I’m especially excited about this new edition ofCollider Ladies Nightfor a number of reasons. First off, I’m obsessed with the new Amazon seriesThe Wilds. It debuted on Prime Video in early December and follows a group of young woman stranded on a deserted island. Not only is there a fascinating mystery at play, but the show also features a downright stellar ensemble including our Ladies Night guest,Mia Healey.
So yes, I was beyond thrilled to talk about a show I fell so hard for with Healey, but the other exciting thing about this conversation is that it marks the very first episode of Collider Ladies Night that puts the spotlight on someone getting their first screen credit. If you’ve seen all ofThe Wildsthis probably won’t come as much of a surprise given the raw talent on display as Healey navigates Shelby’s arc, but she was lucky enough to book the show soon after drama school. Here’s how she put it:
“It was early on, and I’m so grateful for that. It was very surprising, just fresh out the gate. I think I just came out of drama school, all guns blazing, just so eager and excited. And thankfully this job, which has just been the best job, landed. The timeline was probably around a few months of auditioning and working as a receptionist. That I really loved. But then after the pilot, before Season 1, that’s when I was doing all of the auditioning that every actor experiences”
So yes, ultimatelyThe Wildsdid get a full season order from Amazon, but there was a fairly sizable gap between filming the pilot episode and then jumping into Season 1 proper. Healey explained, “We filmed the pilot in September of 2018. So we flew in in August 2018, and then we filmed Season 1 in September 2019.” Going into the pilot episode, Healey admitted she didn’t know much about what was really going on with Shelby. “There was something about her, because she was so different to me, and she becomes a lot more like me throughout the series which is kind of funny.” It wasn’t until they got the full season go-ahead that she got a clear picture of the challenges that Shelby faces, and when it came time to film those key beats for the character, boy did Healey seize that opportunity.
From the viewer perspective, it appears as though Healey tackled the role with the utmost confidence and understanding of her craft through and through, but she did note that the experience came with a learning curve. So going forward, what new tool in her acting toolkit, so to speak, can Healey credit to playing Shelby Goodkind?
“One thing that Shelby taught me as an actor is playing the truth in scenes that [is] unspoken, because for so much of the series, there were things going on in her life and in her head that were not expressed in the script because she was hiding a lot of secrets. So what I learned from playing her is being able to play those nuances and those demons that she’s got in the back of her mind, but she won’t let show. And I think it’s very easy when auditioning to be like, ‘I know that she’s got a secret and I’m gonna try and play that so that the casting directors can see that,’ or whatever it is. But it was a really good learning lesson to be able to play a character who’s hiding so much, but still going through so much the entire time. Once we had gone to Season 1, I knew the general arc of her story and what she’d gone through and been going through on the island. So being able to internalize that and not play it is something that I’ll take into all my jobs from now on.”
Given how well that already comes through in Healey’s work in Season 1 one ofThe Wilds, the thought of Healey honing that skill further is bound to make her even more of a powerhouse in Season 2. It’s really something else to see someone burst onto the scene with such stellar work right out the gate. Not only does it bode well for the quality ofThe Wildsgoing forward, but it’s also a sure sign that Healey’s name is going to be one well worth knowing well beyond it.
If you’d like to hear more about Healey’s journey toThe Wilds, what it was like working on her first big set, some Season 2 teases and more, you may catch our full conversation in the video at the top of this article!
And if you’ve yet to catch her work inThe Wilds, what are you waiting for? Season 1 of the show is streaming on Amazon right now. And be warned, you’ll probably need to carve out a good chunk of time to watch it because once you start, you won’t be able to stop.
