Hendrix Yancey

November 18, 2022November 25, 2022 Rachelle Henry 0 Comments

Illuminate Interview: Hendrix Yancey

HENDRIX YANCEY

Up and coming star Hendrix Yancey is taking the industry by storm. She joined the cast of the hit Netflix series “Stranger Things” to play 013, a young girl being experimented on at the Hawkins Laboratory. Now, she is starring in the breakout Peacock series “A Friend of the Family” where she stars as young Jan Broberg in the shocking true story. Her starring role alongside Hollywood heavyweights Colin Hanks, Anna Paquin and Jake Lacy show that Hendrix is on her way to the top.

ILLUMINATE: Welcome Hendrix!

I know that while you have the opportunity to film around the country, you still live in Arkansas. When did the acting bug start and how do you balance your life in your home state while working in cities such as Atlanta and LA?

YANCEY: Well I actually started by doing pageants (I literally BEGGED my mom to let me), and I actually won the first that I did; I was Little Miss Arkansas and Cinderella Tot at the age of 5. My mom realized that I liked entertaining people – not really the pageants – so about the same time a friend of my mom’s (that’s a casting director in LA) noticed me and joked with my mom saying, “Get your child into acting or give me your child!” My mom says it would have been a lot easier to just give her the child! The casting director (Holly Wolfe) recommended an acting school, where I did weekly zoom lessons from home and I got a demo reel made by one of the instructors, Curt Mega (also an actor). The acting School, Gray Studios, invited me to participate in their student showcase and from that performance I landed the most amazing manager ever – Susie Mains. Susie suggest I sign with Osbrink for an agency, and they accepted me after an interview (where I faked a British Accent to be funny and they TOTALLY bought it!). Then within a month I booked my FIRST recurring role on a television show! I’ve been hooked ever since!

ILLUMINATE: You’re making waves with your portrayal as the younger version of Jan Broberg (older version played by McKenna Grace) in the Peacock Original series A Friend of the Family. I know that both of you got to meet the real Jan Broberg. Did she visit the set and did it help you both prepare for that character? Did you and McKenna ever discuss the character together?

YANCEY: The first time I met Jan it was about a month into filming and I realized I was actually a lot like her and our energy matched. Before I started filming my parents let me watch bits and pieces of the documentary; I felt this important so that I could try and match her mannerisms and personality. Jan helped me a lot during some of harder scenes – I didn’t have a really heavy/dark place to pull from because I was only 10 during filming – Miss Jan and the set acting coach, Meghan McGarry, helped me find a throughline for my portrayal of Jan … and that was Jan’s love for her family.

ILLUMINATE: A Friend of the Family is a highly emotional role for you. How did you prepare for a character that had so much going on and how were you able to take a break from the heaviness of it all?

YANCEY: So first the day before set, when I had an emotional or difficult scene, my mom and I would read over it and I would loosely memorize it so that I was comfortable enough with the material that I could try it a couple different ways. I also always like to go over my material on the van ride into set as a quick refresher. When I get to set, I would usually go over the scenes during rehearsal with the director and showrunner – they would ask me if I had any questions, if I felt comfortable, and if I had any changes I’d like to add. Then when it comes time to really get to that emotional place I have a special memory book that I like to look through, and Mckenna taught me a trick that Elizabeth Moss taught her …. Make a playlist for different emotions and characters and listen to it before the scene.

When the day was over I would go back to the hotel and either play and sing/play music with mckenna or I would play VR and ride the one-wheel with Wyatt (who plays Jasper Berchtold). I got really close with them because we spent all day on set together and then we were all staying at the same hotel!

ILLUMINATE: You worked with some heavy hitters on A Friend of the Family including Oscar winner Anna Paquin, Colin Hanks and of course Jake Lacy. Your chemistry with them was incredible. How did you develop the relationships of the Broberg family and create that relationship with “B?”

YANCEY: My very first day I had a scene with Jake (Brother B) and I didn’t really know him yet, so there wasn’t a relationship – we didn’t meet really beforehand. So the acting coach told me to think of him like my two best friends at home – Libby and Addimae – so I just pretended that I was with them … until I had formed a real relationship with Jake. And that didn’t take long because Jake is really awesome. Anna and Colin both have kids my age so it wasn’t hard to see them as “my parents” in the show – they’re used to kids my age. Anna gave me lots of tips, advice, and encouragement and Colin is really funny and would joke with us!

ILLUMINATE: Back in February of 2021, you posted a picture of your shaved head and everyone guessed you were in Stranger Things. More than a year later, you posted that you were indeed in Stranger Things season 4 as 013, another child being experimented on in the Hawkins Laboratory. I can imagine this was a crazy fun experience. Tell us some fun behind the scenes stories.

