Mercedes Mason

Mercedes is a combination of talent, humour, modesty and beauty, a forceful set of attributes that have led her on the yellow brick road to stardom.

The Swedish-born beauty’s first acting venture was in The Break Up – who could forget the loved up on-off/real life/on-set relationship between Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Anniston, Hollywood royalty back in the day! In spite of her “scene ending up on the cutting room floor”, this was a fruitful platform that catapulted her career to new heights, “I got my first manager because of it”. Not everything was smooth sailing though. “I learned all the things NOT to do on set. Ha! It was my first job and I was so nervous my knees kept buckling. We shot my scene with Vince Vaughn in a bar and I was still under age so it became an ordeal to get me in there, which just added to my already anxious state”. Lucky for her, Vince Vaughn was an absolute gent, not that we’d expect anything less! “Vince was SO kind and immediately set my mind at ease. He could tell that I was shaking in my proverbial boots and he did everything he could to calm me down”.

However, even with her early success, Mercedes roots are still at the forefront of her mind. “I miss Sweden more than I could possibly express in words! So much has changed since I grew up there but the one thing that remains is how beautiful and sweet the Swedes are! My goal is to make a trip back to Stockholm in 2016. Summers in Sweden are magical, for lack of a better word”.

To add even more strings to her bow Mercedes also landed significant roles in Californication and Anger Management respectively. Some might see working with Charlie Sheen as a bit of a handful, however, Mercedes had nothing but praise for the notorious actor. “Charlie Sheen is a very sweet man. We all have our preconceived notions about him due to the circumstances of him leaving Two and a Half Men but he was nothing but pleasant with me. I really enjoyed being on that set. There’s a different vibe altogether doing multi-camera sitcoms. It feels alive. I had a great time!”

Mercedes is a class act and total pro, (just in case you hadn’t already got that vibe…), so it’s comforting to know that her admiration for others didn’t fall short. Speaking of her time on Californication, she revealed she “was a bit geeked out to meet him [David Duchovny]. He is nothing but charming and lovely to be around, and he’s also very intelligent”. He obviously has the beauty and the brains but that’s not all… “My favorite part, however, is that he has a good heart. I had been involved in a rather serious car accident a few months prior and was still recovering. David constantly checked in with me and made sure that I was feeling okay. He is such a nice man”.

Speaking of being a total pro, Mercedes has a philosophical approach to the more intimate scenes, which can sometimes feel a little awkward. She takes this challenge in her stride, “I’ve been really lucky as I haven’t had too many intimate scenes in my career but the ones I’ve had have been so pleasant, perhaps because I have the mental capacity of a 12 year-old goofball!”. Mercedes has a little secret up her sleeve to relieve the “tension” on set… “I immediately try to break the ice by goofing off or being silly. I find mutual laughter usually sets people at ease (mostly me!). Once the giggles have been had, it’s easier to discuss if they prefer to turn their head to the left or the right when they make out. ;-)”. Like I said… total pro!

This Swedish actress hasn’t yet graced our screens as ‘Ofelia’ in Fear the Walking Dead, but that hasn’t stopped her bevy of loyal fans. “We haven’t even aired yet and already the fans have made such an impression on me. They are super supportive and absolutely delightful and I can’t wait for them to see our show!” Moreover, she praised her entourage of amazing co-stars with a special mention to her “onset bestie”, Alycia Debnam Carey. “She’s adorable! We tend to congregate in my trailer when we’re not working. Just play the song ‘Worth It’ by Fifth Harmony and you’ll see both of us immediately break into dance. I love me some Alycia! :)”.

Aside from Fear the Walking Dead, her fans will be excited to hear about her collaborative prospects. Mercedes revealed that although working with the legendary actors of Hollywood such as Meryl Streep and Daniel Day Lewis would be epic; she has a real soft spot for the more comedic stars. “I’d be really excited to work with Chris Pratt. I think he’s absolutely adorable and hilarious! I’m also really keen on working with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. I admire those women tremendously! Smart, beautiful, women who know comedy and create roles where none may have existed”. Amy Poehler, Tina Fey and Mercedes, that is a dynamic acting combination we would all love to see!

