Talking Amazon Prime’s “Utopia” With Farrah Mackenzie
Recently I spoke with Farrah Mackenzie about her work on the Amazon Prime series “Utopia” which has just enjoyed a successful first season on the service.
How did you get into acting and what was your big break?
Most of my family were involved in the industry and I always loved performing little shows with my friends. We all thought it would be a good idea to start me professionally and now here we are! I would say, so far, my big break was either “Loan Lucky” or “Utopia.” Or maybe it hasn’t happened yet!
What sort of prep work did you do for “Utopia”?
For “Utopia,” I needed to dye my hair slightly, get braces, and get fitted for extensions and wigs (hence, the long braid).
Any memorable moments that stand out?
Ooh, probably the time I had my first KILL (not in real life, though)! Another one was between takes when Rainn Wilson put his underwear on his head and walked around the set. Definitely caused some laughs!!
Was the violence in the show shocking to you at first and how was filming such intense scenes?
I always have loved scary movies and have always wanted to take part in some crazy action scenes, so I was actually intrigued by it all. It wasn’t shocking filming it, but seeing it all put together is another story. I loved it! It was quite fun to film because I, as a normal child, am not familiar to that kind of violence and action.
How far in advance did you know about the arch of season one or is it literally script by script?
We actually received the scripts I’d say, a month before filming. We got 2 scripts at a time to keep ourselves occupied and on the edge of our seats.
How would you like your character to grow as the series unfolds?
I would love to see Alice develop into a Jessica Hyde type character. I would really enjoy to see the iconic duo between Alice and Ian more and see what that would turn into.
Any news on Season 2?
Fingers crossed!
What challenged you the most about the part?
What challenged me the most was putting myself in the place of my character. She is so unlike me, so I had to put myself in her situations in order to understand who I was portraying.
What else do you have coming up?
Doing some auditions and hoping to get back in the swing of things.
How have you been spending your time in quarantine?
I have been writing a lot, actually! Nothing serious or professional, just random, creative writing. Coming up with stories and spending hours a day entertaining myself with that.
Photographer: JSquared Photography
Make-up: Anton Khachaturian
Hair: Stephanie Hobgood
Stylist: Laura Sophie Cox
About the Author
gareth Syndicated movie & game critic, writer, author and frequent radio guest. His work has appeared in over 60 publications worldwide and he is the creator of the rising entertainment site and publication “Skewed and Reviewed”. He has three books of film, game reviews and interviews published and is a well-received and in demand speaker on the convention circuit. Gareth has appeared in movies and is a regular guest on a top-rated Seattle morning show. He has also appeared briefly in films such as “Prefountaine”, “Postal”. “Far Cry”. and others. Gareth is also an in-demand speaker at several conventions and has conducted popular panels for over two decades.
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