Jenn Gotzon Chandler stars in Unbridled, an unforgettable and captivating feature that chronicles the journey of an abused girl who teams up with an abused horse and their journey to healing. The film shines a light on human trafficking, said to be the fastest growing criminal industry at $9 billion dollars per year. Unbridled is inspired by a healing ranch in North Carolina, and also stars T.C. Stallings (War Room; Courageous), Téa Mckay (Hurricane Bianca), Dey Young (Pretty Woman), Rachel Hendrix (Allegiant), and Rusty Martin Sr (Nashville).
Sarah is a 16-year-old girl who is abused, emotionally abandoned and written off as just another hopeless causality of this world. Her mother’s boyfriend, Roger, secretly involves Sarah in a sex traffic ring, and her mother, Karen, unsure of what to do, is afraid to stand up for her. Sarah thinks she is beyond redemption and unworthy of love and is sent away from the house that defined her horrors to a place where she is not the only victim, or the only one fighting to get her life back, a ranch called Unbridled.
At Unbridled, Sarah meets Dreamer, a horse who has also suffered abuse, a horse who no longer trusts humans... That is, until he meets his girl, Sarah. Together, Sarah and Dreamer walk a difficult road and learn that family doesn’t just happen, it’s made with hard work. They face many hardships and overcome terrifying obstacles, but in the end, Sarah experiences redemption and learns that love is the most powerful thing on earth. Together, they all learn to live Unbridled.
TMS: First off, can you provide us with a little bit of background information. Did you always want to be involved in filmmaking?
JG: Yes since I was 15 when I would see a movie that was inspirational and made me laugh and feel like I wanted to become a better person, that’s when I knew I wanted to be an actor in movies that tell those types of stories.
TMS: What type of training or schooling did you have?
JG: Extensive. My drama teacher in high school told me I did not have talent to be an actor professionally, so I studied intensively many years in conservatories in New York City and Los Angeles.
TMS: Did you always want to be an actor?
JG: Yes. I knew this was my calling to inspire and impact audiences through the storytelling on film. Plane protagonist characters to find hope, redemption, and revelation in the climax of the story. In hopes to leave pearls of wisdom into the viewers heart that they too can find hope.
TMS: Did you have a lot of support when you decided to get into acting?
JG: My mom and dad supported me and said if it was easy everyone would be doing it. They have been my cheerleaders praying for me and encouraging me to keep going.
TMS: What’s up with Unbridled? Where can people see it? And what do you want them to know about the movie?
JG: Unbridled has become a film festival darling winning award after award after award. The producers Christy and Jerry McGlothlin have done an amazing job with this movie. The story was inspired by their daughter spending time at Corral watching troubled teens find healing through horse therapy. Release dates should be coming soon as they are in talks with many distribution companies.
TMS: What attracted you to the project? How did you end up being cast?
JG: The inspirational message is what attracted me to the movie Unbridled. The producers pursued friendship with me after seeing me speak and mentor students through Actors Models & Talent Christ. They also saw the movies Princess Cut, Doonby, and God's Country that I starred in. (Currently on Amazon Prime).
TMS: How was the audition process?
JG: It was a direct offer. I spent time researching the woman I was portraying. Studying her body language, how she interacted with the teens, her pattern of voice, and the way she carried her energy of her body. Being a Christian, I pray and ask God for guidance through the art of acting on screen.
TMS: Did you know much about human trafficking before getting involved in this film?
JG: Yes, but it opened my eyes to the simplicity that many girls experience and family members turning their eyes.
TMS: In the film, you run the horse ranch Unbridled. Do you have experience with horses? What type of preparation and research did you undertake for this role?
JG: I love horses. Though I never knew what connection can happen with the horse and human. Lindsey Partridge, the owner of our hero horse Dreamer, spent hours teaching me harmony horsemanship. I was able to ride Dreamer and just by the intention of the weight of my body I was able to tell him to make a turn. I also was able to walk with him on the direction of my energy, which would allow him to follow my lead. This allowed a special moment in the movie, when we connected heart to heart with the horse and the horse came in and nuzzled and comforted one of the wounded teens.
TMS: Can you tell us anything about the other projects that you are working on or planning on working on? Or, anything else that you would like to plug?
JG: I’m producing (with my beloved husband Jim E. Chandler and our producing partner Joel Bunkowske) a hilarious family Christmas comedy movie with Christian Values called The Farmer and the Belle to release Thanksgiving 2018 and be enjoyed as a family tradition for generations to come. It stars Unbridled’s star horse Dreamer in a matching pink onesie with my character in front of the flat iron building in Manhattan. It’s about a sleepwalking NYC supermodel finding Real Love by searching for her MOJO on a pig farm in the deep woods of Georgia during the holidays. The story is iconic for the atmosphere today. It will teach girls their worth, and that their identity is based on God’s real love for them and not by what they can do sexually to get ahead. We are giving a free promo code for the movie here.
You can follow The Farmer and the Belle on their Facebook page and you can follow Jenn Gotzon Chandler here.