Photographer: Nelson N Castillo
MUA: Mia Jones
Hair: Josue Perez
Wardrobe stylist: Szalay Miller

Watch her on “Linoleum” and "Confession"

Elliot Frances Flynn is an actress who made her debut in “Shoplifters of the World” in 2021, and ever since, what she once considered a way to escape, became her passion and her job.

Is not easy to suppose that she was really shy as a kid, and reading -fantasy, mostly- allowed her to escape. Performing, on the other hand, was a simple way to act-out being in the fantasy worlds she loved to read about in books.

“I feel very safe, seen, and cared for when I see a movie or read a book that reflects something about my own character, my own personhood”, she said for Close up Culture.

Elliot was born in New York City. She is of Italian, Irish, and Russian descent. She Grew up in Orangeburg, New York, and attended Tappan Zee High School, which received notable students such as Angelina Jolie and Hayden Panettiere.

She is an identical triplet who graduated from the State University of New York at New Paltz, where she received two Bachelor of Arts degrees in English and Digital Media. Also, she studied acting at the college and at The Barrow Group in New York City.

Elliot solidifies herself as a rising actress while shining in two feature films coming soon to theaters—first as ‘Francoise’ in the drama “Linoleum,” and second as ‘Whitney’ in the thriller "Confession", which was just released this March 10.

Elliot, we would like to start this interview by going a bit back to the past. Your film debut was in 2021 with ‘Shoplifters of the World’. At that moment you said that film was ‘a labour of love for Stephen Kijak’ and ‘really an ode to The Smiths’. How have things been since that film to today, in professional terms -having in mind there was a pandemic in the middle-?

Mentioning that film and the pandemic, that film was actually my ‘return to theaters.’ I hadn’t been to a movie theater since before the pandemic, so that felt really, really special. Looking back on that experience, I was such a kid. I was nervous and starstruck and didn’t really know how to act. There were so many young people in that movie, and it felt like we were just hanging out for days. I feel a lot more secure in my abilities, and in my place within the film, or on set. My approach for the work is very different now, I’d say because the roles I play now have a much larger impact on the film.

Nowadays you’re participating in 2 different cinematograph roles. One of them is ‘Linoleum’ which has just been released this February 24. Let’s talk a bit about your character ‘Francoise’ and the plot of the film.

Linoleum is about a man (Jim Gaffigan) – a lesser Bill Nye, has-been type, to put it plainly – who feels like he never really got the chance to do something with his life. His relationship with his family is suffering, namely with his wife, Erin (Rhea Seehorn). My character is a new hire at the museum where Erin works. Francoise’s optimism for the future and, what she can accomplish, is a direct foil to Erin, who, similar to her [her husband] Cameron, feels like her life has passed her by.

The other film is a crime thriller named ‘Confession’, which is about a sexual assault on a girl that ends up revealing a greater mystery. How did you come into the role of 'Whitney'? Can you tell us more details about the film?

A casting director who I am close with was casting that movie, and the process was very traditional. I sent a tape, then thought I didn’t get it because a lot of time had passed, was asked to come in for a callback, went in for the callback. I’m not used to doing a lot of callbacks, so I was a little on edge.

But I just relied on the work that I did, and my strong feelings about the character and the story. In the callback, myself, Dayna [Hanson, director] and Heidi [Eklund, casting] did a lot of talking about how women support and protect each other. An underground collection of women, who talk to each other, warn each other, and support each other is something that I know to be true, and am protective of. Whitney is very close to my heart because finding the strength in her helped me find the strength in myself.

While the film is a crime thriller – so there are twists and turns, guns, – it has a very strong emotional center. At our premiere [at the Woodstock Film Festival], the emotional current of the story was what people were talking about after, rather than any twists. The film kind of begs the question of, how do you forgive yourself and others, about what you’ve done, or what’s happened to you. And I think that is a question that touches everyone.

In terms of preparation, when you’re acting, what sort of method do you have? Are you a method actor yourself or are you more, ‘doing your work but not going in too deep’?

