Bridget Fitzgerald
Bridget Fitzgerald is an American actress, comedienne and model who has appeared in films, shorts and TV series such as Killing Senses (2005), Gavin (2008), Hot Date (2011), Musie - which she wrote herself and co-directed with Phil Thompson - (2011), A Life in Shadows (2013), Last Night (2013) and Save the Date (2014), among many others.
Bridget can also be seen in Guy Patton's forthcoming independent action/thriller Pearl (which will be available to buy from June 9th) in the role of Jodi.
SN: Hello Bridget, and welcome. Thank you for taking some time to answer my questions. Let's take it back to the beginning. For those that are unaware, you were born in Tennessee. What was life like for you as a young girl growing up in the south?
Bridget: Hi, Mike. Thank you so much for the time and the chat!
I love the South. My parents still live down there. People walk slower, talk slower, take time and things mean more, I think, when you care to take the time. I moved a bit as a kid, back and forth to upstate New York, so I never really got the accent into me but, yeah, it's beautiful. You should go! :)
SN: Which came first for you, the modelling or the acting
Bridget: Oh man! I wish the modeling!! hahaha I have been acting for a long time - it's my passion! My first school play was as a child, the lead in the Nutcracker. I performed through high school and college, and then when I was out of school, my first job was at a regional theater and doing summer stock before doing a tour around the country, singing and dancing in Cinderella for children - but as the evil stepmother!! I was a goofball version of "evil." It was for kids. Honestly, it took me a long time to realize that I could be a model professionally. I was over 200 lbs in college and couldn't shop at regular stores. I was a size 16-18. But I exercised, changed how I ate, and then started to see myself differently. People are fluid. Who you are today changes based on your choices, on your habits. On what you let grow. I don't think there's anything you can't do if you're hard-working, kind, and try your best. I had good role models there, too - both of my parents are living the American dream and pulled themselves up by their bootstraps with hard work and good attitudes. I'm grateful for them.
SN: Focusing on modelling for a moment; I think - generally speaking- modelling comes across to people as a kind of cut-throat business. How were your initial experiences?
Bridget: My first few modeling jobs were like playing for a living. Where you're a smile and a body & a good attitude. It's fun to try on dresses all day or feel decadent and get your hair and makeup done, and I like talking to people, so it was just fun & work where afterwards, you feel silly for even being tired. Like one time, my feet were all sore, and I was like, oh Bridget, that's such a silly thing to be upset over. Your feet were sore because you were walking around in high heels all day. But I was really tired! But since I'd come from a long life of like, standing on my feet all day mopping floors at a movie theater or waiting tables or doing something totally normal, I'd kinda be mad at myself for just being human. It took me a while to be OK with being tired regardless of the reason. It never stops being exciting to me, though. Like, I was on a shoe modeling ad that was going to be in Vogue, and I was so excited! I don't know that it ever stops feeling exciting, to be told and able to tell people that's what you're doing for the day. You're right about cut-throat... but in a weird way, from my experience! Once, on a shoot, an older male crew member gave me a hard time for eating chips, and looked me over up & down saying they'll go straight to my hips - after I've been squatting all day in heels!!!! Let's see him do that!!! - but there are mean people all over, not just on shoots, you know? :) It's a day. :)
SN: Did you ever have any moments when you wondered whether modelling was for you or not?
Bridget: No, it never crossed my mind. I never worry about modeling. I mean, it felt weird to say it at first, but then you get a job, and another, and now, it's like, well, it's just fact. I'm a model, I have worked as one. Many times. So now, yep! I'm a model as well as an actress. :)
SN: So let's talk about your passion: acting. Tell me about your first onscreen role.
