Here we are, my fourth interview series. The first was "Indie August" (which I will be doing again in August). The second was "Share Your World". This was followed by...wait! Here we are? Here we go? Ugh...let's stick with here we are. Anyway, this was followed by the "October Sessions". And now, "Say Your Piece". Don't ask me why I decided to call it that, just roll with it, okay? Okay.
Kicking off the series is April Tweedy. She's an actress and a Facebook friend of mine. In fact, it was her Facebook posts that made me want to reach out and request an interview. Now (as with my previous series of interviews) some questions are general, across the board questions I ask all of my guests. The rest are targeted specific only to them. All answers are in their own words, their own style.
Alrighty then, here we go!
(Okay, "here we go" kinda rolls off the tongue easier at this juncture.)
KD: So first, let's get into the overall picture. Who are you? Who is this April Tweedy?
April Tweedy: I am a romantic. I absolutely love nature and anything to do with the ocean from seahorses to otters to lighthouses! I have an old soul. I love handwritten letters, coffee shops and diners. I am an avid reader. I have LOADS of books that I have read as well as plan on reading. I absolutely love The HOUSE OF NIGHT series by P.C. Cast--wonderful books. I love exploring art museums, science museums, and roaming botanical gardens. Apothecary is another love of mine--there was an apothecary tea place in Nashville that I used to go to; they closed down, unfortunately. The vibe they had inside the tea spot was magical.
KD: So now I'll be spending all of summer trying to find a way to casually ease "apothecary" into a conversation. What do you do for relaxation?
April Tweedy: I typically listen to classical music and music with bird/rain and the ocean sounds.
KD: So here's where you give a shout-out to your corner of the world by telling me the best thing about your neck of the woods.
April Tweedy: The best Tennessee has to offer is definitely Ruby Falls . It is the tallest and deepest underground waterfall in the whole United States.
(I looked up Ruby Falls. Class, I gotta tell y'all. Wow! Just...wow!)
KD: Speaking of summer, which I sorta did a moment ago, what are your thoughts on the season?
April Tweedy: Summer is the most nostalgic season. You can take all your White Christmases, football-and-turkey-stuffed Thanksgivings, birthday candle blowouts and anniversary bouquets and roll them into one enormous, gift-wrapped package, and it would still have a mere fraction of the nostalgic magic of summer. The combination of the year’s best weather and freedom from school schedules, getting overpriced ice cream from the ice cream truck makes summer the most delirious, irrepressible, gorgeously emotional season of the year.
KD: Anyone else get a Pavlovian response to reach for their wallet/purse soon as they hear that ice cream truck music? So this is one of my favorite interview questions. What genre of music/movies & shows/reading do you listen to/watch/read more than others?
April Tweedy: With music I listen to literally a little bit of everything, no exaggeration.
Movies I love horror, romance, and action, sometimes even comedy, depending on what it is.
I love fictional books from suspenseful to magical books, like vampires, fairies, elves, and mermaids as well as romance novels.
KD: Horror...vampires. As a writer of both, I'm feeling the love! But anyway...a lot of your Facebook posts run along a theme (which I will not divulge here). What inspires your posts? Is it part of your brand?
April Tweedy: I post what I can relate to and also what I think people would love to see or need to see. It's not necessarily part of my brand but it is a part of me.
KD: Coffee, tea, or...?
April Tweedy: Herbal tea.
KD: It's like the moment I read those two words I...felt...soothed. Tell me a bit about your most recent acting project?
April Tweedy: My most recent projects are "Stone: Lone Wolf" where I play Rikki Heard-- an ex Green Beret sniper, and "Crimson Butterfly" where I play Mio/Mayu Amakura-- twin girls who get trapped and lost in a village that has evil spirits roaming and must find their way out before the ritual takes place.
KD: I definitely plan to look up both projects. So how would you describe yourself as far as personality and character?
April Tweedy: Funny, real, caring, analytical, and hardworking.
KD: And how do you think your friends would describe you?
April Tweedy: Never a dull moment with me, always random.
KD: I can understand and respect that. I say many a random thing on the regular. Okay, one sentence acting advice. Go.
April Tweedy: My best advice for anyone wanting to get into the acting industry is just go for it and don't be afraid of hearing no, because 3 no's equal 1 yes and that's all you need.
KD: Two sentence relationship advice. And yes, class, there is a reason I asked her to say her piece on relationships. Read her Facebook posts.
April Tweedy: This is a toughy since I struggle myself, but don't settle for the bare minimum. I have learned that if they wanted to they would.
(I had to resist the urge to put "they" in quotes. Okay, yeah, I used quotes here, but still...)
KD: What, to you, is the greatest aspect of America?
April Tweedy: Individualism. The most important thing to understand about US Americans is probably their devotion to "individualism." They have been trained from early in their lives to consider themselves separate individuals who are responsible for their own situations in life and their own destinies.
KD: Now, let's flip the coin, what do you feel is the greatest challenge facing America.
April Tweedy: Gun violence and affordable healthcare.
KD: A case can certainly be made for both. So what are your other passions outside of acting?
April Tweedy: Hiking, art, astrology, astronomy, and literature.
KD: Something that speaks to the body, the soul, and the mind, huh? I can understand and respect that. Okay, so I know this is a rather cliché question, but name something you wish you would have known or learned way earlier than you did?
April Tweedy: You can't make everyone happy so live your life how you want to.
(Now class, I want you to store that nugget of wisdom in your mental, okay?)
KD: Pet Peeves? I mean, we all have them, right?
April Tweedy: Repeating myself to someone.
KD: Wait, come again?
April Tweedy: Repeating myself to...
KD: Sorry, couldn't resist. Now, where were we? Okay, from an actor’s perspective, what is your holy grail?
April Tweedy: Definitely working with Dylan O'Brien--I would literally die if I ever star with him in a film.
(Dylan, if you're reading this...)
KD: Can you tell me about a "wow" moment you experienced?
April Tweedy: When I got signed with a top New York modeling agency based solely on my walk and when Wilhelmina modeling agency was interested in me.
KD: Wow...that...uh...must be some type of walk you have going for ya. What's your biggest accomplishment of 2023 thus far?
April Tweedy: My biggest accomplishment of 2023 was meeting and working with Johnny Knoxville on The Prank Panel and hanging out with Johnny Knoxville outside of set.
KD: That ole Johnny! Okay, so what's an unpopular opinion you stand by?
April Tweedy: Just because I choose not to have children does not mean: I can’t/I don’t like children/make me a weirdo/or you can spend all of your time trying to convince me why I should.
KD: I used to get that a whole entire lot for many moons before I had my son, which I had much later in life. And what are things that you wouldn't mind others knowing about you and your world?
April Tweedy: I have an overactive imagination, hopeless romantic and am very random.
KD: Same here. Probably why I love being a writer. If peeps wanted to reach out and connect, what would be a preferred method?
April Tweedy: Facebook under April Tweedy.
KD: Okay, I put it as a link to make it easier for readers to reach you. And finally, do you have a business, project, website you'd like to promote?
April Tweedy: Stone: Lone Wolf.
KD: I put it in a link as well for convenience.
My thanks to April Tweedy for kicking off my "Say Your Piece" interview series! And my thanks to you, the reader, for taking time out of your day to give this a read! More interviews to come!
"Take a break from your world...visit for a while in mine. Come often. Stay for a spell."