At only 16 years of age, Brighton Sharbino has already accomplished a great deal as a actress. Beginning her career in entertainment at a very young age, in the years that followed, she already starred in a list of films and captured the hearts of a massive viewing audience with her 2 season stint as Lizzie Samuels on AMC’s The Walking Dead.
A stepping stone for the next stage of her career, Brighton has carefully picked a diverse mix of roles since The Walking Dead, appearing in such films as the 2016 Family Drama Miracles from Heaven, 2017 Comedy Bitch, and most recently, her leading role in 2018’s Urban Country. Growing both as an actress and as a person, it seems as if she is only getting started on a path toward a very bright future. Recently we caught up with Brighton to talk about what she has learned from her vast experience on the set of films/TV series, dedicating herself to be the best actress she can be, future projects, plus more.
CrypticRock.com – Last we spoke in 2015, you were in the midst of taking the next step in your promising acting career following a successful run on The Walking Dead as Lizzie Samuels. What have the last few years been like for you?
Brighton Sharbino – The Walking Dead definitely opened up a lot of opportunities for me. I am so grateful for my time on the show because I have had a lot more opportunities over the past few years. I have been working on some really cool projects and I’m excited!
CrypticRock.com – You have worked on some very cool projects since then. The Walking Dead has been a massively popular series that continues to attract a big audience. Having that experience under your belt, what did you take away from your time on The Walking Dead?
Brighton Sharbino – I learned a lot just being on the set and working amongst really great professional actors and actresses. I learned that you really have to work on your craft to be any good at it; the best thing to do is constantly working and better yourself. I learned to just try and grow.
CrypticRock.com – And you are growing as a person as well as an actress. You have taken on a list of feature film roles since The Walking Dead including Comedies and Family films. Do you enjoy having the diversity of portraying different roles?
Brighton Sharbino – I love getting to play all different types of characters and to switch things up. I feel like it gets boring if you are just playing the same character after a while.
CrypticRock.com – Right, you want to keep yourself open to different roles – you do not want to get typecasted. As you approach life after high school in a few years, what are your plans and aspirations?
Brighton Sharbino – I think I just want to keep on growing, that’s the main goal. I don’t exactly know exactly what I am doing with college yet. I do want to continue pursuing my acting career though. I’m very happy that I started in acting the time I did; now I have more experience coming into it.
CrypticRock.com – Yes, you certainly do have a head start. Acting takes a lot of time – there are castings, planning, etc. Is it a challenge for you to balance that work plus school, your social life, and spending time with your family?
Brighton Sharbino – It all works itself out. Sometimes, if it’s really a busy day, it’s hard to spend time with my friends and family. That happens especially when I am working on a project out of state and I have to go away for a while. For example, with Urban Country, my family came down to visit me. I have had friends even come visit me on set. It’s not too bad.
CrypticRock.com – That is cool! It must be exciting and make you feel more comfortable to have friends and family around at work. As mentioned, you have kept your roles diverse over time and one of your most recent projects, Urban Country, you have the leading role of Faith. What was this film like for you?
Brighton Sharbino – It was a lot of hard work. We worked really hard and it was a whole different experience for me. I was spending a lot of time in Mississippi and it was really cool to get to experience living there for a while. I was on a farm for a lot of the film and I got to be around horses. It was really fun for me.
CrypticRock.com – It sounds like it was a fun experience. You even had a chance to work with your sister Saxon in that film.
Brighton Sharbino – Yeah, they wrote her in! There was a scene we got to work together. We were talking about we never had a chance to do a scene or any type of film together and they put her in the film. We had a lot of fun doing it.
CrypticRock.com – That has to be really exciting to work with your sister. You also have another film entitled Radioflash in which you have a lead role as well. More of a Thriller type film, what can you tell us about this film?
Brighton Sharbino – That is a film I am very excited for! I am honestly so proud of it even though it hasn’t come out yet. The director, Ben McPherson, has been working so hard on that film. He’s really taking his time with it and perfecting the film so it could be the best. There is some interesting stuff in the film. It’s a Thriller, so there’s a lot more action. There are some really cool shots in it. There is no set release yet: they are taking so much time on it to make it perfect.
CrypticRock.com – That will be something to look forward to. You have been on various sets of films and television series now. What have you taken away from it all that you could apply to everyday life?
Brighton Sharbino – I think instead of applying my time on set to everyday life, it’s more me applying my everyday life on set. The main thing for me is to try and make the characters I’ve been playing feel real and someone you could know. I am more looking into my personal life and things I have experienced to try and project that onto the characters I am playing.
CrypticRock.com – That is a very good outlook. As you get older you also learn more, so that certainly helps you when acting.
Brighton Sharbino – For sure! I think one thing I have learned from being on set all the time is to be a team player. You are working with all these different people, there may be 30 people on set, and they are all working together to shoot one scene. It certainly has taught me to work well with other people and be a team player.
CrypticRock.com – That is a fantastic life lesson. Last we spoke, we asked you what some of your favorite Horror movies were. Have you seen anything new since we spoke?
Brighton Sharbino – I liked 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016). I am just so scared of Horror movies though.
CrypticRock.com – Understandable. Everyone finds something different scary.
Brighton Sharbino – You know what it is, I think maybe since I am an actress, but when I watch a movie, I really attach myself to the characters and relate to them. Then I watch them get murdered and it just puts me off.
CrypticRock.com – That is very true. For example, your character in The Walking Dead, it was sad when her time was up.
Brighton Sharbino – Absolutely. One of the main things I realize in my acting, for a character that is sad all the time, and they have a scene where they are crying, you don’t care as much, because they’ve always been sad. If you see someone has happiness in there life, and there is the absence of happiness in a scene, and they are sad, it effects you a lot more.
CrypticRock.com – Very good point. As an actress, you have to work with the script given to you. Has there ever been a time when you were given something that you felt like perhaps you could give the character more life than what is written?
Brighton Sharbino – Yeah, you have to keep a balance of what you think is right for the character, but also check in with the director to make sure that what you’re doing is their vision; you want to create their vision while at the same time making it your own. There is a balance between those. For me, it’s really great because the directors I have worked with have always been very approachable. I’ve been able to speak with them and really get an understanding of what they want from my role – that helps a lot when creating my character and giving it more depth.
Great actress, great interview!! How wonderful to be so diversified and still love what you are doing. I know personally that Brighton appreciates her opportunities and works a lot to make the best of it. Awesome young lady blessed with many talents!! She loves family, friends, filming and fun!!
Sounds like she’s a grown up girl with a head on her shoulders. She is delightful! I wish her great success!