Redhead Interview: Actress Alycia Tracy
What excites you about being a part of new media / web video / web content?
My favorite part about new media is that everyone gets a voice and everyone has a shot at creating something that others will respond to. We are no longer relegated to what “Hollywood” thinks we want to see. There is a wider range of content and more opportunities to create viable content and in the end create more quality work for artists at large. I have loved the projects I have worked on because there is such a giddy passion on the set. It’s almost like we are getting away with something and we can’t stop giggling about it.
What was your first web series experience?
I was cast in an upcoming web show called PROJECT 12 written by Tom Riordan and directed by Gary Ambrosia. It was a riot and so much fun to work on with all the special effects and military personnel. It hasn’t aired yet and I can’t wait to see it! But I also got to work on THE BEST FRIEND while shooting PROJECT 12 and there was something really special about working on two totally different projects being shot differently, but for the same initial venue. It was amazing to me how professional both sets ran and how passionate all the members of both projects were about the work. I have been on big budget movies and Emmy winning TV sets and both PROJECT 12 and THE BEST FRIEND were no exception in terms of quality and professionalism, not to mention a helluva lot of fun! Which is obvious when you take a look at the attention and accolades THE BEST FRIEND is receiving now. These women did a remarkable job.
What advice would you give another actress if she asked you for a tip on how to get involved or cast in a web series?
Someone did ask me that and I told her to create one. I am. I have several I am creating right now. I have no idea what I’m doing, but I am wearing all different hats from writer to producer and that’s not something you get to do everyday. It’s maddening but it’s mostly a lot of fun. So I say create them. Write what you want to see and put it out there. Audition for them. Write the producers/directors letters. Let them know you like their project and you would love to help them on set or in any way you can. You would be surprised how many people will take you up on offers of help. And then do it. And be a pro.
What kind of content excites you on the web as a viewer?
A lot of the content on the web is exciting because it steps out of the bounds of typical television programming, yet there are certain parameters that bind you, like time, which can create a very clever twist on a universal theme. But, like anything, I want and desire a good story. Without that, all you have is a gimmick and that doesn’t interest me. THE BEST FRIEND was interesting because when have we ever seen a female friendship from the point of view of the “ugly” friend? Now Marilyn, of course, is far from “ugly”, but I think we have all had friends that seemed to do better than us in life, so most of us know what it’s like to be “A Millie” and we have all had “A Sooze”. That makes this story really work because it is a fresh look at a universal theme, which you may not have found on your typical television show.
THE BANNEN WAY is such a sharp piece, brilliantly delivered by Mark Gantt and Jesse Warren, and the production quality of that show really raised the bar in terms of what is possible on the web. I loved ARC and I am in interested in anything Sci-Fi and I think it’s a very good genre for the web so I certainly seek that particular programming out when searching web shows. But in the end, give me a good story and I’ll follow you anywhere.
What’s the one role you have always wanted to play but haven’t been cast as yet?
Wonder Woman. And other than Halloween, I doubt I ever will.
What’s it like being a redhead? You know how they say — BLONDES HAVE MORE FUN! ? What do redheads have?
The best of both worlds. We have the smarts of a brunette, the sexuality of a blonde and we usually come well equipped with a lot of sass and a mean set of curves.
Has being so funny hurt your chances of getting cast in more dramatic roles?
Actually I usually get cast in dramatic roles but I am terribly funny so it’s a reverse issue for me. I want to do more comedy but I just don’t get called in for it.
Has anyone ever compared you to another actress or comedienne? If so, who? And do you agree or does the comparison baffle you?
Julianne Moore. I definitely see the resemblance but would love to see the pic of us standing next to each other. She is 5’4 and petite and I am 5’8 and voluptuous. I would imagine she’d look more like a mini-me.
{About Alycia}
Alycia Tracy hails from the Deep South where she learned to wield a broadsword and speak in verse through many Shakespearean productions with Atlanta Classical Theatre and Georgia Shakespeare Festival. After graduating from Florida State and a short stint in NYC, she gave up the cold winters for more the more suitable weather of Los Angeles and began her serious study with the Beverly Hills Playhouse. She has done several productions here in Los Angeles including a world premiere of Mark Troy’s PAGING DR. CHUTZPAH and has since been seen in short films like THE HARVEST, and on television as Dr. Meg in the always intriguing I DIDN’T KNOW I WAS PREGNANT on The Discovery Health Channel. Yet the most exciting things for Alycia are happening in the world of new media and the web. Alycia was so excited to work with the Marilyn-Anne Michaels and Allie Smith along with all the wonderful ladies that work so hard on THE BEST FRIEND and couldn’t be more proud to be a part of episode 10 The Perfect Woman playing Eddi. You will see Alycia very soon in the upcoming 12 part documentary series Project 12 in which she plays the medical doctor to the original 7-member team at Area 51.
