I had the opportunity to interview the talented Actress, Model and Producer, Chelsea LeSage. She is currently co-starring in the stage to film production, The Confession of John Wilkes Booth.
This stage to film stars talented actor, John Ramaine as John Wilkes Booth, Josh Koehn portrays John Frederick May, the doctor who was called in to identify the supposed dead body of John Wilkes Booth. Chelsea had the challenging role of Lucy Hale, John Wilkes Booth’s lover.
This riveting story takes places thirty-eight years after Booth’s alleged death. On the last day of his life, Booth weaves a fascinating account of a government conspiracy to cover up the truth on the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. The story of Lincoln’s assassination is an absorbing subject matter that people just don’t get tired of hearing about. This particular narrative has never been fully examined and we thoroughly go into the possibly that the urban legend of Booth’s survival is true.
“Just finished watching John. Wow! Such a terrific stage to screen adaptation! Well-developed characters and believable acting and dialogue offering a closer look into the human psychology behind a killer who seeks his mother’s approval.”
Marci Fine, Actress-TANGO SHALOM
I wanted our readers to learn more about this up-and-coming star!
Q: Chelsea, as a beautiful young talented actress, model and producer, how do you pick and choose your projects, gigs and roles?
A: Hi, thank you so much for having me! You flatter me! I am very grateful to my solid team of agents and managers who have helped over the years with the entire casting process. Even if it’s a project I audition for on my own that I wind up being offered, due to their guidance as well as what I have learned over the years, I can decide if it’s a project worth doing or not. I should also note that it’s an enormous gift to be auditioning frequently never mind booking things in the entertainment industry to the point where I can choose. I love challenging roles that I have not yet played in the acting world, but several factors come into play when deciding on a job including timing, location, character, budget as well as an intuition I have about whether or not I think it’s right for me to do.
Q: At what age did you know you wanted to be in the entertainment business?
A: I grew up playing the clarinet and other instruments as well as singing and when I got to high school I fell in love with the music within Shakespeare’s pentameter and participated in Shakespeare & Company’s Fall Festival of Shakespeare as well as the spring musical. From there, I was hooked.
Q: What professional training did you have?
A: I continued on with training at Shakespeare & Company in clown, stage combat and text. I had vocal training at Berkshire Music School as well as with private coaches in New York. I received my BFA in Acting from Marymount Manhattan College in 2014 and go back and take classes with studios in the city periodically.
Q: What was your first professional acting job?
A: Barrington Stage Company’s youth program was doing Into The Woods for Sondheim’s 80th birthday in 2010 and my little brother and I played the Witch and Jack. It was awesome for him and I get to start our professional careers together in that way.
Q: Modeling: Share some jobs you have booked?
A: Recently, I worked JCPenny, Coty day for Cover Girl, Seamless Lingerie, Matrix, Ulta Beauty, Hauzer Home, Universal Standard, Lynx Magazine, Vigour Magazine Paris, Venus, and have been featured in Vogue Italia,
Q: Do you prefer acting over modeling or a mix of both?
A: They both present their own challenges and while they are completely different careers, I find that I can draw from one when doing the other. That just makes me love what I do even more.
Q: Your latest film project, The Confession of John Wilkes Booth, what was the driving factor for you to get involved in producing and starring in the stage to film production?
A: John Ramaine sat Josh Koehn and I down for lunch to discuss Booth after we had wrapped Macbeth: A Cursed Film. John portrayed the doctor in Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking scene hauntingly in that film and he felt that Josh and I (as well as my production company partner Dan Guindon) were the right fit to bring John’s vision and story of Booth back to life on stage with Stag & Lion. The script was thought-provoking and thrilling, so we all signed on! Lucy Hale, who I play in the film, was so devoted and in love with John Wilkes Booth, that the news that he had assassinated Lincoln absolutely crushed her. That was such a fun challenge as an actor. I loved it and have grown to love and appreciate who she was as a person.
Q: How long did the process take?
A: We started pre-production in November of 2020 and were shooting by January of 2021. We only shot for five days or so with long hours at the Trinity Theatre in Manhattan. Dan and I as Golden Grand Piano, spent the rest of 2021 editing the film with the help of Brandon Maahs who was our composer, as well as submitting it for distribution. It’s been a hell of a journey but we are so proud of the outcome.
Q: How do you get into character?
A: The two places where Lucy Hale shows up are during her first encounter with Booth as well as right after she received the news that Booth had killed Lincoln. How John Ramaine wrote it surely aided me in getting into character as she is written to be very real and a human being going through love at first sight and then utter heartbreak. Often when I have to cry, I just imagine being in that position or use the trick of thinking of something that makes me want to cry.
Q: What was it like working with the star, John Ramaine and the other actors and crew?
A: John is such a great friend and talented actor and writer that this experience only made us closer. He as Booth was the foundation for our production. I commend his terrific performance both as a director and as an actor, getting to share the screen with him. Every single person on the cast and crew brought these characters back to life with such vigor and passion and I am proud at that for sure.
Q: What has been the reaction from the audience and media about The Confession of John Wilkes Booth?
A: The media coverage and reviews so far have been very humbling and as we reach more platforms, I cannot wait to read what else our viewers have to say!
Q: Where can our readers stream the film?
A: The Confession of John Wilkes Booth is currently available on Xumo, Popsy on Plex, IBCN Roku TV and Vimeo and will soon be available on Tubi and Amazon Prime Video!
Q: What will draw someone to watch this film?
A: I feel that theater-goers and history buffs alike will learn and experience so much watching this film. It’s educational, family-friendly, and will draw anyone in who has ever wanted to know more about an event in history.
Q: Chelsea, share some of your upcoming projects:
- Producing
CL Squared Productions with Charles D. Lincoln is currently working on the next season of 21st Century Demon Hunter for Amazon Prime Video as well as having our award-winning film Theresa & Allison out on DVD on March 2nd of this year with help from Burning Bulb Publishing. Our film Bishop’s Cove will release early 2023. With Dan Guindon of Golden Grand Piano, we are starting pre-production of a short written by Dan called Touched as well as shooting commercials and industrials for local businesses.
- Acting
As well as producing, I am playing the antagonist The Nameless in Bishop’s Cove. CL Squared is in the middle of production on that. I will be co-directing the series Predator throughout 2022 and will also be playing Katrina in Gordon Farrell’s play Girls Who Walked On Glass at Alchemical Studios in April of this year.
- Modeling
Modeling jobs are very often last-minute bookings, where I am put on hold a day or two prior to the actual job before being offered it. While I am on go-sees and have a few spreads in magazines coming out, the horizon in my modeling career looks hopeful and I cannot wait to see what is next.
To learn more about Chelsea visit: https://www.chelsealesage.com/
You can stream The Confession of John Wilkes Booth at: https://watch.plex.tv/movie/the-confession-of-john-wilkes-booth.
