We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Olivia Mayo a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Olivia, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
Interestingly enough, my curiosity about acting is one of my earliest memories. I must have been around 5–it was around the time VHS tapes were still a thing (I was born in 2000 for context). I walked in on my mom watching Titanic; she was up to the second VHS tape which begins just as the boat starts sinking. Immediately, she went to turn it off, obviously not wanting me to see such a tragic reenactment unfold, but, apparently (this part I’m not too clear on…but I don’t doubt it happened), I saw a young Leonardo DiCaprio and spoke “Mommy he’s beautiful, what’s happening!?) She explained to me that he was acting, and he wasn’t literally dying. 5 year old Olivia’s line of concept, still not fully understanding, believed he was sacrificing himself for the movie. No kidding, I truly remember thinking that. You better believe when I saw clips of him in other movies I was SERIOUSLY confused. It sounds so weird now that I’m typing it out, it’s always been a story I’ve told verbally. Anyway, I really just thought it was REALLY cool. In simple little Olivia terms: someone’s job was to live other peoples lives and tell stories. It was until older where I really started to learn and understand what the craft is about, but that’s how my interest in acting first peaked. When it comes to modeling, it’s all about storytelling as well. As a model, your job on every set is to tell a story, without words, through a lens. It’s all so electrifying to me.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I’m one of the most passionate, dedicated, and determined people you will ever meet. I’m really proud when I say I say that with my entire chest. Being given a sides, a script, or even just a mood board, I want to give that character justice. I want to understand everything about them: why they are they are, why they walk the way they walk, why they think the way they think, all of it. My passion drives me in everything I do and when given the opportunity to share that beyond myself, I put everything I got into it.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
There is nothing like people coming up to me after seeing my work and telling me that I evoked some emotion within them. Whatever my character was going through, I was able to translate that and have it affect people through a screen. It inspires me to keep doing what I do and dig even deeper in my work.
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
Not everyone is meant to be traditional: Get good grades, go to college, have a 9-5, and retire. That works for some people and they live a really happy life like that. Sure, financial security and an everyday routine sounds amazing, I sometimes wish I had that. But, at the end of the day and in the long run, I would feel as if I missed out a lot on life and living. I’m not the only person who feels the same, either. Before telling creatives their chasing an impossible far-fetched dream, look a little deeper.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7960187/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsoliviamayo
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/itsoliviamayo
- Other: https://linktr.ee/oliviamayo?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=4408b2b9-7361-4984-b965-7d1ea67e3848
Image Credits
Austin Amato, Tylor Mckenzie, Paige Craig, Mikel Healey, Jimmy Romano