Chelsea Jurkiewicz (born December 6, 1998) is an American actress best known for her role as Katie in the acclaimed horror film, Abigail Haunting. She also has several other film and stage credits to her name, and stars in the upcoming movie, The Crumbs, set to release this summer.
We had the pleasure of interviewing Chelsea and find out more about her past and upcoming projects this year.
When did you realise you wanted to be an actor?
I’ve always loved acting out stories, even before I really knew what I was doing. I always wanted to be performing and entertaining people. One day in like 3rd grade, a girl came to school with her hair curled, which was rare for her. All the kids were asking her why she curled it, and she told them it was for a play she was in. That’s when it really hit me – maybe I should be in plays! A year or so later, when I was 11, I did start acting on stage. That led to more prestigious theatre work, and eventually films.
Stage or screen, what do you prefer?
I prefer screen acting – it’s more subtle and dramatic, and I feel like film people are more my species of people. But I’ll always appreciate the theatre. It was perfect to train on stage. There are some acting tricks specific to theatre that are just so solid, you can bring them over to film and use them there, too.
Whose work has influenced you the most?
Well, if we’re talking about other actresses, I’m probably the most inspired by Kate Winslet, Toni Collette, and Emily Blunt. They seem fearless when they act. Kate Winslet is one of the main reasons I wanted to switch from stage to movies. When I was 15, they brought Titanic back to the big screen, and I had never actually seen it before. So I went, and was blown away by her performance. Then I realized she was the same actress as the one I was amazed by in Finding Neverland! (Yep, it took me a minute to realize that.) And I was like, “Wow, I want to be like this person.”
In what way is the pandemic affecting you as an artist?
Ironically, it’s worked out for me. Right before the pandemic really grew into what it is, I decided to take a break from acting for at least a few months. I knew that was best for me, but I thought I’d hear about productions going on and feel like I was missing out or something. But now that it’s literally illegal to film movies, I can just take the break that I was going to anyway, and not miss out! Also, Abigail Haunting was released on Amazon Prime in late March, and with everyone at home, we had such a huge audience. Literally millions of people have seen it already, and we reached #1 on Amazon a couple of weeks ago. Pretty crazy.
What are your plans after the lockdown?
Because of the pandemic, we never actually got to have a premiere for Abigail Haunting! It was going to be a big to-do in Vegas, and my friends and I had planned to make a big trip out of it. After lockdown is over, the premiere is still going to happen, even though the film has already been released. So I’m excited to finally have our adventure! Also, I’m a double-nominee at the Utah Film Awards, which also got put on hold due to the pandemic. I’m looking forward to events like these, and also just being able to get together with all my peeps again!
Can you tell us more about your role in Abigail Haunting?
I play Katie Fredrick, a young woman with a dark past. When we meet her in the movie, she’s on the run from Reno, and takes refuge with her ex-foster mother. Her childhood home may be haunted by a demonic entity…or is the foster mother the one we should be scared of? It’s on Amazon Prime right now – check it out!
How was your experience being on stage with David Copperfield?
It was nothing short of magical!! Copperfield is incredibly inspiring to me, and it was an honor to be a part of one of his tricks! I got to help him make a car appear, and even I don’t know how he did it. It was an experience I’ll never forget.
Do you have any new projects coming up?
I have 2 other films coming out this year. The Crumbs, and The 13th Cross. I’m also going to be filming one at the end of the year, or early next year. I can’t say much about it yet, but it’s another ghost story!
It was a pleasure talking to you Chelsea, if you’d like to know more about her and her projects, please give her a follow on instagram (https://www.instagram.com/chelseaamberjurkiewicz/) and check her Imdb (https://m.imdb.com/name/
