Audrey Grace Marshall: A Young Star Playing Epic Roles
Audrey Grace Marshall maybe 12 years old, but she has already attracted some pretty interesting roles, playing the young version of Cassie in HBO Max’s The Flight Attendant, and also playing a young 'Trish Walker' in the amazing final season of Marvel's Jessica Jones. When she isn’t busy playing the younger versions of epic women, or running around in her New York City life, she is very passionate about helping mature dogs through Susie's Senior Dogs; a nonprofit organization working to bring awareness to the plight of homeless senior dogs. Please read further to learn more about Audrey in our exclusive interview below.
Where are you based?
I’m based in New York City, in Manhattan. It’s my absolute favorite place on Earth!
Can you tell us a little bit about how you got into acting?
I used to be very shy and my parents wanted to help me overcome my lack of confidence. They tried a lot of things, dance, gymnastics, cheerleading, etc. but nothing worked. At that time I was seven years old and obsessed with the Disney show, Liv and Maddie, so for fun, I said I wanted to be on TV. My parents got me an audition from actors access and I booked my first job, a lead role in an indie film called Small Time. I had an instant love of the craft and have never looked back. Needless to say — it worked. I’m no longer shy, lol.
You are currently in the HBO Max original series The Flight Attendant. Can you tell us a little bit about young Cassie and your experience on this show?
The show is about how an entire life can change in one night. So Cassie (played by Kaley Cuoco) is a flight attendant who wakes up after a layover in another country next to a dead man -- and she has no idea what happened. I play young Cassie when she’s around 10 years old. She grows up in a traditional household, but she doesn’t have a normal upbringing. Her relationships with her family, and her father in particular, are pretty dysfunctional.
It’s a really suspenseful, dark comedy thriller. It was definitely my favorite acting job ever! Mainly because I loved the material, but also because I loved working on a series for eight episodes. The routine was great, working with the same people all the time and getting to know everyone was really fun.
Speaking of playing the younger versions of characters, you also played a young 'Trish Walker' in the final season of Marvel's Jessica Jones. Can you tell us a little bit about your experience on being on this show? Are you a big comic fan?
I LOVE Marvel, and I’m such a big comic book fan. The experience of getting to work on Jessica Jones was really fun because it was my dad‘s all-time favorite show at the time that I was filming. I also loved working with Rebecca De Mornay. She is so talented.
You seem to be drawn to darker series? What is it that excites you about these roles?
I love characters that are dark and interesting. I also love challenging roles. I feel it gives me a space to really shine as an actor. I want to win an Oscar someday so I feel it’s important to build a career in roles that could someday lead me there.
You co-led an ensemble cast in the 2019 Netflix romantic comedy, The Last Summer. What was it like being on a much lighter film? Do you have a preference for a genre at this point?
The Last Summer was such a fun movie to work on! It starred KJ Apa and Maia Mitchell and they are both incredible up-and-coming superstars. My role as Lilah was the only child storyline in the film which was pretty cool. It was a summer rom-com and every day on set was pretty much just like the movie...lots of fun!! I love acting, all kinds of acting, at my age I think I’ll have the opportunity to do a little bit of everything. But I do prefer more serious material. It’s all about the Oscar goal for me.
As someone who was on set of Jessica Jones, has the past year felt like you are still on set? You actually stayed in New York City during everything that happened. Can you tell us a little bit about your 2020 NYC experience?
Sort of, yes! It’s been weird to say the least. I just remember going to the grocery store to get enough supplies for 2 weeks of quarantine- that seems ridiculous now. I mean we are still in a pandemic and it’s been 9 months. NYC was hit really hard. This beautiful city that never sleeps, was all of a sudden a ghost town. No one on the streets, everything shut down. It was very apocalyptic. Thank goodness things are slowly but surely coming to life again.
Have you gotten a chance to get back to acting yet?
Well, yes actually! In total it took an entire year to film all eight episodes of The Flight Attendant, which is really unheard of. But because of the pandemic, we had to shut down for several months. On the bright side, The Flight Attendant was the first big show to begin filming again in New York. I went back to work in September and October- during the pandemic. We were able to show the industry that filming during a pandemic can be done safely! Hopefully that means that more jobs will be cast and we can slowly begin to resume some kind of a normal routine.
Jejune loves that you support Susie’s Senior Dogs, a nonprofit organization working to bring awareness to the plight of homeless senior dogs. How did you get involved with the organization? Why is this organization important to you? Are you fostering a dog now?
I am obsessed with Susie’s Senior Dogs. I actually saw them on Instagram… I’m in New York City and so are they! Although I’m not involved in a hands-on way, I donate to them every month and I try to spread the word about the great work they do for older dogs. Sometimes people are worried about adopting an older dog, but they have so much love to give and make incredible pets. I think the reason I initially wanted to donate to Susie’s Senior Dogs was because I had a dachshund who lived to be 11 years old. Seeing her in her older years made me realize how senior dogs don’t really need much more than a cozy pillow and a warm blanket to make them happy. I’m not currently fostering any dogs, but that is definitely something I’d love to do in the future. You can check out their Instagram @susiesseniordogs to see some seniors up for adoption or follow the link in their bio to donate.
Adoption rates for animals went sky high when COVID first started, do you know if this applied to older dogs as well?
Absolutely, I think more people are open to the idea of senior dogs because they have more time on their hands than ever before.
How have you been staying positive during shelter in place?
I’ve been trying to appreciate the time that I have at home with my family and friends. I’ve also been taking a lot of classes on Zoom. I’m staying focused on acting and auditioning, as well as my love of ballet.
What is your motto in life?
My motto is probably if you’re going to do something, do it 100%. Go ALL IN!! My parents have always taught me that I can do and be anything I want in life. I find it really exciting to see people dream big. Seeing people reaching for bigger and better things, not putting limits on what they can achieve is so inspiring.
To learn more about Audrey please follow her via her Instagram below:
@audreygracemarshall
Photography by Heidi Marshall.
