3 minute read
Ally Maki
From New Girl, to 2 Broke Girls, and even The Big Bang Theory, Ally Maki’s most recent project is playing Jess on the new TBS comedy, Wrecked a comedy centered around a group of plane crash survivors adapting to life on a remote island, without the usual comforts we so heavily rely on today. As a fourth generation Japanese American, Maki currently resides in Los Angeles but having grown up in Seattle, Washington. With a love of performing since she could ever remember, Maki was was scouted by a talent manager at 14 and ended up moving to LA to live in an actor house with a bunch of other kids for most of her teen years. When she’s not busy acting you could easily catch her in her own space. “You can probably find me, on any given occasion, binge watching a show comfortably from my couch. Oh man, how do I not make this sound like a dating profile!”
When I asked Ally all about her newest and latest project, Wrecked, her answers were filled with nothing but passion.
LW: To someone who's never seen or heard of Wrecked how would you describe it?
AM: Wrecked revolves around a group of strangers that crash land on a deserted island and must figure out how to survive together without the creature comforts from home (AKA coffee, social media and family members). The Shipley brothers, who created the show, had this vision to highlight the underdogs, the less capable people that would most likely die on the first day and analyze their stories. It truly is a show about dummies coming together. It is so wacky and weird in the most fantastic way.
LW: Was the filming process for Season 2 different than Season 1? Have you felt like you've progressed since the start?
AM: With any character, they grow with you and evolve over time. When we shot Season 1, I was still trying to figure Jess out. That was the fun part. You get what is on the page, but a lot of what happens from there is based upon your individual choices, the vision of the creators and chemistry with your fellow actors. There is still that newness for everyone. Season 2, we really begin to know each other intimately. Jess’ little quirks and how she’d react in various situations all come more naturally, paving the way for those organically funny bits between the whole cast. That is the beauty of comedy, when you find those magic moments where you’re so present that something totally unexpected happens.
LW: Do you and your character Jess share any similarities or does it feel like you're portraying a character completely unique from yourself?
AM: I find so much of myself in Jess. She is a total hot mess and never quite gets it right, but I love that about her! She is going through the things every woman faces. Dating, finding her voice and her sexual identity. I really connect with all of that. Flashbacks of all my horrible first dates and relationships with guys that lasted too long all popped up during filming. The scene in the pilot where Todd and Jess are arguing about when to move in together, is a conversation that I have had almost word for word with an ex. She is constantly evolving and learning from her mistakes, as am I.
However, Maki’s role on Wrecked has stood out from everything else that she’s achieved and pursued.
“Booking Wrecked was life changing for me. It was the first time where I had been given this amazing opportunity to play that All-American girl role I had always dreamed of. The girl that was just going through life and everything that goes along with it. After years of playing secondary characters, this was proof to me that the industry is changing and shattered my own preexisting beliefs on what I could attain as an actress.”
The ultimate dream for Ally Maki?
“Creating my own content. If I can tell the stories I want to tell, in the way I want to tell them, I will feel like I have really done something.”
Written by Morgan Eckel | Photography by Rick Bhatia | Makeup by Erik Torppe | Hair by Samuel Rodriguez | Styling by Tricia Yang
