Alexandria Maillot had no idea how challenging it was to act the part of a person who gets murdered.
“The role was somewhat demanding,” admits the 18-year-old. “I didn’t have any lines to memorize, but I had to be really vulnerable. I’d never done anything like that before.”
Red Riding Hood, a Hollywood thriller, is scheduled to be released March 11. Maillot fills the role of Lucie, the younger sister of the lead character who is played by Amanda Seyfried. Also in the flick are Gary Oldman, Virginia Madsen and Julie Christie.
But according to Maillot, being in the movies is “the cherry on top” to her main love and passion, writing and performing songs.
“I love acting, but am more confident as a singer/songwriter,” she adds. “That’s what I know and do best.”
Born in Prince George, Maillot called many communities home, including the Comox Valley where she graduated from Mark R. Isfeld Secondary School at age 16.
Along the way, she wrote her first song when she was six. Five years later, her music took her to the Golden Star International Song Contest in Romania. The following year, she participated in the Nile Song Festival in Egypt.
“I first performed on my own terms when I was about seven,” Maillot says. “I created my own shows and put them on in old folks’ homes. My music teacher accompanied me.”
Since that time, she’s performed with Jann Arden in a televised concert, was featured on Oprah and won the top prize in Victoria Idol.
Maillot’s songs have already garnered her recognition. She’s had tunes featured on American Airlines, Virgin Radio and The Peak. And one of her songs, Revolution, helped Swiss singer Stefanie Heinzmann hit the Top 10 in Europe.
Recently, Maillot was selected as one of the Top Ten in the B.C.’s Best Teen Band contest. “If I make the top three, I’m in the running for an incredible grand prize, which includes $3,000 cash, gear from Tom Lee music and, most importantly, a professionally recorded single. It’s all really exciting and makes me even more passionate about pursuing my goals,” she says.
Winning the prize would help Maillot fill her goal of releasing an EP (extended play or short album) by the middle of this year.
“It’s a fun process, but going the independent route is expensive,” she notes. “So I’m hoping people will want to chip in. In about a month, I’ll be launching my fundraiser on kickstarter.com. It’s a really cool website where people post descriptions of their projects, hoping people will donate funds so they can happen.”
In the meantime, Maillot hasn’t forgotten her Comox Valley roots. She’s performed at Zocalo Café, Union Street Grill and recently, Joe’s Garage. And she’s in the midst of organizing an Island tour to promote her EP later this year.
Now living in Maple Ridge, Maillot divides her time between auditioning for more films, making music and holding down a day job.
“It’s really difficult to make a living as a singer or actress,” she says. “I read some stats that said 86 per cent of actors make $5,000 a year from acting and it’s probably not much better for singers. It’s really hard to get enough work to make singing and acting a career, but one day, I hope that’s the case for me.”
Check out Maillot’s music and EP project at www.alexandriamaillot.com.
