BTS Photographer: Brian Lau
We had the wonderful opportunity to interview actress Alice Jean. Check out her interview below.
Hello, Alice! It’s great to speak with you about your career! We see that your portfolio growing. Let’s talk about your web series. Tell us more.
Hi! Let’s just get straight into it! “Occupation Rotation” is about an off-beat Corrie Trainor who’s attempting to find her place in society, one job at a time! It’s set right here in Los Angeles, and Corrie is working her way through different jobs, trying to find the one that is her calling. Of course, there’s always a trustee sidekick, her roommate Eliza, who is like her enabler to embark on these crazy career paths.
What should the audience expect?
It’s a journey stacked with witty one-liners and very illegal training credentials. The mood is a light-hearted comedic illustration tackling the societal issue that forces people to pick a profession before they may have discovered their passion. The antics Corrie and Eliza get up to can be said to lean into sketch comedy, but the style is more like a sitcom.
You recently wrapped up a pilot that you wrote and produced. What can you tell us about it?
Yes, I did! I can tell you that there isn’t a back story for Eliza or Corrie in the pilot; you’ll learn more as time goes on. We get straight into the Occupation of the day! And you get a feel of what they’re about, by the way, they handle themselves. They also have their first client who is somewhat injured even more than before he arrived during the process. (No actors were harmed… much in the making of this pilot!)
When is the release date?
The official screening premiere will be on 18th September 2018. Then I’ll be looking to submit it into festivals, so the internet release date will be pushed back until it’s finished traveling around the festivals. Therefore, the release date online is still to be announced.
What inspired the story?
The inspiration is something I find not usually discussed, which is society’s pressure for young people to choose their career path very young, and have it all together. I feel no one ever encourages young people to take the time, test them all out if you can, to see if this job is really what you signed up for. If it’s not, once you’re in a ridiculous amount of student debts or loans for college/university, and you’ve finally completed all your qualifications, restarting again because it’s not all it’s cracked up to be isn’t so appealing. So, what I’m trying to say is, take your time, you’ll thank yourself later. It’s no use keeping up with the crowd when it’s the wrong crowd for you anyway.
What do you love most about being an indie filmmaker?
I get to make a point, and then I get to prove it! Essays in school would always require me to make a point, show evidence, and then explain. When we did science experiments, I always had to conduct my experiment to test my theory, and conclude. Well, this is just like that, but instead, I can show you want I see. I take my point and create something tangible as my evidence to explain. That’s what makes it so beautiful to me, revealing my thoughts, creating a piece of art that I can teach people with, or showcase a different perspective with. The most phenomenal part is when it comes out better than you expected because of the teamwork with the cast & crew. I had an amazing team behind me, which my co-producer, Ali-Han Ibragimov and I brought together. My director, Jazmin, understood my vision perfectly, and my director of photography, Yijia Xu, captured it beautifully, with the help of the rest of the crew.
What types of stories do you like to tell?
For me, it’s about the stories that need to be told. I enjoy shining a light on society’s forgotten crowd of people discriminated against, whether it’s based on their skin color, gender, sexuality, or mental state. However, it doesn’t always have to be around that topic, sometimes it’s just a societal issue that I think needs addressing. I think it’s our job as artists to hold society accountable and tackle the issues we face with our craft. We have to do our part for the community, just as the doctor does with their skill or the lawyer.
Why is it important for actors to branch out and expand their portfolio?
You know, when you’re just starting out, they’ll be times when the work is slow, but you obviously want to keep working. That’s when expanding your portfolio can come in handy, because you can give yourself work, you don’t have to sit around the phone waiting for “the call”. You want to keep those acting muscles in shape so when the phone rings, you’re ready.
Also, it helps you create relationships, with editors, gaffers, you name it. Who knows maybe they could be on a different set, and remember you as an actor, then vouch for your talent.
Are there any projects you would like to add that we haven’t mentioned?
I’m currently working on producing a feature film with Ali-Han Ibragimov called Bompton had a Dream, written and directed by Rashan Allen. Without disclosing too much information, in my opinion, it’s a narrative making a huge comment on today’s society about instances that occur regularly, that we need to keep shining a light on. I think this film will add a lot to a particular discussion that’s very prominent today, and open the eyes of people worldwide about the reality, the severity even, of the situation. You know, a lot of the time, people struggle to walk in another person’s shoes because they have so much going on within themselves. That’s what moved me so much about this film, because Rashan, is presenting to the world, the main character’s point of view, his “shoes”.
Complete this sentence, if I had an opportunity to do anything I want, I would do ___________.
Outside of my filmmaking ambitions, I would love to start a charity that mainly focuses on helping children who have survived abusive situations. I would make the charity focus on providing the help they need to transition into a healthy situation if their home life wasn’t. If it was a safe environment, I’d want to work with the family to help the child deal with the trauma. I’d make it accessible to as many different cases, and cater to their specific needs. We would focus on their mental wellbeing, as well as physical, try to provide funding to give them a better life, and access to opportunities they wouldn’t have had. Provide the right love, the right support they deserve. Maybe even find them loving parents if their biological parents weren’t, or, build a nurturing home for all the children not taken in by new families, to live, and grow, ran by the charity and volunteers.
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