In the film “Towelhead,” Summer Bishil plays 13-year-old Jasira, a Lebanese-American girl navigating through her adolescence, including challenges with identity, sexual awakening and self-esteem.
In our interview, Summer, who made the film at age 18, and at the time of our interview was 20, talks about a number of her perspectives on her work.
“Acting is a way for me to just kind of work through whatever I’m going through,” she commented.
“You do it in front of a camera, and it’s an art, so it’s constructive.
“But it’s also therapeutic.”
“One thing I’ve learned is to not make acting impersonal, not make the character impersonal, but to stay within the walls of their psyche.
“I don’t like to bring my own psyche into the character. I think that can get really confusing for the person, and the work.”
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Summer Bishil’s imdb profile
Related post: What actors say about the emotional challenges of intense roles
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Douglas Eby (M.A./Psychology) is author of the The Creative Mind series of sites which provide “Information and inspiration to help creative people thrive.”
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