We Speak Actors
Veronica Long cracks you up in her breakout comedy role for Netflix’s ‘The Wrong Paris’
Canadian actress Veronica Long is making audiences laugh in Netflix’s newly released romantic comedy ‘The Wrong Paris’, where she steals scenes as the eccentric and lovable Heather. Known for bringing both heart and humor to her roles, Long has built an impressive résumé across television and film. She is widely recognized for her standout performances in the hit series ‘Billy the Kid’ (MGM/EPIX), ‘The Imperfects’ (Netflix), ‘Charmed’ (The CW), ‘Supernatural’ (The CW), and ‘Guadalajara’ (Amazon Prime). Fans will also recognize her from her many Hallmark and Lifetime movies, including ‘Lights, Camera, Christmas’!, ‘Advice to Love By’, ‘Dying to Belong’, and ‘A Winning Team’. With her sharp comedic timing and versatility, Long continues to prove herself as one of the most dynamic talents on screen today.
What was it like working on the new Netflix film ‘The Wrong Paris’?
“Working on ‘The Wrong Paris’ was an absolute dream come true. The entire cast clicked from the start—we vibed instantly and formed these effortless connections that made every day feel like a celebration.
“Our director, Janeen Damian, was an absolute delight; she fostered this warm, playful energy on set that put everyone at ease.”
Between takes, we’d blast music and just soak in the joy, and she gave us total freedom to run wild with our eccentric characters, embracing every ad-lib and improv that popped up. It was pure magic collaborating with her and our stellar producers—Michael Damian, Brad Krevoy, Kelly Frazier, Amanda Philips, Jimmy Townsend, and Galen Fletcher. Nothing beats the rush of hearing them erupt in laughter from behind the monitors. We had a riot bringing these quirky, oddball characters to life—the vibes were electric, top-notch, from the first frame to the wrap.”
You’re so funny as Heather in ‘The Wrong Paris’. You have so many great hilarious one-liners. How did you prepare for this role, and where do you draw your comedic inspiration from?
“First of all, thank you! I loved working on this character and I absolutely love rom-coms. So this was truly a dream job. On my days off, I would alternate between watching classic rom-coms like ‘How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days’ and then more comedy-heavy rom-coms like ‘Bridesmaids’ and ‘The House Bunny’ to get into that fun rom-com rhythm.
I’m a comedy fiend at heart, so my influences span tons of TV and film—think ‘The Office’, ‘Arrested Development’, ‘Parks and Recreation’, and ‘Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’ (too many faves to list them all). But for Heather, Melissa McCarthy’s shameless, larger-than-life Megan in ‘Bridesmaids’ was my true guiding light. She was really my north star in guiding my choices for Heather. I wanted this character to be equally shameless and unapologetically herself.
Here’s a funny tidbit—this seems crazy to me now, but I almost turned down the audition for Heather! I saw the character description where she was described as a buff female wrestler type and, well, I’m none of those things. Ha! But I decided to just have fun with it and do my version of this character, even though I didn’t match the description physically.
“I thought, I’m just going to go big and have a ton of fun creating a kooky, raunchy character that makes me giggle, and hopefully it makes other people laugh too!”
“Fingers crossed! Haha.”
Who did you work most closely with on this project, and what was that collaboration like?
“I worked closely with a few people! I worked really closely with our fabulous director, Janeen Damian, who really encouraged me to keep going in the direction I was taking the character. She was really supportive and we had so much fun building out this character and adding in fun moments for Heather.I also worked really closely with my comedy writing partner (and real-life partner), Spencer Teeter. We had so much fun rehearsing the scenes before filming and coming up with tons of potential ad-libs or fun physical bits for the character to do. I’d write a lot of it down and keep it in the notes section on my phone to pull out during filming. Spencer and I collaborated on adding a lot of the little physical bits you see Heather do in the movie—like smacking Pierson’s character, Trey, on the butt when Heather first meets him, and drinking the two Wild Turkey shots at the same time on the plane.”
Looking back, which projects in your career have been the most rewarding so far?
“Hands down, ‘The Wrong Paris’ takes the crown—it was a dream from start to glorious finish. But shooting ‘Billy the Kid’ on MGM+ runs a razor-close second. Building a character across three seasons was incredibly fulfilling; that cast and crew became a total family. We had an epic time filming amid the breathtaking vistas of Calgary, Alberta. When I signed onto the show, I couldn’t have imagined how cool it would be to shoot a Western drama set in the 1800s. It was wild to dress up in corsets and long flowing dresses and get to ride horses across stunning, sweeping landscapes. That was another truly rewarding dream job.”
