Siobhán Williams – Black Box

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

A) I filmed AMC’s Western series “Hell On Wheels,” where I was a reoccurring guest star. Then, I worked on a Western feature film called Forsaken directed by John Cassar, who directs and produces “24.” I got to work with Kiefer Sutherland, Donald Sutherland and Demi Moore on it.

Q) Please tell us the premise for your show “Black Box” and about your character Esme Black.

A) “Black Box” revolves around a very famous neuroscientist, Catherine Black, who is bipolar (unbeknownst to her colleagues and much of her family). The premise of the show is about her struggling with her illness in relation to her job, her personal relationships and herself. I play her niece, Esme Black (or so I think). Esme believes that Catherine is her aunt. She was raised to believe that Catherine is her aunt and that Regan (Laura Fraser) and Joshua Black (David Chisum) are her real parents. The truth is Catherine got pregnant at a very young age and was forced to hand over her daughter to her brother and his wife to raise at the time. Esme is a very sweet, smart and mature fifteen year old in the tenth grade. She’s a very talented musician as she is an avid pianist. She does what she is told a lot and is a good girl, but over the season we’ll definitely get to see a side of her get explored that all fifteen or sixteen year old girls go through. There will be lots of new things, rebelling against her parents, etc. There will also definitely be exploration of her relationship with her aunt Catherine and as her mother that has been raised to believe is her biological mom.

Q) What was it about the show or the role that made you want to be a part of it?

A) I just love the way that it spoke on mental illness. I think it is something that has such a negative stigma. Mental illness is something people feel they have to be very quiet and reserved about. They feel like they can’t talk about it or feel uncomfortable talking about it if someone has a personal experience with it, whether it is them with an ailment or a close family member. It’s something that people tend to get very closed off about. Honestly, you can probably talk to any person in the world and they will have had (every time) a direct connection to someone with mental illness. Some people don’t know that because they don’t talk about it. There are a lot of things in life that are like that. People feel like they can’t talk about it because it only pertains to them and it makes them feel uncomfortable. If we can all come out and talk about it and people are all honest about their experiences then it makes everyone feel less isolated about their experiences with mental illness. I, like many others, definitely have first hand experience with others struggling with illness. I think it’s something so great to be a part of that we can make a support system where viewers can talk about how they relate to that. Maybe it will start a conversation between them and their friends that might otherwise have been not gotten awareness. It would be great if  we could start a lot of conversations and open people up and make them feel less alone in their journeys.

Q) What did you do to prepare for this role?

A) I took basketball lessons from David Chisum. I also researched a lot about bipolar disorder because Esme would have grown up knowing her aunt was bipolar, at least for the last few years. As for other parts of the role, I did take a couple piano lessons so I did know the proper posturing for playing piano and how to make my fingers look like they were doing what they should be doing. I am a classically trained musician. I took violin for almost eight years. In terms of musical theory, reading music and classical knowledge, I did have some before I began. I only played piano for like a year when I think I was four years old. So, it really doesn’t count. In terms of other things, I don’t think I did too much research into how to play Esme. She’s not an over-the-top character so I was able to bring a lot of myself into the character and from a lot of people that I knew. I definitely created a big backstory. David Chisum, Kelly Reilly and I were able to talk, before we even started filming, with the writers of the show to come up with the backstory with where we’d be leaving and our jobs. That was definitely helpful to prepare us to play these roles.

Q) There is great chemistry amongst the cast. Was it an instant click or did it take some time to develop?

A) We were able to spend a little bit of time, but it was funny we didn’t have all that much time before we started filming. The few days that we did have we definitely took advantage of and we were also lucky enough to have camera tests and table reads. We met several weeks before we started shooting on those and then there were a few cast dinners throughout filming. Any chance we had to get together, we did. I became extremely close with Laura while filming because we were in so many scenes together. Kelly was so busy and always working. When ever I got to see her on set it was a real pleasure to talk to her. We all just hit it off. I never worked with such a huge group of across the board genuine, talented and hilarious people. Everyone was so strong and unique in their own way. There was never any difficulty in becoming close with everyone quickly.

Q) What have been some of your most memorable moments from filming “Black Box?”

A) We had this one scene when Eric Stoltz was directing (I think it was in episode five or six) where we had a big family dinner scene. It was with Kelly, David Chisum, David Ajala, Laura Fraser and I. This dinner scene was quite long. I think it was about two pages. When it was written on the page, it was a great scene, but it was amazing when we were able to actually do it. We were able to improvise and the fact that we knew each other and had these personal repore’s with each other made it really come to life. I don’t think I’ve laughed that hard ever. We just all got along so well. Before the scene started, we were all cracking jokes. It just felt like a real family. It felt 100% real. There were also some scenes filmed outside that were so incredibly cold that we almost didn’t get the scene done. There was one day where we all got to set and then there was a huge blizzard so we had to shut down. That was a memorable, but not such a great memory of the show. Honestly, I just think there are too many to count. The cast and the crew just gelled so well. The amount of laughing that happened on set and we were still able to produce a quality show and get the work done is kind of unbelievable to me.

Q) You are a part of social networking sites. Have you enjoyed the instant feedback you’ve been receiving from fans after the episodes air?

A) Yeah! I love hearing input from fans, good and negative feedback. It’s all interesting to hear. I would be excited to hear more of it. I hope that it continues to explode as the season explodes. I love interacting with fans. I am so honored when I have people coming to me or when I read the reviews that talk about, “You made me feel so much less alone.” It’s exactly what I am hoping the show will do. If someone is bipolar or knows someone who is bipolar and says, “This is so accurate,” “This really resonates with me,” or “My family member who is bipolar watched it and loved it.” That’s all that I care about. That makes me beyond happy. As many responses like that we can get, the better.

Q) Many people might be surprised to learn that you are a trained musician. Where can people go online to learn more about you?

A) Right now, I have a few videos of me up on YouTube of me playing guitar and singing. I’m hoping in the next year or so to get some of my songs that I have written out to the public because I do have quite a lot. I have more than enough right now for an EP, but it is just a matter of getting it produced, mastered and mixed (not necessarily in that order). Hopefully, I’ll have more information on that soon. In terms of learning more about me, I have a website at http://www.siobhanwilliams.com. I have Twitter, a Facebook fanpage and I’m on IMDB.

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

A) I would like to say thank you so much because I wouldn’t be where I am without people watching and supporting my work. It just makes my day when I hear from people that are fans of me and my work, specifically. They’ll watch a show that I’m doing because they have liked me in something previously. It’s such an honor to hear. I would just like to say thank you and you’re awesome. No matter where you are in your life, do things that are right and make you happy. I feel so many people get stuck feeling they aren’t able to do something because it is unattainable, it’s too late, they’re stuck in that relationship or stuck at that job. I just would be so happy to see more people going for the things that make them happy whether or not they feel stuck in a situation. Just know the world is your oyster!