Shiri Appleby crossed a major item off her career bucket list this year when she directed an episode of UnREAL. The actress, who stars on the show alongside Emmy nominee Constance Zimmer, felt more than prepared to take on this new aspect of making TV.
"I really want to branch out in this business," Appleby told ELLE.com on the Emmys red carpet. "I've been acting since I was three years old and on set the director was always the one who had all the answers and had the clarity of vision. When you read a script, everyone has their own ideas, so to be the person who could actually create the story was really exciting for me," she explained.
And she's not exactly done with directing: "Hopefully, I'll be directing two more episodes [next] season. I liked being the person who was in charge...Having a say in not only your storyline but in all the other storylines. We have so many young actors on the show—teaching them how to work with the camera and watching them grow under my direction was really satisfying."
Appleby spent a lot of time convincing the studio and the producers that she deserved the chance to get behind the camera. She has shadowed other directors on both UnREAL and other series for the past five years to learn how the process works.
"It feels like I know how to direct," the actress said. "I've spent so much time on set. I've starred in over 200 episodes of television. So I want my crack at it." But it's not as easy as just changing sides: "It's a lot of pushing. It's a lot of work to get the opportunities. I still have to prove to people that I'm talented and I'm not just getting the opportunity because I'm the star of the show. [To get] the opportunity to direct other shows, that's the obstacle I'm facing. I'm willing to keep working hard at it."
UnREAL creator and showrunner Sarah Gertrude Shapiro, who also directed an episode of the show this season, felt similarly about Appleby's credentials. "It's such an obvious fit since she's such a great performer and such an important part of the show," Shapiro told ELLE.com. "But we wanted to make sure that she didn't feel it was a vanity project. That she really had earned it. It's actually a huge priority for UnREAL to get women behind the camera. Four out of our six directors this year were female."
For Appleby, earning her spot as a director was part of learning how to stand up for her own career path. "You have to keep pushing," she said. "You have to be your own advocate. You have to prove that you can do a really good job. In the last five years or so, I've really learned that I'm in charge of the business that I'm running."
