Posted in: Exclusive, Interview, Movies | Tagged: Caitlin Carmichael, exclusive, interview, Mythic Pictures, roadkill, Uncork'd Entertainment, Warren Fast

Roadkill Star Caitlin Carmichael on Challenges of Evolving as Actress

Caitlin Carmichael (NCIS: Los Angeles) talks to Bleeding Cool about her latest action thriller in Uncork'd's & Mythic Pictures' Roadkill.

Caitlin Carmichael has come a long way since starting her acting career at four, evolving as a child actress, and graduating to more mature roles. Since her starring role as Gretta in BYUtv's Dwight in Shining Armor, the actress has been gradually embracing more adult parts in the 2021 indie film Midnight in the Switchgrass and a guest spot on CBS's NCIS: Los Angeles. Carmichael spoke to Bleeding Cool about her latest role in Uncork'd Entertainment & Mythic Pictures' Roadkill, working with writer-director Warren Fast, co-stars, stunts, and career growth. The film follows a lost young woman while traveling through a rural county in 1983. She crosses paths with a hitchhiker headed to the same destination and offers a ride in exchange for directions. Their journey takes a violent turn when the two are caught up in a police manhunt for a fugitive killer. As victims begin to amass and authorities close in, it becomes a fight for survival on the open road.

Roadkill: How Caitlin Carmichael Embraced the Role as the Driver

Bleeding Cool: What intrigued you about 'Roadkill?'
Carmichael: 'Roadkill' is a project I'm fortunate to say, "It found me" in a sense. Our fantastic director, Warren Fast reached out to my representatives, passing along the script for my consideration. I don't give too much away when I read it, but I love stories driven by unreliable narrators. That's one of my guilty pleasures in all literature and films. I loved that with both protagonists in 'Roadkill,' you're not exactly sure who to trust, and it constantly makes the viewer go back and forth between who the victim is. Villain? Who's the predator, and who's the prey in the situation? Having such complex dual leads drew me into this story.

How does this compare to your more conventional work? Do you find it's a breath of fresh air for your other roles?
I don't know if this role would be considered a "breath of fresh air," meaning it's anything lighter than the characters I've played. This project came to me at a time when I was making the transition to graduating from being a child actor. That transition is still happening as I evolve and get older, but I was starting to think about what type of roles I am drawn to and how, as I'm about to turn 18, I can approach roles from a more mature perspective. When I read for [my role as] The Driver and saw how complex her backstory was and how there are significantly mature and dark themes that underlie her motivations, I found it interesting, and I was excited to take on this character because it felt like a challenge from anything else I had ever done.

How do you think you're doing regarding the wheelhouse that you want to expand into with our other genres?
I've been fortunate to work on many projects catered to adult audiences; dark dramas and horror films have been a niche I have always gravitated towards. Psychological thrillers are my favorite genre to watch as a viewer. I will always have a special place in my heart for horror as I keep having opportunities to do them over again. Building a network in the horror community is awesome. I would love to do book-to-movie adaptations one day, something with a well-loved character that I would be trusted to take on. It would be a huge responsibility, but I'm an avid reader and am all into a book, TikTok or BookTok, and I would love to do a character like that justice if possible.

Is there an IP you're hoping to get into or something that hasn't been adapted yet?
I'm not sure if I have one, to be specific, but I'm a huge reader, so I love looking for new material from a fan standpoint, honestly. I love and grew up on popular book franchises. The new 'Hunger Games' was incredible. I always love the coming-of-age franchise book series that appeal to a wider audience. I've grown up on those, so other than horror, that would probably be my second guilty pleasure genre.

Circling back to 'Roadkill,' how do you describe the atmosphere on set with working with Warren and the cast as an indie project?
Atmosphere-wise, it was surprisingly freezing at first. It was like 20 to 30 degrees in Panama City Beach, even though it seemed like it was the dead heat of the dog days of summer. It was not, so don't be fooled when you watch it. Even though we tried our best to make it come off that way, filming in the Panama City community was amazing. Everyone was so hospitable, welcoming, and kind to us. I cannot thank that community enough for the kindness that they showed us. As for my fellow cast members and crew members, we have a phenomenal cast. Ryan Knudson as The Hitchhiker was awesome. He has the best sense of humor off-screen ever and such a dry wit about him that played into the undertones of his character. Trent [Hudson] was fantastic. Warren is also an actor; what can he not do? Danielle Harris was amazing, as was William Childress. We had a phenomenal group of people who were not only fantastic on screen but also down-to-earth, kind, and good-natured people on the inside. That is always a pleasure to work with; the same goes for our crew. People stepped into huge positions of responsibility, and such a collaborative effort shines through in the films.

Was there something in the way that Warren conducted himself as an actor-director that communicated to you in a way you wouldn't usually get and like other directors?
I love working with writer-directors because they are so close to these characters, and the character I was entrusted to play has lived inside of their mind, in their heart, for at least for Warren, over a decade, if not more. The Driver has been so special to him, and being able to have those collaborative conversations with a director who is so familiar and knows these characters and their motivations like the back of their hand is always so helpful, especially in a shoot that had a quick turnaround from when I received the material to pre-production. We only had a three-week shoot, so having someone there who could advocate for The Driver, knowing her so well, and for me to form that synergy with him was awesome. Having him on screen as a scene partner was incredibly fun. Second, if that makes sense, it helps me feel so in character to be there and playing off him, who knew me so well as The Driver.

Did you have any creative input in your role as The Driver? Did it feel tailored to your nature, or was it something you fell into?
That's an interesting question. When I read the material, I felt a sense of understanding and knew who she was. My creative conversations with Warren in pre-production helped me breathe life into her in a sense. He was keen to trust me to try out-of-the-box line variations or value my creative ideas regarding performance or story beats. Being valued as a contributor in that environment helped me feel confident in my role. It was a mix of both.

Was there a particular sequence or aspect of production that was difficult for you to get through?
Something that I saw as a challenge at first was the extensive stunts required for the movie, specifically the stunts with firearms. I had never done anything or shot a shotgun for that point before doing this, so I wanted to make sure that I was comfortable enough to appear as confident as The Driver needed to be. Also, I wanted to make sure that people familiar with weapons and firearms would know that at least I needed to look like I knew what I was doing. I took the time to do some prep work with the stunt coordinator [MarkAnthony Baca], who's a close friend of mine that I've worked with before, and go out shooting on a ranch in Malibu to get comfortable with the kick of a shotgun, know what it felt like in my hand, and how the armory process goes—also, knowing all the safety with it so that I could get comfortable and then have a sense of empowerment when doing it on set. It was fun to hold the shotgun and shoot blanks in the scenes so that I felt in character, authentically doing it, and confident doing it. It gave me that sense of empowerment again, and I needed to bring the driver to life.

Roadkill is available in theaters and digital.

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