YANCEY: AGH! This was my bucketlist project because Stranger Things is my ultimate favorite show!!! Fun fact, I actually made a dream board (because my mom MADE ME) on January 1st and 36 hours later I got a call that I had booked the show! I do dream boards A LOT NOW – haha! Fun stories …. Well, one time I got the hiccups on set and could NOT stop, so Millie told me she would give me $100 if I hiccupp’d again … I tried SO HARD but just couldn’t do it! So she didn’t have to pay up! Oh, and I was REALLY scared of Matthew Modine (“Papa”) when I got to set, because his character is really creepy, but he turned out to be one of my very favorite people EVER! He taught me about manifestation and the power of your thoughts. Fun fact, there were SO MANY crew members that I worked with on “Stranger Things” on the set of “A Friend Of The Family” – Candace, Troy, Richard … so many.

The only sad thing is I didn’t get to work with Sadie Sink – I LOVE HER! But, my girl Dani (a makeup artist on AFOTF) literally CALLED Sadie one day when I was on set and let me talk to her … BEST. DAY. EVER! I cried like a baby and Sadie said, “Oh, don’t cry … you’re going to make ME cry!” She is THE BEST.

ILLUMINATE: 013 had powers and apparently “Stranger Things” creators, Matt and Ross Duffer, let you choose your special powers. How did you decide which powers and how did you channel those to portray on screen?

YANCEY: Well, AT FIRST I told them I wanted to be able to communicate with animals – I kind of wish I’d stuck with that! But then I changed it to FIRE and ICE. Which I think is pretty cool … you kind of can’t go WRONG with any super power J . The Duffers were really great to listen to the cast; one day in the rainbow room I told the Duffers that I had an idea – I thought it would be really cool to use the magic 8-ball in the death scene (after 10 shakes it and answers Papa) … that it should say something creepy and have blood on it. They actually USED that idea! I thought that was super cool!

ILLUMINATE: One of your first higher profile roles was as Merritt Weaver’s daughter in the Netflix Original, Unbelievable. You got to attend the Golden Globes when it was nominated for Best Limited Series. That’s an experience many would dream of going to. How did that come about and what is your inside scoop on the Globes?

YANCEY: THE GOLDEN GLOBES WERE AWESOME! It was the BEST night of my life. I wasn’t a series regular so my amazing publicist, Amanda Abelita of ABPR, jumped through some major hoops to get me an invite … and I took my mom as my date! HEY, I was only 7! Hah! I got to dance all night and eat chocolate …. A lot of chocolate because Lindt was the sponsor! I got to meet the owner of Icelandic Water and I even met Taron Egerton’s dad Guy and played with his sisters. It was really fun.

ILLUMINATE: Some of your other past roles include Charming the Hearts of Men, Reborn, Bake Sale and of course I met you at the screening for Crystal’s Ball. You have a great range of characters on your resume. What have been some lessons you’ve learned on these sets that helped prepare you for your more famous roles?

YANCEY: My past roles haven’t been nearly as big as the ones I’ve done recently, but they definitely taught me a lot. I learned what it felt like to go on set and be a part of a project, I learned the words that people use on set (that was really important), and I learned my favorite thing … WHAT CRAFTY IS!

ILLUMINATE: You have multiple projects in the works. Tell us about those and would you ever consider writing/directing/producing in the future?

YANCEY: I have ALWAYS wanted to write/direct something – I have actually written a sketch comedy act (that I happen to think is super funny) and I have also written some fun things and had my friends act it out at school, but nothing super serious. My mom has a journalism degree, so this is for sure something I would want to do in the next few years … I already have a few ideas!

ILLUMINATE: Beyond being the talent we see on screen, what are some fun things people may not know about you?

YANCEY: Okay, I’m going to fire away at some random facts about myself!! My mom and I rescue, foster and find homes for kittens (we have rescued about 20 kittens this year between acting gigs). My dad is 6’10” and was a former D1 basketball player; his sister (who I’m a lot alike) ran track and played volleyball for Kentucky AND went to the Olympic trials – I’m pretty athletic too … I play volleyball, basketball, softball, and love to rollerblade – I’m hoping to go skiing for the first time this winter! I’m ambidextrous. I did eye training to learn to tolerate colored contacts on set all day for “A Friend Of The Family”; I also learned to play the piano for the show AND I have two solos. I live on 10 acres in Arkansas and have 3 dogs and 3 cats… I love climbing trees and being outside! Oh and I’m a gamer J I got a PC set for my birthday and I have a really awesome gaming setup at my house where I play roblox and minecraft!