Los Angelino Allie Gonino traveled to Atlanta for her first big TV role in the Sundance Channel show The Red Road. The actress/musician also used her time in town to book a show with her alt-folk trio The Good Mad. Paste editor-in-chief caught up with her after the filming on the Sundance Channel drama’s first season completed.
Paste: How did you get involved in The Red Road?
Allie Gonino: The audition process went very smoothly, and I actually didn’t get the role initially. I just let it roll off my back. They called back and said, “Is she still available because we really want Allie.” When we got out here, everything about the show was so good. The writers and the actors and producers were all veterans, and I felt pretty green still. And so I was really intimidated to be a part of it, and felt an enormous self-imposed pressure to do the writing and the show justice. But episode after episode, you get more comfortable and settled into the character and comfortable with all the other actors. It was overall a very positive experience. We wrapped the last episode and I was crying because it was so great. I really do hope we get to come back because I really just enjoyed learning on this show.
Paste: Can you talk a little bit about the family dynamic on the show?
Gonino: My dad is the sheriff. I have a little sister, and our relationship is really good. I think Kate is my one solid relationship in that family because my mother is a struggling alcoholic and dad is the only authoritative figure in the home. So Rachel really leans on Kate to get through life, even though she’s younger. Rachel starts dating this Native American boy, and for reasons that she doesn’t find out until later in the show, her parents don’t approve of her having this relationship. And it’s heart-breaking because she loves this guy.
Paste: A little Romeo and Juliet going on.
Gonino: Yeah, totally. I had a similar situation happen when I was 17. So I was able to relate to her in that way and really come from a place of truth when portraying this character. I think it helped make it more authentic and real.
Paste: In the first episode you’ve got plenty of challenging scenes. How else were you relating to this character and the crazy adventure she’s on with Junior?
Gonino: I think when you hit that age when you’re starting to break away from your parents—and I definitely went through this living in Los Angeles with my mom—you just want to try things you were always told never to try. I think that’s why she’s really eager to go out with Kopus and Mike and Junior and take on the world and be this bad ass. Even though on the inside I think she’s probably a little scared, I think she wants to live up to this bad-ass girl image she has of herself in her mind—even though at the true core of it she’s just a little suburban girl. She and Junior have sex, and she’s exploring herself. It’s interesting. I like playing characters who you get to see losing their innocence because we all go through that at one time or another. To see how different people deal with it is interesting. She’s a cool character; I really like her because there’s a lot of layers. Easily you could just play her like a reckless nympho, but she’s not. She’s still learning and growing.