Are there any exciting projects coming up that you can share with us?
“Yes! The third and final season of ‘Billy the Kid’ (MGM+) drops September 28, 2025—buckle up for the epic close. Plus, I’ve landed a series regular spot in a fresh TV show; we’re deep into shooting season one right now, with a fall premiere on the horizon. I can’t spill all the beans yet, but there’s some juicy stuff brewing!”
Featured photo credit: Arjun Malik
New Zealand-born actress, writer and producer Amber Lily Butterworth, who was raised in Switzerland from the age of two, is steadily building a multifaceted career across film, both in front of and behind the camera. She stars as Kaiah Shaffer in the upcoming horror-thriller ‘It Goes on All Fours’, following previous screen work including ‘Sparrow’s Call’ and ‘I Could Kill’, as well as acting in the feature ‘Moss & Freud’. As her career continues to develop, Butterworth is also expanding her creative work into producing and directing, driven by a long-standing fascination with every aspect of filmmaking. Here, she reflects on discovering acting as a child, the projects that have shaped her career so far, and why storytelling remains at the heart of everything she does.
Amber Lily, can you tell us how your acting journey began and what inspired you to pursue a career as an actress?
My acting journey started very young. At the age of four, I developed a stutter, and my mum had the brilliant idea of sending me to acting classes. Little did she know that she was essentially setting the course for the rest of my life. From then on, acting was always something I instinctively knew I was going to pursue. I also grew up watching films with my dad that I was definitely far too young to be watching, and I completely fell in love with cinema. I loved how a film could make you feel understood in your emotions. Films have always made me feel less alone in mine, and that’s really all I’ve ever wanted to do as an actress: make an audience feel seen, understood or simply a little less alone.
Which projects have been the most significant in your career to date, and why?
I’ve been incredibly lucky with the projects I’ve worked on so early in my career. ‘Moss & Freud’ was a big stepping stone because I got to experience the inner workings of a much larger production and work alongside some brilliant actors, including one of my best friends, Ellie Bamber. Watching someone you know so well completely transform into a character is quite surreal and incredibly inspiring. But starring in ‘It Goes on All Fours’ has definitely been the most significant experience so far.
“Carrying such a substantial role in a film and really living with a character is a beast of an opportunity, in the best possible way.”
You spend months getting to know this imaginary person inside out, and then suddenly filming ends and you’re expected to just… move on with your life. No one really prepares you for the strange sense of grief that comes with leaving a character behind.
Is there one particular film or role that you feel marked an important turning point in your career as an actress?
Definitely ‘It Goes on All Fours’. It challenged me enormously, both as an actress and as a person. Going that deeply into a character inevitably brings up parts of yourself too. There was imposter syndrome, a few ego deaths, plenty of questioning myself and all the glamorous parts of being an actress! But somewhere within that process, I learnt an enormous amount about who I am, not only as an actress, but as a person and as a woman. I think the best characters leave you slightly different from how they found you, and this one certainly did.
Alongside acting, you also work as a producer. Can you tell us a little about your work behind the camera and what drew you to producing?
I am a complete film nerd, so fully immersing myself in every part of filmmaking was probably inevitable. If there’s an aspect of cinema I can get my hands on, I’m going to want to try it. Last year, I had the opportunity to executive produce ‘Borghese’. It had an incredible cast and crew, and I was initially drawn to its visual world, particularly the fashion and costume design we had access to. It was such a wonderful introduction to producing because it made me appreciate just how many moving parts have to come together to make a film. I loved being involved in shaping the bigger picture from the outside in. In return, I feel as though the experience has also benefited my performance and professionalism as an actress. Understanding what is happening behind the camera gives you a much broader appreciation of everyone’s role in bringing a project to life.
What can you tell us about your upcoming projects, and what should audiences look out for next?
I’m incredibly excited for ‘It Goes on All Fours’ to be released and for people to see what we created.
“There’s something slightly terrifying, but also very exciting, about finally handing something you’ve lived with for so long over to an audience.”
I’m also developing a documentary about the America’s Cup, which is especially personal because the story forms part of my family history. I’ll be directing and producing it, and we’re working with North Sails as a sponsor, which has been an amazing vote of confidence in the project. For me, acting, producing and directing all come back to the same thing: I’m obsessed with storytelling. Whether I’m in front of the camera or behind it, I just want to make things that make an audience as excited to watch them as I am to make them.
Featured photo credit: Rankin
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