Mercedes Blanche has successfully transitioned from social media and TikTok star to a major silver screen actress. The Canadian has been seen on Amazon Prime’s ‘The Boys’ Season 3 and in the TV show ‘Robyn Hood’ from Director X. Her latest role is in the Netflix crime drama TV series ‘Painkiller’ starring alongside Matthew Broderick (The Producers) and Uzo Aduba (Orange Is the New Black).
We caught up with Mercedes to chat about working on the set of such a high-profile show, ‘Painkiller’.
Welcome Mercedes! Tell us about the TV show ‘Painkiller’.Hi guys! ‘Painkiller’ exposes the roots of the most pressing health epidemic of the 21st century. Powerful narcotic painkillers, or opioids, were once used as drugs of last resort for pain sufferers. Purdue turned OxyContin into a billion-dollar blockbuster by launching an unprecedented marketing campaign claiming that the drug's long-acting formulation made it safer to use than traditional painkillers for many types of pain. That illusion was quickly shattered as drug abusers learned that crushing an Oxy could release its narcotic payload all at once. Even in its prescribed form, Oxy proved fiercely addictive. As OxyContin's use and abuse grew, Purdue concealed what it knew from regulators, doctors, and patients.
Wow! What character do you play?Thank you very much, I played a sorority girl who got hooked on opioids and went downhill in life. It portrayed perfectly how accessible and addictive opioids were/are, even as now. Peter (the director) is a genius and it was an honor to shoot with him and West.
What was the audition process like?It was a basic audition genre. I got a call from my agent in Toronto and had 30 minutes to submit my role. I thought I didn’t make it at first but approximately 2 weeks later I got the call from her being like “Oh, you are booked by the way on the Netflix show.” Then we hung up. I don’t think I registered now.
How did you prepare for the role?It was such a rushed audition. I called my girlfriend over to help me with the monologue and that was that. Didn’t really have to prepare.
Do you have any thoughts on the subject matter of painkillers?It showed various perspectives from the Sackler family and employees, the pharma reps, the doctors, the whistleblowers, the patients and then the addicts. I think the crew did great.
Do you have any behind the scenes stories you can spill tea on?Not really! I wish I could spill you some tea.
We must know, what is your go-to craft services snack?I really like their breakfast burritos. Can’t help it.
Before acting you have had a lot of success on social media. Which do you prefer, and why?Acting is a bit closer to my heart. I enjoy meeting new people and working with them for periods of time. I have a few very close friends who were crew on sets, and we ended up sending weeks together. Social media gives me more creative freedom in a way that I don’t have to stick to a script or be someone else. I can just post whatever I feel like and however I feel like.
What else can fans look forward to seeing from you this year? This year due to SAG strike was a little rough. But we are finally auditioning! Yay.
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TikTok and also on IMDB!
