TRENDING

GL: What effect do you think the documentary style of filming has on the movie?

Hunter: It feels so much more authentic and kind of scary. Part of it is filmed with a GoPro taped onto Jessica (Lexi Ainsworth)’s chest. It's such a different style that I think people will really take to heart and be impacted by. It feels so realistic, like you’re actually in this situation, you’re actually there with them. I’m kind of scared that people are going to freak out and think it’s real.

GL: Was it hard playing a character that's so mean?

Hunter: I was bullied in high school when I was younger, so it was hard for me to play the bully, to play someone so awful. I tried to channel things that happened to me in high school, name-calling and that kind of thing, but a lot of it was improvised. I’d sit down with Amy Weber who's the writer/director and my mom before every scene and we’d go over what she wanted to happen, what kind of emotion she wanted to portray and what she wanted the audience to feel and we’d just go from there and kind of wing it. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done as an actress. I just would never speak to a human the way that my character speaks to Jessica, not ever, and there were so many bullying interactions. It was hard to come up with different things each time and to be so nasty to her. But Amy was so great, she really let me get into the character and make her who I wanted to make her, but it was one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done. Emotionally, too. After work I would be exhausted, and almost depressed because I felt so bad.  

GL: The movie focuses a lot on online bullying too, right?

Hunter: Right. Bullying’s been around for such a long time, but I feel like now it’s even worse because of social media. When you come home from school, you don’t escape it. You have Twitter and Facebook and texting, all of that stuff that bullies can get to you through and Jessica goes through that. Even when she leaves school, she can’t escape and the tormenting is just constant. I feel like a lot of girls go through that. It's a really important aspect of the movie, for people to see how social media can really be used in a negative way. 

GL: Does Avery thinks of herself as a bully?

Hunter: No, I don’t think she does. I think she’s kind of blind to it. We can see outside situations, but it’s really hard to see what’s happening in our own world, so I don’t think she sees it like that at all. In one of the preview clips, it shows my character and some of the more provocative things she says like, “Oh, it’s just a joke.” I think people kind of manipulate it in their minds when they think about doing something like that. 

GL: The movie is filmed partially from Avery's perspective. How do you think humanizing her will effect audiences?

Hunter: You’ll realize later in the film that there’s a reason why she is the way that she is, and we hope that this movie sparks conversation and dialogue in a new way. Anybody can relate to somebody in this film, whether you're the bully or the victim or the bystander, so it definitely helps make her look a little bit more relatable and help people understand her better. No one ever really wants to admit that they’re a bully, but after they watch this film hopefully bullies will be able to step up and realize what they are doing. We’re hoping that bullies across the world will be able to identify with her and be brave enough to step forward and change their ways. 

GL: So what kind of dialogue are you hoping the film starts?

Hunter: Hopefully we can stop bullying right at the core with the bullies rather than if we talk to victims and ignore the problem. We usually see the victim’s side of the story, but we really hope showing the bully’s side of the story spurs more dialogue and more conversation rather than just assuming that some people are bullies and mean by nature. It really shows not to judge someone before you know exactly what they’re going through. It’s more geared toward the dialogue that can happen between parents and bullies or principals and bullies to put a stop to it.

GL: So what drew you to this project?

Hunter: I was really nervous when I first took it on, because I don’t want to be typecast as a bully, and I don’t want people to look at me and think that about me, but at the end of the day I feel so strongly about this. I just know that so many girls go through this type of thing at school. High school is such a hard age because people are really finding out who they are and finding out so much about themselves. It’s a really difficult transition, and it’s bad enough without someone bullying you and making fun of you for who you are and who you think you are. I want people to be able to step out and make a step towards solving this problem. I’m really excited for it to come out and for people to be able to see such a big movie. 

Do you think this movie will start a new conversation about bullying? Are you interested in seeing it when it hits theaters tomorrow (3/27)? Let us know in the comments below.

Photo credit to: A Girl Like Her 

by Chelsea Duff | 2/1/2016