At the Bar with Chelsea Erin Jones (#MisSpelled @Tullywickett)

Fans of the YouTube cult hit MisSpelled will recognize Chelsea Erin Jones as the edgy, hardcore Quinn, the witch with the ability to manipulate time.  Fans will be happy to know filming resumed this month, and that we can expect new episodes this summer.

It was a great honor and pleasure to welcome this curly-haired goddess to our Bar.

Welcome to the Bar!!! What are you sippin’ on?

Thank you kindly! I'm sipping on some Jack on the rocks. Though, my favorite drink is a good shot of Kraken Rum. I love me my rum.

My kind of woman!  So you’re an actress, and a pretty damn good one if I dare say. How did you get into that? How did your family react to your decision?

Oh, geez, thank you. Well, as it turns out, it's kinda my family's fault. My dad is an actor and musician, and my mother is obsessed with theatre and the arts. My brother got bit by the acting bug early on, and I was pretty quick to follow. We used to put on tiny productions in our living room for the holidays. My dad taped them all, supposedly. Mad blackmail, right there. Then, I got into a few local theatres, my mom got me an agent, and I just never stopped. And, thanks to my dad, music kind of went hand-in-hand with it. It's like eating, or breathing. It's too much a part of my life. My parents are really supportive, real advocates of doing what makes you happy. I'm incredibly grateful for that.

Do you engage in any other artistic endeavors?

Oh, yeah. As much as I can, I love learning different aspects of art--even if I suck at them. Like pottery. I have a few too many lopsided bowls, but it's relaxing. As I mentioned before, I love music. I sing only, and it's not without trying. Musical instruments and I have a very unhealthy relationship. But I'll keep attempting to make it work. I paint, I sketch, and--much more frequently, being a nerdlord--I make costumes. I'm a cosplay freak, and I start planning for Halloween in January. Problems.

Who are your influences? How would you describe your style/method of acting?

Man, uh-- My influences tend to be people. People I know, people I don't know--listening to others on the bus, at work, generally being kind of a creeper. It sounds so weird saying it out loud--but I enjoy it. My more famous influences have been people like Cate Blanchett, Selma Hayek, Mark Hamill--hell, I honestly could give you a list twenty miles long--everyone I've ever seen on film or stage or television has inspired me in some way. Including voice-actors. I had an instructor tell my class once to watch everything. And I really took that to heart. My parents have a ridiculously huge movie library, as we all love film so damn much, and I intend to make good on that advice. Watch everything.

My personal method...uh, I'd say imagination is a truly powerful thing. I like knowing or creating the person I am, having a separate set of morals and thoughts to climb inside of for awhile. I love to play. I like meeting the other characters I'm interacting with, or the environment I'm interacting with, and understanding relationships and presets with them. It's hard to explain, and it probably sounds insane, but reaching out emotionally is something I do a lot. Connecting. I find it important when I'm working on something.

If you could work with anyone in the industry, who would it be and why?

Quentin Tarantino and Joss Whedon. I love Tarantino's styling, and the intricacies of every film he makes--as well as the dark comedic elements and the way it really hits you in the heart when you don't expect it to. His characters are so fleshed out and layered and have so much to them, I'd kill to work on that.

Joss never fails to make me laugh obnoxiously, and his people are deeply rooted and complicated and so painfully human. Joss' stories are wild and fantasy/sci-fi, and then they have this bigger, more important point at the heart of it. It's not JUST about the vampires, or the end of the world or the madman with his finger on a button, it's about people. At least, that's how I see it.

Joss inspired a lot of seemingly powerless girls to be strong and unafraid of the things lurking in the dark. His female characters are solid, fierce and glowing from every view--fully capable of fighting back and standing tall.

Tarantino writes his own no-bullshit ladies, multi-dimensional, goddess-like figures and hard-hearted ass-kickers--just good female characters that are more than just fluff and props for a male protagonist. Both Joss and Quentin have achieved this. It's important. Also, their work is just friggin' awesome.

I take it you’re a fan of Jackie Brown then?

Oh, hell yes. And if you haven't seen it, worth a watch, friendos.

You’re also a stunningly gorgeous woman, by the way; I love your hair. What’s your secret to staying so fabulous?

Oh my god, stop it. Thank you. I don't even know, man, I'm awful. I do recommend a lot of leave-in conditioner for my curly-haired sisters. And no straightening, no burning, no chemicals--let your hair be it's natural self, and love it to death. When I stopped fighting my curls, I fell in love with them. It's an old story that women with hair like ours came from the ocean and never went back. Worship that body, my sirens.

The moment I saw your face, I felt as though I’d seen you somewhere else. Can you tell us about your other acting projects?

