Exclusive Interview with Breeda Wool

 

Breeda Wool comes from a background of theatre performance but has guest starred in hit shows such as Weeds, Law & Order, Criminal Intent and alongside Christopher Meloni and Mariska Hargitay in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. In 2013 she was cast in Amazon’s hit web series Beta’s where she showcased her talent as manipulative boss Victoria. That’s not all; Breeda Wool also had a lead role in the short turned feature film AWOL. The short was recognized at the Sundance Women in Film Panel where it won three of the four awards given by Women In Film & the Gotham Independent Film Awards.

Breeda Wools has recently starred as Faith DeLuth on Lifetimes new hit, UnREAL. Faith DeLuth is a young woman from Mississippi who competes on the show called Everlasting. Breeda Wool starred alongside Constance Zimmer and Shiri Appleby.

 

What is your biggest challenge going from performing on stage versus on camera?

Theater is a real team sport. There’s a lot of practice and then the game. With television, there can be beautiful collaboration, but it’s usually done on the day you’re shooting with little to no rehearsal. Film and TV is more like Olympic diving: you show up and get a couple of opportunities to hit the perfect triple double axel flip thingamajig (or a sloppy belly flop depending on the project). So you have to practice on your own. Creative preparation becomes more solitary. My belly flop is on point right now.

What was the filming experience like on the set of UnReal? Were there any challenges with having a mock film crew and then a real film crew while shooting scenes?

Filming UnREAL was a wonderful, highly creative experience for me. I had a lot of support from production team and there was great camaraderie amongst the cast. Team UnREAL was pretty amazing. I think there was a lot of love on that set. Yes, it was quite confusing having a make-believe film crew hanging with our real film crew. Sometimes I would ask “Are you Real or UnReal?” by the end of the season I think Shiri and Constance had actually started producing me. Josh Kelly is definitely now a camera guy and I was actually trying to win Everlasting.

Were you expecting or surprised by the support you received for you character Faith during the episode confronting her sexuality?

I feel really glad that people connected with that episode. When Sarah Shapiro told me about my story, through the series, I was thrilled. I knew it would be challenging and might break my heart, but I felt honored that she entrusted me with it. It was very important to me that I told this story as truthful as I could. Learning about what it would mean for me to come out to my community in rural Mississippi and in the light of my religious beliefs. UnREAL was a gift for me to understand that as an artist. I learned so much from this project. I felt very connected to the situation of LGBT communities around the country that face rejection from their churches and communities in the light of their love.

What were your concerns and reaction to learning that your character Faith was gay?

Well, in the story of UnREAL, I was raised in a Church that only accepts love and marriage between cisgendered man/woman couples. If I was to come out as gay in this community, God would literally cast me out, not to mention the economic and social ramifications. I think Everlasting is my attempt to escape both the constraints of my town and also my inevitable truth. Everlasting has a way of pushing people to the truth.

Periscope has become a great tool for fans and actors to interact. How was it getting to periscope live during the episodes and interacting with fans?

Periscope is so fun. I felt like I was skyping with my mom, but instead of my mom it was thousands of strangers. I’ll admit, it gave me a warm little feeling of togetherness.

Getting to see the interactions between cast members, we got to see how close and family like you’ve all become. Has anyone from the cast become your BFF and who would you love to do another project with?

It’s true. The UnREAL family is a loving bunch of misfits. I consider all the cast to be my friends. I see a lot of them frequently. While we were shooting we would all often hang on the weekends. Even a group of the Canadian ladies were folded into the cast love. Constance is an extraordinary wonder woman who was always open and generous. I learned a lot from Shiri about how to be number one through a whole season of TV and still show up for your family. Ashley Scott, Shiri, and Constance I consider to be women who made a decision to have it all. I learned so much from them. I love Ashley Scott, I might be Josh Kelly’s sister, And I’m positive I’m Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman’s spirit animal. I would follow JBC into an abyss. So much love to all the cast, Johanna, Nathalie, Aline, Freddie! Sarah Shapiro is a visionary; I will tether myself to her for life.

What was your favorite moment on set for UnReal?

Saying “I love Amy”. Most days on set were like the best game of barbies ever. Shiri Appleby is so fun to play with.

During your free time you enjoy researching psychology, sociology, and anthropology. Why these subjects?

I like to ruthlessly ask why as many times as I can. These fields encourage that. I also have an undergraduate degree in Psychology, my father was a scientist, and my mother is a history professor. When I see a topic, I wonder about it’s origin story. I also feel like acting and filmmaking is an artful expression of the same topics these fields examine scientifically.

What can you tell us about your character Rayna in AWOL?

In AWOL, I’m married to a trucker (Bill Sage) and we have two little girls. We live kind of on the outskirts of society. In the story I’ve never been out of the state of Pennsylvania. I instigate an affair with a high-school graduate (Lola Kirke) and the story is about how we fall in love and try to change our lives for the better.

How did you approach and prep for your role as Rayna versus Faith?

I was in the short film of AWOL in 2011, that premiered at Sundance. I have known and worked with Deb Shoval, the director of AWOL, for many years. The film of AWOL grew over many years and I was able to return to the story many times. I had a lot of time to prepare for UnREAL as well. We had a break between shooting the pilot and series. I also coached with Diana Castle at the Imagined Life Theater on both projects.

You have quite a few projects in post production for this year. Is there a particular one you are more excited about or eager for your fans to see?

Hehehe, yes. I can’t actually talk about them yet. Good things coming down the line. The weird Breeda roll out. I’m very excited for the world to see AWOL, Automatic At Sea, Strangers, and the other stuff I can’t talk about! Ha!