We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Daphne Sweetland a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Daphne, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I often get asked about when I first knew I wanted to pursue a creative and artistic path, and it’s one of my favorite stories to share. It all began at the age of 3 when I took my very first ballet class. With an abundance of energy, my mom thought dance would be the perfect outlet for me. Little did she know that it would ignite a lifelong passion.

I fell in love with ballet and performing from the start, which led me to explore music theater as well. My passion for the arts only intensified, and I found myself wholly immersed in dance and other forms of expression. I swapped soccer for ballet and participated in pre-professional summer musicals, nurturing my love for performing.

But what truly solidified my decision to become an actor and musician was the impact of watching Hannah Montana as a young child. I was captivated by her life as a performer, singing, and acting – I knew that was the life I wanted to lead.

To follow my dreams, I started taking private music lessons in guitar, piano, and voice, which allowed me to discover and develop my true artistic self.

Daphne, 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?

My name is Daphne Sweetland and I am an actor and musician living in Hollywood. I was born and raised in Seattle, WA and always knew that I wanted to move to LA since I was a little girl. I started ballet when I was three and that gradually grew to me trying other dancer forms, musical theatre, voice lessons, acting classes, etc. What I learned from all of this, was that I loved performing, either in front of people or on screen. In high school, is when I really wanted to focus on acting for the camera. I started taking classes at Mighty Tripod in Seattle, and my teachers, David Hogan and Angela Dimarco helped me make the acting switch from performing on a stage to performing in front of the camera. Wither their help, I taped several college audition videos for performing arts conservatories in LA, and just now graduated with a BFA in Acting from AMDA. Now while I am focused on film, I still adore live theater and audition for plays often. I was recently in a production of Peter & The Starcatcher, playing Prentiss.

On the musical side of things, I grew up with a classically trained pianist in the house, my mom. My mom shared her love of music with me and it took off very quickly. I started sining musical theater and leaning piano at a young age, and later transitioned to taking guitar lessons and vocal lessons. In addition to my mom being a musician, lots of my friends growing up and into my adult life have been musicians, so I have been very fortunate to be able to have music around me all the time. Since moving to LA, I found myself so focused on acting and was needing an outlet for music. It has been a blast picking up a bass and navigating my guitar knowledge to bass.

With the strike going on right now, it has been great being creative with friends and working on our own projects. Recently, I got to work on some fun music videos for my friends ‘Weathers’ and ‘The Bites.’ Music videos have been some of my favorite things to shoot as it ties in both acting and music. Additionally, I have working on some short films for friends and shot promotional content.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

“No” does not mean that you are untalented. Growing up as a kid, being told “No” was always upsetting, and getting told “No’ as a kid after an audition was crushing. I used to feel that when I didn’t book a role it was because I was not talented enough, or that I should not have even attended the audition. As I grew up and learned more about the industry, I learned that it is not just talent that gets you roles. It is all about the look of the character, if someone else who is already cast looks like you, who you know, how old you are, etc. This doesn’t mean rejection is easy by any means at all, but now as an adult I can say that as long as I prepare myself, I know I went in there and did good work.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I absolutely have a mission with my creative journey, I want to make my family proud, and most importantly little me proud. As I’ve mentioned, I’ve wanted to be a performing artist since I was a young child, and I have been proud of myself for chasing that dream. My parents always suggested other career paths I could follow, not because they didn’t believe in me, but because they know it hard to make it out there as a creative. My family has supported me throughout my creative journey, and I would not be where I am now if it wasn’t for them. They have put me through years of training, and I really hope one day I’ll be able to give back to them and repay them for all they have done for me. I actually had a really special moment with my family after my final acting showcase in college, they were so proud of me and meant it so genuinely, it is a moment I will never forget.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daphnesweetland/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daphne-sweetland-043068160

Image Credits
Headshot – Chris Wood Full body in green bodysuit – Chris Wood Fringe jacket on the rocks – Caroline Rose Brown Romper on stage – Caroline Rose Water shots – Movart TV