Mary Thoma is an actress from Shreveport, LA. To research a role she dressed up like a homeless person and wandered the streets of New Orleans. She is sharing her touching story on Henry Harbor and it will blow your mind.
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On March 28, 2014 I went undercover as a homeless person in New Orleans.
Let me begin by saying that my half-day experience of “pretending” to be homeless in no way qualifies me to speak about the complicated issue of homelessness in our nation. In no way do I believe that I know what it means to be homeless simply because I posed as a homeless woman. All I can speak of is my experience of pretending to be homeless for half a day in New Orleans.
Two months ago, I was cast in an inspiring short film entitled, “Kate”, by writer/director Chris Pierce. It’s a beautiful and moving tale of the relationship between a homeless woman and her day shelter counselor. In one of those “art-meets-personal-passion” moments, this role compelled me to do the thing I had thought of doing for some time: go undercover as a homeless woman. As an actor, I believe the power of our imagination trumps personal experience in creating a role. I don’t believe that for me to play a drug addict convincingly, I need to shoot heroin; however, I do believe that research and experience can add truthfulness to the work we do when approached sanely, mindfully, and respectfully.
