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Catch her new flick at the Midtown Art Cinema on Sept. 15! Photography by Terry Check

Hungry for More

by Kelsey Bjelland | Jezebel magazine | August 2, 2012

In March, Atlanta-born actress Amber Chaney was on top of her game, strutting her stuff on the Hollywood red carpet in a striking L.K. Bennett hot-pink number at the premiere of the year’s hottest flick, The Hunger Games. The red-tressed stunner with an equally fiery personality couldn’t believe she was about to watch her big-screen debut as an Avox Girl (Katniss’ personal servant). But not until the final credits rolled did she realize her part had been cut from the movie.

“There’s a lot of different kinds of rejection in this business,” Chaney says. “But, I thought, ‘I just got to walk the red carpet for one of the biggest film series of this decade.’ I kind of got over myself after a few minutes.”

Many of the series’s fans were so upset about the slight, however, director Gary Ross posted a public apology on mtv.com. Chaney, who by all accounts should have been the most disappointed of all, rebounded with an admirable perspective and even more roles. “It’s still a fantastic stepping stone that opened a door that wouldn’t have been open otherwise,” she says.

After appearing in Season 2 of The Walking Dead, portraying Hershel’s wife-turned-zombie, the Candler Park–dweller got right to work on a new flick—a Sundance Film Festival submission hopeful that also filmed in Atlanta called Cupid’s Requiem. (Catch the premiere at Midtown Art Cinema on Sept. 15!)

Chaney may have had a taste of stardom, but it’s not Hollywood that she’s after. “I’m not looking to move out to L.A.—I’m looking to bring L.A. here,” says the 31-year-old actress, a huge advocate of the Georgia Film Commission. That doesn’t mean she’s all business. Chaney keeps it low-key, hanging out with her 5-year-old son at home and hostessing at hot spot Woodfire Grill. “I love it there,” she says. “When I get off work, I sit around and have a glass of wine at the bar!” Cheers to that! @amberchaneyacts