Brittany Snow on Changing People’s Perceptions with Her Oscar-Nominated Short Film About Abortion (Exclusive)

Brittany Snow is making an impact with her new project.

Next month, the 37-year-old actress — best known for comedies like Pitch Perfect, Hair spray and John Tucker must die — will see her film, Red, white and blue, in the running for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film at the 96th Academy Awards.

Running just over 20 minutes, the short film directed by Nazrin Choudhury tells the story of a single mother who crosses national borders in search of an abortion.

“The whole point of the movie,” says Snow, “is being a mom.”

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Although it focuses on the “polarizing” and “hot” issue of abortion, Snow tells PEOPLE that she “wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s a political film — although I’m sure it makes a lot of people feel better to put it in that category. ”

Brittany Snow in ‘Red, White and Blue’.

Red, white and blue

Recalling the first time she read the script, which was also written by Choudhury, Snow says, “I’ve never read something that made me feel this way.”

“You go into this movie judging that mother and thinking about a certain thing, and then to feel a twist in your whole body is something I’ve never expected before,” she says.

“And I think it’s because it comes with a lot of understanding that when we read a lot of these stories about abortion or women’s reproductive health, we just kind of go in with our own assumptions,” she continues. “And this movie really turned it around, which I thought was really, really important and shocking.”

Brittany Snow in ‘Red, White and Blue’.

Red, white and blue

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According to Snow, the short aims to “challenge beliefs that we may have inherently from family, from friends, from the way we were raised” — and she’s seen it do just that before.

“I never check my DMs — because a lot of crazy people are talking about my feet or whatever — but sometimes I do, especially when Red, white and blue first came out,” she tells PEOPLE, “and I got a DM from a girl who said it completely changed her perspective on abortion.”

“I think that was a big thing,” she continues, “because you start thinking that you’re making this movie, and maybe it will touch a few people, but for someone to actually change their perception is a big, big thing.”

Juliet Donenfeld, Brittany Snow and Redding Munsell in ‘Red, White and Blue.’

Red, white and blue

Snow says she was “a little hesitant” to play a mother – a career first for the actress – before filming, noting that she “doesn’t necessarily know the ins and outs of being a mom”.

Instead, she found a different way to connect with Rachel, a single mother of two who is navigating a situation that is both emotionally and logistically difficult.

“I think I said I’m not a mom yet, or necessarily, but I think a lot of women have to face really tough challenges and still be very strong and stoic and quiet in a way,” she says. “Because they have no other choice.”

“They cannot break down and show weakness because they have something to support. And I really resonated with that idea that sometimes you don’t have a choice,” she continues. “There’s no room for a hysterical breakdown or anything like that, even though that’s the hardest part.”

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So, through some bonding with her on-screen children – played by Juliet Donenfeld and Redding Munsell – and a “soft” Arkansas accent selected through extensive YouTube research, Rachel quickly took shape.

Brittany Snow in ‘Red, White and Blue’.

Red, white and blue

And under Choudhury’s direction, Snow’s performance helped him land an incredible Oscar nomination — news that left Snow “shocked.”

“I always knew it was so brilliant and I always believed in the script and in Nazrin, the director, but you never really think about ‘Oscar nomination’ when you think about your career,” she says. “Some people are, but I’m not.”

Snow says she had “big plans” for her career during her child acting days, but quickly learned to “embrace the way your career goes and not be super strategic, just accept going by gut feeling.”

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But if she could turn back the clock, Snow says she would “give myself some grace.”

“I think it would be a little easier for me if I could go back to Pitch Perfect days, when I thought: ‘Am I going to do this for the rest of my life?’ Musicals?’ ” she says. “I remember so many of my agents, managers, saying, ‘The career is very long. It’s not really going anywhere unless you want it to.’ ”

“Betting on yourself is sometimes really hard, but it’s also really cool when it works,” she adds.

Red, white and blue can be seen via SHORTS TV in theaters across the US

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Source: HIS Education