Much Ado About Jessica
Welcome back to “Get To Know Your Ripleys!”
Today, we get to know Jessica Lynn Verdi a little bit better, and just when you thought that wasn’t possible , the Internet proved otherwise.
Questions have been provided by curious humans and have been answered honestly by the rambunctious redhead, JLV.
Getting to know you…
Photo by Raishel Wasserman for TIG: Night Shift
@cwolf20 asks “Have any characters been hard to portray?”
JLV: This is such an interesting question that doesn’t necessarily have a straightforward answer… but usually, in scripted work, I have found that most every character is hard to play at first. The rehearsal process is about trying different things on for size and keeping the things that fit. This stage is awkward but as you move forward the character comes to light, and usually elements of who I am within the character become more clear as well. By the time a show is ready for the audience, I share the same skin with that character and you’re just watching us “BE”.
@uberbaldy asks, “top 4 favorite movies?“
JLV: Almost Famous, The Royal Tenenbaums, Pride & Prejudice, High Fidelity
@RPCol asks, “Kirk or Picard?“
JLV: Kirk.
Photo by Andrew Ge
@Carrieoakie asks, “You find out you have just 24 hrs left to live, it's fact, there's no miracles, you're done. How do you spend those 24 hours, what would be your last meal/drink/flavor to savor, & where would you end up at 23:59?“
JLV: Wow, I hate/love this question because it is so sad but also so good to reflect on what matters most to you. I would try to gather as much of my loved ones under one roof as possible. (Ugh, I’m already starting to tear up just writing this.) I’d want us all to hang out, play music, play games, share our favorite memories of each other, hug a lot. My cats have to be there, of course. I’d be holding one at any given time. We’d make a bunch of food, and I’d want linguini & clams, sausage & peppers, San Carlo deli’s sub special, a charcuterie, red wine, potato chips & french onion dip, and maybe some coca cola. At 23:59, I’d hope that me and my family are hand in hand, circled around our pets and party mess, crying and smiling.
@ChronoRomancer asks, “How do you arrive at a character's voice/cadence?“
JLV: Sheer luck! If this is in an improv sense, I usually start with how the character is feeling about what is going on in the moment. Their emotional state usually lends itself to a sound or approach that mirrors that emotion. I allow the voice and cadence to take shape as the scene/show goes on and allow it to mold and grow!
Photo by Andrew Ge
@CuriousCorduroy asks, “What is your biggest pet peeve?“
JLV: People who talk only about themselves.
@shadow_uzumaki asks, “How'd you get started in Improv? What got you into performing?“
JLV: SOOOO, coincidentally, @Carrieoakie, the lovely lady who responded to this tweet on the twitter, is the reason I learned about improv in the first place! She did a workshop with my high school and I was HOOKED. It’d be another 10 years before I did a deep dive to bring me to today, but I remember thinking that she was sooo funny, and that I wanted to be like her.
Performing in general? I just want to be the center of attention, naturally. Since then, I’ve come up with better, more altruistic reasons as to why I want to be a performer ;0)
@TheHashtag0nist asks, “Who’s her secret crush? The world deserves to know!“
and @jessicaverdi says, “It’s called SECRET CRUSH for a reason, Wout.“
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