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Actress Ginny Gardner talks with TV STORE ONLINE about her work on Glee, The Goldbergs, Hart of Dixie as well as her work in the upcoming Michael Bay-produced Sci-Fi found footage film, ALMANAC.
TV STORE ONLINE: Where do you think your interest in acting comes from?
GINNY GARDNER: I can't tell you if there was something specific that got me interested in acting. I've always been drawn to it. Growing up, my mother was a newscaster and I used to go into the studio and watch her work. That was pretty inspiring to me. When I was little too, I used to have this play set that my Dad had bought me. I used to spend hours with that pretending that I was in a movie when I would play with it.
TV STORE ONLINE: Growing up, were you a fan of movies? Were there movies that inspired you even after you had made the decision to pursue acting?
GINNY GARDNER: I really like I AM SAM (2001). I grew up watching Dakota Fanning and she was really inspiring to me because we are about the same age. So when I saw her in movies I realized that maybe acting was something that I could do as well. Plus, I AM SAM is about autism and my brother is autistic so that particular film is very inspiring to me.
TV STORE ONLINE: Tell me about working on Hart Of Dixie [2011]...
GINNY GARDNER: It was fun! I had a small role in one episode and I played the young "Lemon" in a couple flashbacks. It was really cool because I got to play a younger James King. It was fun to be on that set, and I'm originally from the South so to play a southern role was something that I really enjoyed.
TV STORE ONLINE: What about Disney's Lab Rats [2012]....What was that experience like working on that show?
GINNY GARDNER: It was a blast. I had auditioned for the show a couple different times but they put me on hold until the right part came up. It was really fun though. Tyrel Jackson Williams, the actor who played "Leo" was hilarious.
TV STORE ONLINE: As a younger actress who is coming up the ranks...Are you experiencing any sort of bias or type casting because of your age or because of the fact that you've done some modeling?
GINNY GARDNER: Yeah, there is a lot of that actually. Today, for example, I went on an audition and while I was there I read for a role of a nerd scientist. And that type of stuff is my favorite. To play the awkward nerd is something that I really love to do.
TV STORE ONLINE: Then how about your work on Glee [2013]?
GINNY GARDNER: Glee was so much fun. I got to work with a bunch of amazing people. Of course Cory Monteith just passed away. I got to meet him, and talk with him briefly and he was so nice to me. I actually hadn't seen much of the show before I was cast on it. I didn't have to do any singing or dancing on the show, but they all work extremely hard on that stuff. It comes across in the episodes too.
TV STORE ONLINE: Of course, you were in one of the standout episodes from this season...The episode "Shooting Star" where we saw a school shooting happen at McKinley High School...
GINNY GARDNER: Right. That show was a bit different then the other episode I worked on. Blake Jenner did all of the singing and dancing in the scenes that I was in with him and he was just incredible. It took about eight hours to shoot that sequence and it lasts for about three minutes in the episode. The amount of work that goes into that show is just amazing.
TV STORE ONLINE: It seems like that scene could've been a challenge to play....I mean, your character has to just sit there for those three minutes and more or less just stare at "Ryder" while he sings to you...
GINNY GARDNER: The direction that I got was that the door should be open for Ryder with my character. Even though my character wasn't the person who was "cat-fishing" him, she was so impressed with him that she would've been interested in dating him. It wasn't really a challenge, but there was an awkwardness to it because you have to just sit and watch as he's singing to you.
TV STORE ONLINE: That brings us to The Goldbergs [2013]...You've got a great part on the show and the episodes that feature you are airing next week...
GINNY GARDNER: It's so cool. I was texting pictures of my costume to my Mom. It takes place in the 1980s and I play a JcPenny's model. It was so much fun. I think my episodes of the show start airing on Wednesday, Oct. 29th.
TV STORE ONLINE: What can you tell us about the film that you've just shot that was produced by Michael Bay, ALMANAC?
GINNY GARDNER: It's really exciting, and it's really fun. I think it's coming out in Feb. 2014. I can't say much about it now, but I can tell you that it's about five kids who discover a time machine.
TV STORE ONLINE: Things are taking off for you..In the future what kinds of characters do you think that you're interested in playing?
GINNY GARDNER: I'm always open to anything. If a project comes along that is exciting to me regardless of it's for movie or television I'm going to do it.
TV STORE ONLINE: What's one thing that no one knows about Ginny Gardner?
GINNY GARDNER: I have a black belt in Tae-Kwon Do!
TV STORE ONLINE: So what you're saying... Is that you're dangerous?
GINNY GARDNER: Incredibly. Don't mess with me, because I can kick your butt.
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