Interview: Ashley Hinsaw Talks About Cherry

Interview: Ashley Hinsaw Talks About Cherry, Written by: Karen Benardello Sometimes it takes an unexpected, life-altering experience for a person to realize that their existence is falling apart, and they need to overcome whatever obstacles are in their way in order to find their true purpose in life. That’s certainly the case with the title character in the new drama ‘About Cherry,’ which is now available on VOD and digital platforms and opens in a limited theatrical release on September 21. Angelina, a teenager who takes on the name Cherry when she’s lured into working in the porn industry, must over her internal struggles when she realizes her life is spiraling out of her control. ‘About Cherry’ follows Angelina (played by Ashley Hinshaw) as she is on the verge of finishing high school. Rushing to escape her broken family life, she reluctantly takes nude photos, at the urging of her boyfriend (portrayed by Jonny Weston). She soon takes the money she earned and leaves town with her best friend, Andrew (played by Dev Patel), and they end up in San Francisco. Angelina gets a job as a cocktail waitress in a strip club in order to make ends meet. While working, she meets Frances (portrayed by James Franco), an affluent lawyer who introduces her to a high-class world beyond her wildest dreams. At the same time, Angelina begins exploring the porn industry in San Francisco, using the moniker Cherry. While she’s taken under the wing of a former performer turned adult film director, Margaret (played by Heather Graham). But her new-found lifestyle soon falls apart at the seams, challenging the assumptions she had about sexuality and pornography, while also addressing the struggle of finding her role in life. Hinsaw generously took the time to speak with us over the phone recently about the challenges and liberation of taking on a role like Angelina in ‘About Cherry.’ Among other things, the model-turned-actress discussed what drew her to the role of Angelina and the film overall; what it was like working with first-time feature film writer and director, Stephen Elliott, a novel author who has experience in the adult film industry; and what it was like working with some of her more experienced co-stars, including Franco and Graham. ShockYa (SY): You play Angelina, an 18-year-old who moves to San Francisco and becomes involved in the porn industry, in order to escape her broken family life. What was it about the character and the script that convinced you to take on the role? Ashley Hinshaw (AH): I think more so than anything else, I was intrigued by the fact that it was a story that seemed very different than the stories I was looking at as an actor, and the scripts that I had been reading. I always wanted to take on someone who was very different than me, as far as the character goes. I’m not like Angelina, that’s definitely for sure. So I was really able to spend the time and the work trying to transform myself into another character, which, as an actor, is a really exciting venture. It’s a bit of a scary venture, but it was exciting. That industry, the adult industry, is something I knew absolutely nothing about when I went into ‘About Cherry.’ More so than anything else, what I was attempting to do with ‘About Cherry’ was tell one specific person’s story about getting into that industry, and not tackle the issue in general of the adult porn industry. I wanted to tell one specific story, and have it be more about this girl and what she went through, more so than telling a story about porn. I think that even though one of the attractions is that that industry is so prevalent in the film, I think when people see the movie, they’ll be surprised. It’s much more about this girl coming of age and discovering herself as she’s growing up than it is about the porn business. To continue reading this interview, please visit Shockya.