Asta Leigh
Asta Leigh is an award winning actress. She began focusing on creating stories that inspire, educate, empower and bring new perspectives to audiences. On film, she’s acted in and co-produced the award-winning Sand Angels, co-produced League of Legend Keepers and acted, produced, and starred in multi-award-winning Running on Empty. She wrote and directed the short film Perception and played a role in Golden Globe Winner Paul Walter Hauser’s short film Heirloom. On stage, she has appeared in The Open Couple, Agamemnon, and The Odd Couple.
Asta’s show BEFOK (Or The Desperate Attempt to Impress Iñárritu) plays at the Odyssey Theatre in LA through Nov 5
Where did you initially get the idea behind BEFOK? (And what does it mean, as slang?) Walk us through what the story means to you and what the main character (Lola) learns.
BEFOK is a word that means a number of things depending on how you use it. It can mean “awesome,” “angry,” “cool” and “not quite right in the head.” I grew up in South Africa in an environment that supported racism. As a child I wrestled with my feelings surrounding it and I wanted to see a South African Afrikaans character that was anti-racist but was still flawed beyond measure. This is by no means autobiographical but I used my experiences as a foreigner in LA trying to make it as an actress. Lola’s biggest flaw may be that she feels like she needs to be more than what she is. Her “big Hollywood persona” that she shows to the world (and to Alejandro) is a protective cover to keep herself safe. This is tested and tried and ultimately, Lola must face who she really is and how she really feels.
How did the development process begin with your director Matt? Did you discover anything along the way that you hadn't previously realized about yourself as a performer or writer?
I wrote a web series, then a TV pilot on the subject the play BEFOK is based on. I had been working with Matt, who is an excellent Storycrafting coach, for a while on both of these. When Hollywood Fringe came up I thought, “Well, instead of waiting for someone to pick up this Pilot, I’ll write a play so I can perform it and work on the character!”
I learnt a lot about the character doing the play. It was challenging giving birth to something and then have people critique it. It completely spun me out initially. But I really have gotten to a point that I know this is about “me against me.” Nothing and no one else. Of course, I want the play to be received well but I’ve learnt that it’s so much bigger than that. Every time I go out there to perform, because I’m such a perfectionist, I always want to make it better. I’m learning how to just enjoy every performance, every moment and learning to be less hard on myself in the process.
The poster for BEFOK features a chicken sitting on top of your head. Does this image symbolize anything for you in particular?
The poster is a play on the Alejandro González Iñárritu movie Birdman starring Michael Keaton, but the actual chicken is a character in the play. A very IMPORTANT character in the play…
Why do you think 'impossible dreams' are important and necessary for us, as human beings?
We have this one life, so it can become whatever we desperately want, work for and dream about, right? Dream bigger, push higher, we all need something to aspire toward. Everyone wants a positive change but change is hard, so many aren’t willing to do it, or get frustrated and stop. Seeing a piece of art where a character pushes themselves to get their “impossible dream,” whether they achieve it in the story or not, reminds us and maybe gives us all that little tickle of “remember to go for more, keep trying.”
What are you working on next? Or, what do you hope to do next as a performer or writer?
I have a producer who’s urging me to turn BEFOK into a movie as I’d have a better chance of getting it made, so I’m working on the script for that. My aim is to keep pushing myself to create content and perform – I’ve learnt and grown so much in this process. I’d also love for the stage version to have a run in New York.