Exclusive Interview: Midori Francis Talks Unseen, Diving into Her Character’s Psyche and Circumstances, and More

Midori Francis is a dynamic storyteller who is best known for her transformative performances in projects including Dash & Lily, The Sex Lives of College Girls, and Grey’s Anatomy. She can now be seen in the must-see film, Unseen.

The horror-thriller follows two women who form an unlikely connection when a depressed gas station clerk Sam (Jolene Purdy), receives a call from Emily (Midori Francis), a nearly blind woman who is running from her murderous ex in the woods. Emily must survive the ordeal with Sam being her eyes from afar.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Midori about Unseen, how she tapped into her character’s psyche and circumstances, collaborating with Jolene Purdy, and more.

PC: How did you discover your passion for acting and storytelling?
Midori: I would say my favorite activity growing up was playing pretend. It’s funny, as an adult I’ve discovered I’m athletic, but as a child, I was not coordinated. I didn’t do well in sports, and I wasn’t allowed to be a cheerleader. I really wanted to be, but my dad didn’t let me. That left me with a lot of free time after school. I would primarily play outside with sticks and dolls.

Playing pretend has always been a part of my life. Then when I discovered that you could do it for a living, it felt very natural. On my dad’s side, some of my aunts are musicians and performers, so I grew up around a lot of live music. My aunt used to play the Annie record for me. I would sing all the songs on my grandma’s fireplace. It’s always been a part of me.

Then when I turned fourteen, I went to see this play at the Cape May Stage in New Jersey. I saw an Arthur Miller play, and the acting was so realistic. I was crying. My aunt was crying. The audience felt it. It was so real. Witnessing something real on stage, I was like, “That’s what I want to do.”

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Midori: Honestly, it was my parents. They didn’t discourage me. I was always the kid in all the musicals in high school who got cast as the tree because I wasn’t a very strong singer or dancer. There was no proof that I could actually succeed in this industry. My parents were always like, “Go try it.” They never discouraged me. That was huge because a lot of people weren’t that way. I was definitely discouraged by a lot of the high school musicals and a lot of external things regarding not seeing myself represented. But I felt that support at home and from my family. That made the difference.

Then when I got to college, I met my professor Kevin Kittle. He worked at Rutgers Mason Gross at the time. He was an acting teacher. He was so fundamental in my adult life. He saw that I was talented and really encouraged and pushed me. All my childhood, I was like, “I think I can do this.” He was the first adult in my life who was like, “No, you can do this. In fact, you’re good. I’m going to help you.” We’re lucky when we can find somebody who believes in us. It does a lot.

PC: You’ve had so much success throughout your career. When you look back, is there a moment that stands out?
Midori: Thank you. It was probably the New York premiere of a play that I did called The Wolves. I wanted to work in New York theater for so long. I had done regional theater and I had done an off-Broadway play, but The Wolves was this play that was so good that it got so many people to come out. It was one of the most exciting New York plays. That to me was a big moment in my career. It was the mix of luck and timing, being a part of something that’s so well-written and that got that buzz.

Then in terms of TV and film, I’ve done a lot of smaller roles. My first big role was in Good Boys. That’s when I felt like, “Oh wow. I have my foot in now. This is different.” It was a supporting lead in a major studio movie, and I was working with Seth Rogen whose comedy I’ve always admired. That’s when I was like, “Oh, wow. This might work out. I got my foot in now.”

PC: You’ve got a new film out now. Unseen is a project that asks so much from you, and you’ve brought so much strength and vulnerability into your performance. As an actress, how did you create the space for yourself to dive into Emily’s shoes?
Midori: I allowed myself to imagine what this would be like. The thing about thrillers and horror films, and why I think audiences are so drawn to them, is that we’ve all in our psyches imagined the endless possibilities and the fear of what could happen and how we would deal with it. I allowed myself to really go to that place of, “What if I was really in this situation? What if I did have to fight for my life? How would I do that? How would I feel?” I really allowed myself to embrace that fear and be brave with it. I gave myself adequate preparation. I physically built up my stamina before we got to New Orleans to film. I worked out a lot. I did a lot of scene work and emotional preparation. I talked a lot with the director in advance about everything. I always like to map out a scene and where I am at that moment. I really allowed myself to go there.

PC: At the core of this story is this unlikely friendship between these two young women. How did you and Jolene [Purdy] build that chemistry?
Midori: We can’t take responsibility for that. Sometimes it just happens when you put two actors together, whether it’s an aesthetic thing or whether it’s a vibrational energetic thing. Jolene and I made such an interesting match. She came out early to work with me. She didn’t have to, but she flew out. While we were shooting the wood stuff, her character Sam was off camera, but Jolene was there. That was fundamental. We immediately took a liking to each other. We hung out. You don’t have to hang out with your costars before or after work. That’s not essential. If you’re trying to build a relationship on screen, I do think that getting to know each other off screen does help. We definitely did that. It was a little meta. Sam was helping guide a person who couldn’t see through the woods. Jolene was there for me in the woods, really reading those lines and helping me and supporting me. I hope that I returned the favor.

PC: You delivered such a standout performance. Was there a scene in particular that you were excited for audiences to see?
Midori: I was very excited for them to see the scene where Emily is calling her mom. I remember when we shot that it felt real and grounded. I watched it with my mom and she was crying. It’s that mother-daughter relationship, and that scene is so sad. I was excited because I felt like we played off each other really well. I was excited. Honestly, I was excited to be able to show people what I could do as an actor.

You don’t always get the opportunity to do that all the time. I was really excited to step into this new realm of depth, power, pain, and all of those things. I knew that I could bring it as an actor, but I hadn’t necessarily had the opportunity to do so.

I was also excited for them to see me do some of my own stunts. I was excited to share that physicality.

PC: You were talking about representation earlier and not seeing yourself on screen. This project is a huge milestone in terms of representation with three powerful Japanese women in front of and behind the camera. What has it meant to you to know that you’re paving the way so that future generations won’t have to feature something similar?
Midori: I’m a very small cog in the machine of progress and change, but I’m very happy to be doing my part. It’s not something that I can be actively thinking about all the time because it can be a distraction sometimes. I’m trying to focus on being the best actor that I can. There’s always an awareness that with every role that I take on that I might be filling a gap for someone in terms of representation. I’m filling in the gap for someone.

But all that being said, I think what I came around to is the fact that the only thing that I feel like I can really do right now is just try to be the best actor, performer, and artist that I can be. The more that I do that, the more that will speak for itself. I’m just trying to continue to learn and grow as an artist and put myself out there. That’s all I can control in terms of representation.

PC: Outside of this project, you also have so many other things that you’re working on. Where else can audiences see you?
Midori: I’m wrapping up a great season on Grey’s Anatomy, which is airing now. The finale will be in May. We were just renewed for a twentieth season, which is amazing. That’s a crazy number. Also, the second season of The Sex Lives of College Girls is out now too with a third on the way.

PC: You’re a dynamic storyteller. What’s left on your bucket list?
Midori: There are so many things that are left on my bucket list. I pretty much want to try to do everything, but I definitely think piggybacking off Unseen and moving into some weightier media roles when the timing is right and when that’s possible. I also want to continue to work on films. There’s nothing like it. It’s so creative. The more films, the better.

To keep up with Midori, follow her on Twitter and Instagram. Watch Unseen wherever you stream movies.

Photo Credit: Jonny Marlow