Briana Middleton on How to Prepare for Starring in a Psychological Thriller
The setting of my interview with Briana Middleton is a hotel in the ever chaotic Piccadilly Circus. The frenzied nature of the crowds here are perfectly reminiscent of my emotions watching Sharper; a neo-noir psychological thriller with a plethora of plot twists. This is a film that constantly leaves you guessing what the truth within the narrative really is, who to trust and who’s in the right or the wrong. Set in New York City, it’s an epic woven tapestry of questionable characters, betrayal, hope and lust, especially intertwined with money.
Briana plays one of Sharper’s main characters. Opening the film with what’s expected to play out as a love story, however is turned on its head as the film descends into its ruthless abyss of manipulation and lies. Who wins in a game with so much at stake, will the money ever make it worth it?
Before beginning the interview, I took some pictures on my film camera, and Briana told me she uses one too, which led to a whole rabbit hole of analog talk. She also confirmed my suspicion that Sharper was shot entirely on 35mm film… Film lends itself beautifully to the gritty, complex nature of Sharper’s storyline, and I was thrilled to talk to Briana about cameras, music, her life and career so far, and of course, the movie.
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I work as a bookseller, so when the film began in a bookshop, I got excited. So my first question is, do you like to read?
I do! I read a bunch in middle school, then not as much in high school or college because of the workload, but I’m trying to get back into it. My mum instilled such a love of reading in me, and my sister, so whenever I get a really good book that grabs me, I feel like I’m back in that familiar space.
At one point your character mentions rereading Jane Eyre immediately after she’d finished it, is there a book you’ve ever done that with?
Yeah, I reread The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.
Oh cool, I’ve never read that.
Well it’s one of those books that you’re meant to read when it comes to you, kinda like tarot cards. It’s a book you don’t buy for yourself. I read it in high school as a summer reading assignment, and I remember loving it but not really getting it and all the existential truths in it and lessons, then I found it again at the perfect time.
What originally led you to acting?
I was always in performing arts, I was singing all the time. Music is a big love of mine, and I thought that was the route I was going to go down. Then I got into high school, and a teacher opened up my mind to what it meant to be an actor. It always felt really far away, but he (David Barry) drummed into me that it’s storytelling - and that I got. I jumped into it and felt like I was wired for it, and it’s been a snowball effect since.
For Sharper, what helped you get into character?
A lot of things, I do love to do a lot of prep. It’s a fun, creative space for me; I go down many rabbit holes. With Sandy, I did a lot of psychological research and what goes on behind the themes of the film. Something quite cool about our movie is you don’t get a whole load of backstory from the characters, so it allows the audience to fill a lot in and try to work it out, which is an interesting experience. I’m a musician too, so I also made a playlist.
With some scenes, you were having to act on screen as an actor, how do you prepare for that? It’s like acting within acting within acting!
Before we started filming, there were two weeks of rehearsals and we talked a lot about that, and continued to during. Our director Ben was so amazing. So certain takes we might play it very sincerely, and then other takes we may lean into the non-truth of it a little bit. I think at the end of the day, it helped me most to play the sincerity of that particular physical moment because ultimately, that’s how the audience will read it.
So where are you based when not shooting?
I’m in New Orleans right now.
What do you miss most when you’re gone?
Oh god, so much. My family, but I mean New Orleans is sick; it’s the music, it’s the food, it’s the people, not so much the weather during summer - way too hot and humid - but yeah so much. Just the overall culture, it’s such a weird, wacky place but has such an interesting, rich history and you can hear those influences in all the different music.
What was the toughest scene to shoot on this film?
On the first week, we were in Queens and there’s a scene *no spoilers* where my character is at a really low moment emotionally and in a place of despair, unsure of what to do next. There’s moments like that in your life and you just have to sit in what you’re feeling, and to do that in front of the whole crew on the first week, it was pretty terrifying. But thankfully I was with Sebastian, he was so supportive the whole time and I felt really held, like I could really go into it.
Ah yeah, I worked on a film set once doing photography, and it was the first time I saw how films were really shot, completely out of chronology, and I was so surprised that some of the very first scenes they had to shoot were some of the most emotional and integral to the storyline, when they’ve only known the other actors for like a few days!
Yeah, you rarely shoot anything in order. In a way, doing that and jumping right in is kinda nice, if we’d have waited a few weeks I’d have been thinking about it the whole time.
What was the most fun to shoot?
There’s a whole montage with me and Justice [Smith], which was pretty much all improvised, on a billboard at the top of a building, screaming down at New Yorkers. Ben gave us free reign and trusted us to know these characters and knew what we wanted to explore, and it was just so fun. Mine and Justice’s relationship as people, we get on so well - I love him to death - really grew and I think we learned a lot about the relationship between our characters that night.
So Sharper was all shot in New York, we’re in London - what’s your favourite city and why?
New Orleans! There’s just a lot of good things happening there right now.
What would be a dream role for you currently?
Oof, that’s hard. There’s a funk singer, Betty Davis, she recently passed, and I think she’s an incredibly interesting person with a story. What she did as a black woman in music, in the 70s… she didn’t get her flowers when she was doing it. It’s a story that’s very common. I’d love to do something with that, and potentially embody her, if it’s meant to be.
So last night, I saw you were wearing Batsheva. I only recently found out about them because I was looking for amazing, vintage inspired dresses and now I’ve noticed them literally everywhere. What are some fashion influences for you?
Batsheva’s great. I love Puppets & Puppets, Bode in New York. Influences… I really love workwear, love a uniform, jeans a t-shirt or a white blouse are always great. Traditional menswear silhouettes, David Bowie, honestly Bette Davis too. She had such a cool style, it was almost like dress up but also really grounded, earthy tones. Also love Tessa Thompson, everything she wears is just *chefs kiss*.
What role does music play in your life?
It’s just another extension of my creativity. Acting and music always felt like they were running parallel to each other, and one feeds into the other. Music has been around for me for a much longer time, right now I’m just writing a bunch and trying to be open to what it is I’m wanting to say in my own music. I listen to a lot of different genres, and if there’s a sound my music fits into, it’d be acoustic soul, maybe some jazz elements.
They’re both quite emotive things to do aren’t they. Music is so personal to record, and yet people read it in totally different ways depending on their situations.
With acting, I’m given something and sure I put my own spin on it. With acting, it’s like something is coming through you and you’re a vessel for something. I think that’s the truth with music and songwriting as well, but as an artist, it can be more personal because you’re literally crafting something from your own experience.
Are there any albums you’ve been loving lately? They don’t have to be recent!
I love Lianne La Havas, her self-titled album. So good, she’s an incredible artist and her voice is stellar. Tank and the Bangas, they’re a New Orleans band, Red Balloon is amazing; poetry meets jazz meets New Orleans sound.
Do you remember any of the songs you had on the playlist to get you into character for Sharper?
Yeah, Pearls by Sade, I Gotta Find Peace of Mind by Lauryn Hill, the MTV unplugged one. Work Song - Nina Simone, Instructions on Being - Tank and the Bangas. It was a pretty big playlist, but by the middle of shooting I was listening to only about 5 of them; I’d narrowed down the ones that really got me there quickly.
Sharper’s out now, what’s next for you?
I’ve got a project I’m training for right now, I’m travelling to Australia for it in May, and we’ll start shooting in July.
Amazing. I hate to be so stereotypical but god I’m always scared of Australia because of the ridiculously hench spiders they have.
Yeah, those will take some getting used to…
Words and Photography: Chloe Sheppard
