Foxhole Spotlight: Erica Martin

Canadian... actress Erica Martin stars as the cult leader of Foxhole, Maiika. As well as working on her acting career, she is also curating the inspiring podcast The Working Arts which interviews young women within the film and theatre industry and running her production company, Esmond Road. She speaks to us here about Foxhole.

Interview by Zoe Morris

What attracted you to the story of Foxhole?

I had seen a couple of Caris’ films before I heard she was doing a thriller and I just got so excited at the thought of her making this kind of film. The first bit of the script I saw was of course my scene; the intricate layers of my character really drew me in and got me excited to see the rest of it.

Could you tell us about your character, Maika?

Maika, is the founder and leader of Foxhole. Like the women she leads, she’s experienced a lot of abuse in her life. She’s become hard on the outside over the years because of this; however, it’s more like a protective shell that she expands around herself in order to protect others. Underneath it she’s a very kind, generous person.

Erica on set with co-stars Mumbi Ramoni and Eleanor Brown.

What helped you get into character?

Maika is a very calm person, she has learned to control parts of herself that in the past may have set her off. Finding that calmness was key, because it’s something she’s fighting very hard to maintain.

How did you find the filming process?

It was so lovely! Being out near the country was so nice and definitely helped that calmness I mentioned. And everything was so organised which is an absolute treat!

What was it like working with the rest of the cast?

What a terrific bunch of people. I only worked directly with Eleanor Brown, who is just brilliant, but I spent the day chatting with everyone else between scenes; they were all so enthusiastic and hard working. Truly lovely people.

What was it like working with the director and the Rianne Pictures team?

Caris is great to work with because she’s very organised, passionate and communicates her vision well with everyone involved. The RP team are amazingly hardworking people who believe in their director implicitly. They all take care to support each other as well and to support the cast.

How was the premiere screening?

Brilliant. I felt like a proper movie star. Caris really knows how to throw a party. She also knows how to cultivate and nurture a creative family which is really important.

What was your favourite part of your experience on Foxhole?

My outfit! I loved the whole aesthetic of the cult—which is an odd thing to say—but it was so blissfully feminine, especially when you know how badass all these women could be underneath.

Erica with her guests at the London premiere of Foxhole

What would you want the audience to take away from watching Foxhole?

I think the idea of women supporting each other is an important idea to take away.

What can we see you in next?

My production company Esmond Road will be filming a web series in the coming months which I’m involved in. It’s a comedy series called Would You Rather and it’s going to be a lot of fun!

You can follow Erica on social media @ericaleemartin and see her feature in the Foxhole trailer below!