Violett Beane – God Friended Me

By starrymag | October 14, 2018

By: Malasha Parker

 

 

Q) Can you describe your character, Cara Bloom, in God Friended Me?

 

A) So, Cara is an online journalist. In the pilot, you see that she is dealing with the fact that her mom left when she was seven years old and she came to New York in search of her. You realize that she found her, but she doesn’t really know how to take the next step. So, she needs Miles (Brandon Michael Hall) and the God account.

 

Q) What do you think sets this show apart from other drama series on television?

 

A) I think what sets it apart is that ultimately it has a positive message. I think in each episode there is conflict obviously, but in this show there’s a very uplifting positive message at the end of every episode. It’s kind of heartwarming in that way. Whereas, other medical dramas and stuff like that sometimes things don’t work out and I think that this show will leave people feeling a little bit better.

 

Q) What drew you to this role in particular?

 

A) Well, I was auditioning like a million times a day during pilot season of last year and it was kind of one of the only scripts that I’ve read that I felt happy after reading. My very first audition we had the creators of the show in my audition, Bryan [Wynbrandt] and Steven [Lilien]. I chatted with them and immediately it was just like such a family. They were so warm, so inviting. We like played in the room, we tried different things. It was really kind of great. So, I was like I would love to continue working with them.

 

Q) Which character relationship do you enjoy most?

 

A) Filming, I love working with Suraj [Sharma] because he’s hilarious and our characters are kind of…They’re friends, but they kind of like to push each other’s buttons. And then watching, I absolutely love anything that Brandon and Joe [Morton] do together – the tension between them and also the growing sort of friendship they’re developing. It’s amazing. I mean, I just feel like all of those scenes they steal it, for sure.

 

Q) In the first episode, your character reunites with her mother. Can you explain how the relationship between Cara, her mom and sister will progress?

 

A) You got a little bit of it in the episode that came out last night (Season 1, Episode 2: “The Good Samaritan”). It’s a difficult thing to finally see someone again after all this time. I think it’s going to be somewhat difficult for Cara to just find the groove with her mom. They haven’t spoken in over a decade, but you’re definitely going to see that relationship sort of develop and figure itself out and Cara and Liv (Eleanor Koski) have a really special little friendship. And you’re definitely going to see how that’s going to transform and change throughout the season.

 

Q) What are you most excited for the viewers to gain from this show?

 

A) I’ve been receiving a lot of feedback just on Twitter and Instagram and stuff like that. Some of the stuff that I’ve heard so far has really been super special. There are multiple people who have reached out and said that they related to one of the characters and that they’re going through something and they feel like they have a little bit more closure in their own lives, just based on the story, which I think is kind of the reason why (at least for me)… I think it’s why we want to tell stories for people. It’s like we hope that people can take a little bit of what we’re telling away and use it in their own life and sort some stuff out. I think that’s kind of what I hope the viewers will take away from God Friended Me.

 

Q) Is there a specific episode that you’re excited for viewers to see?

A) Episode seven and eight were the last two that we are filming. We just started nine. There’s so much family drama and I’m very very excited for people to see it. They’re two of my favorite episodes.

 

Q) Was it easy to get into the character of Cara?

 

A) Yeah! I think each character is very different, but I think with this one in specific…Like I was saying, Bryan and Steven, our creators, they’ve been so open since the beginning of this and they really talk with all of us all the time. They want to make sure that we like where the story is going and the characters, how that’s developing. I feel like I’m very privileged in that way to be so close to them and to be able to express if I don’t like something or if I don’t feel like it’s right for Cara. So, that’s been kind of interesting in it’s own way. It’s very different from other things that I’ve worked on that are like, I’m a very small part of a huge thing. Yeah, it’s pretty special.

 

Q) You played Jesse Quick on The Flash! Are there any plans for you to make anymore appearances on there?

 

A) Um, well I know that the creators over there have mentioned a few speedsters coming back this season so it is absolutely possible. I would love, with all these new speedsters, to do a little reunion.

 

Q) Is it more or less challenging working on God Friended Me than it was as a superhero on The Flash?

 

A) It’s definitely less night shoots and stunts and things like that, but I don’t know. I would say they’re pretty similar. Shooting TV is a long gig. You’re working for sometimes seventeen hours out of the day, so it’s always kind of treacherous. But our crew is so, so, so fabulous and they work so hard every single day to put out their best work and it really makes it fun and easy. Like it doesn’t feel like work.

 

Q) Are there any other projects that we can expect to see from you in the near future?

A) As of right now, I’m just working on God Friended Me. We’re filming pretty much the rest of the year and hopefully after that for a few more months. But you can always keep updated on my Instagram and Twitter.