Hamish Downie’s Five Questions With Belle Adams
Editor Note: Hamish has another in his series of Five Questions With…
Hamish came up with this idea because he was accumulating too much material for his Famous News Sushi column and asked if he could do these mini-interviews. Why would we say no?
Thank you Hamish for being such a trooper for us. We really appreciate all for your hard work.
Let us know what you think of these interviews in the comments below.
TGG: Can you please introduce yourself to our readers?
BA: Hi readers! My name is Belle Adams. I’m an artist who acts, paints, writes, performs improv, creates music, does some filmmaking, and you get the picture. I grew up in Marietta, Georgia, made my way out to LA after graduating college in San Diego and I’m coming up on my fourth year as an LAlien. Most recently I recurred on ABC’s Bless This Mess in season 2! My primary focus has been acting in comedies, but nowadays I’m working more angles of my creativity and seeing where it takes me.
TGG: Can you tell us about your latest film, “This World Alone” and what attracted you to the project?
BA: “This World Alone” is a post-apocalyptic drama/coming of age story that follows a young woman, Sam (whom I portray), as she goes on a journey for resources to save a dear friend’s life and in the process grapples with trust, physical trials, and survival vs. the value of living beings.
The project was attractive to me because, well, I love to act and at the time I was a fresh face in LA so a lead role in a feature was sizeable in comparison to the walk-on roles I was auditioning for. It was a challenge, I liked the script, I felt very connected to the character, and most importantly I really enjoyed the company of the people I would be working with. It was a no-brainer.
TGG: What was your process for getting into your character in “This World Alone”?
BA: I remember feeling very aligned with Sam the first time we had a read through of the script. She and I have similar values and points of view. So the bulk of the work was to answer the question “what would it feel like to be raised in the world, post-apocalypse?”. I found that the best way in for me was to consult with the script over and over again then basically daydream until that question (and all the others that come with it) could be answered by my body. It was meditative. Our first days of shooting were mostly me walking alone through the woods of Hiawassee, and I remember spending those hours in a daydreamy/meditative place, imagining how Sam’s particular circumstances felt. Connecting to her story while connecting to the land she lived off of was a major part of my process and solidified a lot.
data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CJ9rgdPAdBH/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);">
TGG: We love supporting indie creators on this site, so I have to askabout the web series/performance art piece you created, “Time Being”. What inspired the series, and what was it like being behind the camera?
BA: Time Being! Yes! I was in the midst of a dry spell acting-wise and at the time was feeling drawn to surrealist art and David Lynch’s earlier works (there’s a compilation of all of his short films on youtube that really makes your brain feel melty). Luckily you don’t have to book a job in order to create art or act, so I took matters into my own hands. I was really pushed by my creative partner Alexa to get it started. I told her a story on the beach about this time I cried over a baby sock that I found on the sidewalk and she lit up at the thought of turning it into a film, which grew into a series that was heavily influenced by all the surreal art I was gobbling up. Alexa is the real reason that little web series became what it was, and of course our DP/editor Franz was a major component of it all coming together as well. Frankly, I loved being behind the camera and can’t wait to be on that side of filmmaking again.
TGG: What’s next for you?
BA: Perfect segue! I am, in fact, back behind the camera again! These days I’m working on another project of my own. I won’t go into much detail, but it’s a comedic short film with a surrealist edge similar to “Time Being”. It’s in very early stages and I’m fortunate enough to
have Franz on board again and to have my partner Eric writing/composing the score.
Aside from that I have been working as a voiceover artist from my closet converted to in-home studio, auditioning here and there for television and commercial work, whipping out the acrylic paint, writing music, and traveling with Eric.
TGG: Finally, how can we best support you?
BA: So kind! Well for starters you can rent/buy This World Alone on Amazon Prime, iTunes or Apple TV. It releases on all digital platforms on May 18th! If you’re into funky surrealist filmmaking you can check out Alexa and I’s original web-series Time Being at: vimeo.com/timebeing
If you’re looking for a laugh after all that drama and surrealism, Bless This Mess is streamable on Hulu! Look for Janine — the long-haired, odd-ball teen in season 2.
Lastly, I’m on the socials: @baaaadams is my main account and @ruthglues is where I post the art I’ve been cranking out since quarantine.
data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/COdyYVjhE_H/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);">