The world has had the pleasure of seeing Mercedes on screen for almost a decade and there’s no slowing down for this powerhouse of an actress, which explains her mantra for life. “NO FEAR. That’s my life motto. Fear rules the heart if we allow it. I refuse to make my decisions based on fear; it’ll cripple me if I do. Instead, I choose to believe that anything is possible (within reason of course…no matter how hard I work, I’ll never have a pet unicorn. I’ve finally come to terms with that. Sigh)”. Intelligent, humorous and down to earth, Mercedes really is the entire package.

BM: You’ve lived in the US since you were 12; do you visit your hometown in Sweden?

MM: I miss Sweden more than I could possibly express in words! (Perhaps an interpretive dance is in order?) The last time I was back in Linköping was probably about seven years ago. I visited my old house and the candy shop I used to go to after school. So much has changed since I grew up there. But the one thing that remains is how beautiful and sweet the Swedes are! My goal is to make a trip back to Stockholm in 2016. Summers in Sweden are magical, for lack of a better word.

BM: The Break Up was one of your first big roles. How was it to be working with Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston?

MM: The Break-Up was such an important part of my career, even though my scene ended up on the cutting room floor. I got my first manager because of it. I also learned all the things NOT to do on set. [Laughs]. It was my first job and I was so nervous my knees kept buckling. We shot my scene with Vince Vaughn–I didn’t have the pleasure of working with Jennifer Aniston, unfortunately–in a bar and I was still under-aged so it became an ordeal to get me in there. Which just added to my already anxious state. Vince was so kind, in that he immediately set my mind at ease. He is an absolute gentleman. He could tell that I was shaking in my proverbial boots and he did everything he could to calm me down. I was still modeling at the time and one’s entire career as a model, one is told to emote without speaking…now I had lines to memorize and some to improv! Looking back, I cringe at my own lack of acting experience. I had no idea what “marks“ or “continuity” were so I was all over the place during our shoot. The amazing part was that Vince kept improvising with me so we laughed the entire time. Needless to say, I’ve learned a lot from that experience. Thank you Vince Vaughn.

BM: You made a cameo appearance in Anger Management, how was it working alongside Charlie Sheen?

MM: Charlie Sheen is a very sweet man. We all have our preconceived notions about him due to the circumstances of him leaving Two and a Half Men but he was nothing but pleasant with me. I really enjoyed being on that set. There’s a different vibe altogether doing multi-camera sitcoms. It feels alive. I had a great time!

BM: Also, there was Californication, did you enjoy working with David Duchovny?

MM: When I booked Californication, every female in my life gushed about how lucky I was to be working with David Duchovny and I absolutely understand why. I used to watch The X-Files as a kid with my mom. So I was a bit geeked-out to meet him. He is nothing [but] charming and lovely to be around. He’s very intelligent as well. My favorite part, however, is that he has a good heart. I had been involved in a rather serious car accident a few months prior and was still recovering. David constantly checked in with me and made sure that I was feeling ok. He is such a nice man.

BM: How do you feel when you’re told you’re going to have to shoot an intimate or romantic scene? Do you get nervous?

MM: Creating intimacy on screen is a strange concept when you really think about it. Being in a room full of strangers holding lights and sound booms, with someone directing you where to put your hands and how passionately to kiss or touch a person you’re expected to have instant chemistry with can be quite daunting, to say the least. However, I’ve been really lucky. I haven’t had too many intimate scenes in my career but the ones I’ve had have been so pleasant. Perhaps because I have the mental capacity of a 12-year old goofball…I immediately try to break the ice by goofing off or being silly. I find mutual laughter usually sets people at ease (mostly me). Once the giggles have been had, it’s easier to discuss if they prefer to turn their head to the left or the right when they make out. 😉

BM: What is the most memorable acting project you’ve been involved with since you began?

