Author: Shaudi Bianca Vahdat
Every production has a few behind-the-scenes plot twists, but few are as dramatic as the one that launched actor Harley Bronwyn into the starring role of Jamie in the dark comedy whodunit Glass Casa.
When the original lead departed the project just days into filming, Harley was asked to step in—no time, no prep, just instinct and collaboration. It’s the type of scenario that gives most actors nightmares, but it ended up becoming the catalyst to an award-winning performance from the experienced film and TV performer.
In our conversation, Harley shares how that whirlwind experience changed her as an actor, the unexpected ways her own journey mirrors her character’s arc, and the lifelong friendships—and spontaneous musical theatre belting—that defined the set.
Harley Bronwyn as Jamie in Glass Casa.
On having virtually zero time to prep for her award-winning role
You have a unique origin story when it comes to how you landed your role in Glass Casa. Could you walk us through how you came to play Jamie?
So I was actually recommended to this film from a friend, an acting teacher. His name is Eric. And that’s how I got connected with [Glass Casa writer/director] Laa.
I had originally auditioned for both the roles of Evie and Jamie. But I felt more drawn to Evie. And that’s where Laa felt I fit best to begin with. And so I was booked in that role. I did all my prep as that role.
And then a few days into shooting, the actress who was originally cast as Jamie had to leave the project, right?
And obviously that left us in a bind and a scramble. And I just remember Laa looking at me like, “You can do this Harley.” And I was like, “Oh my God, what? Are you sure? Okay.”
Because we had a whole night of shooting ahead of us. It was at the beginning of I think the fourth night. We had a 12-hour night that we’re looking at and it was like, Okay, can I get off book enough to get through the scenes that we have scheduled?
And then through the rest of the shoot, every single day, I’m learning all the lines, going through the script, creating Jamie as I go. Because I auditioned for her, but all of my prep had gone into a different character.
And so… Yeah, it was like the most last-minute scramble. Luckily, a lot of my acting training prepped me for getting something on the fly and being able to run with it and make strong choices. And so, thank you AMAW for all of your work, getting me ready for this type of work.
But yeah, it was the most unprepared I had been for a role and yet the most out of my head that I had been, because I didn’t have time to think. I didn’t have time to overthink anything. You just had to jump in. It was crazy.
How long had you been prepping to play the role of Evie?
I had two, three weeks to prep for Evie. I had her whole backstory, I really had put the time into creating who I thought she was gonna be. And then I was like, Okay, scrap that. You’re done with that, don’t even think about that anymore—now you’re just a whole different person.
I think it was a gift in a lot of ways because, sometimes, when an actor has too much time to prepare, we easily get into our heads. And with this, I really just had to go with instinct and who I felt that she was, based on the auditions that I had done.
I had to have a lot of trust in myself, but also I had a lot of trust in Laa to guide me. Because obviously, she was putting her faith in me. It was super collaborative, and we created Jamie together on the fly. It was unlike anything I had experienced before.
On how Glass Casa affected her process
How did that experience change you as an actor? And are there any tips you would share with actors put in a similar position?
I would say, honestly, it did change me as an actor. I think it gave me a lot of confidence in myself because I was like, if I can handle this, being thrown into this situation, I can handle most things.
I won’t speak for all actors, but I do think a lot of actors experience a lot of self-doubt, and it is really easy to overthink your career and your abilities.
And so being thrust into a position where the pressure is on, it forced me to just believe in myself and trust in myself and know that I’ve put in the work over the years to grow the skills that I have.
Harley Bronwyn as Jamie and Justin Michael Terry as Charlie in Glass Casa.
I think that if another actor was put into this position… I remember I was told by an acting teacher once, all of the training you do is cumulative, right? Even if you’re starting on a new role or a new journey, you’re never starting all the way from scratch. You are the culmination of all the work you’ve put in, all the characters you’ve played, everything builds to the moment that you’re in now. And even if mentally you feel unprepared, you have to just sort of trust in your body and trust in your instrument. It sounds cheesy, but you have the tools and your instincts are there.
