We were lucky to catch up with Callina Anderson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Callina , thanks for joining us today. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

I went to the University of Houston for acting in theater, but once I graduated, I was terrified to audition as a professional. I thought I might have talent, but the possibility of rejection seemed too personal and scary. I would audition at our annual city-wide auditions, but wouldn’t pursue any callback or open auditions. I, instead, picked up odd and end jobs, and became an actor at a children’s theater.

I finally decided to pursue professional acting nine years after I graduated from university. I realized how much time I had lost being afraid, and determined to try, even if I got rejected. Soon after that decision, I was hired in three professional shows, and have been consistently working as a professional in the Houston theater market ever since.

A part of me wishes I wouldn’t have let fear determine a large part of my path, and would have pursued my career sooner. I think there would have been more opportunities for me as a younger/younger looking actor. However, in those nine years, I was developing as an adult. I learned that my identity and worth was not in my work or success, which made me free to perform without fear. I also went through a lot of maturing and lived experiences that allowed me to understand the characters I portrayed and produce a richer and more visceral performance from me. While I wish I could have had more time onstage, I realize that the time I spent offstage shaped me in to a strong, well-rounded actor. I don’t believe I’d be as successful as I am today if I had started sooner, wouldn’t have been the person I am now.

Callina , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I wanted to become an actor after watching “To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything. Julie Newmar” as a teen. I marveled as the lead actors completely transformed from 80s action stars into drag queens, never making fun of the community they were representing. Their performances made me laugh uproariously in one moment, then feel sadness and anger in the next.
I knew I wanted to be like them. I wanted to tell stories that represented a wide variety of communities and celebrated marginalized peoples. I wanted my audience to feel seen when they watched me perform; to see someone they identify with, even if it’s a character on a stage. Most of all, I wanted to heal people through my work. In a culture that increasingly allows us to disengage and shutdown, I believe that watching an honest and authentic performance produces catharsis. When we feel, we can process our feelings. And when we process, we can heal.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

The obvious answer is to go see art, but I would challenge people to spend time with artists. We are often othered from the mainstream, as others don’t understand us or what we do. Get curious! Ask them why they create art. Experience art around other artists, and ask them to describe what it is they see or hear. Listen to what inspires them. Let them give you suggestions on their favorite artists to follow. Engage artists as valuable members of the community, and let them know their work is meaningful.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is inspiring younger artists. After opening a particular show, a younger castmate gave me a card. Inside. they described how they had looked up to me for years prior to working with me, and that there were other younger people who were also inspired my work. I was shocked. I had no idea anyone was actively paying attention to my career, or that I was setting an example for others.
I feel a deep responsibility to be honest with my rocky start as a professional, to as vulnerable and considerate as possible offstage, and to work with professionalism and integrity onstage. It gives me purpose to know that I can help others on their journey to becoming the best artist they can be.

Contact Info:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/callina.anderson?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Other: https://linktr.ee/callina.anderson

Image Credits

Wolf Play-153: Tasha Gorel
Medea (Performance)-Pin Lim
To Kill a Mockingbird-Jeff McMorrough
The Outsider-Tasha Gorel
The Outsider Rehearsal-Jeff McMorrough
Grand Concourse-Pin Lim
Callina Anderson-Tasha Gorel