Erin Eldershaw – All For One

By starrymag | October 2, 2018

By: Lisa Steinberg

 

 

Q) I kind of fell in love with your character before you came on screen in Season 1.

A) Yes, it was a lot of pressure coming into this for that reason. While doing research on the character I went through all the fans’ Tweets and I realized that this character was absolutely adored. I had to live up to her expectations! AH! Then, of course, I didn’t, because Anne drops the ball in a major way. [laughs]

Q) You went from the most beloved member of MST to rock bottom. I was like, “What are you doing?!”

A) Yeah! Absolutely. I think it was really smart writing on RJ [Lackie] and Sarah’s [Shelson] part, just because it does create that wonderful drama for the audience to interact with. Without a character that messes things up it’s not going to be interesting. So, it was a treat to sink my teeth into that storyline. At the same time though, I was also sad that I couldn’t be the nice one! [laughs]

Q) She’s a fierce, but flawed character. That goes into why it’s so important we see these kinds of characters. We built her up as being this incredible pillar and she’s an amazing, inspirational person yet we peel those layers away in Season 2 and see she has these flaws and makes mistakes. Why is it so important we see these kinds of female characters on screen more?

A) Everybody has gone through a point in their lives where they have to put on a nice face for everyone else. I think Anne feels that pressure every day and that can get to a person after a while – constantly being told “You’re my idol. You’re the one thing I look up to.” That pressure may have made her crack a bit. And I think it’s important to reflect on idolization and comparison in today’s society. We are constantly inundated with images of “perfect” people. On T.V., in commercials, in magazines, and you think, “These people are wonderful! They’re beautiful. They’re always perfect.” Especially with Instagram and social media; everybody is always showing their best side, their most exciting adventures, #livingtheirbestlife. Then comparison comes in to play and that thought turns into, “My life is so much worse compared to theirs.” But it’s not true. I think it’s really important to see these characters at their worst to remember everyone is human and everyone is trying their best to get through this crazy place that we call life – especially when you’re in a sorority!

Q) We had the catalyst of the season being Anne’s breakup with Treville. We never really found out the root of it all. Were you given some background on the reasons behind the breakup?

A) I don’t necessarily have the writer’s reasons behind the breakup but I have my own theory. Anne is a very passionate person, emotionally driven, and outspoken. She’s a heart-on-her-sleeve type which can mean that the she’s flippant and whimsical. So with Treville’s calculating calmness, I think Anne became confused. Anne began doubting if Treville actually loved her or not because Anne didn’t see the same googly-eyed fervor reflected in Treville. How Anne shows her love is different than how Treville shows her love, so I think she became worried. The fight itself might have been a passionate, heart-skipping fight where Anne jumped to conclusions and made a choice. She’s very brash and she kind of just rushes through things that scare her. She goes, “This is what I’m doing and I’m doing it with everything I have.” So, I don’t necessarily think that she broke up with Treville for a nasty reason. I don’t think she wanted to be mean, or was jealous, or planned it all out, etc. (we all know Anne doesn’t plan well). I think that Anne was feeling like she was giving her all to someone who was holding back, she was getting frustrated, stressed out, and when they got into a fight, she backed herself into a corner, made a bold decision, and ran with it.

Q) We find out why Treville is wired the way she is – because of her childhood and her past. She’s put up these walls and I feel like Anne was able to get around those walls, but not necessarily knock them down.

A) I think Anne wanted to. Maybe she saw it as a valiant challenge. Then when she felt like she couldn’t succeed, like her love and effort wasn’t getting anywhere, she left. I do think they were a great power couple there for a while. Anne’s spirit, Treville’s tenacity, their drive to get things done for the better of MST. In the end they were just too different.

Q) Then the revenge tweets happened!

A) Yes! I think the revenge tweets made her angry. Anne wasn’t angry after the break-up, she was sad, and honestly a little afraid. Sad from losing Treville, and afraid of losing everything she’s worked for at MST. She’s built up her entire identity as MST’s favorite. She couldn’t admit to all the sadness/fear she felt because it would take away from her image. She’s become this person who rules the entire school on confidence and strength. To have that taken away from her by the person that she loved made her feel like she had to fight back.

Q) We view each of these women in a certain light and that light becomes dark towards one and brighter towards the other at the shifting of the season.

