Kirby Bliss Blanton was born in The Woodlands, Texas and is the youngest of four children. She began her career as a child doing commercials and modeling in Houston, then later moved to Los Angeles with her mother.
In the past, she has made guest appearances on such Nickelodeon and Disney shows as Zoey 101, Unfabulous, and Hannah Montana. More recently, though, she really began to make a name for herself with the feature film, Project X.
Keep reading for our exclusive interview with Kirby about herself and her latest movie, The Green Inferno, that’s being released on September 25th.
How did you become interested in acting?
“I think when I started doing small town gigs in my hometown. I did some modeling and then got into commercials. It all was so much fun that I wanted to do more. I begged my mom to bring me to California to pursue it further.”
You’ve done both TV and film at this point. Do you have a preference between the two?
“I think I will end up doing mostly film. That said, I do think there are some amazing television shows on right now and being written. I think that the T.V. realm is evolving so I always keep an open mind. If I could do both I would but my heart is in film.”
What was the transition from modeling to acting like for you? What was easiest and what was most difficult?
“I love to model. I learned to love acting even more though. Modeling is fun but I love the dressing up part and being glammed up looking like a different person. At the end of the day, acting is becoming a different person in a more complex way. I love challenging myself and trying to put myself into new perspectives and character’s psyche’s.”
You’ve made another transition as well: one from wholesome teen shows like Unfabulous, Zoey 101, and Hannah Montana to some pretty dark stuff like Project X and now The Green Inferno. What has that been like? Was it a calculated transition or something that sort of just happened because of roles available?
“I think once I turned 18, I wanted to branch out and get more gritty parts. I wanted to get dirty, cry, scream and really go there and prove to myself and others I could. I’m proud of the transition I made and how effortless it was. I know that can be hard.”
Tell us about The Green Inferno and what part you play in the film.
“The Green Inferno is such a crazy ride! It is such an adventure to watch and was even more so to make. It’s about a group of activists that decide to go to the middle of the Amazon Jungle to save an indigenous tribe. Not thinking about the fact that they weren’t exactly invited, nor predicting that they were cannibals. They get stuck there and all I can say is it gets crazy. My character, Amy, is a bit high strung or neurotic under normal circumstances. You can only imagine how she reacts to getting captured by this tribe and then seeing how they… ‘live’ and just trying to survive.”
Can you tell us about any of your other projects that are in the works, what we can expect from them, and when they might be released?
“I have a few film projects I have done after doing The Green Inferno. I’m not sure what the release dates look like for those yet.
I did an episode of Hawaii 5-0 also which was incredible! I am looking to keep up the momentum. Looking forward to the future and so happy to finally share my work in the Green Inferno. I’m very proud of it.”
What would your dream project be, something you’d love to do in the future if all the stars aligned and you got to do whatever you wanted?
“A modern day Girl Interrupted. I want to explore everything. I really love comedy and would like to get more into action too.”