Helen (as Ella) at the Battle of the Bands.
Photo credit: Mickie Copeland - Copeland Photography
Alisha: Helen, hi! So we're friends in real life, and you're also in a show right now, which was really fun for me to watch, I have to say. I loved I Ship It, and I know I'm biased, but I thought your character was very adorable.
Helen Highfield: Aw, thank you!
A: Did you know much about the show or the creator before you auditioned?
HH: I did and I didn't. I actually got this audition through a friend who got the appt. but isn't a big singer. She recommended me to the casting director (they happened to know each other from college) who told her to just send me in instead - which is kind of unheard of and really generous of her. I didn't have much info other than the sides which vaguely reminded me of a cool short I'd stumbled upon online a while back, but couldn't quite place. Anywho, when I met Yulin (the show creator/director) at the callback it hit me. I was like "oh duh! it reminds me of your short film which I loved!" I even went to internet stalk her after and realized I'd been following her Twitter for a year. I had watched a bunch of her work on YouTube and thought she had a really beautiful aesthetic and cared about creating smart and strong female characters. So, while I was auditioning, I was mostly excited that this weird twist of fate had brought us together.
A: That's amazing! Yeah I was so excited when I realized how much I was going to get to hear you sing. Did you enjoy the recording process? Also, did I not know that you play guitar?!
HH: Yes! I LOVED recording. It was SO much fun. It was also a pretty crazy schedule. Yulin and I moved into Brian Grider's house for 4 days of "music camp" and I was recording into the wee hours. I'm pretty sure the karaoke song was recorded at 5am. Also, Brian and Kirstyn Hippe (who was sending material from NYC), were writing some of the songs as we went. That was cool to see that process and be a part of it. As for the guitar... ummmmmm.... I wish. No, I got a lot of help with how to fake it. Also, there were a lot of artfully placed extras heads in those performance scenes.
A: Well, that was some pretty stellar guitar acting.
HH: Haha, thanks!
A: So this is very much a show about starting a band, and a group of people getting closer because they're working together on something creative. Did the four of you get to know each other at all before you were cast?
HH: Well, Riley (who plays Tim) and I met in the audition room. Not the waiting room. In. The. Audition. And it was a kissing scene. I was like "Uh, hi. Nice to meet you. Mind if I kiss you in a couple seconds? Cool? Cool." So that was pretty funny. Also the band got to rehearse a bunch of choreo together and that was a really fun day. Oh! And I almost forgot - Yulin took Riley and I on a pseudo date. She basically got us drunk and asked us personal questions. It was great. I told her about my first kiss with *name redacted because person is actually a mutual friend*, haha!
A: Bahaha. That sounds like if you hadn't gotten drunk it could have been the most awkward thing ever.
HH: Haha! Yeah, I guess it could've. We definitely got to know each other fast and are still good friends. Also, Riley and I both did programs at Shakespeare & Co. so we were both like "I get you. You're my people.” Some of the pics of Tim and Ella in their apt are actually from that drunken pseudo date night.
image via.
A: The show is kind of all about getting with "your people"... I really liked that it was just sort of unabashedly about being nerdy and writing fan fiction and stuff. I personally wrote some insanely embarrassing fan fiction as a teenager.
HH: Ohmygod I'd love to read your fanfic.
A: Nope.
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