Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Midnight in the Switchgrass’ Caitlin Carmichael

Caitlin Carmichael is a gifted actress who will one day rule Hollywood. She got her start as a child actress with notable guest spots in projects like 10 Things I Hate About You, Shake It Up, and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and made the seamless transition to bonafide star.

This July, she stars opposite Bruce Willis, Megan Fox, Emile Hirsch, and Lukas Haas in the must-see crime-thriller, Midnight in the Switchgrass.

Pop Culturalist had the pleasure of speaking with Caitlin about her career, Midnight in the Switchgrass, and the responsibility she felt giving a voice to the voiceless.

Career

PC: How did you discover your passion for the arts?
Caitlin: I feel like I have one of those stories about getting into the entertainment industry that sounds completely fake. [laughs] Things fell into place for me. I feel very lucky to have had that experience. I know that a lot of kids grow up trying out different hobbies, passions, and creative outlets until they find their thing. I feel really lucky to have found my thing so early.

I started acting when I was three and a half. My mom, my grandma, and I came out to Los Angeles on vacation from Georgia wanting to see the Pacific Ocean and be total tourists. We had no real understanding of the entertainment industry, but we had come out there with some other kids who wanted to get into the business. An agent came up to me. I was just three-and-a-half, but I was super extroverted. He said, “Can I talk to her?” I just talked and talked and talked.

He asked if we could fly back and forth so I could do auditions. We didn’t know just what that meant, but my mom agreed and said, “Yes, of course.” I ended up booking the first audition he had me fly out to LA to audition for. It all just fell into place that way. We planned to stay in LA for a couple of weeks to film the booking and then audition for some more things during what they call pilot season. Weeks became months, then years. Acting is an essential part of my identity. I don’t know who I am without it. But it seems like my trajectory in life simply unfolded in front of me. It was like, “This is what you’re meant to do.”

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Caitlin: I’ve been really fortunate to have had incredible experiences in the entertainment industry. I’ve worked with so many established actors and people who have worked tirelessly throughout their careers to reach the point where they are. I’ve learned a lot from the different cast and crew members I’ve worked with.

My mom has been a huge guiding force for me. She established this work hard, play hard mentality for me. She has worked tirelessly at trying to keep me as much of a real kid as possible. Whether that meant making friends outside of the industry, staying grounded in my faith through church, or playing soccer. She also has inspired me to be the best version of myself at all times.

PC: You’ve had a lot of success throughout your career. When you look back, is there a particular moment that stands out to you?
Caitlin: I’m really thankful to have had opportunities throughout my career to travel, immerse myself in different cultures, and work with international casts and crews. I got to fly to Seoul, South Korea to film a video game. I spent months in Budapest, Hungary filming the American Girl movie. I remember I was ten years old and in Budapest, Hungary eating cow lip and ox cheek for the first time. I don’t think I really had an understanding of how insane of an experience that was or of the once-in-a-lifetime opportunities I was experiencing. As I’ve grown older, I’ve come to appreciate those experiences so much. I’m really thankful for the experiences that have helped me grow throughout my career.

Midnight in the Switchgrass

PC: Tell us about Midnight in the Switchgrass and your character.
Caitlin: Midnight in the Switchgrass came out on July 23rd. I’m so excited that the world is finally able to see it. It’s based on the true story of the FBI’s Highway Serial Killings Initiative that started in 2009. The initiative was in response to a series of abductions between 2004 and 2009. Women in so-called high-risk lifestyles involving substance abuse and prostitution were being abducted by long-haul truck drivers. Our film is giving a voice to the stories we’ve never heard from the thousands of missing girls.

The film is about female solidarity. The lead characters come together to form a sisterhood to save both themselves and each other in overcoming the obstacles they face.

PC: You’ve done it all throughout your career. What was it about this particular character and script that stood out to you?
Caitlin: It’s based on a true story. That’s something that always catches my eye. As a viewer, I’m instantly more terrified when the story is true, especially when it comes to watching horror movies. Knowing this was based on a true story gave me such a different perspective going into the project. I knew that with my character, Tracey, I had the responsibility of portraying an emblematic figure. I was really representing all the stories we’ve never heard from these missing girls. Our director, Randall Emmett, said we were “giving a voice to the voiceless.” Having a character that’s in such a unique position, I put a lot of pressure on myself to deliver an authentic performance and really help bring this story to life.