A) Absolutely! I think there’s a point in everyone’s life where they don’t come off as the best person. It was a VERY hard year for Anne because she was leaving this entire legacy behind which was being shattered as she was leaving it. So Anne panicked and did a few… not-so-awesome things. It must have been hard for Treville as well because she let this person in, as she so rarely does, and this person hurt her deeply. So she lashes out and does some not-so-nice things. People go through rough patches and we just witnessed them throughout Season 2.  

Q) We talk about these themes of mental illness and the building of community and friendship together, especially with this great speech we get from Connie to Alex. What are some of the themes that really have personally struck a chord with you?

A) Definitely it was Alex’s conversation with Dorothy. They had me in tears, I absolutely identify and connect with her issues. Whether it be myself or friends of mine who have gone through a multitude of different illnesses – some that I know how to deal with and some that I don’t. I think it’s really important to have the conversation and open it up to let people know that it’s a safe space. A lot of us have problems or ongoing struggles. Everyone deals with something in their lives, and sadly, sometimes we think we’re all alone. It’s really important to keep the stigma away from this idea that mental health means you’re broken – because you’re not. It just means you’re working through something and it might mean that some days are hard, some days are just fine, and some days are great. It is much better when you have people around you to be able to talk about it … and to leave you alone when you need to be left alone. [laughs] So that, to me, was a very bright and beautiful thing that the writers put in there for their audiences. To know that we’re not alone.

Also, this theme of self-care struck a chord with me. Connie’s self-care, Dorothy’s lack-thereof. Anne, you don’t really see it, but in my mind, she’s not okay and she’s just trying to be okay for everyone else. That was why she was always frazzled. She wasn’t ever super well put together and a little over the top all the time. So, it made me think about the importance of self-care, that people really do need to fill their own well before they give to other people – you can’t keep running yourself dry for everyone else. You need to take care of yourself first.

Q) When you were first reading the scripts about your character Anne and constructing her, what really stood out to you about either who she is or who you constructed her to be?

A) [laughs] All I had in the audition were two scenes where she comes in and is super whacky and vibrant. I got really excited for this fun, energetic character to play. MST’s wonderful queen. I didn’t know about the entire arc that she had, breaking down and then lashing out. Being manipulative. That was really fun to sink my teeth into. What stood out was her rise and fall. “She’s perfect, she’s a queen” and then completely blowing that image to pieces. It was interesting to play a character who was losing it but trying to keep it together and not knowing who to turn to for help.

Q) A lot of what we know from Anne in Season 1 is she’s Connie’s cousin and then we have all these ideas of who she is offscreen.  Then in season two we really don’t even see Connie and Anne have many scenes, conversations, or moments together.

A) I would have loved a scene with Linnea! I knew Linnea for a while before playing her on-screen cousin. I think we were together for a handful of episodes where it was just a “Hi” and “Yep” kind of interaction. I would have loved to see a fully fleshed out conversation between the two of them. Because maybe Connie knows the real Anne, the Anne when they were kids. And it would be a beautiful thing to see them talking together after everything happened. It’s a possibility though, that the reason they weren’t talking to each other this season is because both of them were so wrapped up in their own worlds. Connie with work, Anne with the campaign. And they’re comfortable enough with each other that they didn’t really think about why they weren’t talking much. Or maybe, [laughs] Connie knows Anne is going to be Anne and doesn’t want to get caught in the crossfire.

Q) She could have been like, “Here’s Anne’s kryptonite.”

A) Oh yeah! That could have been interesting. Taking Anne down a notch before she could hurt anyone. I also think Connie might have been able to fix it somehow. Calling Anne out on all the stunts she’s pulling. Then Anne would realize she was doing all these awful things and then be like, “Oh Connie, you’re right!” and make nice again. [laughs] Maybe Season 3? [laughs]

Q) We continue to talk about how Anne has been this beloved figurehead, even though we don’t see her in Season 1. Then, in Season 2 there is this great flip for her and the dynamics. I wanted to talk a little bit about how that flip really helped play up the shifting of the tone in the second season. How did that small flip have such a larger impact?

