Ashla Taylor Reflects on Playing Shania Twain in New Docudrama

Ashla Taylor recently got the opportunity to portray her idol, Shania Twain, on the Feb. 18 episode of the REELZ Channel docudrama series The Price of Fame, and the collision between the screen and real life was a notable one for the up-and-coming singer.

"It was so natural for me to fall into that character," Taylor told Billboard. "I have been studying Shania for a long time. She has been my personal and my musical influence in life. Needless to say, I didn't have to do a lot of character study."

Taylor became a fan of Twain at a young age after seeing the country star in concert. Taylor began studying Twain, looking into the singer's music, writing and background.

"Because I was such a fan, I started to study her personal life story, and I found out that we had a lot of similarities," she shared. "There were a lot of things that I could relate to, and she really inspired me as a woman. It started as a musical thing, and when I got to really know her story, it became personal. I kept telling myself over the years that if Shania can overcome, then I can too. I really hope to meet her one of these days, and tell her that it was because of her that I could do this."

After moving to Nashville, Taylor's agent called her with the chance to audition to play Twain. She never thought she would land the part, but she did, saying that "They couldn't have cast anyone who was more humbled by the experience."

The film follows Twain from her childhood through her career, though it focuses more on the singer's personal life and her struggles rather than the bright lights of her career.

"It shows her as a child all the way to her Now record," Taylor shared. "There's a lot of details about the price of fame... Her family was poor and couldn't eat sometimes. Her mother was taking her to bars to play just to keep the power on. She worked for her father's business, which I can relate to."

"It's so scary in the parallels that Shania and I have," she added. "Then, her parents were killed in a car wreck, and she was left with the responsibility of having to raise her siblings. She had all of that on her shoulders, but she kept singing and creating music."

The Price of Fame series also features Johnny Depp, Robin Williams, Prince and Carrie Fisher and airs on the REELZ Channel on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET.

Photo Credit: Instagram / @ashlataylor