Shani Ashley Francillon recently appeared in a commercial for H&R Block entitled “Don’t Be That Girl,” but, as it turns out, being that girl was a blast.
“It was so fun,” the Backstage user says. She enjoyed playing her character, a high school student who doesn’t know how to balance a budget, and got to improvise various situations during the audition. “The scripts were funny; they made me read for three different characters who were going through financial problems that we can all relate to.”
During shooting, Francillon felt an intimate cohesion with her cast and crew. Although it took many takes to nail the commercial, they never tired. “Each time just got funnier and funnier,” she says. “If anything, I was excited for another take because everyone around me was having a ball. It was one of those experiences where at the end of the day, you are truly sad to leave work. I would do it all over again.”
In that moment, Francillon says, she realized acting is what she’s supposed to do for the rest of her life. “I continue to encourage others to use Backstage,” she adds.
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