Ashlynn Yennie – Dying to Be a Cheerleader

By starrymag | October 3, 2020

By: Lisa Steinberg

 

 

Q) Please tell us the premise for Dying to Be A Cheerleader. 

A) After her mother’s untimely death, Darcy (Dominique Booth) moves in with her Aunt Cassandra (Ashlynn Yennie) for a fresh start. On her first day at her new school, Darcy is mesmerized by The Amazons, the school’s cheer squad led by Taylor (Kalen Bull) and April (Nicolette Langley) and decides to try out. But when one of the cheerleaders on the team is found dead in the gym showers, Darcy finds herself as the main suspect.

 

Q) How was your role of Cassandra described to you?

A) She was described as the sweet, caring Aunt who takes in her niece. Not being a mother herself, she steps into the role and wants to give Darcy the best life she can.

 

Q) What did you find challenging about your portrayal? 

A) I wanted to show how not only is it a huge adjustment for Darcy to move in with her Aunt and start a new life, but it is also a very big adjustment for Cassandra. Being a widow, and now losing her sister, she has a lot of loss in her life. She fuels all of that heartache into wanting to give Darcy a wonderful new start. It’s not always welcome though, as Darcy has her own heartache to deal with. There are some wonderful scenes between the two of the that show love, overcoming pain and healing.

 

Q) Were you familiar with any of your co-stars before filming this movie? 

A) I had not worked with any of them before. I met all of the girls at the read through and it was such a blast hearing the characters come to life. I loved working with all of them, Dominique and I became close as well on set and it was wonderful to have such a talented, open actress to play off of in the heartfelt scenes.

 

Q) What sort of training did you go through for the film? 

A) I didn’t have to do much as I was not playing one of the cheerleaders, but when I told my husband I was going to be in a cheerleader movie his eyes lit up and he literally said, “Can you keep the costume?”

I then had to break it to him that I would not be playing a cheerleader, but took it as a compliment he thought I still could.

 

Q) How did you shake off a long day of filming such intense scenes? 

A) The bulk of the fighting is between the cheerleaders and let me tell you I have seen some of the scenes and these girls are scrappy. They may look sweet and tiny, but I wouldn’t mess with any of them.

 

Q) What advice did director Tom Shell offer while filming that you took to heart? 

A) Tom is what I like to call an actor’s director. Having been an actor himself he understands exactly how to speak to you and dig deep into your character. We found really great subtle moments where you can see how deeply Cassandra cares for Darcy but is still not quite sure how to step into the “Mom” role that Darcy needs. I love Tom and am super grateful for the direction he gave me in playing Cassandra.

 

Q) What message do you hope viewers take away from Dying to be A Cheerleader? 

A) I think people will be surprised at how many topics are dealt with in this movie. Death, of course, is a given but there is a lot more to these cheerleaders than just what’s on the surface. Every character has an arc and their own complexity.

 

Q) You are a part of social media. Are you looking forward to the fan response you will be receiving to the movie? 

A) Yes! I love live tweeting along with the fans, it’s such a fun way to engage. See you all on Twitter Saturday night!

 

Q) What did you personally take away from your time working on this film? 

A) So many things! Tom Shell and Lance Robbins (Executive Producer) created such a fun atmosphere on set. You really feel like you are stepping into a family setting as they use a lot of the same crew on their projects. I became such great friends with so many of the wonderful actors and crew members.

As an actor, getting to dive into a character you have never played before is always exciting and challenging. Playing Cassandra was a dream as I am not often seen as the sweet, caring type. So, getting to finally show that I can do that was wonderfully rewarding.