Abbey Karr as “Gwen”
Introducing Abbey Karr as the Female lead in “Inner Beauty!”
In photo at left, Abbey prepares for a scene.
This was Abbey’s first work on a Starfield Studios production…
During casting, there was a natural chemistry between her and actor Mike Kalinowski who was ultimately cast as Mike.
Douglas Pritchard, the director, remarked: “You see them together on screen, and you think to yourself instantly – here is a girl you could see falling for a guy like Mike and who could end up staying with him forever.”
Cast and crew were instructed by the director to leave Abbey alone with no distractions as she prepped for the final scene, to create a real sense of loneliness and sadness. Minimal crew was allowed on set for the final shots.
“Abbey was a real pro,” said Douglas. She accepted direction incredibly well and found the emotional core of the character quickly during some difficult scenes. And she was totally at ease during the love scenes… I think I was a lot more nervous than her about it,” Douglas joked, “but she’s also a well trained model as well an actress, so she’s very relaxed about her body and the physical aspect of that type of scene.”
“Abbey was a real pro,” said Douglas. She accepted direction incredibly well and found the emotional core of the character quickly during some difficult scenes. And she was totally at ease during the love scenes… I think I was a lot more nervous than her about it,” Douglas joked, “but she’s also a well trained model as well an actress, so she’s very relaxed about her body and the physical aspect of that type of scene.”
“Never had I experienced such a range of emotions in such a short amount of time as an actress” Abbey told Douglas after filming the final scene on day three of the project. Abbey definitely had an emotional roller coaster ride, which is pretty evident when you see the film.
Abbey’s performance as the character Gwen in this short Indie horror/thriller is both beautiful and terrifying. “We both went to some dark places in exploring her character together,” remembered Pritchard, “as a director and artist she sent a chill up my spine in a brilliantly acted portrayal. The role was both physically and emotionally demanding- and in a short time, she successfully took us to places I think neither of us expected to go to or would want to visit together again anytime soon – at least not until we start our ADR sessions in post…”
“I would absolutely work with Abbey again as an actress,” remarked Pritchard. “I think she really shocked people- even some of her closest peers – when they saw the depth of her range. I think that’s the advantage as a director when you bring in someone new to you. You can spot things in them during the process that others might overlook. I’m looking forward to working with Abbey soon- hoepfully on some feature projects in the near future… Hmmm. Maybe on a little film called The Manslaughter which is in pre-production right now.”
-Douglas Pritchard
Director of “Inner Beauty” – October, 2009
