Carrie Wampler – The Yellow Birds

By starrymag | July 19, 2018

By: Lisa Steinberg

 

 

Q) Please tell us the premise for your film, The Yellow Birds.

 

A) The Yellow Birdsis a story about two young soldiers, Bartle (Alden Ehrenreich) and Murphy (Tye Sheridan), who navigate the terrors of the Gulf War together.  Only Bartle returns home and we are faced with the mystery of what happened to Murphy and why he never made it back. This film is unique because it not only shows the perspective of the struggling soldiers, but also the mothers they leave behind.

 

Q) How was your character Jenny Smith originally described to you? 

 

A) Jenny was described as a soldier and nurturing medic that Murph has a crush on. Watching her talk to and care for injured soldiers became his daily distraction from the horrors of war.

 

Q) Was there anything you added to Jenny that wasn’t originally scripted for you?

 

A) Her innocence. I knew this role was to be opposite Tye Sheridan and he brings a particularly youthful, vulnerable, and innocent presence to Murph. He seems very young. So, I decided to play her more naive, sweet and innocent. But, of course, as a soldier she still needed to be tough. I think Tye and I both came across as looking like kids, which is a sad truth regarding the realities of war.  We were both nineteen years old when we shot this and to think that there are kids younger than us overseas, putting their lives on the line for our country though incredibly brave and courageous, is also devastating.

 

Q) What did you find the most challenging part of portraying this character? 

 

A) Definitely learning and understanding enough to pull off the medical scenes. My scenes included a lot of improv, during both the auditioning process and the filming.  Alex Moors, our director, would roll for a few minutes at a time and have me keep improvising lines. In order to feel like an army medic, I needed to know enough of the correct medical and military terminology, so that improvised lines could roll off my tongue and be accurate. Thankfully, I have a friend who is a Master Sergeant in the Air Force. I called her before my auditions and she gave me a lot of insight into proper military terms. On set, we had the amazing help of Captain Dale Dye who was in charge of military authenticity. So, before we shot a scene, he would give you about a ten-minute lesson, giving insight into things your character may say or do in the particular situation.

 

Q) Talk about working with Tye Sheridan.

 

A) Tye is just fantastic. His performance in this film blows me away. He brought so much raw emotion and vulnerability to his character. Working with he and Alden was unlike anything I’d done before. They truly brought the characters to life in front of my eyes. Plus, they also happen to be very down to earth guys. I feel incredibly lucky to say I’ve shared screen time with them.

 

Q) What were some of your most memorable moments from filming The Yellow Birds.

 

A) We had one particular action scene that always comes to mind when I think back to filming The Yellow Birds. It took two or three days to film the entire sequence and the guys and I spent one of those days covered in blood and dirt from sun up to sun down. There were small explosives going off, smoke everywhere and intense action music playing to amp us up (which I’d never experienced before?). After each take they would dump another bucket of mud on me. It was awesome. At lunch, we all sat covered in dirt and dried blood. I remember saying I felt ants crawling in my hair. It was gross, but totally worth it. As an actor, you live for moments like that. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

 

Q) What do you hope viewers take away from watching the movie? 

 

A) I hope the viewers leave with a renewed appreciation for the sacrifices that not only our soldiers make, but also their loved ones and how much of an affect it has on their families lives; especially their parents.

 

Q) You are a part of social media. Are you looking forward to the instant fan feedback you’ll receive on the movie?

 

A) I love hearing feedback! Any time someone comments or messages me saying that they’ve enjoyed a project I’ve been a part of, it makes my day.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

 

A) I want them to know how grateful I am for their support and how happy it makes me when they connect with a character I have played. Some of my favorite moments are when fans from “Austin & Ally”come up to say hello and let me know how much they loved the character of Crazy Brooke or a fun limited series I just worked on with Jason Ritter called “Tales of Titans,” which was a blast and really resonated with audiences!  I love the art of acting and it warms my heart when I know that audiences connect with these characters and love them as much as I do!