On the Verge: Ashley Bratcher from ‘Unplanned’
“On the Verge” highlights up-and-coming actors on the verge of a breakthrough career moment. Ashley Bratcher has IMDb credits going back to 2012, but the box office success of her most recent film, “Unplanned,” has brought her to the breakthrough moment she is currently experiencing. Bratcher took time out to share the career twists and turns that led to her playing the character of Abby Johnson in the polarizing drama that made more than $6 million in its opening weekend.
You’ve been working as an actor for a while. What led up to this role?
“In 2008, immediately after college, I moved up to New York, but I was so not ready. A lot of the advice that is given to actors now is so accurate as far as waiting to go to a bigger market until you’re ready. I had some great auditions back then but was just kind of floundering as an actor. So I ended up coming back to North Carolina and put acting on the backburner when I had my son. In 2012, I was teaching middle school art and had the thought that if I didn’t try and go for acting, I might look back and have regrets. So I went out to Wilmington, North Carolina and got an agent there. I gave my career to the Lord, and after I did that, I started working immediately. I mean, I had small parts, but I really feel like they prepared me over the past seven years to lead up to this moment.”
What was the process like of getting the role?
“This has been the most nontraditional casting experience for me. I found out about the role through Instagram. An acquaintance sent me a direct message and said, ‘Ashley, I have been praying for you for the last year, and I feel like God is telling me that you’re meant to play this role.’ I remember being really nice but blowing it off because I didn’t know if it was going to be some cheesy, poorly made Christian film. But she persisted so I took a look at the audition sides and decided I wanted to audition.
I looked up Abby, and when I heard her testimony, it just rocked my world. I don’t know how anyone would pass on this role. Yes, it’s controversial, but if you’re looking at it as an artist, Abby has this dynamic character arc. I mean, it’s a complete 180. There are really heavy, emotional scenes, but Abby’s also incredibly funny. It’s really a dream role. It was challenging mentally, emotionally and physically but was an amazing opportunity as an actor.”
How has the role impacted your career?
“I mean, we knew when we started making this film that it was something really special, and we anticipated that it would get a lot of attention. But the way that it performed in the box office has really exceeded all of our wildest dreams. Going into this, it was really important for me to have that deep conviction about the message. I think it’s really a social responsibility as an artist that you have to be able to back the work that you put out. People within the industry that don’t necessarily agree with the message have even reached out to tell me that they were still really impacted by my performance. And that’s what we want as actors—to move people.
I’m now being optioned for some other feature films, and it’s been really cool to have people reach out directly. That’s what actors want—to get out of ‘audition purgatory’ and just be able to read a script and decide if you want to attach your name to it. I’ve had a lot of actors who share my faith that are unsure if they can navigate the industry without compromising their values, so I want to reinforce that it’s possible to do and still become a successful actor.”
Actors waiting for their own breakthroughs can take heart from Bratcher’s story as they navigate toward their own turning points. Even after she gained some momentum as an actor, it still took her seven years to land her career-changing role. But Bratcher’s persistence paid off with a project and role that are taking her to a whole new level of exposure and opportunities.
