LOCAL CAROL

Animated Disney film makes Meade’s dreams come to life

THOMASVILLE — Amber Gainey Meade never in her wildest dreams thought she would be in a Disney film or guided by one of her favorite directors.

But, she is proof dreams do come true this holiday season with the release of Disney’s “A Christmas Carol,” an animated film directed by Robert Zemeckis. She is the performer behind at least a dozen of its characters.

“It was such an honor to even be considered and then to get cast was beyond my wildest dreams,” Meade said in a phone interview. “I admit, I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, Robert Zemeckis is directing me right now! Then I thought, ‘OK, focus, focus, or you’re not going to do what he wants and you’ll end up looking like an idiot!”

Meade, 35, moved to Thomasville from California in 1979 (she has a younger sister who was born here) with parents Dr. Henry and Gale Gainey, who still reside here.

She enrolled in kindergarten at Brookwood School and attended there until her 1992 graduation.

It did not have a theatre program at the time, but her mother drove Amber to Tallahassee to take part in classes at the Young Actors Theatre and the former C.A.S.T.

The family has a home in Laguna Hills, Calif., and Amber also would go there for summer acting activities, Gale Gainey said.

“We knew from the time she was two years old that she wanted to perform. She would dress Henry and I up and we’d let her put makeup on our faces. Then, we’d put on shows.”

At age 13, Meade ventured into community theatre by auditioning for “Fiddler on the Roof” at Thomasville On Stage and Company.

“Many of the adults acting with TOSAC had studied theatre or had worked professionally, so I really benefited from their experience and craft.”

She also participated in various other acting groups and activities, seizing every opportunity to study the craft.

“If there was a class, I enrolled. If there was a show, I auditioned. My parents were incredibly generous in their willingness to fund my passion and drive me all over Creation to pursue it.”

Gale Gainey said life with Amber has been a lot like the scene from “Carol” where Scrooge speed-flies through space with the Ghost of Christmas Past.

“She has flown through life and been such a delight,” she said. “It seems, whatever she does, the Lord has his hands on her.”

Henry Gainey, a pastor, believes Amber’s Christian beliefs are one reason she stands out.

“She is just a fine woman and has got a tremendous personality that is genuine and comes from the heart.”

Meade left Thomasville in 1992 to attend Northwestern University, where she studied acting with David Downs. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in speech (theatre) and a certificate in musical theatre.

Next came an ever-changing career on stages across the United States on national tours, regional theatre gigs, a harbor cruise line, and a stint in the Theodore Roosevelt National Park performing a patriotic musical.

Meade met her husband Tim on the national tour of Schoolhouse Rock Live. They got married in Thomasville in 2000.

A few years ago, the couple moved out west so Amber could try the L.A. acting scene and, almost immediately, she “was blessed” with opportunities in film, including “Carol.”

She got it thanks to friends keeping their ears open for potential jobs and her work as a film reader, or the person who runs lines with actors during auditions.

One day the casting director inquired about her British accent because next up were “Carol” auditions.

Meade “went home and crammed.”

“Everyone we were seeing was a native Brit. I remember playing children, adults, cockney beggars, upper-crust party members — then this weird serendipitous thing started happening. The actors started complimenting me in front of the casting director.”

One day, the same director asked if she would be interested in auditioning.

“I thought ‘is she joking?’ but I maintained my composure,” Meade said.

She made a tape that was personally viewed by Zemeckis.

“I had no idea he would view my tape. I got the call and was told Bob popped my tape in and, in about 30 seconds, said ‘I want her!’ I remember I just fell on my kitchen floor and was doing a scene from the Greeks, crying on the linoleum. I called my husband at work and we were both just screaming into the phone.”

A few well-known actors were hired for roles — most notably Jim Carrey as Scrooge — and then nine actors — including Meade — were hired “to play absolutely everything else.”

“We really were like a family,” she said. “It was like being in an ensemble theater company or in a Broadway chorus. Every day we showed up it was something new.”

Filming “Carol” occurred in early 2008.

Meade performed her various roles thanks to motion-capture technology, a tool she described as a “marriage of everything that is voiced and acted for a character.”

Motion capture is “a great equalizer,” Meade said, because everyone is wearing the same thing: what looks like a wet suit covered in “little silver ball” sensors at all places where a body bends to pick up movement.

“To ice skate, they made a lot of slick flooring and covered our shoes in a material to make it look like we were gliding. The scene when Scrooge gets dragged to the window and sees the spirits floating around...I am one of them. They put us in harnesses and pulled us into the air. Our stunt coordinator showed us how to put our feet up so it looked like we were flying.”

Improv training in Meade’s theater work also came in handy on set.

“Bob would say, ‘OK Amber, pretend your skin is on fire and you are trying to rip all of it off. You’re shrieking because you’re being tortured. My training proved to be very helpful.”

She is also the performer for the beggar woman seen rocking a dead baby on the frozen street.

“Bob treated every scene — even that tiny bit — as if it was every bit as important as Scrooge’s final repentance scene.”

Probably the “coolest” thing Meade shot was a scene with Scrooge near the beginning of the film, when he approaches a group of ragtag carolers.

“It was the first thing I shot with Jim. We were asked to sing at the top of our lungs, so here I am singing at the top of my lungs about two feet from his face. I remember thinking, ‘Don’t let me forget the words or spit on Jim Carrey’s face!’

“From the time I was little, I wanted to sing in a Disney film so I also thought, ‘Oh my gosh! I’m singing in a Disney movie!”

Henry Gainey said seeing Amber in a 3D movie “was pretty awesome.” They caught a 12:01 a.m. opening day screening.

“My wife and I were just holding one another’s hands going ‘wow.’ It was a really cool experience.”

Meade has advice for others looking to break into the L.A. acting scene: have humility and always be on time.

“It is very important to come here with humility, even if you are proud of your career somewhere else, and it is amazing how much just showing up can benefit you.”

Meade’s upcoming projects include “Mars Needs Moms!” with Seth Green and director Simon Wells. She is portraying a mother, several Martians, and a captain of the Martian army.

Future career wishes include a possible album, as well as writing, producing and directing films. She previously directed a production of a musical penned by her father, “The Book of Esther.”

Her father thinks she has what it takes to be a director.

“I was amazed at her work on ‘The Book of Esther’. A scene could not quite be coming together and she could make a few changes and it would fall into place.”

But, Meade never wants to be a “celebrity.”

“I want to be able to go to the grocery store without being stalked. I don’t want to be famous because fame can be fleeting. I just want to be able to do something I love.”

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