Get to know Ashley Versher and all of her success to date with her short film “Brief Exchanges,” and her latest role in Jennifer Lopez’s “This is Me…Now.” 

Ashley Versher is sitting down with HOLR to talk about her latest role in Jennifer Lopez’s “This is Me… Now” (available on Prime Video) as well as the exciting journey of love, challenge, and growth Ashley has been on since the release of her first short film, “Brief Exchanges.” The talented actress, director, and writer is making waves in the industry so read on to learn all about how she got her start, her latest projects, and what’s next for the star!

Talk to us about how you got your start in the industry as an actress, director, and writer.

I got started in the Performing Arts when I was young. At 6 years old I started playing the violin and singing in choirs. In middle school, I participated in musical theater class, where we performed parts of a show. For example, we created a rendition of the big Market scene from Oliver Twist, which is one of my fondest memories to date! That was the beginning of my love for being on stage. In high school, I continued to play the violin and joined a youth symphony. Once I went to college I struggled to figure out “what I wanted to be when I grew up.” After college, on a whim, I took an Intro to Acting class and it was after that first class that I knew I had found what I was supposed to do. I remember calling my mom and saying “Mom I’m going to be an actor!”

We hear that you will be starring alongside Jennifer Lopez in This is Me…Now. Talk to us about this exciting role!

It’s just wild and exciting. I feel a great sense of gratitude to Jennifer, Dave Meyers, and everyone else involved in this project. In ‘This is Me…Now’ I play The Idealist. She has a very positive and hopeful perspective on life and especially on love. She is a romanticist who believes in what should or could be. This Amazon original is a love story and there are some beautiful themes explored in the project: eternal love, healing your inner child, and more. It was really an incredible opportunity. I have looked up to Jennifer Lopez for such a long time, I could never have imagined I would be sharing the screen with an Icon. This is a really fun, unique, and moving project that is out now on Amazon Prime! I think people are going to fall in love with it.  

Tell us about some of the other notable projects you’ve worked on to date.

I’ve had the wonderful privilege of working on “Law & Order SVU”, American Auto, and Reasonable Doubt all of which were incredible experiences for varying reasons. There’s also my own project, “Brief Exchanges” which is the first short film where I wrote, directed, and played the lead role. We just wrapped up our festival circuit. It was a journey of love, challenges, and growth. 

You also wrote and directed a short film titled Brief Exchanges, which appeared at 13 film festivals and won 5 awards- including Best Actor and Best Director. Tell us about this incredible accomplishment. 

In 2020 during the pandemic and shortly after the killing of George Floyd, I was inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement and how so many people took to social media and utilized it as a form of protest. I was inspired to do something –  so I wrote. There was a lot of talk about microaggressions on social media – which sparked my interest and guided me to solidify the central theme of the film. Microaggressions can be tricky to work with because they are invisible dangers. So it was important that I tell a story that garners empathy and that pushes people to individually evaluate their unconscious biases.

Making a film is incredibly hard and there were so many challenges: scheduling, financing, the weather, locking in locations, hiring post-production crew, the weather, and more. We also filmed during the rise of Omicron, so maintaining a safe and COVID-free set was another added layer. I like to think that every challenge was a friendly reminder that I was right where I needed to be, doing exactly what I needed to be doing. I focused on the task, gave myself grace, and maintained the mindset – “There are no problems, only solutions.”

As for my success along the festival circuit – all I can say is that I am grateful. When you make something you never truly know how it will be received. But I am proud of the work and proud of the cast and crew that brought the words of the page to life. 

What’s next for you?

Right now I am so excited about “This Is Me…Now” being out! I’m looking forward to people experiencing this Amazon Original. There’s so much buzz around about it, and for good reason! In addition to that I am in the development stage of my next short film, which focuses on motherhood, womanhood, and friendship. But for today, I am living in the moment.

Published by HOLR Magazine.