Bridget: When I moved to New York from North Carolina, I got a big break right away - I was cast in a film that was called something like, I don't remember, something about this guy's crush. And I was cast as a simple barista who is pining after a guy who is pining after someone else that he sees at the cafe my character works at. And I'm just the counter girl! And we rehearse it, and I mean - I just was relaxed and confident. The director (Brett Turek) was lovely. And I loved the producers, the late and incredible Peter Bron and Ken Recorr. And we shot it, and I think because I am who I am, the lines just came out warmer than the director expected. The character was way more likeable than he meant for her to be - she was supposed to be a random girl, not the girl the main guy wanted! But after we shot it, it was apparent that this story was a lot about her, too. And so they changed the name of the movie, to The Girl From The Bedford Cafe, which could mean both my character and the other one. I got along well with the whole team, so much so that I wrote a short dark comedy script to star in and worked again with them to shoot it. That film was Killing Senses, about a girl who tries to get rid of her senses to ditch the memories that are attached to them. It premiered at the Light Factory in Charlotte North Carolina as part of a festival in 2006.
SN: What do you look for in a character, and what do you consider to be the most important factor when talking on a new role?
Bridget: I look for a way to understand why they act the way they do. I'd pick these words and actions because? If I wouldn't naturally, who do I know who would and model it after them. Is it someone I've seen? How can I make this more realistic for the person watching this?
The most important factor when taking a role is would I be proud and excited to be a part of this?
SN: Which would you say have been some of the most difficult roles of your career so far, and which stand out as some of the most enjoyable?
Bridget: The most difficult roles were... Man, I don't know! I've been blessed to have a lot of great roles to play.
Some of my most enjoyable honestly were ones when I moved the people on the set. I made the camera operator and his assistant tear up when I was playing a cancer survivor who had seen an angel at the beginning of Things I Don't Understand. I have done that during auditions even! I like to help people let things out, like an emotional chiropractor, which I think actors are. I love making people laugh! I improvised for eight hours on set for film Joe's War & cracking up Armand Assante - who is this incredible tough guy & a very prolific actor - was just a joy!
SN: I always view improvisational comedy as one of the most difficult and unique styles. What would you say makes a great improvisational comedian/comedienne, and who are your influences?
Bridget: I'm at a place in my life where improv makes me sad, because I used to be better at it because I was doing it every night in NY, and I know a lot of people who are very good at it, Will Hines, Zach Woods, Dan Black. They think on their feet quickly and are smart and read people well and are assured. It's an art, and I had to make a choice about what I wanted to do in my life. And because I moved to LA to do film and TV, I had to sacrifice it to afford staying here and keeping a flexible schedule and focus on the skills I needed to improve for me, which were camera techniques. I miss it and I wish I could do everything because it's fun but my acting is a business, too. And this career requires the decisions of a business owner.
SN: So tell me about the time you exiled your inner b*tch.
Bridget: What a wonderful, wonderful opportunity! I never dreamed I would pay my bills by acting in an audiobook, but I did three months in a row, working on two projects - How I Exiled My Inner B*tch, playing the hilarious lead bad gal and I, Humpty, doing 70 comic voices for a fairytale book for grown-ups!
Miv Evans, who wrote the B*tch Book, is a powerhouse and a great friend. She's a strong business owner, a creative force, a British writer - ugh! You people are so good!! So smart and funny! I love Coupling, Moffat, Moffat's Dr. Who years, Sherlock, That Mitchell And Webb look. I think Moffat & Mitchell are bloody geniuses. And Miv, ewll, so put together and beautifully no-nonsense, giving, a great light and a great boss! Plus, the best taste in dresses outside my own :) hehehe.
SN: Well, I certainly hope you find the opportunity to get back into it and find that happy place again. You recently appeared in the great forthcoming independent action/thriller Pearl. How were your experiences on working with Guy & Dana Patton and Justin Brown, who plays your onscreen boyfriend Tre.
Bridget: Thank you. I loved loved loved working with Guy and Dana Patton! What a couple of gems they are! Smart script, great film! Justin is a sweet guy to work with. One of my favorite fake boyfriends, I'm sure.
