An Interview with Mary Mouser (Lacey, 'Body of Proof')

Did you know that there are more than 120,000 members of the Screen Actors Guild? Out of those 120,000 members, less than 10% are raking in the big bucks and are working on a regular basis. Many actors spend years trying to get that one big break, while for some, that big break never comes.

Body of Proof star Mary Mouser has been in the business since she was a little girl and has managed to forge an amazing career over the years by landing both guest starring and series regular roles in several television shows ranging from CSI and Life is Wild to the CBS powerhouse NCIS and Body of Proof.... and she's only 15 years old!

I was lucky enough to chat with this absolutely delightful young lady about being a teenager, her plans for college and her role on Body of Proof....

Q: What does a typical day consist of for you?

Mary: "A typical work day requires that I have three hours of school every school day, so on holidays I don't have to have school on set. Because I'm only 15, I have to have a teacher on set for my welfare. So, a typical day consists of me going straight into the hair and makeup trailer and then to wardrobe and then off to school until they're ready for me. I'll go in for rehearsal and blocking, which is where they lay down the marks, and then we actually shoot the scene. You know how in Cinderella, her carriage turns into a pumpkin? Well, at the end of my day, I 'pumpkin.' As a kid, you're only allowed to work a certain number of hours, so they call it your 'pumpkin time.' It's a cute little term they use to keep us kids safe."

Q: Do you have much time to hang out with your friends?

Mary: "I do. Because I'm her daughter (Megan Hunt), I'm not involved with most of the dead scenes; I get to do scenes with Dana. They are some episodes where I get to be involved in all of that, which are really fun. I get time to spend with my family and friends. The cast and crew are really great; they never make it a negative experience being there, so my sister gets to come by the set on her way home from school, which is really fun."

Q: How do your friends react when you're recognized in public?

Mary: "My friends giggle because they see me as completely normal -- as the goofball who is in love with Twilight and Harry Potter and all those geeky things."

Q: Do you plan to go to college?

Mary: "I definitely do. I've been planning for college the past couple of years with my mom. I plan to go somewhere locally so I can still work at the same time. I'm lucky to have a job being so young and I don't want to give that up, but I'm not going to give up on school either."

Q: What has been the best advice you've been given so far about acting?

Mary: "I was doing a scene from season one with Dana and in the script, they give you these little footnotes of what you're supposed to be doing, and in this scene, I was supposed to blush about something. It's really hard to blush on command and I asked Dana how I was going to make myself blush and she told me you really have to feel it -- you have to feel what your character is feeling. I was able to do it and get really into the scene. Ever since then, that advice has come in handy for me."

Q: Tell us about Lacey on Body of Proof...

Mary: "I think she's a typical teenage girl who has been through a lot for her age. Her parents got divorced and battled back and forth over who was to blame and she was caught in the middle and it's something she's having a hard time recovering from. Now that she's building her relationship with her mother, it's still hard for her to open up. She feels like if she opens up, the hurt can come in again. She's learning to balance that. She's a really strong girl and very smart, but she's a teenager."

Q: What is your favorite thing to do in-between takes on the set?

Mary: "I love teasing with the other actors. They are all so much fun! Dana (Delany) is a huge Words with Friends player, so I've been trying to best her. The cast has been so great; Windell (Curtis) and Nic (Peter) are hilarious and keep me laughing all the time. I spend my time with them and enjoying the time I have."

Q: Do you get to keep the clothes you wear on the show?

Mary: "They are building Lacey's wardrobe, so not everyone has a new outfit every single day. Everyone re-wears things. They'll reuse them every once in a while to show that she's just a typical girl. I love Lacey's style."

Q: What are your plans for the future?

Mary: "Hopefully on another set where I can feel just as at home and just as excited as I do now. I hope I can do this for the rest of my life."

Q: Do you use Twitter to keep in touch with your fans?

Mary: "I do -- I Tweet as often as I can. My Twitter is @MaryMMouser."

Q: Do you watch any TV shows on a regular basis?

Mary: "I love The Vampire Diaries and my sister got me into Doctor Who."

Q: What is your favorite iPad/iPhone App?

Mary: "Right now I am obsessed with a game called Petting Zoo. The App I use most is Instagram."

Q: What would you like to say to the fans?

Mary: "I would like to ask them to keep up with season two of Body of Proof and help us get the opportunity to have a season three because the people I work with are my family and they work hard to make a great show."