MM: Aside from The Break-Up (you always remember your first), I would say that I have a soft spot for The Finder. That show saved me from moving back to Chicago. I was monetarily depleted and panicked about paying my rent. I booked The Finder just in time. It allowed me to stay in Los Angeles and continue pursuing my acting dream. Also, I was lucky enough to work with the late Michael Clark Duncan (RIP). If you were to ask me this question ten years from now, I’d include Fear The Walking Dead in this list. We haven’t even aired yet and already the fans have made such an impression on me. They are super supportive and absolutely delightful and I can’t wait for them to see our show!

BM: If you could choose your dream role, what would it be?

MM: One of my earliest memories with my father was watching James Bond. That’s how we bonded. So I grew up desperately wanting to be a Bond girl. Yet as I mature and find myself more, I’ve come to realize that I [actually] want to be James Bond. The first ever female James Bond. Still called James Bond…008. I think it would be a role of a lifetime! I’d be honored to play Ms. James Bond 008.

BM: Is there anything you can tell us about your upcoming film, White City?

MM: White City was a TV pilot that we shot in Morocco for AMC just before I booked Fear The Walking Dead. It was about war correspondents in Afghanistan before the war erupted. It didn’t get picked up, but luckily for me, AMC decided to keep me and place me in the Walking Dead family. I couldn’t be happier!

BM: Is there a particular actor you wish to co-star with in the future?

MM: Aside from the obvious greats like Meryl Streep and Daniel Day Lewis…I’d be really excited to work with Chris Pratt. I think he’s absolutely adorable and hilarious! I’m also really keen on working with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. I admire those women tremendously! Smart, beautiful, women who know comedy and create roles where none may have existed.

BM: Do you have a favourite quote or saying that you live by?

MM: “No fear”. That’s my life motto. I think people’s biggest failure is standing in their own way. Fear rules the heart if we allow it. I refuse to make my decisions based on fear. It’ll cripple me if I do. Instead, I choose to believe that anything is possible–within reason of course…no matter how hard I work, I’ll never have a pet unicorn. I’ve finally come to terms with that. [Sighs].

BM: Tell me about your character Ofelia, in what ways do you relate to her?

MM: Ofelia is the only child of immigrant parents. Her parents escaped El Salvador when the war took place to find refuge in the United States. Ofelia is very protective of her parents and wants to make sure that she takes care of them. She’s always been a studious good girl. A bit of a daddy’s girl when we first meet her, naive even. As the first season develops, Ofelia begins to discover things about her family that shakes her entire foundation and makes her question what she knows, who she can trust and what “family” actually means. She is forced to find strength within herself lest she fall prey to the atrocities of the apocalyptic new world.
Although my circumstances are obviously not as dire as Ofelia’s, I relate to her commitment to her family. I, too, am the daughter of immigrant parents so I understand the need and desire to protect them in a country they’re not familiar with. When we first moved to America, my sister and I were able to speak English much quicker than my parents so we ended up serving as their interpreters for many years. It creates a bond with your parents that I think only immigrants will understand. I empathize with Ofelia’s plight greatly. She has a difficult relationship with her father which I think most daughters can understand at one point or another.

BM: Who is your closest friend on the set of Fear the Walking Dead?

MM: I’m so lucky that I get to work with such an amazing group of actors. I adore them all. But if I absolutely had to choose [just] one person, I would say my on-set bestie is Alycia Debnam Carey. She’s adorable! We tend to congregate in my trailer when we’re not working. Just play the song Worth It by Fifth Harmony and you’ll see both of us immediately break into dance. I love me some Alycia. 🙂

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photographer AMANDA ELKINS | Creative Direction ALEKSANDAR TOMOVIC

styling KYLE KAGAMIDA

makeup GRACE PHILLIPS

hair MELISSA DEZARATE for Exclusive Artists Management using Oribe Hair Care

nails PILAR NOIRE at Nailing Hollywood for MAC Studio Nail Lacquer in Only in Florida

Production Bello Media Group