PC: How did you prepare to tackle that responsibility?
Caitlin: It was a little bit different than researching for a typical kidnapping-abduction narrative. I’ve portrayed an abductee before, but this was probably the most mature storyline of that kind that I’ve ever been involved in. When you’re a child actor, producers and directors feel compelled to preserve the innocence of the kid they have on set and want to protect them from anything that could possibly be traumatic. It’s harder for viewers to watch a little kid being abducted and abused than to watch the same happen to someone who’s an adult. As I was going into this role and looking at it from a more adult perspective, I found I had a lot more room to play around with the intensity of the scenes. Knowing that and knowing that I was bringing a true story to life really gave me this drive to dive into the deepest, most brutal aspects of the kidnapping.

PC: I imagine that there is a lot of trust that needs to be built between you and Lukas [Haas]. What was that collaborative process like?
Caitlin: Absolutely. We ended up getting shut down twice because of COVID-19. We wanted to keep our cast and crew safe so we ended up shutting down multiple times. But it actually gave Lukas and I an extended amount of time to rehearse our scenes together—and also just to get to know each other. We were quarantined on a resort together in Puerto Rico. We were uncertain about what the government protocols were going to be regarding COVID testing and asymptomatic people and whether we would be able to continue with IATSE and SAG union guidelines. We were very uncertain as to what the coming weeks on our set would look like.

We spent lots of time riding bikes around the island and studying our script and going out to dinner and getting to know each other. Lukas also had grown up as a child actor in the industry, so we had that in common right off the bat. He’s a lovely human being. Having that time to develop an off-camera chemistry and also a friendship was so valuable in helping us become more comfortable with exploring those scenes together. It allowed us to have much more open communication on-set regarding the intensity of those scenes—far more so than I would have been able to have with someone who was a stranger.

PC: There were so many intense moments with your character in the film. As an actress, how do you prepare to get into that emotional mindset needed to bring out the performance that we see on screen?
Caitlin: I personally love having rehearsals. I love knowing just what my physicality is going to be like and having every question answered before we go into filming. I’m a huge asker of questions all the time. We had an extended rehearsal period. I was able to rehearse with Megan [Fox] and had multiple rehearsals with Lukas so that we both knew what the physicality of our scenes was going to be like. On the day, we were able to really focus on and experiment with the emotions that needed to be conveyed on screen. Having that extended rehearsal and blocking process allowed for all those movements to feel like second nature. It allowed for more of an intense focus on the emotions we need0-ed to deliver on the day.

PC: With the film out now, what do you hope audiences take away after they see it? What did you learn about yourself and your craft being a part of this project?
Caitlin: I really hope audiences take away not only an exciting thrill from watching all the action and the more intense scenes in our movie, but also like I was mentioning before the sense of female solidarity found in our characters. I really hope that’s something inspiring that audiences take from Megan’s character Lombardi and how she’s able to find the strength to save my character, Tracey.

Our film is doing something really interesting in terms of speaking out for the women involved in this real case and showcasing how the criminal justice system often overlooks women in so-called high-risk lifestyles. Emile Hirsch’s character, Byron, is such a great beacon when he says, “Just because someone’s had hard luck in life, doesn’t make them any less of a human.” I think that those are two really important takeaways from our movie.

PC: Where can fans see you next?
Caitlin: I am focusing on my studies right now as an upcoming junior at UCLA. I just registered for my classes this fall. We’re back in person, so I’m thrilled about that. I just declared my Film minor to accompany my American Lit and Culture major. I’m hoping that by studying the history of filmmaking, I’ll grow both as an actress and as a future writer, director, and producer behind the camera.

To keep up with Caitlin, follow her on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. Watch Midnight in the Switchgrass today.

Photo Credit: Tiziano Lugli