Ella Greenwood is a UK based actress, writer, producer, and mental health advocate all at the age of 18! She does all the things in her new short film “Faulty Roots,” which discusses teenage mental health and depression. It isn’t uncommon for people to be insensitive to the struggles of mental illness. If you can’t see it, you can’t understand it. Ella beautifully uses “Faulty Roots” to show how mental illness isn’t very different from any other health issue. In addition to creating a impactful film, Ella also has teamed up with stem4, which is a teenage mental health charity. To learn more about Ella, please read our exclusive interview below.

Where are you based?
I’m based in London, England.

What inspired you to get into acting and filmmaking? Did one come before the other?
I’ve acted since a young age and always wanted it to be my career, so that came first. I only started filmmaking around a year ago now. It’s been a whirlwind of a year but I’ve fallen completely in love with being behind the camera too.

Jejune loves your new short film “Faulty Roots”. What inspired you to write, create, and act in it?
Thanks so much! I wanted to try making my own work and to have a bit more control over what sort of projects I could get involved with. I thought I would give writing a go and started to really enjoy the process of writing the script and saying exactly what I wanted to. Then I started to get everything else together for the short and just fell into producing it. The main reason I wanted to do the short was to create a role that I loved. I didn’t think I would do any more filmmaking after “Faulty Roots” which seems so crazy to me now!

What do you hope people get out of watching “Faulty Roots”?
I hope that they either get a better understanding of teenage depression or that they can relate to what the characters experience.

Both Zack and your character had “faulty roots” in the film. Mental health is a real struggle for a lot of people, but many do not understand how hard it can be. How do you try to explain to others the impact of depression and how it can be as debilitating as any illness?
As the film was only a short, I wanted to try and demonstrate the way that people can be insensitive to those with depression without them even realizing the impact of what they have said or done. I wanted to show how difficult it is to do certain things that most people do with ease.

It is very exciting that the short will be turned into a feature film. What can we expect to have expanded on?
It has been so wonderful getting to expand on the characters and their story and to expand on teenage mental health with the feature script. New characters have been added who have a huge impact on the lead characters’ lives. The way Zack and Lola become friends —as well as what they get up to— is quite different.

We love that you are partnering with the charity stem4 and working with them as an ambassador. Can you tell us a little bit about stem4 and why you decided to collaborate with them?
stem4 is a leading teen mental health charity who has done such incredible work to promote positive mental health. They do this with mental health education, early intervention, and resilience strategies and they have various apps for young people to use to help with this too. I am extremely passionate about mental health and really wanted to do all that I could to help other young people. And of course, I wanted to promote all of the great things that stem4 are doing. I love being an ambassador; it’s important to me to be able to share my experiences with mental health with others and also to be able to provide them with ways to get help.

Mental health has been pushed to the limit during these current times. What advice do you have for those suffering from depression already?
My advice would be to let yourself be okay with everything that you’re feeling. This year has been so different and also very difficult. So, if you are struggling with your mental health don’t feel ashamed about it in the slightest and know that you’re not alone and that many others will be feeling the same way. Take time to look after yourself, whether that’s watching your favorite films, baking, doing yoga, whatever your form of ‘self-care’ is — make your mental health a priority.

Do you have any advice for depressed teens trying to express what they are going through to their families?
Just be completely honest with them and know that by doing so you are helping them to understand everything that you’re going through and that you’re allowing them to support you. It will benefit you greatly in return. So, although it may be something that scares you, it’s something that is important for you to do.

How are you staying positive during a shelter in place?
I’ve tried to just focus on the positive things rather than the negative ones. I’ve gotten to spend more time with my family and to create more work so time has been spent positively. I’ve also got to watch a load of films, which can always help to take my mind off things. So that’s definitely a way for me to stay positive.

Are you working on any new creative projects?
A lot of my time has been spent focusing on the feature version of “Faulty Roots” and I’m absolutely loving it. I’ve also been working on a TV show script as well as producing another short film, which I will hopefully be able to shoot soon!

What is your motto in life?
It’s very basic but probably ‘Everything happens for a reason’. If you work in the industry either as an actor or filmmaker, you’re going to get rejected so many more times than you’ll get accepted. I like to think that you have to get rejected from certain projects to be able to work on projects that are perfect for you.

To learn more about Ella Greenwood, please follow her via the below platforms:
Instagram - @popsella
Twitter - @ella_greenwood

Ella Greenwood Writing The Script On Mental Health