Riding high in Hollywood hits
HOLLYWOOD-BASED South African-born actress and production designer Lindi Cecile is best known for her roles in international movies You Up?, Borders and The Bough of Auditioning.
The 25-year-old Pretoria-born actress has also featured in theatre productions and plays the lead in popular play A Long Time Ago, which premiered in October 2019 and was selected for the Hollywood Fringe Festival 2020.
Cecile has worked alongside the likes of Hollywood stars such as Margot Robbie and Quentin Tarantino, as well as Youtube stars Tyler Regan and Rachel Levin.
What was it like being on set with Margot Robbie and Quentin Tarantino?
Extraordinary. Tarantino has incredible charisma. After he had secured coverage for each scene, he would say “Okay guys, we’ve got it. But we’re gonna do one more take, because why?” And then everyone on set would reply in unison: “Because we love making movies!” We were working straight through the night, outside, in the winter, and everyone kept their energy and drive. Margot Robbie in action is a sight to behold. She went by the name of her character during filming. This kind of immersive acting is what makes an extraordinary actor.
The best and worst thing about Hollywood?
The best: Being in an environment where I get acknowledged for my work. Starring in an array of award-winning films and working with multiple award-winning producers, directors and actors. I’m very proud of my recent projects You Up?, I’m Press and Cricket Man, which are doing their rounds on the festival circuit. Most recently I received the best actress award at the White Deer International Film Festival for You Up? and it won the Sweden Film Awards last month.
The worst? The traffic.
How has the global Covid-19 pandemic affected your work as an actress?
For the first few months of lockdown, the industry completely shut down. Now, as we are slowly re-opening, there are plenty of strict new rules and regulations for productions to follow on set.
How would you describe life under lockdown in Hollywood?
My friends in the industry and I have still been working on something almost every day. We’ve been auditioning with self-tapes, writing, planning new projects while we have the time on our hands. Working on our craft. What is the one thing you miss most about South Africa?
My family. But they support me every step. They know that I belong in the US, especially after seeing what I have achieved here.
If you could bump into any celebrity in Hollywood, who would it be and why?
I actually bumped into Matthew Morrison, who played “Mr Schue” on Glee, while we were both waiting in line at a cake shop in Studio city. He had just flown back to Los Angeles from New York, but was still very friendly and talkative. My best friend ended up meeting the real person who the character of “Mr Schue” was based on. Small world.
You can star in a movie alongside any actor of your choice. Who do you choose?
I have been a part of the Yes-and-thekitchen-sink (Yaks) improv troupe for the past two years, performing in improv shows at the Groundlings Gary Austin Stage ever since. The troupe is directed by Suzanne Kent. Thanks to my work in this troupe, I’ve also worked with Emmy award-winning actor and comedian George Mcgrath. The relationships I’ve formed with the two of them are very dear to me. The Groundlings are known for providing SNL with cast members. Melissa Mccarthy and Kristin Wig were once Groundlings too – it’s where they met each other. This is where my sights are: doing comedy with these two talented women.
Your celebrity crush is…?
When I worked on the Fox show 911, I had to pretend I wasn’t crushing on Ryan Guzman.