Mellow and calm like any other Friday afternoon at Tea Pop, customers sit drinking their teas and engaging in mild conversations with each other. All of a sudden, the door swings open, and in walks a woman with fiery red hair and piercing blue eyes. That fiery red head was known as Natalie Buchanan on One Life to Live, but to many of her fans, she is simply known as Melissa Archer. Petite in stature with a smile that would brighten anyone’s day, this firecracker illuminated a fierce presence that made the tea shop look in awe. With a firm foot print in the world of television and film acting, Melissa is now also focusing on writing, producing and editing.
I was surprised to find that her personality was not like any of the characters she portrays on the screen, especially bad girl Natalie Buchanan, her iconic role.
Melissa began her acting career at the age of 17 on the show Wishbone while still in high school. Aside from her already familiar acting roles, Melissa took on a new role as producer in a new series she started with some friends called Viral, for which she won Best Actress in a Comedy at the 2016 Indie Series Awards. After majoring in Psychology in college, she made the huge jump into the world of acting, and never looked back. This carried out well in her characters Natalie Buchanan and Serena Mason in Days of Our Lives who were the aggressive women that are quite the polar opposite of Melissa herself. Taking every experience as an opportunity, Melissa says that she learns a little from each of the characters she has played. Nevertheless, Melissa views her performances in South32 and Viral as her most memorable because those performances were different from anything she had worked on before.
Facing everything she encounters with a positive attitude, Melissa hardly ever lets a negative thought cross her mind. No matter what stage she is at in her career, she is always prepared and ready for the next big thing for herself.
I was surprised to find that her personality was not like any of the characters she portrays on the screen, especially bad girl Natalie Buchanan, her iconic role.
Melissa began her acting career at the age of 17 on the show Wishbone while still in high school. Aside from her already familiar acting roles, Melissa took on a new role as producer in a new series she started with some friends called Viral, for which she won Best Actress in a Comedy at the 2016 Indie Series Awards. After majoring in Psychology in college, she made the huge jump into the world of acting, and never looked back. This carried out well in her characters Natalie Buchanan and Serena Mason in Days of Our Lives who were the aggressive women that are quite the polar opposite of Melissa herself. Taking every experience as an opportunity, Melissa says that she learns a little from each of the characters she has played. Nevertheless, Melissa views her performances in South32 and Viral as her most memorable because those performances were different from anything she had worked on before.
Facing everything she encounters with a positive attitude, Melissa hardly ever lets a negative thought cross her mind. No matter what stage she is at in her career, she is always prepared and ready for the next big thing for herself.
Growing up what actors influenced you to want to pursue acting?
I suppose that is probably pretty easy: Lucille Ball. She is still someone who is very
influential to me, wish I had gotten to meet her. Claire Danes, back when I was in high
school or middle school when My So Called Life came out and I kept thinking I want that
career, I want to be on that show, I want that kind of thing and I knew I just wanted to
follow what she was doing but there were so many…Jody Foster, of course, but there were
just so many people that I thought were amazing and still think are amazing.
I suppose that is probably pretty easy: Lucille Ball. She is still someone who is very
influential to me, wish I had gotten to meet her. Claire Danes, back when I was in high
school or middle school when My So Called Life came out and I kept thinking I want that
career, I want to be on that show, I want that kind of thing and I knew I just wanted to
follow what she was doing but there were so many…Jody Foster, of course, but there were
just so many people that I thought were amazing and still think are amazing.
"What I envied about (Natalie Buchanan) is that she had the ability to tell people like it is, no matter what, and that is something that is very uncomfortable for me."
What has been your greatest struggle in your acting career? I think the greatest struggle probably was after the show ended because I was on One Life for a long time and I was very used to consistent work, 10 years of it. Although in a normal actor’s career, there is down time, and I wasn’t use to having down time, but it was actually such a blessing in disguise, because during that down time, I started discovering other things about myself. That was when I started writing, producing, and also getting into a lot more of the tech stuff; I’m very techy and very into that. I got super into that and taking classes and enjoying it. It is great because it is like oh my gosh there is this whole other side of me! Who knew, because acting was such a primary focus and still is but now I feel more well-rounded, more human. I know you have done both television and films, are there distinct differences when working on either? In film, things are most of the time very still because everything is so close and that camera sees everything. I’m very expressive so even the slightest [quirk] all over my face would be just insane on film. Where as in certain TV, especially on soap operas, there are a lot more medium or wider shots... but most of the time it is farther away and you can be more expressive. I actually prefer the film side of it on that end, because I like having really still moments. I think expressing things slightly with your eyes or the slightest mannerisms, you (can) show what a character is going through, something without having to tell that they are going through something. I feel like as humans we do that a lot because we have micro-expressions and we try not to give it away, but we do, especially in the soap world. Film, TV, and Soaps are all very different...they are great, I love them all. |
You seem so bubbly and sweet in interviews; how does this compare to the characters you play?
