Mckenna Grace In Conversation With FAULT Magazine

McKenna Grace is the multi-talented actress and musician who has been capturing the hearts of audiences both on the big screen and through her music. This year Mckenna Grace released her EP entitled “Bittersweet 16” and introduced many listeners to a new side to the artist and fans eagerly await future releases! We had the opportunity to chat with McKenna about her exciting new role as Addison in the upcoming sci-fi movie “Crater.” We also delved into her recently released EP titled “Bittersweet 16” and had a candid conversation about her FAULTs.

Can you tell us some info on the role you play in the upcoming movie Crater? 

I play Addison! She’s from Earth and she joins the moon road trip a little late. She happens to have something regarding the moon rovers that the other character wants, so in exchange, she gets to join their road trip. Even though she doesn’t know the boys before the road trip she gets to join and creates lifelong bonds and memories. 

Was adapting your acting process to suit a more sci-fi/ CGI set challenging compared to the other projects we’ve seen you on? 

It was really different! It was for sure a hard shoot, but getting to work on the wires every day and pretend I was on the moon was really fun. I’ve never done anything like it so it took a lot of getting used to. We had space camp for 2 weeks before shooting to learn how to pretend we were on the moon! The space suits and stunts were really fun to work with. 

Tell us about your EP, Bittersweet 16, why is it bitter? why is it sweet? 

It’s Bittersweet just like growing up! I wrote this EP just about my feelings and experiences so far as a teen. Life and getting older are always bittersweet, so I wanted to represent that! Though I think I leaned a bit more into bitter than sweet haha. Though my title track for the ep “Bittersweet 16” perfectly encapsulated the vibe I was going for. 

Do you see your music differently from your acting, how so? 

I see it very differently than my acting! Acting and music are such different worlds, they correlate well and fit together but the worlds they both live in are so different. Acting is getting to tell other people’s stories and perform, then music is telling my own stories and still getting to perform but in a very different way. I think acting and being on sets really helped me prepare for music videos and directing/writing them, but other than that it’s so different! 

How do you find a balance between your passion for film and acting vs teenage life and everything that comes with it? 

I think sometimes it’s a little hard to find a balance, I’m always still figuring that out. The good part though is acting and music really is my passion, there’s no place I’m happier than on set or in the studio:) When I’m not shooting I’m probably in the studio making music! Though I do love roller skating or going to the movies when I can. I love adventuring and finding random places with friends, just walking or driving around in new areas!

Do you like to make long-term goals for your craft or do you prefer to take each day as it comes? 

I of course have my big goals in life whether it’s for myself or my career, but I think it’s best to take each day as it comes. I’ll always strive for things but not to the point where I can’t focus on the present. At the end of the day, I do what I do because I truly love it. Sometimes creating too big of goals or putting stress on something you really love can make it less enjoyable, so I just try to make small goals when I can. I have my dreams of what I’d like my career and life to be but I want to be able to be content with everything no matter what. It’s most important to me that no matter what happens, I can look back at the things I’ve created and be proud of them. 

When you’re looking at roles or writing a song, what are the first aspects you look for to determine if it’s the right role for you? And how do you start the writing process? 

With roles, I really just look for stories that have some sort of meaning, or characters that I can see myself in / seem exciting to play. I love roles and projects where I can really challenge myself and grow as an actress, roles I can sink my teeth into. Though truly I just love films and I feel so lucky to tell some of the incredible stories I’ve been a part of. When it comes to music though, I have hundreds of notes full of song ideas and lyrics. I’m always writing down ideas! I also love using Pinterest for inspiration haha. The writing process is always different for me, sometimes it comes from the ideas I already have and other times it’s completely random. Sometimes I only write chord progressions to save for later ideas! 

What’s one question no one has ever asked you in an interview but is something you wish more people knew about you? 

I talk about it sometimes but not too often, I’m a really big movie buff! I talk about how much I love film and getting to act but not how many movies I watch! I think over the past month and a half I’ve watched 67 films! I love watching anything and everything I can, I love getting recommendations from friends! One of my favourite things is going to the movie theatre, especially with my dad:) 

What is your FAULT?  

I think that I have a lot of faults, but one is I have a hard time with my emotions. Though that also comes with being a teenager (and an actor lol). I get really in my own head about a lot of things. Sometimes I’ll spiral in my feelings whether it be sadness, inadequacy, anger/anger at myself. I think sometimes it’s hard for me to control those emotions because everything feels SO BIG when you’re feeling it, but then you’ll step back and think about how silly it was. So that’s something I’m always working on.