Brianna Roy
She played in Jacob Ewing‘s The Man Who Loved Flowers Dollar Baby film as Norma.
SKSM: Could you start with telling me a little bit about yourself? Who are you and what do you do?
Brianna Roy: My name at the time of filming was Brianna Roy, but since then, I got married and my name is now Brianna Temple. I’m an actress and improviser from Arizona. I love acting for commercials, films, and I also enjoy live performances and improv shows. I love writing and filming sketches as well. I’m also a vegan YouTuber- my channel is Easy Breezy Vegan. My husband and I met in an improv class and we basically do everything together: acting, improv, and YouTube videos. So it’s really nice to be with someone who shares the same interests and passions. Together we take care of my two beautiful and hilarious step kids. Keeping everything together and trying to balance my husband, kids, acting, improv, YouTube, and a household comes with a lot of challenges, but it is so much fun and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
SKSM: When did you know you wanted to become an actress?
Brianna Roy: I knew that I loved performing when I was 7. I wanted to star on MAD TV and also be a pop star just like Britney Spears. In high school I was in Drama and really enjoyed getting to be in plays, but it wasn’t till my early twenties that I decided to actually pursue acting. Before, I thought that I needed to choose a practical career path and had never seriously considered acting, but then I realized that I could fail at the practical thing I decided to do too. So I thought I might as well fail at the thing that I actually wanted to do. Soon after that, I took improv classes and met other actors and dove into the acting world.
SKSM: How did you become involved in The man who loved flowers Dollar Baby film?
Brianna Roy: I was approached by Jacob (the writer and director of The Man Who Loved Flowers) who had asked if I wanted to be a part of the project after our mutual friend, Avai, referred me to him.
SKSM: What do you think it is about the story that attracts people so much?
Brianna Roy: I think it’s the ambiguity and open-endedness of the story itself. Does his love exist? Has she ever existed? How long has the man been repeating this cycle? And how often? There are so many questions that the reader is left to answer themselves. It’s this flexibility of the story that allows it to be so interesting for so many different people.
SKSM: Did you have to audition for the part or was it written directly for you?
Brianna Roy: The part wasn’t written for me, but I also didn’t have to audition. Mostly because of COVID, Jacob gave me the part based on referrals in lieu of having formal auditions.
SKSM: You worked with Jacob Ewing on this film, how was that?
Brianna Roy: Jacob was awesome to work with! He was really concerned about making sure that everything in the production was professional and he kept everything moving on time. He also was really good at communicating with me. Thanks to Jacob, I knew what was happening in basically every stage of production. Not necessarily all of the nitty gritty details, but I was never left to wonder if and when the film was going to be finished and what the next steps were in the process. Jacob was really nice and his passion about this project was contagious.
SKSM: Was there any funny or special moment when they made the movie that you would like to tell me about?
Brianna Roy: I think the funniest part about filming was when Luke and I were filming our lovey-dovey flashback scenes. We were both having some trouble trying not to laugh while gazing intently into each other’s eyes after having met only fifteen minutes before.
SKSM: Do you still have any contact with the crew/cast from that time? If so with who?
Brianna Roy: I still talk to Jacob who keeps me updated about what’s happening with the film. My husband and I are also good friends with Austin Buchanan who played the roommate in the film. We usually hang out at least once a week.
SKSM: What are you working on nowadays?
Brianna Roy: I’m an improviser and, normally, I perform at three different venues, but since COVID I haven’t done any live performances. Over the past year, I’ve been lucky enough to have several acting gigs come my way through referrals. So I’ve been able to continue acting. Right now, I’m in pre-production for a web series that my friend is working on. Mostly though, I make videos for my YouTube channel, Easy Breezy Vegan.
SKSM: Are you a fan of Stephen King’s work?
Brianna Roy: To be honest, I haven’t really read any of Stephen King’s work, but I am a fan of some of his works that have been adapted into movies like The Shawshank Redemption, The Shining, and Carrie.
SKSM: What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
Brianna Roy: I think people are usually pretty surprised to find out that I’m a vegan YouTuber. I think people are also a little surprised when I tell them that I’m actually pretty shy.
SKSM: Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. Is there anything you want to say to the fans that read this interview?
Brianna Roy: Thanks for taking the time to read this and I hope you enjoyed Jacob’s adaptation of The Man Who Loved Flowers! It was a lot of fun to be a part of this!
