Actress Christina Wren chatted about “Will Trent” on ABC and the animated fantasy film “The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep.”
How was your experience in “Will Trent”?
“Will Trent” is a wonderful show, and the cast and crew are so lovely. Season 3 has been especially fun. Caroline has some pretty big things happen that are the kinds of things you dream of getting to do as an actor.
I’m always excited to see where the writers take her next!
What did you like the most about your character?
To be the assistant to the head of the GBI, Caroline has to be incredibly smart and good at her job, yet the writers find ways to throw her some fun humor, too.
What was it like being a part of the animated series “The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep”?
You know, I have been so lucky to work on amazing projects with amazing people! It was truly delightful.
I had worked previously with Wes Gleason on Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas and I really love working with him. And The Witcher?! I had to pinch myself when I got the job.
To be a part of a world that means so much to so many people is an honor and Essi Daven is a fantastic character. She’s bold and fun while also being incredibly smart and savvy. I loved bringing her to life!
How does it feel to be a performer in the digital age? (Now with streaming, technology and social media being so prevalent)
To be honest, this is all I’ve really known. I’m incredibly grateful to have been a part of tent pole movies like Man of Steel and network shows like “Will Trent.” If you followed the strikes last year, you’ll know actors have much more of a chance at making a living on network vs. streaming.
However, streaming and social media have allowed so many new voices in, which is amazing!
Streamers have generally been more willing to take risks on newer artists so a lot of what we most love – even if it ultimately makes it to network (Issa Rae, Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson, for example), they started experimenting on YouTube and building up their audience before attracting high profile partners.
It’s tricky because it obviously changed the way entertainment is monetized, and the industry is having to figure out its way through that.
What do your plans for the future include?
My partner and I have three features in development and two animated series in production through our company, Two Kids with a Camera. One of the animated series, Inland, we are just now releasing online.
It’s a super simple production but a big world, inspired by a series I’d been writing for a few years. It’d be incredibly expensive to produce as a live action – a futuristic, dystopian society – no one is financing those if they’re not based on existing IP.
Istill wanted to do something with it…and perhaps build enough of an audience that we can eventually pitch it as existing IP! I was trying to distill it down to its most important core, story-wise, and get to something that we could produce literally with just the two of us.
I was inspired by Octavia Butler’s ability to tell a story about such a rich world in Parable of the Sower through just one character’s voice. I rewrote Inland to have our protagonist sharing bits of her life with a connection she’s found to the outside and that’s how the story is revealed week by week.
I’m lucky that my partner is an artist and was down to do some simple animations for it. It’s small but packs a punch. We also just completed an audio drama called Club Passage with a fantastic voice cast. I feel so blessed they all shared their talents with us!
It’s been a creative season and I’m excited to share more of what we’ve been working on. And I’m currently looking for partners for Swishy, one of the films I have in development. It’s about a girls’ basketball team at an urban public high school, loosely based on my life.
It follows a first-generation senior who is juggling her family’s old school expectations, working with her dad’s construction company, needing to win championships and get that scholarship money, all while she fights to maintain things with her secret boyfriend.
It’s really fun and I’m so excited to find the right team for this one!
What is your advice for young and emerging artists?
Figure out what your voice is, who you are, what you most love, and make something as specific as possible from there. In a world with so much content everywhere, the only thing we have to set us apart are our original ideas.
Don’t mimic someone else’s voice (unless it’s an exercise for learning – writing a spec can be really informative!). And use the community you have around you.
Those are the people you will come up with. Build something meaningful together and you will be the next group of people paving the way for folks behind you.
What does the word success mean to you?
I’ve been guided by something Cicely Tyson said when receiving an Honorary Academy Award. She said, “I want to believe that there is a mountain so high that I will spend my entire life striving to reach the top of it.” That’s how I want to live my life.
What would you like to tell our readers about “Will Trent”? (What’s the one thing you want them to get out of it)
I really admire Will Trent’s writers’ room and producing team. They’ve taken the beloved police procedural and always develop an exciting mystery of the week, yet they also take their main characters on really bold journeys – more like a drama.
Big challenges they have to dig themselves out of, transformations, there’s a lot of depth to them. It feels rich and new each week. Plus, there’s a really cute dog.
To learn more about Christina Wren, follow her on Instagram and visit her official website.
