Ritah Parrish has been performing on film and on stage in Portland, Oregon for fourteen years. Other films include Diary of an American Hostess for Pushcart Films, Bravo America for Chiasma Productions, and Film Geek for James Westby. She has written and performed two one-woman shows: I Think He's A Sociopath But The Dance Is Saturday Night, and Bite Down Hard. She is the author of two collections of short stories: Pink Menace for Future Tense Press, and Girl Juice for Heavy Flow Press. She was a member of the 1996 and 1997 Portland Poetry Slam Teams and has performed her unique "stand-up poetry" across the country. Her pieces have been published in a number of anthologies.

Describe your character. What challenges did you face taking this role?

"Asper is a human being soaked in pain. Absolutely dripping with it. She wants to help her son more than anything but can barely manage to get through the day without breaking down because of her own powerful loss. She looks forward because she can't deal with what she's just left behind her. The challenge for me was to portray her honestly, as both a loving mother / widow and a woman coming apart, at the same time."

What was your favorite scene to play and why?

"Hmmmm. That's a tough one because so many of my scenes involved drudging up heavy duty emotions. I'll answer it this way. I love the moment in the film where you see mother and son cuddling together and sleeping peacefully. It's a beautiful image but it's so lovely to see them calm and sweet together which is so much in contrast with the rest of the film."

What was the hardest scene to play and why?

"Asper's phone call to her mother. There was so much desperation in it and I really had to let myself feel all of the pain and absolute panic that drives that feeling. It's that "end of your rope" thing -- we've all been there and know how much it sucks, but having to do it take after take... I was so relieved when we got the shot."