Well, most of my characters are not bubbly and sweet. Natalie was very young when she came about on the show. She was kind of petulant and she was tough, but more from a non- growing place. She was very childish, in certain aspects, but she grew up... she kept some of her toughness and became vulnerable to care about others a little bit more than just herself. I guess in that way I would compare. What I envied about her is that she had the ability to tell people like it is, no matter what, and that is something that is very uncomfortable for me. Don’t get me wrong, if you get me pissed off, I can say anything. The same with Serena, I feel like Serena was kind of the same. She just didn’t really give a sh*t what people thought and I’m like, oh, I want that! other than that, those characters had a lot of me in them, and I learned from them. What are new things you have learned from producing a show as opposed to just acting in a show? Oh wow, actually it is kind of cool to be on the other side and see what goes into it... On the producing side thinking about money, you’re thinking about time, you’re thinking about how this money and time cooperate with each other because time costs money...you are looking for not just the best acting jobs but you are looking for the best technical things. You are looking through all those aspects of it and you have to just take what you have and make it the best thing...I think that is probably one of the biggest differences between producing and (acting) is that it is easier to see the larger picture when you're producing... whereas actors, we tend to focus on us, our own character and the small stuff; the small section, but it is a whole production. |
"I probably wouldn’t keep doing it if I sucked at it...which is usually my motto."
If you had not pursued an acting career what career do you think you would have pursued?
Oh god! I don’t know! I actually majored in psychology so I don’t know if I would have gone the route of doing something in that world like social worker or actual therapist. I was like four years was enough and I dropped out right before I graduated so there you go. I didn’t really get involved enough I was always like a tech nerd but I wasn’t involved in anything like that back then so I don’t know if I would have had the confidence to pursue it. Maybe if I could tell my young self that what boys could do, I could do... I would have had more confidence to be like I want to... I just didn’t have the confidence for it. Now, as I get older, I will try everything. Not only do I like it, but I’m actually pretty good at a lot of the stuff that I do. It is great because I probably wouldn’t keep doing it if I sucked at it...which is usually my motto!
Oh god! I don’t know! I actually majored in psychology so I don’t know if I would have gone the route of doing something in that world like social worker or actual therapist. I was like four years was enough and I dropped out right before I graduated so there you go. I didn’t really get involved enough I was always like a tech nerd but I wasn’t involved in anything like that back then so I don’t know if I would have had the confidence to pursue it. Maybe if I could tell my young self that what boys could do, I could do... I would have had more confidence to be like I want to... I just didn’t have the confidence for it. Now, as I get older, I will try everything. Not only do I like it, but I’m actually pretty good at a lot of the stuff that I do. It is great because I probably wouldn’t keep doing it if I sucked at it...which is usually my motto!
"There is just so much creativity there and I love creating and I forgot how much I love creating until I started creating again and now I got the bug."
What changes or plans do you hope to have in your acting career, as well as your personal life in the future?
I really want to get to a place where I can do a lot more on the production side. I love film and I love to make it, I want to get my hands on everything which is why I now want to learn how to direct. I could change my mind next week but right now I do
visualize things so clearly even when I’m writing I see things as a movie, I see how the camera moves in how it pans, I just don’t know the terminology for it or how to write a shot list you kind of need to know this. I might not hate that I might only be ok at this like
kind of with the tech stuff I liked to learn each section of something I know hardware and software and it is the same thing with entertainment because there is just so much creativity there and I love creating and I forgot how much I love creating until I started
creating again and now I got the bug.
I really want to get to a place where I can do a lot more on the production side. I love film and I love to make it, I want to get my hands on everything which is why I now want to learn how to direct. I could change my mind next week but right now I do
visualize things so clearly even when I’m writing I see things as a movie, I see how the camera moves in how it pans, I just don’t know the terminology for it or how to write a shot list you kind of need to know this. I might not hate that I might only be ok at this like
kind of with the tech stuff I liked to learn each section of something I know hardware and software and it is the same thing with entertainment because there is just so much creativity there and I love creating and I forgot how much I love creating until I started
creating again and now I got the bug.
"I love film and I love to make it, I want to get my hands on everything which is why I now want to learn how to direct!"
From her first acting role in Wishbone (1997) to her most recent film Deadly Expose (2017) and her newest YouTube Series Melissa Is A Dork, Melissa has had a twenty-year successful career both on the screen as well as behind the scenes. She has made great strides in the acting world of soap operas and has featured on the big screen in movies. Confident as can be, Melissa places her sunglasses back on her face, tea in hand, and walks out of the café, confidently making her way through the world of entertainment.
LINKS:
Viral: http://www.viraltheseries.com
Melissa Is A Dork: http://www.youtube.com/melissaisadork
Melissa Archer: http://www.melissaarcher.com
LINKS:
Viral: http://www.viraltheseries.com
Melissa Is A Dork: http://www.youtube.com/melissaisadork
Melissa Archer: http://www.melissaarcher.com
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