Ville Magazine l Insider Access for City Lifestyle Nov/Dec / Holiday Issue 2016 | Page 38

VILLE EXCLUSIVE

Angela as Clementine Pennyfeather in HBO's
Westworld l Credit: John P. Johnson/HBO

"I love building a relationship with my characters no matter how big or small they may be..."
Growing up, you wanted a career in various fields from being a ballerina to
a mechanic and of course, actress. What made you choose acting and if you
weren’t acting, what was your backup career?
I grew up on stage so I had the opportunity to live in my imagination and tell stories
through music, dance, and plays. This was what I loved, the transformation into
different characters. It started innocently as a form of play and continues to be what
I now call my work, my career. I never had any form of backup. My parents always
encouraged me to follow my dreams without hesitation.
You’ve appeared in multiple TV shows such as Judging Amy, Buffy The Vampire
Slayer, and CSI:NY. What has been your favorite role and why?
I love building a relationship with my characters no matter how big or small they
may be in the entirety of the script. It’s the journey of discovering them and myself
in the process of creating whatever role it might be.
I worked with Marion Cotillard years ago on a film directed by James Gray called
The Immigrant. I played her younger sister. Just a few days ago, I ran into her for
the first time since the last day of filming. All those feelings flew back in a matter
of seconds. James Gray’s story about these two sisters was so moving from the
first page because it was about people who left everything they’d known to start
a new life. My parents did this very act, and it takes so much courage and faith to
do that. All they had, Ewa (Marion) and Magda (myself), was each other. I loved

38 l VILLE l THE HOLIDAY ISSUE

the moments, no matter how brief, in the film to explore what that would be like.
How different is it to play roles of a commercial versus TV or film?
Commercials are almost like vignettes. They tend to be short, quick, and have to tell
a complete story with a very particular message goal in a matter of seconds. Yet, the
approach is really the same. I come to the material without knowing what it requires
and discover in the process.
You were also a big fan of cartoons. Do you want to add a voiceover of a
cartoon character to your resume?
I would love to. That is a dream of mine, to be able to play a cartoon character. I
remember watching Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty and [hearing] those beautiful
voices enlivening the pictures on the screen. They’ve left such a big impression on
me even to this day. I remember it like a piece of music.
You’ve starred in two films that cover the 1915 Armenian Genocide, 1915 and
The Promise. As an Armenian American, what was it like to represent your
ancestors and history in these films?
I had the opportunity to play an Armenian woman in both films - two very different
kinds of women in very different stories. It was a privilege to play these women
and to try and reveal the heart and soul of each of those characters. I feel so lucky
to have grown up with the strongest and bravest women I know, that being my