Written by Allysia Britton
Actress and Director Ava Cantrell is returning to the big screen. The Daily Fern caught up with the young starlet to learn more about her latest project.
The Daily Fern: Ava, thank you so much for speaking with us again ! Last we spoke, you talked about joining BTV as a Producer. But now I understand you are getting back in front of the camera! What can you tell us about this new project?
Ava Cantrell: I am starring in a psychological thriller “My Fathers Joy” I am so excited to be the leading lady of this movie. It has been a project that I have been waiting on for a long time to come to fruition and I am really happy to keep getting the good news that it is moving forward early 2021. It is also my first time back to thriller since Warner Brothers “Lights Out” I really love acting in scary roles. Watching them is an entirely different story. Lol. My character just like Diana in “Lights Out” is extremely troubled as well as psychotic. I love playing roles totally out of my comfort zone.
The Daily Fern: This is your first lead in a film, and your first role where you have a romantic interest. Can you tell us how you feel about this ? Are you stepping out of your comfort zone?
Ava Cantrell: “My Fathers Joy” is also a twisted love story. It will be my first role with a romantic interest. I feel like I am ready for this transition as I’ve been in the industry for over a decade and it’s all about evolving. My character will do anything for her guy, even if it involves murder. The Daily Fern: Along with acting, you have recently launched your own line of blue light glasses, which has been featured in women’s health magazine ! Can you share a little about your company?
Ava Cantrell: My company ZOOMe is a just two months old and I’m so excited about the opportunity to grow brand. My college classes were switched to online after the pandemic started so like everyone else and my screen time vastly increased. My eyes were getting strained with all the video conferencing, school and maybe it’s a little embarrassing, but huge amounts of binge watching. I asked my dad about blue light filter glasses because he’s been in the sunglass business for over twenty years. I found that there wasn’t a wide choice of fashionable frames in the blue light category so I decided to build a brand around that niche. I used my dad’s connections to source out great styles and lens technology that ended up in a creating a collection of glasses that I’m super proud of. I launched a website, Etsy store, Amazon store and started wholesaling them as well. ZOOMe has been a lot of work, as I’m wearing a lot of hats, but I’m learning so much and hopefully I will sell a lot of glasses and build a great brand. It is so nice to be recognized by women’s health magazine as selling the best and most stylish glasses. Especially since my company is new! The Daily Fern: Working on a film out of state WHILE running a business sounds like a lot of work ! How do you balance it all?
Ava Cantrell: Luckily it is a family business and we all rely on each other. While I am gone, my family will be carrying any extra weight. Also with a business, much of the hardcore work is in the beginning. We have already established the brand, got a website up, got the product to outside retailers and done the bulk of the work. One of the most time consuming things is talking photos of product and getting everything up, and that is done!
The Daily Fern: Anyone who follows you on social media can see you are involved in a lot of charity work. Are there any organizations which you are particularly proud of ?
Ava Cantrell: I really can’t pick one charity that means more then the other to me so I will talk about why I love doing charity work. I really feel like so many people need help. I was taught from a young age how important to give back. There are so many ways people can give back from just reposting charities to actually physically helping or writing check and donating money. I do all the above. If you love dogs, you can share urgent dogs looking for homes on your social media. If you love gaming you can support Starlight Children’s Foundation which provides gaming in hospital to seriously ill children. Just do your research and you will find your perfect fit to help out and make a difference.
Want to learn more about Ava? Connect with her here!