'Grace Unplugged' Star AJ Michalka Shares About Her Connecting With the Role, How They Chose Music & Working with Jamie Grace, Read Full Interview Here

 

 

AJ Michalka is an American singer and actress. AJ and her sister Aly had a string of successful singles and released three albums between 2005-2007. They are now putting out music under the new name 78violet. AJ sang four songs on the upcoming Grace Unplugged movie and played the starring role. Grace Unplugged releases to theaters on October 4th. The Soundtrack for the movie, which features AJ alongside other great artists such as TobyMac and Colton Dixon is available Aug 27th. You can order the soundtrack here

We would like to thank AJ for taking the time to do this interview with BreatheCast. 

 

BreatheCast: How did this role of playing Gracie Trey come about for Grace Unplugged?

AJ: "It actually came about in a really a cool way. I was at church and a friend of mine came up to me who at the time worked at my agencies office and he told me there was this script thats going around called Grace Unplugged and I've read it and it just screams to me something that you could be really great for. Do you mind looking into it and giving it a read?" And I said "yea, that's so cool".  So I immediately read it and fell in love with it and just really pursued meeting for it. Brad Silverman, the director, was really excited about setting up a meeting with him and his team. That first meeting really further sparked my interest. I already loved the script and felt really attached to that role of Gracebut something about that meeting was a total God thing. I came back home and was really moved and knew it was something that I really wanted to do. The guys really ended up connecting with me as well and we took the next steps. There was one other meeting and we sealed the deal and next thing I knew I was in Alabama (laughs). It was a really cool process that I've never really had before. There are usually many auditions and reading with other cast members, but this was just kind of placed in front of me by God in a really cool way, so it was definitely a really experience for me."

 

BreatheCast: You said you connected with the character of Grace, can you explain that a little more?

AJ: "I feel like I can relate to hear as a young woman growing up. We had the same background growing up in a Christian family. I feel like there is always that struggle of a young girl wanting to prove yourself but you have to be very careful of the decisions you make. I think along the way Grace makes some choices that are not the best and she's a little desperate to get to where she wants to get. I think everyone can relate to that in the sense that sometimes we'll risk who we are and what we believe in to get to that 'next level' and you can't. You can't compromise your relationship with Christ and you can't compromise what you believe in or your morals. She learned that along the way and I love her turn and her awakening because I think it's inspiring and powerful and I think that we all have to go through that." 

 

BreatheCast: How would you describe Grace Unplugged in a few sentences for people?

AJ: "I would say it's a journey through a young girls eyes. It's inspiring and uplifting and you will leave the theater feeling better about yourself. If you have a strong relationship with your family you can relate to this and if you don't you can also relate to it because she goes through both sides. It's a powerful story about family and not compromising yourself to get to a certain point in your career."

 

BreatheCast: What was it like working with Jamie Grace on set?

AJ: "She is amazing. I absolutely adore her. She is so talented, she had never acted before and she did so well. She was really, really comfortable and we actually became really close friends. It was very easy to work with her and it just felt really natural."

 

BreatheCast: What was the process of choosing the songs you recorded for the movie & soundtrack, did you have a say in the song selection?

AJ: "Yea, I did have a say, which was really cool and kind of rare. I became very close with Brad Silverman just naturally because I love his personality and his style and he's so smart. We were pretty much always on the same page musically and when it came to film notes. We bounced back some ideas, he would send me songs that were contenders for the film and it was always kind of known that I was going to do four songs for the film and the score. I just loved that because there is not many opportunities to combine both talents into one project, so I loved that I was able to do music and not just act. We went through the process of really amazing Christian worship songs. Some were well known and we would kind of sift through it and decide if this song was too known or if it would really surprise people when they heard it. We both really fell in love with "All I've Ever Needed" and then we got interested in "Never Let me Go" and "Misunderstood", which is an amazing original song, as well as "Desert Song" I was like "alright, these are songs that I really connect with". I just fell in love with them instantly, it kind of felt like songs that I had written, I felt very close to them. The only thing that was different was not doing it with my sister, but I kind of that as a challenge and a different kind of adventure."

 

BreatheCast: What advice do you have for young girls coming up that want to be involved in the entertainment industry?

AJ: "My advice is to never get too excited or too caught up in what the business could turn into for you. I think there are so many people who get caught up and excited about the sound of fame or stardom or what it means to be a celebrity. Really it's just about the passion behind the goal and if you don't have that passion, you should maybe question what path you are supposed to be on. I do feel like it's so important to surround yourself with people who will keep you grounded and tell you when you are doing something that is not a great choice, or inappropriate or something that could really effect you down the road in a negative way. Everything we do in this world is crazy, whether it's the entertainment business or wanting to become a teacher. There are so many sinful things that drive this world and it is just really important to stay as ground as you can in Christ and to really visit him every morning as you wake up and relinquish your entire life to Him, rather then the first thing you think about when you wake up is how can I further my career today. 

 

BreatheCast: What are your plans for this Fall 2013 with movie releases and anything else?

AJ: "I'm really excited because they are doing this amazing press junket for the film and I'm going to be a part of some really cool screenings. They are going to be doing a premiere in Nashville and I'm just really excited for the release of the film. So this fall will really be all about promoting and enjoying Grace Unplugged. My sister and I just released a single (78violet). We hadn't released any new music in five years, so we are working on our band. We just kind of introducing our new sound and who we have grown into as artists which has been really exciting. In January, I have a film coming out that I actually did before 'Grace' that I co-produced and starred in called Jesus in Cowboy Boots. It is just a really beautiful family film, definitely different than Grace Unplugged but kind of follows this course of live through a girls eyes. That film will come out in limited release in January, so I'm really excited there are really great things going on. I'm just taking everything one step at a time, but really just focusing on Grace Unplugged for these next couple of months."