We had the wonderful opportunity to speak with Amber Patino about her emerging career. Check out the interview below.
Hi, Amber! Thank you for granting the interview.Congrats on your role on the Hulu series, The First. What should the audience expect to see?
It’s a Sci-fi drama that focuses on the lives of the astronauts and the scientists that help them get ready to go to Mars. Taking a close look at the families and the trials they go through when their loved ones prepare for space and the separation.
Tell us about Amanda. Who is she? What is her personality like?
Amanda is an incredibly well dressed young lady who likes the approval of her mother, she’s definitely a rule follower and doesn’t have any problem telling on her twin brother, Devon (played by Alex Rubin).
What role does Amanda play in the series?
Amanda is the daughter to Laz Ingram (played by Natascha McElhone). Laz is the scientist heading up the Mars mission.
Was it a challenge to play Amanda?
It was not a challenge at all to play the role, in fact, it was quite easy. The support from the production team, cast and crew was by far the greatest experience I’ve ever had. They even had body doubles, which was a first for me. I was so surprised I told them that they didn’t need to waste money on me, I’m young and can work hard. ? They explained the need and my mind was opened to a new reality. Then I just had fun knowing I was there in triplicate. We had our mothers confused as to which one of us was which.
How did you get the role?
I had a self-tape audition request from my agent and manager. I submitted the request and very quickly got a director Skype to call back from that audition. Within days I got the role. I am very thankful to everyone involved in this opportunity, a special thank you to the director Agnieska Holland, the casting director Laray Mayfield, my manager Randy James and his team Clarina Knowles And Colton James, And Tina Randolph at Eris Talent Agency.
The subject matter of the series is true-to-life because NASA is planning to send a crew to MARS. Did you do any research to play your role?
Space has always been a fascination for me ever since I was very young. We would sing songs about space from a band called They Might Be Giants their Here Comes Science CD and I even had the opportunity to have a private tour of the NASA Johnson center. These things fueled my love for everything space. My character was not directly involved in the space missions though I felt fully prepared to be a supportive daughter to my mother in the series, and I was really excited to be a part of this very realistic version of a Sci-fi drama series.
What is going to surprise people about Amanda?
Amanda is pretty straight forward with no surprises. I did, however, have aspirations of her becoming a little tougher and kick butt in season 2.
Without giving anything away, what’s your favorite line of dialogue and why?
My favorite quotes are . . . “We’re all just humans, right?” Amanda Ingram. This scene got cut out which is the nature of Hollywood. I like this line because I’m a firm believer that we are all one race the human race, we all bleed the same and if we came together in unity the world would be a better place. “Belief comes first, only then can you see it.” Laz Ingram. When you throw doubt into the mix you will most assuredly fail but with faith all things are possible. “I need people who are going to do the hard thing” Sean Penn it’s a reminder that we can’t just sit around and wait for opportunities to come to us, it’s because we do the hard work that possibilities are available to us.
When looking back on the production, what resonated with you the most and why?
They never did anything halfway, every aspect of this production was well thought out and executed.
In your opinion, what scene in the series is going to blow people away and why?
In episode 4, Laz is out by her pool looking through her tech glasses at possible scenarios to fix a technical issue that was affecting the mission. As I’ve said before, the series is so captivating because the scenarios that are set 20 years in the future are very plausible and attainable given our technological advancements in today’s world.
What do you enjoy most about your character and role?
One of my favorite things about my character was my wardrobe, every time I went into the dressing room it felt like Christmas. I loved all of the designs and accessories.
Do you have anything else you would like to share about the series?
My experience on the series and the subject matter inspired me to write a song called “Supernova” with my partner/producer Lucas Bakker. We released my song Supernova in October 2018 following the premiere of The First in September. We originally thought “I love space so let’s write a song about space” but the more we dove into it I realized that it made me think of loneliness and how there are so many people on this planet but when you’re lonely they can feel like they are worlds away.
You can find the song here:
YouTube: https://youtu.be/uyFxZLsTNa4.
Spotify:
Do you have anything else you would like to share about your career?
I am very excited to be a part of The Smile High Club Inc. we are about to announce a new name soon: https://instagram.com/smilehighclubinc.
This is an organization that is dedicated to empowering individuals that are battling disabilities, cancer and other life-threatening illness to fight like the heroes they are. I face paint everyone like a superhero and then the founder James Churchman and amazing team hook them up to the same stunt rigging used to fly superheroes in the movies and we help them fly. Our tag line is “fly like heroes fight like heroes.” I have several songs that I plan to release this year that I’m very excited about, please follow my social media platforms to keep up to date on what’s coming next.
Instagram: https://instagram.com/amberpatino
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7270845/
Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/add/theamberpatino
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amberpatinola/
Thank you so much for taking the time to give me this interview.
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