KIDS ON FILM
Rylie Coe is That Girl By Ca ro l Bada r acco Padge t t
“If you think about your characters, and you’re engaged and invested, it feels natural,” she describes of her process for character development. “It’s more of putting yourself into the perspective of the character.” While crying on demand is one of Coe’s tools in her repertoire, she credits acting coaches for helping her develop a better way to cry. “Instead of thinking of a loved one dying,” for example, “I think about what my character is going through.” And she adds, “I’m an extremely empathetic person. I feel very easily for others.” This keen understanding of others’ feelings may have come from the guidance of her biggest fans, at home. As Coe shares, “My dad [music and film producer Bram Bessoff ] always says that rocket scientists need movies for their down time to inspire them to do what they do.” When asked about her role models in the film world, Coe rattles off: Johnny Depp, Tim Burton, and Millie Bobby Brown. Depp because, as an actor, “He can totally change himself.” Burton, as a director, because, “I love him and it would be a dream to act in one of his movies.” And Millie Bobby Brown, well, “I’ve watched Stranger Things so many times I can quote it.” Currently, Coe is training at North Side Productions in Alpharetta, but there are many acting schools on her resume, as well as a growing number of film projects. The last short film she appeared in, for the 100 Hour Film race ( The Keep by Vara Films in Alpharetta), won best U.S. picture and was No. 3 overall internationally. What’s next for Coe? She’s doing a lot of self-taping (online auditioning) for pilot season and feature films across the country, as well as starring in a number of microfilms with the local indie filmmaking group “Kick The Ladder”. All of these projects are getting Coe’s face out there so the local scene, as well as national filmmakers and casting directors, will spot and book her. While she works toward her goals, she keeps things in perspective. In her way-too-wise-to-be-only-12 kind of way, Coe advises, “Once you audition you don’t want to think about it every second. It can make you pick on yourself about things you did and didn’t do. You just do your best… and send it in.” As she waits for her big break, the sky seems the only limit for That Girl. But more accurately, it probably can’t contain her.
Rylie Coe
I like getting creative with the scenes. It’s fun to read the script and morph it into something that everyone agrees to.
hands, knees, and joints were all in pain, even as a baby, well before her parents knew the source of her unending crying. Coe is in remission now, and has not dealt with JIA in a long time. But she does remember the lessons that it taught her. “It reassures me I can do things. It’s empowering to know that I did it, and that I got through it,” she smiles. JIA served Coe in more ways than one, because it took her on an intense journey that has deepened the emotional well for the occupation she adores: acting. Coe first dipped her toe in the water at a small acting school when she was barely double digits. “To me, I was just starting a fun
Photo by Marliese Carmona
M eeting Atlanta actress Rylie Coe is kind of like meeting a sage in the body of a 12-year-old girl. She’s old-soul wise, she’s spontaneous and fun—and she’s grounded in a way that people three times her age only wish they were. One can not help but wonder, how exactly did she get this way? As oftentimes happens in life, apparently even when you’re only 12, she grew by overcoming obstacles that made her who she is. Her catalyst for growth—and an impetus for her innate acting abilities—was juvenile idiopathic arthritis, known simply as JIA. “Older people usually have arthritis,” Coe shares, “but I was born with it.” Her
summer day camp,” she says of her introduction to the art. “Everyone knew what they were doing, and I was intimidated.” But she quickly caught on, and then the fun set in. “I like getting creative with the scenes. It’s fun to read the script and morph it into something that everyone agrees to,” she says. “Last weekend I did my own stunt while filming for the 72 Hour Horror Film Race. I had to fall backwards down the stairs and my coach caught me.” One of the things Coe does best, she believes, is develop an understanding of her character. When she gets a script, she studies her lines, gets to know her cues, and works to figure out who her character is in any given scene.
@ryliecoe
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