PHOTOGRAPHER: Vincent Sandoval

WARDROBE STYLIST: Jami Block

HAIR/MAKE-UP: Nancy Silva

Get to know Sammy Boyarsky was born and raised in Orange County, CA, and began her acting career when she appeared in the film Bruce Almighty at only four years old. She has been a busy girl since then appearing numerous commericals and developing a true love for acting.

Sammy's latest project is the highly-anticipated feature film Rampart , directed by Oren Moverman. Rampart tells the story of the widespread corruption in the Community Resources Against Street Hoodlums (CRASH) anti-gang unit of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Rampart Division in the late 1990s. She plays Margaret, one of Woody Harrelson's two daughters in a key storyline in the film, and stars alongside Ben Foster, Ice Cube, Cynthia Nixon, Sigourney Weaver, Robin Wright, Steve Buscemi, Anne Heche, and Brie Larson. Rampart premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2011 and was released in US theaters in December 2011 as it continues to receive critical acclaim and is considered a strong contender for Awards Season.

PCM's Kristyn Clarke was able to catch up with Sammy to chat about Rampart , awards season, and more! Interview below!

Q: I am certainly hearing a lot of buzz about your role in Rampart! What did you enjoy the most about that?

Sammy Boyarsky: The best part about it, was just being on set with everyone. Everyone was really nice and super supportive.

Q: That's good to hear! What did you enjoy the most about playing a character like Margaret?

SB: I think the best part about playing Margaret was that she was growing up and she was learning that everything wasn't exactly happy go-lucky and that there are bad things in life. It was really interesting playing someone who is just learning about it, not someone who already knew and was still vulnerable.

Q: Are you excited to hear about the Oscar buzz surrounding the movie?

SB: Oh my gosh, YES! I have my fingers crossed day and night!

Q: I can imagine! Do you have a favorite on-set moment or any stand-out scenes for you?

SB: One of the standout scenes was a dinner table scene where the whole family was together; I was able to do a lot of improv because we were just talking as a family and it was kind of fun to see the actors personalities in their characters because they were able to improv in acting.

Q: That's awesome! Do you enjoy being able to do the improv or is that challenging for you?

SB: Oh, I love the improv part because it challenges me to be so prepared with the character and know the character so well that you can basically say what they are thinking.

Q: How do you approach a role? How do you approach the mindset to get into the character?

SB: Well, I read it 50 times (laughs) so I can get every single part of it. I set the subtext of the scene so I know what she's thinking and how she would feel about that and I think the main thing for me when I break down a scene is to know how the character feels. It's not just what she's saying, but it's how she's reacting to it.

Q: How was it working with Woody Harrelson as your on-screen father? Did you act as a sort-of mentor for you?

SB: He is so funny and I was able to learn a lot from him.

Q: That's good! Did you do a lot of work with some of the other talent that were in the film? I know most of your scenes were with Woody Harrelson and Brie Larson.

SB: Yes, it was mainly Woody Harrelson and Brie Larson. Brie Larson played my sister and I had a lot of fun with Bree because we were just sisters who were messing around with each other but we also had to go through this terrible thing with our father.

Q: When did you first discover a love for acting?

SB: Around the time I was nine I was looking for something that would boost my confidence level because I was getting bullied in school. I thought if I did acting it might boost my confidence about myself. After I did a few classes in LA with acting I knew that I really loved it and it was what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.

Q: What is a piece of advice you would share with young people today who are looking to pursue acting?

SB: Definitely don't give up and don't let other people bring you down because if you give up then you will never know what's around that corner. If you let people bring you down, it's basically like letting them live your life and you need to be the one living your own life. You don't let any other person take control of it!

Q: Of course..that is such a great piece of advice. Do you have a particular role or genre of film that you would like to tackle one day?

SB: I like drama, but I think it would be really fun to do a comedy movie. I'm not exactly looking for series roles right now; I love movies and would like to stay with doing movies.

Q: Nice! I hear that you are a fan of books, especially vampire stories, do you have a favorite?

SB: Okay, the Twilight series, the last book Breaking Dawn is the best book on the planet.

Q: How did you enjoy the film?

SB: The last Breaking Dawn was amazing! The best film of the series so far!

Q: Awesome! Are there any other upcoming movies that you are looking forward to?

SB: I have not seen Midnight In Paris yet, and I heard that was really good.

Q: You recently did some voice acting for Diablo III, how is it different for you from being on screen to more behind-the-scenes?

SB: I don't feel that it is much different from acting except that you are basically doing it solitary. You have someone coaching you the whole time but it's the same as reacting on-screen because you still have to do the expressions and movements to let your voice sound like it is actually feeling that.

Q: In addition to Diablo III are there any other upcoming projects in the works for you this year?

SB: I am just auditioning and hoping for the best and Oscar season and being in eighth grade. I have my first school dance in January.

Q: That should be so much fun. Are you excited?

SB: Yes! (laughs)

Q: Did you pick out your dress?

SB: Not yet, because they haven't announced the theme yet.

Q: What are some other things you enjoy doing in your spare time?

SB: Hanging out with friends and I play the cello. Also, I have a three-year old niece Lauren who I love spending time with...

Q: That's great! Thank you so much for taking the time out to speak with me today. We have our fingers crossed for Oscar season right along with and have a great time at your first school dance!

SB: Thank you!

Keep up-to-date with Sammy!

http://www.sammyboyarsky.com/

Twitter: @SammyBoyarsky