Linden Ashby – Escaping My Stalker

By: Lisa Steinberg

Q) What are the recent projects that you have been busy working on?

A) We just finished up a second season of “Trinkets,” which will be coming this summer 2020.

Q) Please tell us the premise for the film Escaping My Stalker.

A) It’s about a teenage girl (Ezmie Garcia) who through circumstances wound up homeless living on the streets of LA. She got adopted and sort of turns her life around. There is something from her past that is coming back to haunt her. It’s a thriller and has got a lot of heart. Ezmie is beautiful, talented and so grounded. She’s so real and she’s so present. She is a treat to watch and a treat to work with.

Q) How did you get involved with the film as far as acting and directing?

A) I had worked with both Pierre David and Ken Sanders on different Lifetime movies and different projects for year and years. I talked to Pierre and Ken about directing. And I had directed on “Teen Wolf.” They saw my work and were like, “Yeah, will you act in it as well?” I went, “Yup!” So, they gave me a shot and I’m proud, happy, grateful. The risk they took on me – I think I gave them a pretty good movie.

Q) What did you find challenging about directing while acting?

A) As a director, it’s like everything comes through you and it’s a totally immersive event. You’re there. So, then to switch gears, put on your acting hat and step out in front of the camera…It was really easy acting the part. [Writer] Stephen Romano wrote the part and it was very easy for me to get into and to do. And, also, I wasn’t worried about what the director thought. [smirks] To be honest, Susan [Walters] and I work really well together. She would be there on days that I would be in front of the camera and she was my eyes behind the camera. Also, when directing she has seen things that I’m in and if I think there is a problem, she can really dial it in and pin point what it is. So, we work very well together. I would love to co-direct with her. I think that I’m better with her than without her.

Q) As far as directing, what were some of your favorite scenes to film?

A) We shot in downtown LA and we shot a lot at night exteriors. To have the city and the kind of the beauty of the city and the grittiness of this world we are working in and these striking images and working with these actors…I remember between Ezmie and Pedro [Correa] and they are walking and talking and the skyline of LA is behind them. It’s just a beautiful, beautiful scene. We shot at a skateboard park. We were lucky enough to get into this amazing place in downtown LA. I come from that background – surfing – and to be able to shoot all of that was fun. To work outdoors in LA and the vibrancy of it, I loved it. Then, when we came in we shot at this amazing location for Mariette Hartley’s house (She plays the villain) – it was a house built in maybe the late 1900’s. It was this old mansion in downtown LA that had all the original fixtures in there. Everything in there was extraordinarily beautiful. For me, it was just working with the actors like Andrew Allen and Alexandra Paul. I mean, I haven’t even talked about Alexandra! Working with these guys and seeing and watching what they bring and just…They hit it out of the park. They really did. Everybody.

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

A) Go to sleep. Wake up. Do it again. You are shooting on sets on a pressed timeline on some of these films. So, it is a great lesson of having all of your homework done and all of your planning in place. Then, you get there and something will have changed. To be nimble on your feet that you are not so locked into something that you can change or someone has a better idea of how to do it. Not being so proud that you don’t go, “That’s a great idea! That’s better than what I had planned! That’s a better way of doing it! It looks better. Let’s do it!” Leave your ego at home. Making a film is one of the most collaborative things that you can do. Everybody. No one can make a movie alone. I guess they could, but it would be a bit odd. It’s just this coming together of like-minded people and with a common goal. It’s pretty amazing.

Q) What do you think it is about Escaping My Stalker that will make it a fast fan favorite Lifetime thriller?

A) I think it’s a different world than we normally see on Lifetime. It’s set against the homeless population in downtown Los Angeles. It’s a homeless shelter, the streets and there is this young girl and then this whole world that she lived in that is still out there…It keeps kind of clawing its way back into her life. People are just going to like it. First of all, it’s a great story. Stephen Romano wrote a great script. It moves, it’s compelling and the performances are really, really amazing. And then when you see someone like Mariette work and you watch her…The talent that she brings to the table – you just feel like to be a part of it. What will make people like it? It’s a great story. It’s a great ride. I think it’s a story that people can relate to.

Q) Is there anything else you want to be sure we share with our readers about the film?

A) I just felt lucky every single day on set – lucky and overwhelmed at points and transcendent at other points and tired at other points and laughing pretty much the whole time.

Q) You’ve had such an incredible career! You’ve done everything from Mortal Kombat to “Teen Wolf.” What have been some of your favorite projects that you have worked on?

A) Well, certainly those two. Wyatt Earp. I wish I could go do that one again knowing what I know now. If I had known what I know now then, I would have just had a great…That was like my first big movie and I was just too nervous about the wrong things. I loved a couple series I did that didn’t last like the show called “Spy Games” on ABC and then “The War Next Door” on USA. I’ve been lucky. I’ve had some really fun, great parts and great projects to work with. I’ve worked with beautiful people. I won the lottery.

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who are fans and supporters of you and the work you do?

A) Thank you.