Actress Summer Howell Talks Horror Movies, Auditioning, And Disney +’s “Clouds”

This teen actress is definitely one to watch out for!

You may know Summer Howell for portraying Alice in the Chucky movie series, but she’s also credited for roles everywhere from SYFY’s “Channel Zero”, Hallmark’s “Crashing Through The Snow”, as well as on Disney’s iconic movie “Clouds”.

We had the honor of interviewing Summer on all things about her audition process, becoming an Award-Winner, and future projects.

Q: How did you begin your acting career? 

S: “My acting career started all thanks to my older brother. When we were younger, he was interested in acting and began going to auditions. I would help him with his lines and eventually, I grew to love it and decided I wanted to try acting myself! I ended up landing my first role as  Alice in the movie Curse of Chucky (from the Chucky franchise) when I was 8 years old. I was incredibly lucky as the cast, crew, and director, Don Mancini, were the perfect people to begin my career working with.”

Q: What was your experience like on the set of the 2020 Disney+ movie, “Clouds”?

S: “Working on the set of Clouds was an actual dream. Everyone was constantly full of love and passion for telling the story of Zach Sobiech, making the entire experience was uplifting and motivating. I had the pleasure of working with Fin Argus, Sabrina Carpenter, Neve Campbell,  Madison Iseman, Tom Everett Scott, and director Justin Baldoni – all of whom were inspiring to me and overall a super fun group of people to work with.”

Q: What was the best part of getting to work alongside such a talented cast and crew?

S: “The best part of working alongside the Clouds cast and crew was the fact that I was constantly surrounded by people who loved their jobs just as much as I love mine. Being around people who have been in the industry longer than me and still have so much drive and excitement for what they are creating is really special to me. I never want to get to a point where I don’t love  what I do and if I keep working with people like the cast and crew from Clouds, I know that will  never happen.”

Q: How was this experience different from past projects such as “Hunter, Hunter” and “The  Midnight Man”? 

S: “Filming Clouds was a completely different experience compared to my past projects Hunter  Hunter and The Midnight Man. For one thing, both of these were horror movies while  Clouds was family-friendly and based on a true story. Playing the role of a real person (Grace Sobiech) was very different from playing a made-up character like Renee in Hunter  Hunter. I found that creating the character you play and matching the character to a real  person; who will see how accurately you portrayed them, was challenging in their own ways – which I loved. Clouds also had a bigger budget than the others, which meant I got to work  on sets they created within a production studio, whereas on Hunter Hunter I primarily  worked in a small cabin in the woods (which was way more fun than it sounds.)” 

Q: You have won many Joey Awards for your roles in different films. How does it feel to be recognized in the industry? 

S: “Being recognized in the film industry feels very rewarding. It’s a goal of mine that can keep growing as I meet new people and work on more projects. It makes me extremely happy. Knowing that my work is appreciated and reassures me that acting is what I’m meant to be doing!”

Q: Would you say that auditioning processes have gotten easier with more experience or are they more intense now? 

S: “Although the competition has only gotten harder, auditions themselves have gotten much easier since I started. Acting itself has given me the confidence I have today, so when it comes to auditioning, I have a lot of trust in myself. I gained the whole memorization of lines  skill when I was younger, so now I can focus more on the character choices I make and less  on messing up in front of people.”

Q: What has been your favorite genre of film to work in thus far? Are there any that you’d like to experiment in? 

S: “My favorite genre of film to work in so far has been horror/thriller. I seem to always be auditioning for and working on them so I’ve made quite the connection with these genres. I  began my career with a horror movie and I don’t plan on ditching them any time soon.  Something about the people working in horror and thrillers makes the time on set so enjoyable. Although the material is dark and heavy, the people are hilarious and the sweetest.”

Q: Do you have any exciting plans for the rest of 2021? 

S: “So far, I have filmed on a few projects, done lots of auditioning, and I’m looking forward to a  possible Indie movie in the near future.”

Q: What celebrity would you love to star in a movie with, and why? 

S: “There are so many talented actors out there that I would be happy to work with. I’ve really enjoyed working with Canadian talent in the past so I would love to work with more in the future! “

Q: Where can we follow your amazing journey? 

S: “You can find me on Instagram: @summerhhowell and on Twitter: @sumhhowell”