I feel the work deeply, but I definitely do not jump off the deep end in a method way, if that’s what you mean. I am a strong believer that a character is something that moves through you, rather than something you put on. The character comes from you in a way that is entirely unique to the actor. I think that this method keeps the acting honest, and truthful. Transformative performances are very cool, but I prefer to stay close to home, so to speak. I just imagine myself in those extremely specific circumstances, after doing all the memorization and journaling and things like that.

Have you ever faced any major obstacles in your career? If so, what have they been and how have you managed to overcome them?

The constant rejection is an obstacle. It’s tough to give every audition your all, treat and love the role like it's yours, just to send a tape that may never be watched. I’ve just accepted that it comes with the territory. And I’m a little choosier about the auditions I do.

It may sound like a cliché question, but really, what’s the part you most enjoy about being an actress?

I would love to speak about the positive! No qualifier necessary. There are a lot of things I enjoy, and I’m not sure I can single out the “most.” I love the work. I love flexing my emotional muscles. And I hadn’t realized it at first, but I love the escapism of it. On a really well-dressed set, I feel like I’m time-traveling. I was so excited to step into my office in Linoleum. The little details were so cool and specific. A calendar, that I don’t think you could even see on camera, was flipped to April 1990. I looked out the window and even the parking lot was dressed like the 90s. That is just so unbelievably cool to me.

And the part you enjoy the least?

A part I enjoy less is people’s preconceived notions about actors. I’ve made some wonderful friends in the industry – producers, filmmakers, non-actors – and they’ve said to me, “yeah, you’re an actor, but you're not one of those actors.” They are complimenting me. I won’t remove their statement from their intention, which is to compliment me. It’s just highlighting this negative view that people can have of actors – I think that we’re always looking for a spotlight, or “oh, you’re a director?! What can you give me? Here’s a monologue!” and that is just not the case. I think young actors are fed a lot of lines about how you always need to be on the lookout for opportunities, and it turns us into try-hards. I want to connect with other artists, and I want to tell meaningful stories with people who want to do the same. So, I guess fighting against that stereotype is one thing I don’t enjoy. But so it goes.

You said in an interview that you ‘hope to tell stories earnestly’. Could you expand that concept to the public? What would that entail?

When I say that, I mean telling the whole truth of something, rather than just the parts that can be packaged nicely or are palatable. I think people in general are very afraid of being themselves, asking questions, and making mistakes right now. And I mean being themselves, as in, faults and all. The internet can be very unforgiving. I hope to tell stories that are truthful, and honest, even if they’re not, like, great. Even if they’re not about a great person, who does good for their community, or lives with a great purpose.

You also write. Do you think that this complementarity of acting, writing, and producing gives advantages? And if so, which ones and why?

I like to think that each of these things lends themselves to the others. I will say sometimes I forget to stay in my lane. Like, I’ll be asking about the lighting or the schedule when my one job there is to act. I hope that my inability to mind my business in this way will lead to me being a good producer someday.

Let's say you can write your own story and decide which actors will be in it. What would it be about and whom would your protagonists be?

Hmm, I feel like this could be a great opportunity to speak some things into existence… I love stories about women behaving badly. And not just “I’m an anti-heroine so I’m bisexual and swig whiskey” – I’m interested in the tiny moments in women’s lives where they make minute decisions that serve themselves and their wants, no matter how shameful, rather than anyone else. There are a lot of actors I’m excited about, and would jump at the chance to work with. Victoria Pedretti is wonderful. I’ve always loved Olivia Cooke. I watched The Whale recently and was really taken with Ty Simpkins.

How do you imagine your future in the film industry? What do you aspire to achieve in professional terms?

When I think about what I really want, it’s just to be constantly working on projects that matter to me as an actor, producer, and writing when I just can’t help it. I don’t care if the general public knows who I am, necessarily; I want to be known and respected by my peers. I geek out over actors and filmmakers all the time, and my parents are like, “I don’t know who that is.” At its most base, and in a funny way, I would like to inspire the same sort of interaction between an actor/cinephile and their non-industry parents.

Elliot Frances Flynn solidifies herself as a rising actress

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