HM #013 - Interview Aria Brooks

Retrouvez l'interview VF dans HypnoMag#13, pages 13 à 16.

Your career is booming, well done! Can you tell us how your vocation as an actress was born? 

Both of my parents are Performing Arts teachers, so I grew up around acting, singing, and dancing. We walked around the house singing and dancing and putting on performances with each other. When I turned six, I realized I wanted to take it seriously.

Last year, you participated in the 4th episode of the Dolly Parton's Heartstrings anthology series Cracker Jack. Did you know the song before auditioning? 

I had heard of Dolly Parton but I'd never heard the song before I got the audition. Once I started to do my research to prepare for the audition, I listened to it and used it to help me better understand the character.

This filming allowed you to play alongside experienced actresses such as Sarah Shahi, Rochelle Aytes or Tammy Lynn Michaels, but also to meet Dolly Parton. What memories do you keep of these meetings? 

I will forever remember how nice and professional they were. They were focused and made sure they got the job done right, but they were very personable and held conversations with everyone. I will also remember the new friends that I made. They were all around my age and a few of us still talk to this day.

We also find you in several parts of the show All That. That show is both comedy and parody how have you seen your acting evolve since starting on the show? 

All That has improved my acting so much. Before All That, I did a lot of blinking, fidgeting, and moving in my auditions. On camera, those kinds of things can distract the viewers. In the past few months, I have changed drastically. I am better at blocking and standing still when I recite my lines. On top of that, my improvisation skills have gotten much better.

You work in both music and acting, what do you like in these two professions? 

Over the years, I have become more and more passionate about both music and acting. I enjoy writing music and singing it. Writing songs is my way of releasing my emotions and feelings. Singing is another way to release emotions. Music is therapeutic for me. I love acting because I love that I get to play different characters everyday. I love the audition process and being on set.

You are continuing your studies in parallel with your acting career. Is it difficult to lead the two together? What do you prefer, learning a lesson for school or a text for a role? 

I would much rather work on a script for a role, because school is not really fun for me. Scripts are like memorizing a story or listening to a song. Whereas school is like memorizing facts which is not as much fun.

What are your hobbies?

I enjoy baking, traveling, making tik tok videos, playing card games, and writing.

You participated in the film Harriet which retraces the life of Harriet Tubman, a great figure in American history, mentioned in the TV series Timeless or Black Lightning. Has it allowed you to learn about it?

In textbooks, they tell you just the borderline information about Harriet Tubman. Harriet helped me to learn about how she felt and her true story. The film went into way more detail and I learned a lot.

Who are the people you admire, in the profession you practice or more broadly in our current world? 

I admire Zendaya, because she is humble and she is so talented. She is achieving a lot of the things I see myself achieving in the future. I also look up to Skai Jackson and Marsai Martin, because they were in similar situations to me and they are so successful and still succeeding. I also look up to Melanie Martinez because she is a great singer and lyricist.

What TV series are you watching? Is there one in particular in which you would like to get a role? 

I am currently watching This is Us and Greenhouse Academy. I would like to land a role on This is Us. I love the drama in the show and I want to make sure I am not only doing sitcoms or comedies. I want to be well rounded.

In which project will we be able to find you in 2020/2021?

Other than All That, I do not have any guaranteed roles yet, but I do plan on releasing an album. I would like to star in a movie as well, but right now, I am just following God's plan for me.