Alexis G. Zall is a super-talented rising young star (Exclusive Interview)
By Michael Aaron Gallagher of StayFamous.Net
Alexis G. Zall
When it comes to acting, comedy can be one of the most difficult things to master. But for actress Alexis G. Zall, who stars in the upcoming TV movie Out of Reach, being funny comes naturally.
“Both of my parents have a pretty good sense of humor,” Alexis said in a recent interview with StayFamous.Net. “But I definitely get my acting from my mom.”
According to her biography, “Alexis G. Zall was invented in 1998 by a pair of mad scientists in a dusty attic. She grew up in a size 12 men’s sneaker and ate mostly pickles and Chinese food… Upon realizing that she might be a little bit funny sometimes, she created a YouTube channel so she could share her dis-proportioned hilarity with the rest of the world.”
The super-talented 14-year-old actress from Scottsdale, Arizona, is a one-person comedy machine, turning out witty one-liners like a pro. Not only does she star in her own weekly YouTube videos, she also writes, directs, edits and sometimes even films them herself.
“I got my start in acting from a school play in 6th grade. I auditioned for the lead female role and I got it,” Alexis said. “My goal was to make the audience laugh every single line… and I did!”
It was through that experience that she began to discover how much she truly loved being an actress.
“It was something that I had thought about as just a dream that I would never really fulfill ” she said. “I would see people on TV and I would be like, ‘Yeah, I could do that, but I don’t think I ever would.’ And when I did this play, it kind of brought that forward and I realized that I really did want to do it professionally and really pursue it.”
With the encouragement and support of her parents, she began traveling regularly to Los Angeles for auditions. Soon after taking acting classes to learn the craft, she found herself in front of agents, managers and casting directors at a national talent expo in Dallas, Texas, where she won the “Actor of the Year” award.
Since beginning her career less than a year ago, Alexis has already landed several roles, including an episode of the AwesomenessTV series My Mom Can’t Cook with chef Vic Vegas, the short film Honest Santa (directed by Alex Goyette), as well as the webseries Spirits (starring Lia Marie Johnson). She also plays the lead role as Rachel in Rachel’s Galaxy, which can be seen on the Wogglebox YouTube channel.
“Rachel is a hyper-intelligent, delusional girl,” Alexis explained. “And she tells the camera and tells the audience her tips for success. They are not the best tips, but she sure believes they are.”
When she’s not making short films and internet shows, Alexis enjoys creating her own YouTube videos, which are a mix of scripted dialogue and improvisation.
“Sometimes, I’ll get a great idea right on Monday (because I try and post my videos every Saturday),” Alexis said. “And then sometimes it will be Saturday morning and I’ll be running around the house asking my mom, “Give me props! Tell me something! I need inspiration!”
Still, when it comes to ideas, she says there’s no telling where they will come from or what will inspire her to create her next project.
“Sometimes I’ll have an experience that week that will make me want to make a video about it. I made a Halloween video about trick-or-treating by yourself, and that’s because I had trick-or-treated by myself that year. I had just gotten to LA and I hadn’t really met a lot of people yet and I decided ‘Man, I’m gonna trick or treat, because I want to.’ So I kind of felt a little self-conscious when I was out there by myself and I made a video about it, almost to make myself feel better.”
In addition to writing her own scripts, she also writes free verse poetry in her spare time and has traveled the world extensively, visiting countries like Russia, China and Greece. She is also an accomplished athlete. Having started gymnastics at 23 months old, she competed for seven years. As a Level 8 gymnast, she was able to use her acrobatic skills in her role as a young assassin in the series Vendetta.
Alexis G. Zall makes a special YouTube video message for her StayFamous.Net interview.
Most recently, she wrapped production on her first feature film, called Out of Reach.
“It’s about a family of three. I play the daughter, which is a super-stretch,” Alexis joked. “And the dad, his business is not doing very well and he sort of gets sucked into this cult, disguised as business consultants, and then he kind of drags me along and our mom has to come and get us out.”
Directed by John Merberger, the movie also stars Erin Karpluk, Lochlyn Munro, and Sarah Lieving.
“That was a really neat experience for me,” Alexis said. “It was my first feature. I got to work with very experienced and professional actors, and it gave me a great opportunity to try out my acting chops.”
Someday, Alexis said, she hopes to be able to work with one of her comedy idols, like 30 Rock star Tina Fey.
“I would love to work with Tina Fey,” Alexis said. “I think that she is absolutely hilarious and she works so hard. She does all the behind-the-scenes [work] and… she’s in every single scene of her show. I would love the opportunity to work with her.”
When she’s older, Alexis wants to follow in Tina’s footsteps and take what she’s learned from working on other projects to create her own television show.
“My goal of all goals – life dream – would be to produce, write and star in my own TV show,” Alexis said. “I think that would be a really fun thing to do.”
Alexis G. Zall is a super-talented rising young star (Exclusive Interview)
Copyright 2013 by Michael Aaron Gallagher
Photographs courtesy of Alexis G. Zall
To request permission to use excerpts from StayFamous.Net on television or in print please contact:
StayFamous Media Contact: Michael Aaron Gallagher