Oh, just one of those faces, blah blah blah. I'm awful at this. I was in Lindsey's previous webseries, Echo and Nellie. You should give it a watch too. I've been featured background on some stuff, like Grey's Anatomy (see if you can spot me!). I was in a short film about Charles Reed Bishop, portraying Bernice Pauahi. I've mostly been involved in local theatre, as of late. It was my first love, and it's hard to stay away. I've been a part of a few productions at the Canyon Theatre Guild the past two years, and costumed a number of shows there too. My last show was Shrek the Musical. In one of our Q&A videos, you can see me with my dragon make-up. Oh--there is a commercial I did, ages ago. I was wearing a bridal veil and surrounded by stuffed animals. That happened.

In one of your videos with the other ladies of MisSpelled, you mentioned your ideal date involved a Star Trek marathon. Right then and there, I knew you were the love of my life. How long have you been a Trekkie?

Live Long and Prosper, my friend. It started young. Nerd begets nerd, I'm afraid, and my parents are NERDS. They hide it well. They started me young on TOS Trek, as well as Classic Who (Four is my Doctor, if you're wondering), and, naturally, Star Wars (My mother has a full collection of the original figures and all the memorabilia she could get her hands on). Both Star Wars and Star Trek have lived peacefully in this house for 40 years. Just saying.

If you could be any species in the Trek ‘verse, which one would you go with and why?

Oh, man, why would you do this to me. Excuse me while I go full nerdling. I'm torn between Romulans and Vulcans. Funny thing about Romulans, is that they're cousins to the Vulcans--from the descendants of the first Vulcan people who rejected the teachings of Surak. Purging emotions and being governed by logic. Though, there's some debate as to whether he meant 'purge' or 'master'. Anyway. I'm just getting worse by the minute, moving on. I appreciate the pacifist nature of Vulcans, and their deep respect of knowledge and learning. The thing that is most misconstrued about is that most think they're emotionless robots. This is not true. Their emotions run so deeply and heavily that Surak saw the need to control/purge them. Before the Awakening, Vulcan was war torn and bloody-- to the point that they faced the death of their species. Surak changed that. Vulcans do feel. They just find their current way of life to be, well, much more logical. Still. Shame in light of emotional decisions is common with Vulcans, and especially a half-Vulcan like Spock. It cannot be an easy way to live, if you can't just lock your feelings down as smoothly as others. Romulans began as dissenters, and formed their own Empire after leaving Vulcan. They did stop being as wildly violent, but are far from the passive nature of Vulcans. Their culture is prideful, with a heavy military mindset. Most would rather die than be dishonored. They're also seriously xenophobic, and extremely paranoid. It's hard to paint a good picture of them, but they can be loyal and their tenacity is something to gawk at. They traded logic for superiority and deceit. What can I say, I'm a huge fan of the Romulan Commander. Either way, you'd get those fabulous ears and mental prowess. I may be leaning towards Vulcan. Okay, I'm done.

Really?  I would've gone with joined Trill!!!

Okay, let’s get to the juicy: MisSpelled. How did you end up playing Quinn? What can you tell the newbs about her?

I was contacted what seems like ages ago by Lindsey, asking if I'd be interested in a project she was working on. We'd been missing each other for a year, maybe more, so I immediately jumped on board. When she cast me, I was so excited. I loved working with her, and to be honest, I missed my friend.

About Quinn...Quinn, for all intents and purposes, was born to be a witch. There's a little arrogance in there, a kind of I TOLD YOU SO feeling. I imagine her a young, impressionable, weird little girl, staring up at the sky, wishing on stars, waiting for something extraordinary to happen. Begging for some sign that she's not just lying to herself when she feels a connection to the powers that be. And, turns out, at long last, she was right. Quinn is honestly the only one welcoming this change in her world, with open arms. The others, not so much. But they're her annoyingly imperfect coven. And she's going to stand by them. I've mentioned Mama Wolf before, gnashing jaws and all. She's fiercely protective of the girls, and others in her life--which may not be many. Quinn is the know-it-all witch. And who knows. There's probably something else lurking under all that armor and cold bravado she wears.

What do you like about MisSpelled in terms of the story and the setting?

Witches, magic, dead people, frying pans, possible malignant spiritual presences, what's not to like, yo? Seriously, when I read the premise of the series, it was something I wanted to watch. For these girls, this is one giant freaking upheaval. It's the reality of suddenly waking up with the power to effect the universe, for good, for bad, and being stuck with a group of people you initially can't stand to be around. It's a world you can get lost in easily and these girls could all be people you know and work with. Or even yourself. The story will only get more and more rich, and the characters have so much room to grow. And it's just fun. Lindsey really created something exciting and funny and dark--and combined with the incredible team we have to pull it all together, I'm so grateful to be a part of it.

What’s the status of the show now? How long before we get another episode?

All I can tell you is we're talking about filming soon, and there may or may not be pages. And they may or may not be absolutely fantastic. And they may or may not completely blow your friggin' socks off. But that's all I can tell you.

Miz Jones, I cannot tell you how awesome it was to have you here at the Bar.