Actress Anna Hindman chatted with Digital Journal’s Markos Papadatos about playing Grace Baker in the film “American Siege,” which is in theaters and digital platforms on January 7, where she stars opposite Bruce Willis, Rob Gough, and Timothy V. Murphy. She also opened up about being an actress in the digital age.
‘American Siege’
On being a part of “American Siege,” she said, “It was a dream come true, and very surreal. Working with actors like Bruce Willis and Timothy V. Murphy was incredible. When I read through the script for the first time, I was really excited to take on such a dark, action-packed project.”
“The town we shot in, Fitzgerald, Georgia, had so much character and I really enjoyed being on location there. One day our cinematographer, Laffrey Witbrod, and I walked to this giant chicken structure. That was fun. At the end of the craziest 8 days I’ve experienced, everyone on set was one big family. I was really lucky to work with Ed Drake, who was our fearless leader and director. He and I talked a lot about my character, the script, and he had a vision I really trusted in,” she elaborated.
She was drawn to her character, Grace, for several reasons. “It was so hard to say goodbye to Grace Baker after filming, she was so much fun to play! What I liked the most was how free she was. She didn’t care at all about what people thought. (I wish I was more like that.) There’s also a thrill in playing someone who knows what she wants and doesn’t have much to lose,” she said.
“‘American Siege’ is a film about revenge and finding answers, but it’s also a film about love and family,” she said. “My character and her brother, Toby, are on a mission to find answers about their sister Brigit, who went missing ten years ago. The love Grace and Toby (and Roy) have for Brigit underscores the entire film, it drives them to do whatever it takes to figure out what happened to her.”
The digital age
On being an actress in the digital age, she said, “I think it’s great! Streaming makes TV and film so much more accessible to audiences and gives more opportunities to actors and filmmakers. I was getting messages at midnight of the release of ‘American Siege’ from people saying they were starting to watch it already.”
“I like being able to connect with people on social media as well, and I think that comes with being an actress in the digital age – that connectivity. There are also platforms like TikTok where I’ve seen a lot of great content stretching across so many genres, and that gives a lot more opportunities to creators as well – especially actors who might not be in one of the big cities,” she explained.
Dream acting partners
On her dream acting partners, she revealed, “This is a tough question, there are so many! Top of my list would be Meryl Streep and Johnny Depp. They both have such crazy ranges for acting, and I can imagine that working with either of them would be so fun.”
Anna Hindman: The teacher
When she is not playing someone else on screen, she teaches seventh grade science in Nashville, Tennessee. “I love teaching middle school, but it is definitely a difficult job. It’s been a little crazier since the pandemic, and I couldn’t imagine being a middle schooler in 2022. I love my students so much, they all have the best personalities and give me the hardest time every day,” she said.
“Last year I was teaching at a school in Nashville that had a big focus on social-emotional learning, and that was incredible. I really enjoyed teaching that class and holding space for kids to express themselves, listen to others and offer support to their classmates,” she said.
“There were a lot of tear-filled mornings with that class, in the best way. I think that encouraging empathy in children helps them become more communicative, understanding, and strong adults in the future,” she added.
Success
On her definition of the word success, she remarked, “To me, the word success means freedom. Success is when you get to the point where you can spend the majority of your time doing the things you love the most, and when you’re free to decide what those things are.”
“The freedom to create projects when you want, the freedom to take a break when you want, the freedom to look through different scripts and choose your next adventure. The freedom to spend time with your family. Success, to me, means reaching a level where all of that is possible,” she said.
To learn more about Anna Hindman, follow her on Instagram and check out her official website.
