411 Takes a 'Free Ride' With Erin Cahill

Posted by George H. Sirois on 03.14.2006

Interview with one of the stars of Fox's new sitcom...

Chances are you spent 9pm to 10pm on Sunday night watching the season premiere of The Sopranos. If you didn't, however, hopefully you were watching the series premiere of the new Fox sitcom "Free Ride." Created by Rob Roy Thomas, "Free Ride" is the story of Nate (Josh Dean), a college student who feels he needs to move back home to get his life in order. One of those elements that he needs to deal with is the upcoming wedding of Amber, the girl he had a crush on in high school. Playing Amber is Erin Cahill, a talented actress with quite a bit of television experience under her belt already. I had the pleasure of speaking with her this past Friday evening, and she filled me in on how she got started in the industry, her previous regular gig as Jen – the Pink Power Ranger in "Power Rangers: Time Force" – her experience on the "Free Ride" set as Amber, and plenty other details about her life in LA.

She was in a rush since she was in between takes on a film (read below for more details on that), but the short time we had for the interview was very well spent. Read on and enjoy…


George Sirois: How's the day going so far?

Erin Cahill: It's good. We're just a little bit behind and they're waiting on me to do this interview, and the character I play is kind of coked out for this scene. I wish I had more time to talk.

GS: That's okay. Let's just jump right into it then, we'll introduce you to our readers, and fill them in on how you got started in the business and what got you where you are now.

EC: Well, I grew up in Stafford, Virginia. I lived in New York for a year (quick side note: Erin attended Marymount Manhattan College while in NY, starting the year after I graduated and was also there the same year as From Justin To Kelly's Katherine Bailess) and then I moved out to LA. I was in town for a year and landed the role of the Pink Power Ranger and I've been a working actress ever since. So lucky. For Power Rangers, I had to audition about… seven or eight times over the course of three to four months.

GS: Really? Seven or eight times?

EC: Yeah, I heard that they were auditioning about a thousand girls and they saw videotapes nationally. With "Free Ride," I went in. They liked me. I tested again, and then I tested a few days later, and the next week I was on the set. It was "Boom Boom Boom."

GS: It went that quickly?

EC: Yeah, for that it was about a week and a half process.

GS: I understand that for "Free Ride," there's a lot of improvisational work on it?

EC: Exactly. It's all improv. We shoot Tuesdays through Fridays, and on Monday night we get a seven-page outline. And it's really just a paragraph per scene, very bare bones.

GS: So you're not going into the shoot completely blind, since you get the outlines the night before shooting. You have something to hold onto when you're there.

EC: Right.

GS: Kind of like the same style used in the Christopher Guest movies, like Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show and A Mighty Wind.

EC: Yeah, and like Curb Your Enthusiasm. Very much so. No laugh tracks. Very subtle humor. It's a lot like the Christopher Guest movies in which there's small subtle moments, but also big broad comedy to fall back on.

GS: You're also a fan of those movies and shows?

EC: HUGE! Such a huge fan of Christopher Guest's movies!

GS: You said you're working on a film now. What other film experience do you have?

EC: Mainly smaller independent films, and this one is my first lead. It's really exciting since this character's so different than what I usually get cast for. She's a film student who ODs on drugs in one scene, she's kind of intense and smart-assy, a lot of fun to play. And Kelly LeBrock plays my mom.

GS: Really?

EC: Yeah, I'm totally flattered that she thought I could play her daughter.

GS: And what's the name of this film?

EC: It's called The Mirror. It's a pretty tiny little indie, but it's such a great experience and such an original idea.

GS: I understand that you've worked with non-profit organizations?

EC: Yeah, I volunteer for a place in downtown LA called "Art Share." They bring various art programs like dance and singing to under-privileged youth in that area, since they don't have it in their schools. They give them free classes.

GS: Excellent. And I know that you're very busy with your website and I see that you have a MySpace page for your character Amber. Would people who go to that site be interacting with you or people from Fox pretending to be Amber?

EC: Right now, they'd be interacting with the people from Fox, but as the show continues, I want to take it over. So hopefully, I'll be running it in the future.

(At this point, Erin had to start wrapping up to get back to work, so we shifted the conversation back to "Free Ride.")

EC: Just remember, the show's on Sunday nights on Fox, 9:30 after "Family Guy."

GS: That's a great time slot.

EC: Oh, it's SOOOOO good.

GS: They must have a lot of faith in you guys.

EC: It seems like it. So hopefully…


After watching the show (yes, I watched The Sopranos but I made sure to DVR "Free Ride"), I must say that Fox may actually have a success on their hands. If they're smart – which is a long shot in itself given Fox's record with shows that are actually funny – they'll keep "Free Ride" where it is on Sundays at 9:30. Regardless, wherever this show goes, chances are Erin Cahill will be sticking around in the industry for a long time to come. To read more about her, check her out at www.erincahill.com..



By the way, if you're already committed to watching The Sopranos, make sure you DVR "Free Ride" so you'll have something to watch during "Big Love." Trust me, you'll be glad you did…


-- George H. Sirois