It’s been said that success in Hollywood can be a double-edged sword. While it’s something every actor strives for, a certain kind of popularity has the potential to trap an actor in a web called “celebrity”. Although the concept of celebrity is multifaceted, one of its downfalls can be fans who only want to see you do one thing. And for child and teenage actors who make it big, that “thing” is often to never grow up.
But like many actors who found celebrity at an early age have done (Leonardo DiCaprio, Demi Moore, and Jodi Foster, to name a few), Ashley Tisdale is taking steps to branch out and challenge herself as an actor. The result of this was a recent guest appearance on the hit FX drama, Sons of Anarchy.
During a telephone conference with the press today, Ashley discussed her work on SOA, and how she hopes the departure from her earlier roles will be received.
On her Disney fans and doing something new: “I have a lot of young fans, but I do have fans that have grown with me as well…I was just really excited to do something different for a change. This was definitely out of my comfort zone, but I thought it was exciting to do something that I haven’t done; to have people see me in a different light.”
“I’m so grateful for what Disney gave me and the experiences that I (had), but at the end of the day I can do so much more than what I did on that channel and in those movies. And it takes just one person to give you that chance, and for me it was Kurt Sutter.”
“I like to do things that people don’t expect right now, and I want to keep challenging myself.”
On how she approached (and related to) the role of Emma Jean: “When I look at characters, I always try to find something I can relate to in some way. And I feel like the thing I related to (in) Emma Jean the most was (how) she was using how she looked so young to her advantage.”
On why she believes Sons of Anarchy resonates with viewers: “I think Kurt is such a great writer…The actors are so close-knit; they’re these guys that actually hang out with each other. I think that that definitely resonates, and you can see that in the show. It’s a biker gang, but they’re all brothers, and that really comes through.”
Sons of Anarchy airs Tuesday nights at 10 on FX. Stay tuned for our continued weekly coverage of the show. And, in case you missed it, check out what Kurt Sutter had to say about the recent death of a beloved character.
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