I would say the moment that started the whole acting thing for me. It was the day I saw the movie Polly starring Keshia Knight Pulliam. I couldn’t have been anymore than 7 or 8. But, I knew, I wanted to be on TV. I wanted to perform! I would watch that movie for hours, copying the singing and dancing Lol. My mom then, enrolled me in acting and modeling classes with Barbizon. So, I did that for a while, until it was to expensive to keep up.
I always entertained and performed for my family growing up. Then, was apart of chorus and dance in elementary school, high-school I took up drama and dance. I then shied away from acting. I was thinking of what family and friends would say about me pursuing acting as a career. But, I couldn’t fight it for long. I came back to acting of course, starting with some background work to gain set experience and etiquette! I did several theatre and indie productions around Atlanta. My first speaking TV experience, was S3 of Fatal Attraction on TVONE!
indieactivity: How did you become an actor?
Ebony Williams (EW): The moment that was the deciding factor for me to return to acting, I was one day riding in the car and heard Oprah on the radio speaking about, you get in life what you have the courage to ask for, and following dreams, and I just felt like she was talking to me! I started auditing different acting classes, while taking classes online as well at iActing studios, reading, googling, networking with other actors, as well as events, anything to learn as much as I could about the business side.
What acting technique do you use?
Ebony Williams (EW): My go to acting tool box usually consist of Stella Adler… using my imagination, I use emotional memory recall, Ivana Chubbuck’s power of the actor is an amazing technique I use as well, my acting coach Barbara Beneville teaches just breathe acting. Whatever the emotions my characters call for, I usually determine what method works best for me.
What wrong impressions do actors hold about acting?
Ebony Williams (EW): Acting is not an easy living, it’s a jealous and needy career, it’s hard to have a full time job as it’s time consuming, takes hard work and dedication, and even then some actors don’t reach the level of success they want, but they continue acting anyway, and if you’re in it for the right reasons and stay the course, I believe you can have the life you desire. Not all actors want to be a list celebrities. A successful working actor suits us just fine!
Do you take courses to improve your craft?
Ebony Williams (EW): I take various acting workshops through my talent agency, and one’s I choose to take myself, I take classes and work privately with my coach. I definitely read a lot!
What acting books do you read?
Ebony Williams (EW): Power of the Actor: by Ivanna Chubbuck, Truth: by Susan Batson, An Actor Prepares: Constantin Stanislavski are a few of my favorite reads!
How do you keep fit as an actor?
Ebony Williams (EW): I try to keep fit physically by eating right/not late, drinking lots of water, work outs, my warm up voice exercises. Mentally I try to stretch my imagination and daydream when I can! Lol
When you’re offered a role, what do you do next?
Ebony Williams (EW): Once I book a role, I like to thoroughly read the script twice, once as reader then as an actor, I then start my character’s development . I also like to memorize lines based on scenes I’m filming first.
How do you take a character in a script to a honest, believable and breathing person?
Ebony Williams (EW): I like to use Meryl Streep analysis… “acting is not about being someone different, it’s about finding what’s apparently different from me and the character and finding myself in there.” If I can’t relate to the character personally. I imagine what I would do if I were in the situation.
