We’re back with ANOTHER interview this week, this time with the lovely actress and model, Gabriella Wright. Gabriella is here to talk to us today about her movie The Perfect Husband which releases on blu-ray this week!

The Perfect Husband is being released by Artsploitation Films on blu-ray and tells the story of a couple who are going through tough times and choose to spend a weekend at a remote cabin. Things end up going badly quite quick as fear and paranoia turn into an intense and horrifying experience.

Gabriella, who plays the leading role as Viola, really shows her acting talent in this one, and we are thoroughly excited to have had the opportunity to get our questions answered by her. So let’s go straight into the goods!

TheNerdMentality: Gabriella, you rock! Thank you so much for taking the time to answer our questions. To get things started, could you tell us a little about yourself?

Gabriella Wright: That is a good question, I always say that I am a global nomad with a heart full of nationalities. I was born in London to an English-Irish-Scottish artist father and to a Portuguese-French-Mauritian mother. I am an actor, singer, writer, and philanthropist; and most importantly, a mother to a little boy.

TNM: My goodness, so a bit of everything it seems! But you are here to talk about The Perfect Husband, so let’s do that. The film is intense, and I would assume it must have been emotionally taxing. How did you prepare yourself mentally for this role? How did you balance being in a state to play the role without letting it get to you?

GW: It was a very emotionally taxing role. It demanded a lot of physical stamina but also emotional and mental in addition, with a strong inner foundation.

I have my own way of approaching my work, and that is a combination of meditation that strengthens my inner core stability so that I can then spring off into the depth of the character without ever getting lost. I also have a wonderful acting coach Goli Samii who has guided me through active dream work to layer the character’s subconscious activity. It’s the part of the work that I prefer the most, to dive in to the ocean of subconsciousness and find little gems. It creates an unpredictability, and that is what Viola is.

TNM: Viola goes through a rollercoaster of emotions throughout this film. Was this challenge daunting to you, or an exciting opportunity?

GW: I was scared at first but my acting coach said that I really needed to go there, and I did. I trusted her instinct and vision as well as Lucas Pavetto’s precise direction. It was hard but I was never alone.

TNM: With all of this intensity and emotions, it must have affected you personally during filming. Can you describe how it felt?

GW: It was painful to be honest, when you experience pain in the present moment, one cannot judge it. It just happens. And so yes, it was intense, I was crying all the time in my hotel room with almost physical sensations of losing a child. I am a mother, so it’s the most horrifying emotion to loose one’s child. A part of you is lost forever and we yearn for it for forever. I took on that role to also exorcise that emotion like a catharsis; to expel the emotion so that it actually heals you in the process.

TNM: Before filming began, were you told anything more about Viola that we don’t see on screen? Is there a lot of backstory developed to help you react, or is it largely left to you to work out yourself?

GW: Lucas didn’t tell me that much other than what he wanted out of each scene. I had to create the magic of behind the scenes, and sometimes he would tell me something just before shooting a scene as if a golden nugget of information that would make me view Viola’s sickness in a whole new light. To be honest, there were a lot of things that I hadn’t noticed in the script that he had perfectly planned out visually as to clues, etc. It’s wonderful to work with him, he is a true artist, and he directs only for what he needs to see on screen. This leaves the actors a lot of freedom.

TNM: Is this the type of role that you would normally seek out? Did you learn anything particular from taking this role?

GW: I believe that roles come to you for a reason in your life; to either heal you or to give you a gift, or for you to give back. Shakespeare wrote that ‘all the world is a stage’ and so is art. I healed something very profound with this role in the disguise of a low budget thriller horror; the ability to heal abuse towards women. Because playing Viola was confronting an emotional past, she gave me a gift that allowed me to rise above. This is why life is a complete mystery, and yet everything happens for a reason. You just have to seize and recognize those moments in time, and this was one of them.

TNM: What makes The Perfect Husband special? Why should our readers go out and buy/rent/stream this movie?

GW: Because it is not just what you expect. The ending is not what you would expect.

TNM: Did anything particularly interesting happen during filming that you would care to share with us?

GW: We were filming near Mount Etna in Sicily, and the volcano erupted… it was beautiful, we could feel the ground shaking.

TNM: Awesome, thank you so much for opening up about this role. I know this one is a bit darker than most, so it can be a bit more difficult to answer the questions. Let’s do a 180 and talk about you now. We’d like to know more about the actor, singer, writer, and philanthropist! What are some of your favorite films?

GW: My favorite film is Doctor Zhivago, I am a David Lean fan. I just loved the depth of how he would tell these epic stories like Lawrence of Arabia. I love a good epic story. And then there are films like Cinema Paradiso, directed by Guiseppe Tornatore, which makes me dream and cry at the same time. These films made me interested in directing, which I am hoping to do very soon (acting came as a natural bridge to that). The English Patient is a great film too.

TNM: Having been a model and an actress, it’s easy for us mere mortals to consider you too far above the mundane, everyday life that the rest of us live. Are there any “normal” activities that you really enjoy? Get a kick out of grocery shopping? Do you like folding laundry? Anything boring like that?

GW: That’s a funny question! I am more normal that you think, I love doing my laundry actually, especially since I travel a lot and it’s a form of meditation and I’m alone when I do it. I like going to buy tea – that’s my favorite thing to do – tea and chocolate shopping. I also love driving anywhere. Anything that puts me into a meditation mode I enjoy. I also have started spending time on Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota and it has been so wonderfully instructive and humbling, there is nothing better in life than to learn and stay close to the earth. The mundane is not mundane if one is mindful.

TNM: Are there any roles that you desperatley want to play?

GW: I wish to play Mata Hari, Alexandra David Need, all real women who made a difference and risked their lives….

TNM: What music is on your phone or iPod right now?

GW: My sister’s new EP – I listen to it non stop. It’s magical and drifts me into another world. Her voice is quite something. It’s called “From Untamed Valley” by Paulette Wright. It’s electro music. I use music a lot for my roles. I also have a lot of classical requiems from Mozart to Faure.

Thanks so much! Those were great questions.

My best wishes,

Gabriella XX

TNM: Ok first off, I want to point out that Gabriella totally gave me the XX at the end there. She didn’t have to do that, so she obviously likes me right? Secondly, I want to thank Gabriella one more time for being an amazing person who answered the questions we sent her even though she is a busy lady. We are looking forward to reviewing the blu-ray release of The Perfect Husband soon, and hope you guys go out and pick it up to support Gabriella and Artsploitation.

If you want to get in touch with Gabriella Wright you can do so on her Facebook page, through Twitter, or on her website.

If you’re interested in picking up the movie, you can do so HERE.