is it. I’m living it.”?
Beane: Oh, absolutely. I sit there and I’m doing something crazy or silly or weird and I’m just like, “I get to do this for a living?” (Laughter) When you’re able to do what you love and live your lifestyle based off of that, that’s the dream. Money is a non-factor as long as you’re able to enjoy your life to the extent you want to enjoy it while doing what you love. That’s amazing.
TrunkSpace: Add in the fact that you’re getting to play a superhero and that’s a pretty nice addition to getting to do what you love.
Beane: Yeah. (Laughter) That doesn’t hurt.
Catch “Truth or Dare” is in theaters today.
Featured image by: Storm Santos