Oh my goodness, has Lindsey Haun got it all going on. At 22, the daughter of Air Supply guitarist Jimmy is what you might call an achiever.
Take last year, when she starred in the movie Broken Bridges alongside country music superstar Toby Keith and made an impression on the charts with her contributions to the soundtrack album.
“Right now, because of Broken Bridges, I guess people see me as a country singer,” she tells me. “But as an artist I’m a little bit broader. I mean I really love bluegrass and Johnny Cash and Patsy Klein and the darker side of country – but I’m not really interested in the whole country thing because I feel its already out there. I love Zeppelin and Pink Floyd and Queen but I also really like Bright Eyes and Damien Rice. So when I sat down to write my mission statement for my next album I included all those things.”
Hang on a minute. Queen and Damien Rice? Mission statement?
“I know, I know,” she giggles. “I am so focussed on my career. I’m actually a little bit less obsessed now than I used to be.”
I could probably have guessed as much from her CV. Young Lindsay first started appearing in commercials aged four. By 11 she was landing lead roles, most notably in John Carpenter’s 1995 remake of the Village Of The Damned and in the Emmy-winning Disney film, The Colour Of Friendship.
“My parents were really opposed to me getting into acting or show business,” she recalls. “But a friend of the family practically kidnapped me from preschool one day and I ended up doing an IBM ad. And I just fell in love with it. My mom hated it at first. She was always asking me to quit. But right from the start I loved the idea of breaking apart a character in a very scientific, procedural way. And I was a really shy child, so it helped me a lot. More than that, I think it helps you as a person. You have to really tap into your compassionate side.”
Currently you can catch the lovely Ms. Haun in ‘Shrooms, director Paddy Breathnach’s first foray into the horror genre. The film sees a group of American teenagers arrive in Ireland seeking psilocybin thrills. Suffice to say, they all go down to the woods but not everybody walks out the other side.
“When you’re reading a horror script it’s very hard to tell what the movie will be like,” says Lindsey. “I mean with ‘Shrooms, you have a bitchy girl and an asshole jock and all these familiar types going out to do drugs. So I was concerned that it could turn out like one of those really cheesy drug culture movies. But the minute I sat down with Paddy he started talking about Hitchcock and Japanese horrors, so he was talking my language.”
Ms. Haun had little prior experience with Irish mud, but she was game.
“Actually, I was really excited about the mud. A lot of the time when you’re shooting a movie you’re on a lot or in a studio or stuck in the city. I knew that the conditions would be harsh but it was so worth it. I got to spend time in Derry and Monaghan and Dublin.”
And what about the naughty drugs of the title I wonder?
“Nothing to report I’m afraid,” she laughs. “I’ve been a real good kid growing up. I’ve never done ‘shrooms. I waited until I was 21 to try pot for the first time. I mean, I’ve grown up as a singer so I wouldn’t want to be smoking anything. My mom owns a bar, so I’ve acquired an appreciation of wine but I’ve never really partied. I guess I’ve just been too…”
Focussed on your glittering career?
“You got it.”