In Young Warriors, Alley Hermes plays Amy, a mother facing serious mental health challenges while trying to remain present in the life of her son, Junior. For the actress, understanding the character meant looking beyond the crisis and preserving what she sees as essential to Amy: “Amy is a mom first, and a great one at that.” In building the role, Hermes sought to portray both the love between mother and son and the guilt, hallucinations, and instability that make their situation especially difficult for a child.
The film’s message of hope also found a deeply personal connection in Hermes’ own life. Reflecting on how people respond to moments of crisis, she revealed that her mother’s battle with ovarian cancer taught her the importance of remaining open and hopeful even when there are no easy answers. “It was an honor to bring that truth to life in Young Warriors,” she says. In the interview, Hermes also discusses preparing to play Amy, working alongside Jeremy Piven, and her desire to continue exploring characters dealing with psychosis.
Amy is dealing with mental health challenges, but she is also a mother and sits at the center of the family crisis in Young Warriors. When you began building the character, what was important for you to discover about who she is beyond what she is struggling with?
Amy is a mom first, and a great one at that. The most important thing to convey was that Junior still needed his mom, and she needed to be there for him, even while struggling, because he deserved the best childhood possible.
Much of the story is experienced through Junior, a child trying to understand what is happening to his family. How did you approach the relationship between Amy and her son in a way that could show both the love between them and the impact her situation has on a child?
There are lucid moments that reveal Amy’s deep longing to be with her son, along with the guilt she carries. The moments involving hallucinations highlight just how difficult the situation is, especially when Junior cannot recognize his own mother, creating a very unstable environment for a child.
Playing a character experiencing mental health struggles requires care so that vulnerability does not become caricature. Was there anything you were particularly conscious of during your preparation in order to keep Amy human and complex rather than defining her only by what she is going through?
I made my relationship with the hallucinations very personal. I also watched many Soft White Underbelly interviews as part of my research and preparation.
Young Warriors works explicitly with faith, prayer, hope, and perseverance. As an actress, how do you find emotional truth in spiritual themes that are so important to the story without making the character feel as though she is simply delivering a message to the audience?
The other actors in Young Warriors were so great that we didn’t have to worry about that. Focusing deeply on the story naturally helped us maintain emotional truth.
You share the film with Jeremy Piven, an actor with a long career across film and television. What stood out to you most about the way he works on set, particularly in scenes that had to balance family drama with the film’s larger message of hope?
I learned so much from working with him. He is very detail-oriented, has a great eye for camera angles, and stepped into his leadership role on set exceptionally well.
Young Warriors suggests that during difficult moments, healing can also depend on the people willing to remain beside us. After playing Amy, did the film change the way you think about support, vulnerability, or how we respond when someone close to us is going through a crisis?
Sometimes, during times of crisis, we get angry and ask why, but sadly, that doesn’t help. Staying open and hopeful is the only way to get through those difficult moments. My own mother taught me that through her battle with ovarian cancer, and it was an honor to bring that truth to life in Young Warriors.
Your career includes very different projects, from Rescue: HI-Surf and One Fine Christmas to Young Warriors. At this point in your career, what kind of character makes you feel there is something new for you to discover as an actress rather than simply repeating something you already know how to do?
If you love acting, you learn something new with every character. Moving forward, I would love to dive deeper into roles that explore psychosis.
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