I think a big part of this career is sort of living in delusion. You’re entering a career where there’s not a lot of guarantee that you’re going to make it or that you’re going to be successful. So already you’re taking a leap…You’ve got to rely on that self-belief and all your training.
Take classes. Definitely take classes. Do the work in between all the other jobs. I can’t emphasize enough how important being in class is, because that’s where it’s like going to the gym. Yeah, sure, you can run a marathon with no training, but you’re going to be better off if you are putting in the time beforehand. It’s how an actor stays sharp. It’s how you stay “on”. And so when you are thrown into a situation like this, you have the tools.
That’s amazing advice for artists in any discipline, I think. So, as you said, you created Jamie on the fly with Laa. How would you describe the character of Jamie?
I would say she is quirky, artistic. I don’t know if she would describe herself like this, but as an outsider, I would describe her as a badass. I don’t think that she initially sees that in herself.
But as an outsider looking at her, I think that she’s incredibly badass. She knows what she believes in and she trusts herself. Or she definitely learns to trust herself throughout the process of this movie. She has vision and she has a romantic spirit.
She’s just cool in all of the ways that make someone genuinely cool, you know, not just like your average “cool girl”.
It’s funny that it kind of mirrors some of your own process, the way Jamie learns to trust herself and her own badassery throughout the process.
That’s so true. I didn’t even think about that. But yeah, I mean, so much of acting is just finding the character in yourself, and I think that those are the things I admired most about Jamie. And so, finding those qualities within myself, like we really met each other in that world.
On the unique delirium of night shoots
What behind-the-scenes moments do you remember from the shoot itself?
Most of this movie was night shoots. So there was a lot of delirium happening. Like most nights around you know, 4 a. m. you start to lose all sense of seriousness.
I am still friends with the girls that I met on this movie and I feel like these friendships are going to last a lifetime. Laa really did an amazing job at casting a group of girls who genuinely care for each other and I felt like the chemistry was there pretty naturally.
So the group of girls in particular, we all love musicals, like Broadway musicals. And so there was a lot of singing Hamilton. There was a lot of singing Cabaret. There was a lot of singing Chicago. There was just a lot of singing happening kind of at all times. Really at any time when we’re not on camera, it was just belting, ‘cause this house also had great acoustics.
Members of the Glass Casa cast and hair and makeup artist Kalia White between takes. Left to right: Nicole Clifford, Alison Iles, Harley Bronwyn, Kalia White (standing), Geri Courtney-Austein, and Jon Huybrecht. Photo courtesy of Jon Huybrecht.
And then I would say when we shot anything in the elevator, because you have to shove, you know, five adult bodies into an elevator. And that was funny and sweaty and ridiculous.
But yeah, honestly, just being on set with the cast and the crew. I feel like it was always very playful. We would do our work, but then there was a lot of joy happening in between.
I’ve heard that from other cast members as well. They’ve mentioned the lifelong friendships. And I know at least one marriage came out of this project.
I feel like the greatest things to come out of this movie are the relationships. Like, there was a marriage that came out of it, truly lifelong friends.
It’s such a unique thing too, because a lot of times you shoot a movie, you meet these people, you bond instantly. It’s really intense. And then you never see them again. Or you’re lucky to run into them around LA.
The friendships that we made on this movie I have truly maintained and I feel like I can rely on. Those cast mates and even the crew.
Like Geri (one of the other girls who actually ended up playing Evie) and I, we were in Sundance and ran into crew members from Glass Casa at Sundance and we’re just like, “Oh my gosh!” It felt like a reunion and it was so fun.
I should mention that, when Laa asked me to take over for Jamie, I had like 45 minutes to do that. And then we were like, well, okay, now we have to find someone to play Evie.
And so I called one of my best friends, Geri, and I was like, “Hey, do you have two weeks free? And you could just come to San Diego and shoot a movie?” She’s like, “When do I start?” I’m like, “Tomorrow? Does that work for you?” So she rearranged her entire schedule because she teaches acting, she has a very full life, and moved everything around. She drove to San Diego the next day. And then she also jumped in immediately.
