Natalie Rodriguez is an award-winning filmmaker and a mental health and ant-violence/trauma advocate. Her latest film,“The Extraordinary Ordinary,” is centered around three college students using the arts to overcome their history of mental health.Maddison Bullock is the leading lady of the film. She portrays Erica, who has a history of anxiety and depression. So when Natalie and Maddison reached out to us for an interview about the film, we were more than happy to oblige. Here is our quick interview with Maddison Bullock.HER: Tell us about the movie and your character.Maddison: In the film I portray, Erica, a college photography major with a history of anxiety and depression linked to an assault she experienced in high school. Erica uses the medium of polaroid photography as a means to connect her past to her present and ultimately open her heart back up to new relationships. My favorite part of Erica is her resiliency and her quiet, yet adamant resolve to be healthy, happy, and whole.HER: One of We Are HER’s goals is to inform readers of the prevalence of abuse in our society, what can people learn from this movie?M: One of the biggest messages that viewers can take away form our film is that there is immense power is speaking up. There is no shame in reaching out, quite the contrary, there is something deeply heroic about speaking up!HER: How can this movie inspire and empower other people? M: EO carries a powerful message of hope and recovery that I believe will empower individual to push past trying times.

My favorite part of Erica is her resiliency and her quiet, yet adamant resolve to be healthy, happy, and whole.

HER: What are some key takeaways from these characters?M: One of the key takeaways from the cast of EO is that all three characters have different emotional walls related to different pasts. However, they are able to heal one another through their shared dream of starting fresh.HER: Would you recommend this movie to someone who doesn’t understand how serious mental health is?M:I believe that content pertaining to hope and healing is universal. I strongly believe that out film will speak to those struggling with their own mental health concerns as well as reach those individuals that maybe in a position to help friends or loved ones.HER: What was your favorite scene to film? M: This is a tough one! I had the honor of working with so many incredibly talented co-stars so choosing a favorite scene isn’t easy. If I had to choose, I would say my openings and closing scenes with John Posey who played my father were my favorite to film. John and I had very sincere and connected father-daughter chemistry. I hope that our performances will encourage more dialogue between young adults and their family members concerning mental health.The movie is still in post-production and is hoped to be released spring of 2019. Keep up to date with this film by following them on social media.Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/TheExtraOrdFilm/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheExtraOrdFilm/Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheExtraOrdFilm/ Written by We Are HER’s summer 2018 intern Bella Glazer.