Ayda (pronounced “I-Da”) Field is a hard worker with a streak of mischievousness, as witnessed when she changed her voice from a Los Angeles native to an Italian immigrant to land a role on Days of Our Lives, to a French accent for a part on HBO’s Arli$$, and then to a Russian mail order bride. One has to wonder how she keeps up. Of course, Field has a lot of fun becoming her characters and she says many times, people don’t even have a clue her accents aren’t real. It probably helps that she changes the recording on her home answering machine to match the national-ity she is “playing” at any particular moment.
SOAK: What is your favorite part of working on “Blue Collar TV?”
Ayda Field: The best part of working on Blue Collar TV has to be all the different characters I get to be. The costumes, the hair and the make-up are always outrageous and funny. In one day I can go from being Anna Nicole Smith in the morning, to a 400-pound woman in the afternoon, to a sexy alien in the evening.
SOAK: So I read your bio and it sounds like you have been working on quite a few different things – tell me about some of your projects? Which one has been your favorite?
Ayda: I recently shot a small part in a film called Strange Wilderness produced by Happy Madison, Adam Sandler’s company. I also recently shot guest stints for the show Eve and a new show called Modern Men on the WB. One of my favorite experiences this year was shooting the campaign for Fantasy Football for ESPN - I’m obsessed with sports and it was great being part of such a fun and whimsical campaign - not to mention getting to appear on Cold Pizza, which I watch every morning. I also still cherish my time from when I was on Days of Our Lives, one of my first jobs. It was a great learning experience and the people I worked with were some of the nicest ever!
SOAK: You have an aptitude for foreign languages; did you pick up Italian and French as a young child? Did you travel to Italy and France to perfect your accent?
Ayda: I started learning French at a very early age and picked up Italian in college when I went to Duke University. I spent a semester abroad in Paris and traveled to Italy many times while I was there. I love Europe and travel there whenever I get a chance.
SOAK: Has anything ever happened to you stemming from knowing these various languages?
Ayda: I worked on a show called Arli$$ early on and I was playing a French girl…everyone in the show thought that I was French, and let’s just say, I didn’t correct them. The whole day everyone kept talking to me really slowly and loudly to make sure I understood them. I was cracking up on the inside. It is also a useful tool for going out, because if a guy is hitting on me and I’m not interested, I sometimes pretend to be a foreigner and act like I don’t understand them.
SOAK: What do you look for in projects that you work on?
Ayda: Anything that makes me laugh or challenges me emotionally.
SOAK: How did you get started as an actor?
Ayda: I came back from college and landed the role on Days of Our Lives the first week I was in town. It’s a longer story than that, but I know this article is only so long, so I will leave it at that. Needless to say, I was very fortunate to get a break right off the bat.
SOAK: Where are you from?
Ayda: I am from Los Angeles.
SOAK: How do you think Los Angeles has affected you in regards to your life right now (either positively or negatively)?
Ayda: I think growing up in LA made me aware of how difficult it is to be successful as an actor. It’s been both positive and negative having that awareness. On the one hand, I came back to LA (from college) without the naiveté that a lot of people have coming here, so I feel I was more prepared for the reality of the challenge at hand. However, naiveté can also be useful when pursuing something so difficult, because one has a sense of unbridled enthusiasm that can be helpful.
SOAK: What would you be doing if you weren’t an actor?
Ayda: Nothing…all I want to do is act! Though bumming around Europe doesn’t sound too bad.
SOAK: What challenges do you find being an actor?
Ayda: I feel there is a lot of self-examination that is required as an actor. It can be very challenging searching for elements within yourself and parlaying them into a role that is consistent with that character.
SOAK: Who in your life has been essential to your success?
Ayda: Hands down, my grandmother. She is no longer alive, but she continues to inspire me every day of my life.
SOAK: What do you do for fun when you are not working?
Ayda: Play tennis, eat good food, drink good wine and sleep…did I mention sleep?
SOAK: Favorite travel destination?
Ayda: The George V in Paris…anytime I stay there I feel like a princess.
SOAK: What motivates you in your life?
Ayda: Expanding my horizons and learning new things motivates me. The more knowledge I have and the greater appreciation I have for the world, the more peaceful I feel.
SOAK: Where do you draw the line on what you would do for a part in a movie or TV show?
Ayda: I don’t have a specific scenario or example where I would draw the line. I would have to say that anything that would make me uncomfortable or untrue to myself would be crossing the line. It would be instinct.
SOAK: Where do you want to be in five years?
Ayda: In five years I want to be…on the cover of your magazine! [laughs]
SOAK: Tell me something about you that no one else knows?
Ayda: I can’t tell you because then it’s not a secret!
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