A) The flip from Anne being the beloved figurehead into a manipulative political player added to this season’s upheaval of power. There was a large focus in Season 2 on the future of MST. For three years it seems like it had been this haven, a wonderful sorority to be a part of. Anne leaving the way she was (being called-out negatively) means the patterns would shift and the entire mechanism of the sorority would change depending on who inherited her position. It has to be restructured. So the unease you feel all season, not knowing what team to root for or who to sympathize with is because there’s a new Anne-shaped spot to fill.

Q) In your mind was it sabotage, or was Anne really into being the campaign manager or was it a revenge agenda?

A) I don’t think she had a revenge agenda at the beginning. She wanted to be the campaign manager because that’s all she knows. To be in a political race of some kind. It’s her comfort food. She wasn’t malicious until the tweets kept happening. Something broke the camel’s back and she decided to fight back. She was feeling hurt and was concerned about leaving her legacy where it was, that she began to fight back and act selfishly.

Q) Do you think Anne learned anything from her time working on the campaign?

A) Yes, I do. I think you see that when she comes back at the very, very end (I think it’s ep. 28) and she says she’s sorry for everything to Dorothy. She says something along the lines of, “I realize that I’m not easy to love intimately. I’m fun from afar. I’m fun to be the social butterfly, but when you’re in my life – when you’re close to me – it’s not the easiest thing.” And she does actually say, “I know my faults, and I’m working on it.” I think that’s a really big thing for her because she’s probably used to making a joke, laughing it off and then going on to the next party. So, self-reflection is not something she is used to. She’s used to people telling her how amazing she is, she’s not used to having someone challenge her in the way that she’s been challenged this season. So, I definitely think that she learned something. She learned that she is not always perfect, and she learned that she can really hurt people. She learned that she doesn’t want to be that person and will have to put some work in to change.

Q) What do you think the outcome would have been if Portia and Dorothy would have won the election? Would Anne still have had this hold on The Inseparables or would she have had one last hurrah?

A) She would want to visit the Inseparables for sure, but I think Dorothy learned enough this season that she wouldn’t allow Anne to hold power over her. Anne doesn’t have the clout that she once did. So, if Dorothy had won I think you would see her from time to time, but not in the high esteem that she was throughout the first season.

Q) I hope with Season 3 (fingers crossed) that maybe Anne will return, and she might have some ideas about the archives and where we can find one Lola Frond.

A) I know! [laughs] I was so excited because I have no idea what they’re planning.  Legitimate chills, I’m so pumped.

Q) Monty is kind of similar to Anne in that Season 1 we also don’t see her character. We learn all these things about her, but we don’t like her because we want Dorothy and Connie to get together and have this big culmination and relationship. Then, in Season 2 she shows up at the doorstep and she’s there all the time and it’s as if Monty has no filter.  But she becomes accepted and Anne ends up as the outsider. What do you think was Anne’s ultimate downfall?

A) I think her downfall might have been…I was going to say her ambition, but I don’t think ambition is right. I think it’s her need for perfection. She realized that her name was being dragged through the mud and she needed it to stay pristine. She needed her legacy to stay perfect. It’s interesting that you said Monty didn’t have a filter because I thought, “Nor does Anne really.” [Laughs] They just go about it in a different way.

Q) Do you think Anne is a loner or does she want to be an Inseparable and have the ability to crack the inner circle?

A) I don’t think Anne is a loner, she loves being surrounded by people, but I do think she’s never had a close-knit group of friends. She had a bunch of people from afar say, “I think you’re the most perfect person,” but she’s never had that core group of friends that she can trust – and that could also be a part of her downfall as well: she doesn’t know what trust means. Or what true friendship means because she’s always just had love from afar and she’s never experienced a love right in front of her until she had Treville. Then she didn’t really know what to do with that. She did love her first boyfriend, but he was manipulative and impulsive. So, she doesn’t know what true friendship or acceptance means. So, I think she sees the tight-knit beautiful relationships that the Inseparables have and now longs to be a part of something like that.

Q) What do you hope viewers take away from watching Season 2 of “All For One?”

A) I hope they enjoyed watching it! [laughs] But I hope they can walk away knowing that they are never alone in anything. If they are having issues, mental health, relationship, friendship, school, or anything… they are never alone. If anyone feels like they need to talk there is always someone to reach out to. That’s the biggest thing I would want them to take away from it.