Aimee is an actress and screenwriter living in Los Angeles. She has trained with some of Los Angeles’ most esteemed coaches. Aimee has developed a skill set that allows her to excel in a variety of roles. Aimee will also be seen alongside Ayo Edebiri in the upcoming Opus (A24). She contributed her talents Dark Winds (AMC/Netflix), a 1970s crime thriller that has garnered a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes. Aimee is a skilled screenwriter with 5 feature length scripts completed, one currently under contract.
indieactivity: Where are you from?
Aimee McGuire (AM): I grew up mostly in New Mexico. I’m an Air Force brat, so the early years of my life were in various places. Such as Arkansas, Germany, Arizona and finally New Mexico, where we stayed. I completely took it for granted when I lived there. But, it’s such a beautiful place, and I never appreciated it much. How unique it is until I’d lived in California for a few years to know it uniqueness. It’s rich in culture and history and it’s really special. I’m so glad it’s getting recognition and people are able to witness the magic of it. So many productions filming there are opening the place up.
Talk about making the move from New Mexico to LA and the difference in the industry in the 2 locations?
Aimee McGuire (AM): I moved to LA right as things were (unbeknownst to me) ramping up for New Mexico’s film community. Breaking Bad had started and it was suddenly on the radar for productions to film there. I signed with my local NM agent, Tina, in 2019 when there were still a lot of in person auditions. So, when I would get appointments, sometimes I would have to stop what I was doing and start the ~11 hour drive or hop on a plane.
Obviously the pandemic changed everything and self tapes became the norm, which provided a huge opportunity for me to be able to audition more for local work back home. When I book jobs there, it feels like such a special treat to go back to work. I think staying connected with New Mexico in various ways keeps me grounded and centered.
But that market operates wildly differently from Los Angeles and I love aspects of both. Everyone knows each other in Albuquerque, there are only a handful of agencies and casting offices so it feels very cozy and familial. In LA, there are hundreds of offices but that makes the possibilities seem endless and vast.
The most challenging part of moving to Los Angeles was realizing that there was a huge portion of acting as a career that I was severely unprepared for- the business side of it. I resisted it for so long, living in a little land of delusion that I could just focus on the craft and I’d be at the Oscars in like 5 years. In hindsight, I wish I’d taken a business class or two in college! You really have to understand branding, marketing, strategy – all of it to be the CEO of your acting career… which is a tough pill to swallow as a young creative with her head in the clouds. Once I accepted it, I switched into business mode but got disconnected with the joy of creating along the way. Eventually, I found the right balance (with the help of my exceptional manager, Kate) and that’s when things started to click.
What was the moment when the actor in you was triggered?
Aimee McGuire (AM): I felt connected to storytelling from a young age. My grandparents were incredible storytellers and I enjoyed listening to them every time they would tell an anecdote. That trait carried to my Dad, and I was always in awe of how he could weave humor into stories. I wanted to make people laugh too, so I started telling stories- most of them absolute lies. Being a kid, I don’t think anyone took me seriously. The stories were pretty ridiculous. I remember telling my teacher that I hated bridges because one started to crumble underneath me once! I was just afraid of heights, in reality, but instead I made up this elaborate story. Thankfully, in middle school, I joined drama class and found the honorable way to tell lies for entertainment! I was hooked from there.
How has each show impacted your work as an actor and your career?
Aimee McGuire (AM): Every time I am on set, I learn something new. I never want to stop learning and understanding how we go from script to screen, because there is so much labor behind everything we watch. I’m also a writer, so I understand that part well. But as I deepen my understanding of the work that’s put in by hundreds of people, it makes me work that much harder at my piece of the very large puzzle. I always have a favorite aspect of each experience. Discovering it each time reignites the love I have for being an actor. On Opus, for example, it was such a collaborative set. There was a scene that our director, Mark Anthony, wanted to finesse. He sat with me and the other 3 actors that were in the scene and we chatted through it. There were no egos, and it was such a refreshing reminder that we all have a collective goal and are actively working together to achieve that goal.
You mentioned that you’re also a writer. How does that tie into acting?
Aimee McGuire (AM): Originally, I started writing as a vehicle to make my own short films. I dabbled in feature length scripts, but was completely intimidated. Then, during the pandemic, I picked it back up because… well, frankly, because I had time. In addition to quite literally being isolated, writing solo can be lonely, so I started an accountability and feedback group that I still run. Essentially, we each have a week that we turn in a project and then chat about it. It’s been so essential in keeping me motivated, inspired and confident in writing.
I’ve found that I enjoy writing features the most, and it’s an added perk that it helps me be a better actor. I understand story structure so much more than I did before and I can now assess why each character is in the story and do my job as an actor more effectively. It’s also given me a new respect for every set of sides I get – I don’t question or judge the writer’s choices. Since I write primarily comedy too, I get why it’s important to be word perfect too- sometimes you hear the dialogue so clearly in your head and you want it to sound exactly like that. Being an actor also helps my writing too! One hand washes the other. (That’s the phrase, right?)
Tell us about your latest script.
Aimee McGuire (AM): I write features that are led by complex, dynamic and funny female characters. I love to find levity even in dark moments of life… like cancer! My latest script, Breasties, is about a hyper-independent woman who is diagnosed with breast cancer. She resists the recommendation to find a community to help support her, but connects with another patient as she navigates losing bodily autonomy, sanity and body hair. It’s loosely based on my personal experience of being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2022. After having my own experience, I found that cancer is often the “go-to” disease characters get but it’s rarely depicted accurately and fully. There are so many other factors that go into a diagnosis- relationships are tested, perspectives change, etc. Even in 104 pages, I couldn’t cover it all! (But hey, that leaves it open to a sequel.
