Elliot Frances Flynn Breaks Out in 2023 with Two Feature Films to Start Off the Year

I’m from Upstate New York. I was a shy kid, and I really loved to read growing up, and I was devastated that I couldn’t ever go to the fantasy worlds in books that I loved. Playing pretend was the closest I could get, and when I discovered acting, what I loved most was entering into that other reality. Very early in life, I decided I wanted to be an actor.

I did some commercial and TV work when I was young, but I went to college, got a degree, and then booked my first feature. It was a movie called Shoplifters of the World, about The Smiths, a band that was very meaningful to me growing up, and still now. It was filmed in Upstate New York, around where I went to school [the State University of New York at New Paltz], so it was all around a wonderful point of entry.

indieactivity: What acting technique do you use?
Elliot Frances Flynn (EFF): Meisner Technique is one I like to use. Sense memory is helpful as well. Whatever helps to trigger me to the emotion of the scene in a real way is what I do, and what I feel is the most important thing to do in preparation for a scene. I know we’re going to talk more about this, so I will hold off for now.

How did you connect to the project? Audition? If you did, would still have got the part?
Elliot Frances Flynn (EFF): I auditioned for both Linoleum and Confession. I connected to both projects deeply and very much wanted to be a part of them. It’s funny though, I wasn’t nervous about either of them; I think perhaps I just knew they would work out. I had a conversation with Colin [West, the director of Linoleum] over Zoom, instead of a callback. I guess he wanted to get to know me, but I spent a decent amount of time asking him questions about his work, and a short of his that I watched and was very moved by.

Watch Official Trailer for Linoleum

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Let’s take this project you did; how did you prepare for such a role: the cast, the physicality the terrain, the climate, the weather, and the demands of the project?
Elliot Frances Flynn (EFF): I take my preparation very seriously, but I guess I should say, I take it seriously in that I have the lines fully memorized, have journaled about where my character is coming from, and where she’s going, and how she feels about every person she interacts with, and how she feels about herself. The physicality of a character isn’t something I focus on too much – I very much believe that a character is something that flows through you, the actor, rather than something you put on.

I think actors are very special because they themselves are the instrument, so I try not to bog myself down with contrived character quirks, so to speak. With these two roles, the demands of the schedule meant there wasn’t a lot of rehearsal time. On Confession, I didn’t meet Sarah (Hay) or Clark (Backo) until we were shooting. On Linoleum, Colin, Rhea (Seehorn) and I had one rehearsal the night before. I love rehearsal; I love the opportunity to do the ‘nerdy work’ – as Jim (Gaffigan, the star of Linoleum) calls it – with other people who are just as passionate about it. The next day we were just able to show up and do it.

How do you create the character from a script into a person?
Elliot Frances Flynn (EFF): When creating a character, I really try to keep it simple. It’s what I said before; the character is you in these extremely specific set of circumstances. I really just put myself in my character’s shoes. Figuratively, and then, on set, literally. 

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What part of the story challenged you when you read it? What drove you to get on the project?
Elliot Frances Flynn (EFF): Preparing for a project like Confession can be difficult because you really need to fill in the blanks. And as a character who has lived through trauma, you need to find a way to create that memory for yourself. It can feel very daunting. Also, I think the ending that Confession drives to can be very off-putting for some. I think that was a project where you have to figure out your own personal feelings about it, and if that’s something you want to dedicate yourself to, attach yourself to it. I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of from the jump.

Explain one creative choice you took on set of this production?
Elliot Frances Flynn (EFF): On Linoleum I was very excited when Colin asked me which costumes I liked and which ones I wanted to wear. I love costume design, so I was delighted by this. Sometimes, you just show up and they put you in whatever, and you have to figure out how to reconcile those shoes, or that coat, with the character. It can really mess you up sometimes when the costume isn’t what you were expecting.

I tried on a handful of different outfits with the costume designer, July Rose White, and her team. In the end, we created a little character journey for me through costumes – over time, Francoise starts to dress more and more like Erin, who she looks up to. In the scene in our office, at our computers, I am wearing pants for the first time, and it’s because I see Erin wearing pants. I also just love that outfit. I’ve been really grateful to wear a lot of cool costumes, that I love dearly, and this look is certainly one of them.

Watch Official Trailer for Confession

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You’re not new to indie films. What do you enjoy about the work that keeps you working?
EFF: Figuring out a character and figuring out a scene is like doing a puzzle. And when I get to do that puzzle with other people, it’s just so fun. Linoleum has been really well received so far, so the fact that people are so moved by something we all created feels like a gift. Confession has started a lot of really meaningful conversations, and that’s a gift too.

Give an example of a direction you received from the director during the production?
EFF: On Confession, I guess I had been focusing on Whitney’s low status as a victim who’s been silenced. I was feeling the hurt, the fright, all that. And between takes, Dayna [Hanson, director], who is so thoughtful, and kind, and someone I felt so safe with immediately, suggested that Whitney is brave. I could’ve cried, with the way this hit me. What power to stand up to your rapists. What power to speak about it, even when others want to silence you. It changed everything for me.

How did you collaborate with your cast members from scene to scene?
EFF: Rhea was so incredible and I couldn’t believe how giving of a scene partner she is. Working with someone like Rhea, I fully expected to be there in service to her work, and her character’s journey. But between takes, she asked me “do you have everything you need?” which is actor-talk for ‘am I giving you want you need as your scene partner so you can do your best work.’ I was like, what? I was grateful she would even ask me that.

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As main cast in the film, describe the feeling of responsibility that you shouldered. Where you scared? Or did it fire you up? What scenes where difficult to shoot?
EFF: Everything I did on Linoleum was shot in one day. This was during Covid, pre-vaccine. Really, I feel my responsibility there is to come, do my work well, and get out. I hope to one day lead a project, where I can be responsible for setting up a great working environment. 

On Confession, I think probably the most difficult parts were the little bits leading up to my scene with Jillian (Clark Backo). It’s funny, as an actor, a lot more work goes into those little bits because you have to fill in the gaps to, you know, act like a real person walking to her car, getting in her car after a group therapy session, and avoiding being seen chatting with someone you shouldn’t. 

What did you take away from the film production?
EFF: I think both these projects were very meaningful to me because working on them – and getting the opportunity to collaborate with my director, and my other actors, and to come up with ideas and leave my mark on the character – made me really realize, “oh, I’m an actor. This is what I do.” Being in one movie once wasn’t just a fluke. This is what I do.

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