On being a part of The Package on Passionflix, she said, “This project was such a delight. This was my first time back on set post-quarantine and the collective joy and gratitude we all felt being back at work was really palpable and made for a really lovely working environment. I was so impressed by all of the new safety protocols and felt very protected; it was such a relief to see the industry back up and running and the entire crew couldn’t have been more fantastic. I couldn’t be more grateful.”
“Although we did shoot during September and October which is the absolute hottest time of the year in Los Angeles so I’m pretty sure I had heat sickness for the entire shoot because it was literally 100 degrees out and I had 25 pounds of winter clothing on – but totally worth it,” she said.
On working with co-star Coby Ryan McLaughlin, she said, “Well he’s obviously just the worst, incredibly difficult to work with. I’m totally lying. He was wonderful and we became very fast friends and have stayed in touch, which is always a nice bonus when costars become real-life buddies.”
She continued, “Our amazing director Louise had passed along our contact info so we’d been texting, but our first face-to-face meeting was during our Zoom table read which was exciting as that was my first time doing that virtually and it was just an instant connection – we’re both really goofy and have a lot in common so right away I was like ‘oh this is gonna be great’.”
“We ended up doing a socially distanced rehearsal together before shooting started and what was supposed to be about scene work ended up just being us cracking up and hanging out for an entire day so when shooting actually began, the groundwork for our chemistry was already super solid. I adore him,” she said.
She complimented director Louise Alston. “Wow – I would work with Louise any day of the week for any project. Her energy is so warm and lovely and she’s really collaborative with her actors which is always such a treat – plus she’s hilarious. She’s the perfect balance of no-nonsense while being creative and respectful. And I’m not just saying that because she’s a fellow redhead. I can’t wait to work with her again, she was an absolute dream,” she said.
Regarding her daily motivations as an actress, she said, “Well I still just love doing it – so that’s a good start. Being an actor is a really challenging and strange occupation with absolutely no guarantees so it takes a special brand of weirdo to be like ‘yes please’ but one thing I really love about it is that you’re only ever really in competition with yourself – not other actors.”
“It’s a very self-examined life that requires a lot and I like that it forces me to be my best self. I enjoy the limitlessness – my inner creative Olympian wants to know how far I can stretch myself as an artist,” she added.
On being an actress in the digital age, at a time when streaming is so prevalent, she said, “Honestly, it feels pretty great because we’ve never before witnessed this magnitude of content. As a viewer, it can sometimes feel overwhelming because we have everything under the sun to watch and yet we can never decide, but as an artist, I’m so grateful.”
“The streaming age offers a lot more opportunities to creators and it trickles down to create a lot of jobs for a lot of people, which I really appreciate. Storytelling is timeless and universal, there will always be that demand and I love being a part of it,” she added.
For young and aspiring actors, she said, “Get as good as you possibly can, and if you find something else that you adore in the process – go do that instead. Either way, you have to find ways to enjoy the chaos and it is absolutely crucial that you build a solid support system for yourself.”
On her definition of the word success, she responded, “Fulfilled potential.”
She remarked about The Package, “The world is so challenging right now, there is so much polarity and uncertainty and we have to be extra proactive about demanding joy from life. The Package is feel-good viewing with an important message that was made by people who were so happy to be there. It doesn’t get much better than that. You can’t help but smile watching it – I promise.”
To learn more about Heather Grace Hancock, check out her official website and follow her on Instagram.
Read More: The Package earned a favorable review from Digital Journal.