And she’s so naturally funny that I was like, I have pure confidence in her. We’ve worked together a number of times on a number of different movies, and I told Laa, she will get the job done and she will do it beautifully, hilariously. Trust me.
And she did give a great performance. When you watch the movie you’d never know that two of you had to jump in so last-minute. It just seems like everyone’s in the role they were meant to play.
Yeah, it is funny how watching it now, I do feel like, oh, this is how it was always meant to be. I remember Laa saying that towards the end of the shoot. She was like, “I really do feel like it was always meant to be like this.”
And I believe that. I believe things work out the way that they’re meant to and they work out for a reason, and it all comes together in the end, even if the journey doesn’t look exactly like how you think it’s going to. It all comes together.
On awards, why you should watch Glass Casa, and what’s next
And you all received recognition for your work on this film. Glass Casa ended up winning a bunch of awards, including you winning Best Actress in a Lead Role at Kansas City Film Fest. And you all won Best Ensemble Cast at San Diego Film Fest. How did it feel to get that kind of recognition?
Honestly, crazy. That was the first Best Actor Award that I’ve ever won. I truly couldn’t believe it, especially because I’m like, I just jumped into this role with no prep. What do you mean? It kind of made me rethink my process. So I’m like, maybe I’ve been overthinking everything and I just need to jump feet first into more things.
An award-winning ensemble: Nicole Clifford as Bianca, Alison Iles as Drew, Harley Bronwyn as Jamie, Justin Michael Terry as Charlie, and Geri Courtney-Austein as Evie in a scene from Glass Casa.
The Ensemble Award, I was like, of course, look at these people. They’re comedic geniuses. Everybody was so great. They’re so committed. But it felt so special and so validating. Especially [because] we put so much of ourselves into this movie. We worked crazy long nights, and I know Laa poured so much of her heart and soul into this. So I felt so proud for it to be validated in that way, and excited. I mean, it’s just so flattering and crazy.
So can you tell us why people should watch Glass Casa?
I feel like people should watch Glass Casa, number one because it’s purely entertaining in terms of the female dynamic. Like, it’s so kooky and fun. It’s the perfect escape from the stress of life and how crazy the world is right now. And if you just want to go into a world where things seem like everything’s falling apart, but in the most ridiculous and fun way possible, this movie is for you.
And truly, the relationships in this movie are so pure and relatable.
It’s a wildly good time. There’s murder and true crime. There’s a stripper. There’s lots of laughs. The bad guy gets caught in the end, not to spoil anything, but, you know, there’s a happy ending. There’s romance. It’s got everything you want, everything you need.
And what’s next for you? Where can people find more of your work?
Geri and I have started a new TikTok channel together called The Horrored Girls, where we talk about horror movies. Glass Casa—well, it’s not completely a horror; it’s a bit of a horror-comedy genre. And so, if people are looking for recommendations for good horror or horror comedies to watch, you could follow us on TikTok at The Horrored Girls.
But I also have another horror movie coming out, called Appofeniacs. And I star opposite Sean Gunn, who was the star in Guardians of the Galaxy, Gilmore Girls. I mean, his credits go on and on. He’s incredible. I’m really excited for it. It’s tonally very different than Glass Casa.
It’s not very lighthearted, although there’s quite a few jokes. It’s definitely more gory, kind of slasher vibes. So if you’re into that, definitely keep an eye out for it. I’m really proud of it and really excited for people to see it.
And Geri and I also worked on a movie called Scream Therapy, which is also streaming. So if someone’s looking for a Harley / Geri marathon, they can find it!
Left to right: Geri Courtney-Austein as Evie, Harley Bronwyn as Jamie, Nicole Clifford as Bianca and Alison Iles as Drew in a scene from Glass Casa.
A huge thank you to Harley for taking the time to chat with us! Keep up with her latest projects by following her on Instagram and TikTok.