I can count on one hand the number of shows my daughter likes that I enjoy as well. One such show is Cartoon Network's Level Up, a tale of a group of gamers who accidentally open a portal and, along with the help of the game's creator, must send all the bosses and villains and monsters that escape from the game back home. Level Up's cast was nice enough to sit down and chat with us and we're going to feature a different actor each week.Today we're spending Seven Questions In Heaven with Aimee Carrero, who plays Angie on Level Up.
Tell us about the character you play on Level Up.
Angie is a classic case of big dreamer in a small town. She knows there is more to the world than life in Daventry Hills. So she hangs around the guys because a) she needs the challenge and b) realizes that she can learn some valuable skills that will service her in the future. If someone ever tried to mug her or steal her purse on the subway, she's been through worse you know what I mean? She's very intentional.
Do you share any common traits with your character? Any noticeable differences?
If Angie had a favorite poem, it would be Dickinson's "I Dwell In Possibility." She is motivated by what can be and the experiences that await her in the future. In that sense, we are very alike. There is a restlessness in her that I definitely relate to. I think we are different in that she seems to be more self-assured than I was in high school. There is a confidence in her that I wish I'd had. She doesn't fidget.
Which has been your favorite episode so far and why?
I loved filming "Hampire Weeknight," but character-wise, "The Charm Bracelet" is up there. I love when writers take characters out of their comfort zones. There is nothing more terrifying to Angie than being ditsy, opinion-less, and unimportant. There is nothing more tragic than sacrificing intelligence and wit for popularity. She somehow manages to find herself in both scenarios in this episode. How does she deal with it? What are her conflicting emotions about it? She kind of likes the attention but she hates WHY she is getting it. How does she resolve that? It was all very fun to play!
When did you first realize you wanted to be an actor? Was there a particular event that triggered it?I had a big imagination as a kid. I was very interested in the lives of other people and what it felt like to be in someone else's shoes. I can't remember a time when I didn't want to be a performer. I think there is just a greater necessity in some people to live more than one life, with one set of ideas, values, and experiences. Even if it's only for a few months, or a few performances, it's such a unique gift to delve into a character's life, their memories, the things that have shaped them as people. Ideally, it makes you a much more empathetic person, much more understanding of the world and the people in it. Then hopefully as an actor you can bring this empathy and understanding to the audience through the story you're telling. At its best, it can change the way people live for the better. Therein lies its value.
What actors and actresses do you admire or look up to?
Meryl Streep, Barbra Streisand, Viola Davis, Diane Keaton, Emma Thompson, Laura Linney, the list goes on and on!
Before you began work on Level Up, were you much of a gamer? Has Level Up changed that?
I wasn't really much of a gamer although I do play a mean round of Mario Kart on Ninetendo 64. I don't really game much nowadays. I am a pretty uncoordinated person in real life, and on a video game controller I'm even worse.
What are your five all-time favorite video games?
Zelda, Mario Kart, GoldenEye 007, Super Mario Bros., and, no joke, Wave Race (all on Nintendo 64).
Level Up airs Tuesday nights at 8:00 PM on Cartoon Network.
