Niamh Wilson – Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies

By starrymag | May 4, 2023

By: Ashlee Dell’Arciprete

 

 

Q) Congratulations on the release of “Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies.” How was your character Lydia originally described to you?

 

A) Here’s the original breakdown for audition: Lydia: Artistic, well read, political, cultured, fiercely intelligent, unconventional, happy to go against the grain in the wholesome 1950s. (Look up beatniks.) A caustic sense of humor; tells it like it is.  Start off the scene one with the seriousness of a green acting student who is taking their acting warm up exercise very seriously.  There should be a chemistry/anti-chemistry between her and Cynthia (Ari Notartomaso).  Lydia takes drama class seriously; Cynthia not so much, and Lydia isn’t afraid to call her out on how her fear/self-consciousness is causing her to put walls up during their acting exercise.  Two complete forces of nature butting heads with each other (and secretly growing a mutual respect/affection for each other).  Let’s enjoy watching them banter.

 

Q) Was there anything you added to the role that wasn’t in her initial breakdown? 

 

A) Yes! No spoilers but we do find out that Lydia has some more experience in the gay community than you may expect. She’s a little farther along in her queer journey than Cynthia, which is something I could kind of feel in the original audition but didn’t get confirmed until later episodes.

 

Q) In what ways do you yourself relate to Lydia?

 

A) OOF! She really does feel like an alternate universe version of myself, which I find funny because on set there were many comments made that out of all the actors in the cast, I was the least like my character, but we definitely share some key characteristics. The number one being our shared love and passion for acting. Although Lydia may take herself much more seriously than I do, we both take the actual craft very seriously. There’s a shared respect there. My motto has always been “take your job seriously but not yourself.” After that, Lydia and I are both very into fashion (something our costume designer Sam Hawkins really translated for my character in her work), and we both go against the grain of societal expectations for our gender. Ultimately, Lydia is the scary femme that I wanted to be when I was younger until I realized I’m just not quite a graceful, composed or poised enough person to actually be that.

 

Q) What is Lydia’s journey like in season one?

 

A) In season one we really see Lydia’s emotional journey. When we first meet her, she has this extremely hardened exterior. This facade of an overly serious thespian who really only lets her emotions out through her work. After a couple episodes we start to see some cracks in her armor, especially around Cynthia. I don’t even think you see Lydia smile (in a way that isn’t contempt) until Episode 5. After she starts to let her guard down around Cynthia is when we really see that that facade she had at the start of the season is really there to hide some deep insecurities and desires to be loved. Something I think many of us can relate to…

 

Q) Was the choreography difficult to learn for the role?

 

A) There were definitely numbers that had me struggling. The first number I was in was in episode 4 in “Pointing Fingers” and I just remember how excited I was to finally be in the dance studio and working with the choreography team. I’ve been a dancer my entire life and I trained in ballet for many, many years so being in the dance studio felt very natural to me. However, there were some numbers where I was completely gassed by the end. The dance break in “The Boom” is so fast, and the added element of the chairs made the chores pretty tricky. Most memorably, the final number in episode 10, we shot on the hottest day of the year outside, and I was in almost every single section. Every time we cut I was like, “I don’t know how I’m going to do another take,” but it was truly so much fun and that number turned out incredible.

 

Q) Were you familiar with any of your costars before working with them on the show?

 

A) I mean, Jackie Hoffman is a LEGEND. Just simply being in her presence is crazy. We shared a car once and I was scared to speak with her majesty. Otherwise, I really appreciated that they cast so many fresh faces! I had known of Josette [Halpert] who plays Dot for many years, as we both grew up in the Toronto industry, but other than that I wasn’t familiar with any of the cast. Before shooting Ari and I had spent some time building our relationship because we knew we were going to have some really emotional scenes. I had reached out to them on Instagram, and we started messaging before shooting started.

 

Q) Are there any homages to the original films in new series?

 

A) Oh, there’s definitely some Easter eggs! But you’ll have to watch to find them all. [winks] Most notably we get to see Rizzo and Frenchie as yung’ins and they’re so perfectly cast.

 

Q) What were some of your favorite scenes to film or episodes that you think fans should keep an eye out for?

 

A) By far my favorite scene to shoot was Cynthia and Lydia’s musical number in Episode 5. It was a beyond dream-come-true moment, and I will remember it for the rest of my life. There was also a scene in Episode 6 that truly challenged me as an actor in a way that I hadn’t felt before. I came out of that day on set feeling more artistically fulfilled than I had in quite some time. There is something about shooting nuanced queer storylines that will fill my soul in a way other scenes couldn’t. While shooting most of the scenes between Lydia and Cynthia, Ari and I had a deep understanding that queer people of all ages would be watching these scenes and feeling themselves seen or represented in some way, and as queer people ourselves, that feeling is incredibly special.

 

 

Q) What do you think it is about “Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies” that will make it such a fast fan favorite series?

 

A) I think there has been a musical series shaped hole in the recent streaming zeitgeist. Obviously, musicals aren’t for everyone, but especially during a time of doom scrolling and overwhelmingly negative newscasts, there is a need for upbeat and feel-good media. I also think there is a place for revamping timeless classics to include more well-rounded and inclusive stories. I often find myself watching old films or shows (even from only ten to fifteen years ago) with the casual racism and homophobia, feeling conflicted about liking that piece of media when it pokes fun at/isn’t inclusive of the people that I want to surround myself with. One thing I deeply love about “Rise of the Pink Ladies” is its ability to give a voice and nuanced storyline to characters you rarely ever got to see on screen during the time when the original film was made, and in doing so the show has opened itself up to an audience where everyone can feel included.

 

Q) Another congrats for co-directing your first short film last year. Do you have any future plans to direct again or perhaps produce?

 

A) I most certainly have plans to keep directing. Directing Tidal the short I co-directed with Chloe Van Landschoot was so creatively fulfilling. It feels great to be in the driver’s seat in a way that you don’t get when you’re just acting in a project. Plus, being able to show up to set and not have to worry about being on camera if you’re having a bad self-image day, or you’re bloated or whatever takes so much pressure off, and you just get to create with few strings attached. It felt very natural to direct. Every time I read a script I’m silently directing the scene in my brain and translating that to an actual film just felt like second nature. As for producing…Well, let’s just say my brain doesn’t work that way. [laughs] I definitely don’t have an administrative brain, so the planning, bargaining, schmoozing, business-ing required to produce just isn’t my strong suit. But who knows!! That may change as my career progresses. I’ve surprised myself before.

 

Q) Do you have any other upcoming projects you would like to share?

 

A) Honestly, at the moment I am just enjoying this brief moment of unemployment. To travel around to film festivals presenting Tidal and just enjoy the release of “Pink Ladies” has been really wonderful. Having started acting when I was basically a baby, there haven’t been many opportunities to just sit back and enjoy the fruits of my labor and that’s kind of where I feel like I’m at this moment. Trying to soak it all in in case we do go for season 2 because then it’ll be go, go, go.

 

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

 

A) So cliché, but thank you. In the most earnest way. I’ve never really wanted any of the weird things that come along with being an actor, I’ve only ever just wanted to make things that make people feel. Everything else is just a bonus, so the support honestly means more than you could ever know.