Ville Magazine l Insider Access for City Lifestyle Nov/Dec / Holiday Issue 2016 | Page 39

VILLE EXCLUSIVE

mother and grandmother. Their vulnerability, strength, courage, and
belief system was imbued in me, and I believe these qualities existed on
the page. I could see where they existed between the lines and in the
lines to bring truth to these women. I knew so well what the hands of
each of these women looked like, and I felt so lucky to play them in The
Promise and 1915.
How did the role of Clementine Pennyfeather in HBO’s Westworld
come about for you?
I was on vacation two years ago in San Francisco. In the evening I got an
email that I had an audition for a television show called Westworld with
an attachment of three pages of sides (audition material) to prepare
for the following day. I remember going through the first few lines and
getting goosebumps, [flying] through the pages in shock as to what
this might be. How could I be moved so quickly? I went over it again and
again and again and began to contemplate do I fly back now? Or what
do I do? I realized how extreme that it all was and decided I would try to
go in once I was back the following week.
Sadly, they went a different direction. I’d check in every week, but
they were looking at girls of other ethnicities. This went on for three
weeks; yet I hadn’t lost hope. On June 30th, my birthday, I finally got an
appointment. I told myself this role will be my birthday gift to myself. I
felt it was fate. I went in, and the rest is history.
As a child, you were convinced films like The Terminator, Terminator
2, and Robocop were real, thinking, “That’s where I want to be, in a
different world, in this other life, even if I must die for it.” Ironically,
you now play a character who appears lifelike in a different world.
Do you feel this prepared you for this role?
What an incredible observation! I never even thought about that, oddly.
Possibly? Obviously not on a conscious level, but maybe subconsciously?
Maybe there was something about being attracted to the future and the
unknown to things that were outside humanity. As I’m answering this
question, for the first time, I’m starting to reflect on what that all means.
Thank you for that observation.
If you visited Westworld as a guest, who would you be and how
would you spend your time?
I would love to be Dr. Ford. I would love to be the creator of all this
because I believe that mind must be so fascinating to be in. How does
it think, function, see the world? I’m not thinking if I were a guest now,
I’m thinking if I could be a character. As a guest, I’d love to be a cowboy
who goes on these incredible adventures, riding a horse, camping, and
discovering the maze.
What's the next thing we will see you in?
The Promise will be coming out next year [2017].

Glamour Celebrates Women of the
Year Awards 2016 - Hollywood, CA
Credit: DFree / Shutterstock.com

THE HOLIDAY ISSUE l VILLE l 39