Known for her role as Mia in the crime thriller Adverse, as Amy in the thriller Strange Ones, and as a demon in the horror thriller Don’t Stare, Kelly Arjen is co-founder of Black Jellybeans Productions. In the mockumentary comedy Underdeveloped, Arjen is Livy, a girl in a group of inexperienced misfits who are forced to work together in a film production company.
What attracted you to the role of Livy in Underdeveloped?
Kelly Arjen: I had worked with Brian the director and we had discussed Livy and what she would be like. Also, the fact that I got to play two different characters.
Do you have an actor or movie that inspired you to become an actor?
Kelly: I don’t have anyone or film in particular. I wasn’t going to pursue acting until recently. I started my education in child development. I thought I would be teaching small children. Teaching kids at that age gives them the building blocks to become an adult and where they go in the future. I find the development of children from zero to five fascinating. Although when I was a kid, I thought of becoming an actor, doing things in front of a mirror.
Will you continue pursuing child development on the side?
Kelly: I love acting a lot more. I could be a teacher if I decide to go back to that.
How did you prepare for the role of Livy? Is there a bit of Livy in You?
Kelly: There’s a lot of Livvy in me, like the mannerisms. And a lot of her awkward energy.
Tom Arnold is quite a character. What’s he like between takes?
Kelly: He’s really funny. He’ll tell us stories about himself and things. He tells a lot of jokes. Some of the stuff in the film was ad-lib. And it works.
Do you have a favorite scene or scenes?
Kelly: I just enjoyed having fun with the characters.
Can you talk about Black Jellybeans Productions?
Kelly: I’m a founding member. It’s an independent motion picture and television production company. Our first feature, Living Among Us, was released theatrically and distributed by Sony Pictures Entertainment, Vision Films, and 20th Century Fox International.
What have you learned about acting and show business that really surprised you?
Kelly: Not everything always goes as planned. Try to plan for the unexpected.
What were you like in high school? The girl most likely to….?
Kelly: To be awkward (laughs). I was pretty much to myself. I only had like one friend. I was a pretty horrendous student (laughs).
