In “The Perfect Bride” Fitness trainer/former marriage counselor Molly White (played by Pascale Hutton) runs classes combining fitness and yoga with pre-marital counseling exercises to brides and grooms before their big day. While struggling with marital issues from her past, Molly meets Nick Dyson, a photographer who seems to be having doubts about his upcoming marriage to Molly's client, an overbearing perfectionist. While helping couples find their happiness and begin their new lives together, Molly discovers she, too, needs to learn how to forgive herself from her past so she can move forward. “Bridal Boot Camp” clearly depicts the struggle that everyone goes through in deciding who they are and thus who they can properly match themselves with as a partner in life. Abby Sommers is a workaholic; an “all business, all the time” person who is constantly typing on her phone. She also has witty sense of humor. In preparation for marriage, she takes Molly's Bridal Boot Camp class. She tells the others that it was her fiancé’s idea because he thinks "I work too much." However, she really benefits from Molly's class. Abby’s journey is all about finding balance. By letting go and staying present she able to grow as a woman and also connect with her fellow bootcampers. Abby does much more than get in shape for her big day, she forges friendships and learns lessons that deeply touch her.
Alison comments, “As soon as I read Abby, I had a kinesthetic knowing of who she was and where she lived in my body. She is the all business character in the film but it was important that she still feel relatable and approachable. Abby was the oldest bride among the bootcamp and I really loved this detail. Too often we see stories of wedding bells only for the young gals. I loved that Abby was written older and was having her fairytale wedding too. Martin [Wood, director] was great a capturing this and reminding me of that journey. Being the workaholic that I am, I used this as my parallel into Abby’s world. I am guilty of manning my phone for incoming emails and texts and as I am always working on multiple projects. Abby and I share this in common so it wasn’t too big a stretch for me if I am totally honest.” She continues, “I feel Abby is a woman many of us can relate to either personally or we have ‘that’ friend. Abby has made her career the love of her life and her mind is constantly occupied with matters work related. It makes her sometimes distracted in the presence of friends but when Abby is there she is totally there. Finding a balance between work and life is what I personally identified with Abby on. I am a workaholic and am almost always balancing a multitude of projects. I am constantly checking and replying to emails and like to deal with matters in the moment. My motto is ‘bring me a problem, I’ll bring you solutions’ and to me Abby embodies this mantra. But life is about to change for her. A wedding, a marriage and a partnership are big shifts in the life of a professional woman but one I feel Abby is ready for and welcomes.”
The vast majority of characters Alison has portrayed are strong women. Officer Lopez in CW’s “Arrow”, Moll in The Unseen, Goddess Y in “Earthlickers”, and many more including Abby Sommers show the myriad of possible presentations of strength and femininity…including their humanizing inconsistencies. While her interest in each individual role is the reason for her involvement, Araya admits that the empowered female roles are something she delights in. She finds that it fosters a bond with other actresses who appreciate the film industry’s offering of confident feminine roles, a trend she’d like to see continue. Alison remarks, “I like to see everyone offered great parts, regardless of who they are. I feel that there are more and more diverse and positive roles for women and I think we all recognize and appreciate this fact. ‘The Perfect Bride’ was an ensemble piece and what really drew me in was the friendships that forge between these women as they are gearing up for this monumental day in their lives. It mirrored the experience we had among the cast on set. We found ourselves talking and sharing a lot about our own lives and loves while working on the film. I had so much fun working with these beauties and I walked away from that project with a few more girlfriends.”