Casting about
IN NEW MEXICO
Actors in New Mexico
Ileft him at a Greyhound station west of Santa Fe,” an aspiring actress new to LA sings in the 2016 film La La Land. She could have stayed put. New Mexico’s bustling film scene provides many opportunities for rising stars — and unlike the La La Land actress, actors here don’t have to sit in (or dance through) Southern California traffic. “In recent years, it’s been extremely robust,” said casting director Angelique Midthunder of the local film industry. The New Mexico Film Office lists 52 projects with budgets over $1 million for the 2017 fiscal year, up from 30 in 2016. With regional opportunities, some talented New Mexico actors are earning notable parts and gaining reputations as ones to watch. New Mexico actors accumulating impressive recent TV and film credits include Lora Martinez-Cunningham (Only the Brave, Sicario), Forrest Goodluck (The Revenant), Lauren Myers (12 Strong), and Amber Midthunder, Angelique’s daughter (Legion, Hell or High Water).
Actress Mia Stallard has been working since age five, when she was discovered by a casting director in Taos. Now twentyone, she has worked steadily ever since, landing her first lead role at age eleven in the Santa Fefilmed thriller Inhale (2010). Stallard’s recent credits include the NBC supernatural drama
Midnight, Texas and the Netflix Western miniseries Godless. Both were filmed in New Mexico — Midnight, Texas in Albuquerque and Las Vegas, and Godless in various locations across Northern New Mexico. “There’s so much heart to it,” Stallard said of the New Mexico film scene. “It’s just really special — it’s all about community. Everyone kind of knows each other.” She added, “In New Mexico, it’s really artoriented and really communityfocused, which I love.”
Like Stallard, Santa Fe-born actress MorningStar Angeline sees New Mexico’s artistry and community as being essential to its film industry. “In LA you feel like everyone’s kind of doing the same thing,” she said. “New Mexico, to me, is just a state full of artists, and film is just another branch of the many people who work in the arts.” After several years in Gallup, where she became involved in the local theater scene, Angeline moved to LA in elementary school. Though she was still interested in acting, she said, “I was very much disheartened by the film industry in Los Angeles, and also more from a female Native American perspective, there were no roles for me.” Angeline is Navajo, Blackfeet, and Mexican American. “I was essentially asked to be different races, things along those lines.”
Angeline moved back to New Mexico after auditioning for and getting a role in
Drunktown’s Finest. The drama, filmed in Santa Fe, Española, and Gallup, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2014, and was written and directed by Angeline’s sister Sydney Freeland, although much of the crew wasn’t initially aware of the familial connection. “I had no idea that [the film industry] was what it was out here, and right away I knew I wanted to try again, to try to act, but to do it in New Mexico,” she said. “I’ve been here ever since.”
John-Paul Howard has been working in New Mexico since moving to Albuquerque from Alabama about five years ago. At eighteen, he has already achieved one of the biggest milestones an actor can aspire to — his acting has been featured at the Oscars. Howard played the son of Chris Pine’s character in the 2016 Best Picture nominee Hell or High Water; a scene with him and Pine made it into last year’s Academy Awards ceremony broadcast. Howard’s credits also include Midnight, Texas and the forthcoming horror movie 14 Cameras. He too appreciates the artistry of the regional film scene. “Here in New Mexico, we have our own kind of style,” he said. “We can be really gritty and tough, as well as just spontaneous and fun. We have so many creative minds.”
Stallard, Angeline, and Howard are all represented by Lynette O’Connor of the Albuquerque-based O’ Agency. “Over the years, producers and directors have learned we do have an excellent pool of professional actors who reside in New Mexico,” O’Connor said. “Productions bring in far fewer actors because they can find talent that meet their requirements right here. This saves production a tremendous amount of money on airfare and accommodations.” Eric Witt, executive director of the Santa Fe Film Office, also highlighted the practical benefits of having skilled actors regionally. “They used to bring a lot of talent from out of state, but we’re gaining a reputation for having more talent locally,” Witt said. “That qualifies us for higher incentives.”
Midthunder noted, “We really work to keep our finger on the pulse of who’s working hard and really focused on building their skill set and endeavoring to work professionally as actors in our talent pool, which behooves not only the actors, but also the film productions that come in. We have a lot to offer them as far as talent.”