Artist Spotlight: Arianna Gayle

There are some roles where you can’t picture any actor playing them other than the one you saw.  This is completely how I felt about Arianna Gayle in Job.  A show this intense calls for an actor that’s going to be able to fill those shoes.  Gayle really captured a role that could not have been easy, and she did it so realistically and beautifully.  I loved watching every moment she brought to that stage.

Something insanely interesting to me is how I perceived Gayle in this show and how she perceived herself in this show.  This is one of the reasons why I love to interview actors.  I really feel like she had a great hold on the character of Jane.  I think this is why I can’t see anyone else in this role.  Gayle’s performance was gripping…this is something that she, and only she, could do for Job.

I loved getting the chance to talk to Arianna Gayle.  What she had to say about Jane and Job really made me think more about what I had seen.  I really did love this show, as insane and intense as it was, and I would have loved to see it again going in with the knowledge I have now.  Gayle inspired that, and so much more.

What was it like prepping for a role where the character obviously has severe mental illnesses?

I think the most important thing in acting is to see through your character's eyes.  Jane doesn't see herself as mentally ill (though she desperately wants help) and so certain diagnoses weren't a massive aspect of how I prepared the role - though I'm humbled by those who have seen our production, who share some of her struggles and who have seen themselves in her.  It was most important to me to deepen why Jane so deeply loves her job and believes in her work, even with some of its bad side effects; and also to understand what she believes led her to this therapist's office. In terms of the mental strain she's under, I tried to imagine the physical sensations that go with that as specifically as I could, rather than diagnose her.  What it is to panic every morning when you wake up, to feel out of body, to not sleep for 48 hours, to drink a Monster to get through the session.  

Jane seems to see herself as a crusader for justice.  Do you think she is, or is it mostly in her head?

I think any audience member is free to their opinion on Jane's actions.  I can speak to how I've embodied her intentions. Each night, I try to tell the story that she deeply deeply cares about the people on this planet who are suffering the worst traumas life has to offer, and that she believes her sensitivity to that pain is exactly why she's called to do this job.  She also finds deep purpose in being their savior in her role on the internet, and craves having even more of a lasting real-world impact.  Personally, I am moved by Jane's compassion.  I also think her need to be an important person in the world is a sort of tourniquet for a very deep isolation. 

What has influenced Jane’s perception of what is right and what is wrong?

Like all of us, many many things.  I think she admires courage, honesty, resilience, those who actively respond to a crisis with help; and she deeply dislikes any kind of outright cruelty, privilege, hypocrisy, wasting time, and unnecessary politeness.  I think that comes from her parents, from the nature of her work at her tech company, from college friends who had more than she did and yet still disappointed her, and her own desire to make an impact with her life.  Like anyone who has absorbed extreme trauma, those who've witnessed atrocities: it makes "first world" problems seem incredibly stupid, if not an affront to the incalculable pain of the world's most severe victims.  This means Jane has very little tolerance for those who treat their comparably comfortable lives as traumatic.  

What did Loyd do right with Jane, if he did anything right at all?

I don't have a point of view personally on that.  To Jane, I think Loyd at times proves that he has been listening to her intently. And that helps her trust him in moments.  

What elements of control did Jane have, if any?

Jane can always control how she responds to any situation, including moments where an intrusive thought may surprise her.  As Jane, I choose how to respond to those thoughts, along with all the other stimuli around me.  I always have a choice, and I take that responsibility seriously.

What’s coming up next?

I am based in New York with my sweet little dog named Fern, and hope to return to Philadelphia much more often in the future.  I'll be seen in the upcoming 3rd season of The Night Agent on Netflix, and I'll continue running my online acting studio, www.ActingCoachingOnline.com.  Feel free to visit if you're looking for one-on-one acting training, from theatre, to film, to drama school audition prep.

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I’m so excited that NY lent Philly Arianna Gayle!  Getting to see her at Theatre Exile was an absolute delight.  She’s one of those actors I would love the chance to see again, because I’m sure she brings so much to every role she plays.  A million other actors may play this role in the future, but Arianna Gayle will always be who I think of in this role!