In the Quiet, She Speaks: Lara Hunter Finds Power in Stillness in Stay In The Car
For actress Lara Hunter, performance has never been about volume. In Stay In The Car, it’s about restraint. The emotionally charged short film, directed by Calvin Ghaznavi and written by Amanda Ross, unfolds largely in silence, following a teenage girl navigating a pivotal moment during a long, uncertain night. For Hunter, stepping into the role of Salem required a shift away from traditional performance instincts and toward something more internal.
“The stillness is what makes the performance so powerful,” Hunter explains. “When a character isn’t speaking, everything else becomes more important, your eyes, your breathing, your physical presence.”
That approach defined her work throughout the film. Without dialogue to guide the emotional arc, Hunter leaned into subtlety, trusting that what remained unspoken would carry the weight of the story.
“Dialogue can sometimes guide you,” she says, “but when you don’t have that, you have to rely entirely on what you’re feeling in the moment. It forces you to be very present and very honest.”
Set against the dim glow of streetlights and the distant hum of sirens, Stay In The Car captures a moment that is both quiet and life changing. The emotional tension builds not through action, but through what lingers beneath the surface, a space where Hunter found both challenge and growth.
“There were definitely moments where I questioned if what I was doing was enough,” she admits. “But I learned that sometimes less is actually more.”
That realization marked a turning point in her understanding of performance. Rather than pushing emotion outward, Hunter focused on holding it internally, allowing the audience to lean in and meet the character where she exists.
“Salem is feeling so many things at once, fear, loyalty, independence,” she says. “And that felt very real to me because as humans, we rarely feel just one emotion at a time.”
The role also reinforced the kind of storytelling Hunter is drawn to as she continues building her career. For her, the most meaningful work is rooted in emotional truth.
“I want to be part of projects that feel honest and impactful,” she says. “Stories that connect with people on a deeper level.”
As Stay In The Car continues its festival run, Hunter’s performance stands as a reminder that some of the most powerful moments in film are not spoken but felt.
To find out more visit https://stayinthecar.com
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