Troy Ford answers 11 Questions With Lisa
1.How old were you when you started acting?
I tried some theatre in High School, but I was so nervous, that I never got more than a bit part. I started doing it more in college: I did well in auditions and got a few parts. I was just in a better place with it in college.
2. Did anyone, or any specific event, inspire you to pursue acting?
Not necessarily, no. I have always been a real movie nut. My mom and I both. I can’t say that my mom directly inspired me to act, but my mom has always stood behind me 100%. My mom helps drive me; I watch how she lives her life and she just pushes forward and does not take no for an answer. Even when you hear “no”, just keep going.
3. What do you find to be most difficult about acting?
I would say that, for me, I get really anxious and nervous; so, the audition process can be difficult. Just going in to the audition, letting go and becoming that character. On the other hand, that is also my favorite part of acting; if you go in the wrong direction with a character initially, you can try it again.
4. Is there another area of filmmaking that you’re interested in?
I think I should probably perfect acting before I branch out into other areas.
5. What was the most challenging aspect of filming Sacrament?
Troy really didn’t want to complain about anything. He said that maybe it was really hot at times and some scenes were difficult to shoot. It was made very clear to me that there were plenty of people on set who had much more responsibility than he did, namely Amanda Rebholz, who were juggling multiple tasks and he didn’t have to do that.
“The traveling back and forth. We filmed on the weekends, so at times, it was a bit difficult
to film, go back to the real world for a week, and then come back to this character. I definitely
want to live in an area where acting will be easier to do.”
55 minutes into the interview, Troy was feeling comfortable with me and told me what another difficult aspect of filming was.”The hardest part of filming was making my character likable.” This is particularly amusing due to the fact that Troy’s character is more than loosely based on the director, Shawn Ewert. “My character is just the responsible one, so it’s not always easy to root for him.” This was all said in great fun with nothing but love for Shawn.
6. Was there an especially memorable moment you experienced while filming Sacrament?
Troy had only wonderful things to say about his time filming Sacrament. He couldn’t say enough lovely things about Shawn and everyone else on the crew. So, really the entire experience was memorable.
7. Is acting your main focus/goal in life?
Absolutely.
8. Do you have a favorite type of role?
Horror movies have always been with me since I was a child. I lean towards things that are a little more dramatic. Even in horror, I prefer when the characters are going through something. I would like to try a serious, dramatic role.
9. What have you learned from the directors that you’ve worked with?
Well, working with Shawn, I really appreciated how open he was. He made me nervous at first, but I want to work with people who are open to suggestions and not turning the other cheek. I’ve never had a director that was so hands one. It felt like a collaboration. I learned from Shawn to not be afraid to suggest things.
10.How do you deal with the confusion between two movies with the word Sacrament in the title coming out in such a short span of time of one another?
I think Shawn may have to deal with that a lot more than I do. I’m thankful that people who are looking for the other movie, may stumble upon our movie. It sucks a lot more for Shawn.
11.What is one thing that you would like to accomplish this year?
I would like to move out of Oklahoma. I need to do that for me.