SN: If you could land your absolute dream role what would it be, and why?
Bridget: My absolute, 100% dream, is to be the lead of a romantic comedy feature film. That's beyond a doubt the thing I was born to do. I was made to make people happy, and be smart, funny, and charming, and also - well! Human! That's what I'd love. A smart, charming, funny girl. That's who I am, and who I want to play, and who I want to give to people.
SN: I have no doubt you'll get there. Tell me about some of your upcoming projects.
Bridget: I've been cast in the film Cross 2, written and directed by Patrick Durham, one of the kindest, most hard-working, and uplifting people I know! I also am cast as a romantic comedy lead for the feature film The One I Love, Tucker, by Tucker Brown. I'll be playing the delightful Gina. I just shot on a SAG-AFTRA webseries The Shady Bunch that you can check out. I play a hot shot producer - I had such a great time! If you love the show Rick and Steve, from LOGO Network, it was directed by the same guy, who is just so giving, Allan Brocka, and features Callie Hopkins and Shanna Malcolm! Fans can check me out in the movie Pearl, we mentioned, that is coming to DVD on June 9th. It's so good, guys. I've seen it three times for screenings, and it really does hold up!! :) Joe's War is having some great screenings here in the states, including as part of the Garden State Film Festival, where my scene partner, the illustrious and charming Armand Assante, is receiving an honorary award and where attendees can see the legendary & inspiring Ed Asner in person also! Two great men, one great film, and I am thrilled to be in it with them!
SN: That's some great stuff to look forward to, and Armand Assante is fantastic. When you're not busy working, what do you do for fun and relaxation? What do you enjoy doing?
Bridget: I'm a crossword puzzle junkie, honestly. I am a snob because I only do the New York Times Sundays. Not that I'm great at them!!! They take me forever to do, but I have several books of them because I love them. I love puns. I named my car, a Toyota Corrolla, Royce, because it's my 'rolla royce. :) I'm a dork. I also make jewelry, which is cool. One of my first day jobs when I moved to New York was working at Joan Rivers Worldwide, which is her line for QVC - rest in peace, sweet, uplifting lady!! It made me really appreciate accessories and gave me one of my favorite people to work with, a jewelry designer Carla Sardeira. Since Joan, she moved on to start her own line Sardeira, which is launching soon (@Sardeira on twitter to keep up for when that happens). Anyhoo, and so I like to make necklaces, lariat ones. And I splurge on cool accessories because they make me happy. :) And we all deserve to be happy!
SN: That we do. What advice would you give to any budding actors and actresses?
Bridget: Be you. So much of casting comes down to things outside our control. But everyone's core, especially in film and television, is so specific and fascinating and unique that when you learn how to relax and let that freak flag fly, I dunno, magic happens. Trust in that. Train, learn, read, observe, be kind to yourself always - you deserve it!!
SN: Lastly, is there anything you would like to say or talk about that we haven't discussed?
Bridget: I love when people reach out to me on Twitter and Facebook - I'm on both @smileybridge (How we met!) and Facebook Say hi, if you can! I'm a big nerd so be warned that there will be puns if you see me on twitter. Oh, yes. There will be puns. I also made and star in the sitcom pilot Musie that's for sale on Time Warner on demand online. It's a comedy about two mismatched roommates who each think the other is absolutely crazy, and it swings back and forth throughout the episode to see why each thinks the other is that way. I play the slob, Mags, in a band, and I love it! I also made a comedy webseries called The Admin so you can get more of me there - I star in and wrote the series myself as BB, a slacker in an office who drives her serious office-mate Mary crazy. I made these to make you, you person reading this, laugh and smile, and I hope they do! :) Life is short! I wanna make you happy!
SN: Bridget, it's been wonderful speaking with you. Congratulations on all you have achieved so far and I wish you all the success for the future. Thank you so much. Now go get that dream.
Bridget: Thanks, dude! High five party :)