OLIVIA DEJONGE

“I first got into acting when I was around nine or 10 years old. I did after-school acting classes for a while, and really just saw it as a means of self-expression and fun. Both my parents were a brilliant combination of support but also never pushed me into it, which I think is important as a kid. I owe them a lot for that. Reading [each] script thoroughly and understanding it inside and out always comes first. I’ll watch videos, interviews, listen to music, and make playlists that are either related or I feel are inspired by the characters. [The most challenging character yet is] probably Priscilla Presley–definitely a lot of imposter syndrome walking onto that set, as well as pressure that I put on myself. [I just want] to keep making movies with people who love making movies, for people who love watching them.” KEVIN PONCE

DeJonge is starring in Elvis, in theaters June 24

 

HAVANA ROSE LIU

“I think the art forms I was straddling [at NYU Gallatin] subconsciously led me to acting. Doing visual art gave me a way of perceiving the world through its symbolism and metaphors. Dance gave me an understanding of collaboration, crafted emotion, presence, timing, and my own body. And experimental performance art gave me this slightly playful relationship to defined reality. I also think being mixed race and having to jump between cultures has made me feel like I’ve been learning to act my whole life. All this being said, sometimes in discussion with other actors about acting…I start the conversation so eagerly, but then I break out in a sweat. Because occasionally it doesn’t feel like the same craft at all, and I start to think I must be doing it all wrong. Brutal imposter syndrome, hugging me again!” ALEX BLYNN

Liu is starring in No Exit on Hulu

 

RACHEL SENNOTT

“I was a theater kid. So if anyone thought I was cool, sorry to disappoint. I would write and direct these plays that I forced my siblings to be in and I was always filming music videos to my favorite songs. I really became infatuated with the art of acting when I got a really bad case of pneumonia right after my ninth birthday. I had just gotten a child- size vanity and the Guys and Dolls DVD, and I would just sit in front of the mirror and lip sync to all the songs until I got better. My parents have always believed in me and supported me even when they didn’t necessarily get what I was doing. When I first got into acting, I did not fit into the mold and struggled with it. I have since realized that your uniqueness and individuality is what gets you work.” CZAR VAN GAAL

Sennott is starring in A24’s Bodies Bodies Bodies

 

EMMA APPLETON

“My first experience of acting was when I started dancing and doing musical theater. Singing was not my forte, so I threw myself into the acting and dancing parts of it. I found it surprisingly easy to pretend to be the scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz, or a cat, completely immersing myself in a character that felt utterly freeing and magical. Every single role is different, but what I find myself doing more is just spending time in their headspace. I try to get the basics down and flow from there, because if you have the truth of the person, then you always have that to go back to if it feels like they’re running away from you. I want to keep exploring a range of roles so I’m always surprising myself. But honestly, as long as I can stay acting and collaborating with creatives that I love working with, then I’m more than happy.” KP 

Appleton is starring in Pistol on FX

 

ISABELLE KUSMAN

“I was cast as Annie in a small Annie production my freshman year of high school. The concept of acting was foreign to me. I auditioned solely for the required credit. It’s inscrutable to me how quickly and deeply I fell in love with the art through such an incidental occasion. I am violently ambitious by nature. I have this horrific problem where I don’t register failure. If I want something and I can see myself doing it, I go for it until it happens. As a kid, I was mesmerized by Natalie Portman, specifically her performance in Léon: The Professional. She inspired me before my acting career intentions had revealed themselves. I admire the trajectory of her career, how she devotes herself to projects with genuine meaning.” MATHIAS ROSENZWEIG

Kusman is starring in The Fabelmans in theaters

 

QUINTESSA SWINDELL

“My dad would bring this portable TV into his office when he was working late. It kept me busy, but I also became mesmerized with the beauty of film, which would later inspire me to audition for a theater school and pursue acting. Years later, my high school acting teacher taught me to hone in on my skills, to always take my time, and to be honest with my emotions in every role. I think my most challenging role yet will be in Deadpoint. I’ve begun 12 weeks of rock climbing training. I’m really tough on myself when it comes to physical work in films. If I’m projecting a character with a particular skill…it’s gotta be perfect. Physical training has given me a newfound comfort in my mental and physical strength that I never knew I could have. I’m finally starting to look at myself in the mirror and be proud of the person looking back.” CVG

Swindell is starring in Black Adam in theaters

 

DASHA NEKRASOVA

“I was obsessed with late-night television as a kid, in particular David Letterman, and I think my earliest aspirations to be an actress arose out of a desire to be seen and affirmed by someone like Dave. It wasn’t until I started studying Strasberg technique with a teacher named Tony Greco that I started to take acting seriously as a vocation, as something that required discipline and could be generative, generous, and meaningful. I don’t know if I am especially adept at grounding myself at all [when coming out of a role], though I’m trying. I think I will always be drawn to intense emotional states, and acting provides a context for immersion that feels healthy or at least productive.” MR

Nekrasova is starring in Succession on HBO

 

SASHA CALLE

“Representation in the entertainment industry really matters, and I’m super honored, honestly [to be the first Latina Supergirl]. There was a moment when we were shooting, when Andy [The Flash director Andrés Muschietti] was like, “Hey, come over here and watch this scene on the playback monitor.” And I go over and I see her [Supergirl], and she’s in her full glory. And suddenly, I got really emotional. Because I’m looking at that, and I’m like, “Wow, I wish I would have had this when I was little.” It meant a lot to me. I turned into child Sasha watching this person [on the screen]. So it’s really important. And I’m really happy and really thankful to DC and Warner Brothers for doing this now. It’s so cool that we’re doing this, and, ya know, it’s about time.”AB

Calle is starring in The Flash in theaters

 

ISADÓRA BJARKARDÓTTIR BARNEY

“There was a bit of a role switch when my mom [Björk] came onto set. I had already been with the cast and crew for a couple months at that point, and, you know, I’ve also been training in stage acting for quite a while, so I felt very comfortable. Acting is less her zone, but it was really sweet of her to submit to the art form that I offer. My artistic process is also definitely dissimilar to hers. She is so completely in tune with her voice. That is her medium. It sounds corny, but in my brain, that’s like her stage, her landscape. That’s her play zone. So, a lot of her character work was created around her voice and the intention that comes out of that. I’m very movement—and physicality-based. I’m very affected by my spatial awareness. My physical self, my body, is what informs my acting.” AB

Barney is starring in The Northman in theaters

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