We were lucky to catch up with Maria De Sá recently and have shared our conversation below.

Maria , appreciate you joining us today. We love asking folks what they would do differently if they were starting today – how they would speed up the process, etc. We’d love to hear how you would set everything up if you were to start from step 1 today.

I am an actress and screenwriter, so there are endless ways to go about starting this journey.

The world is in constantly changing, so for example if someone told me 10 years ago, that I would be doing self-tapes (which means casting through videos, where you record yourself at home) 90% of the time and not in person in the city, maybe I would not need to invest so much money right at the beginning of my career living abroad. It would have saved me a lot of money, however if that didn’t happen, my knowledge of film, languages and network wouldn’t be the same. So even though it sounds cliché. the time, money and mistakes wasted by each one are the necessary ones to move forward.
That said, and specifically to me, if I knew how hard breaking into my industry back home would be, perhaps I would have invested in doing something nationally before going off internationally and study there.

The way I started acting and the way I started writing was very different, and I believe each path led me somewhere I needed to go. So even if you feel that you wasted time or money, there is for sure someone you met, or a work you got to do, or knowledge you gain that without the mistake you would not have gained.

In my field, everything is so specific that even if me and you did the exact same choices the outcome would most likely not be the same. I would never regret investing in my education though. But in film you can certainly start early and start shooting/creating even though you’re in school. Don’t be focused on being perfect or making the best short film. Just shoot ideas that you love and keep evolving. You’ll see your progress and like any instrument if you don’t practice you don’t get better at it.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

For people that don’t know me, my name is Maria de Sá. I am a Portuguese actress and screenwriter. I started my journey in acting at 14 when I moved to England, to study at Tring Park School for the Performing Arts, after a successful audition. After that I moved to LA where I got my BFA in Acting at the NY Film Academy. I started my career in the US and continue to work on American movies in Europe, short films and commercials as well.

I recently, co-starred, co-wrote and co-produced a TV series, in Portugal, called PRISMA, which will come out this year on a Portuguese streaming platform.
This was my first big writing and producing experience, and after 4 years developing this story with 3 other actors/writers I can’t really describe the feeling of being able to shoot it and having it (almost) ready to share with the audience. We encountered all types of problems while producing it, I mean producing IS solving problems. So that really was a big learning curve for me, and also a very proud moment to see it all come together.

I recently also integrated the cast of the american thriller LOVELY DARK and DEEP by Teresa Sutherland, which premiered at the Fantasia film Festival and continues to makes its way through the festivals circuit and starred in a Portuguese tv series DESASSOSSEGO, coming out this year.

I am always open to collaborate and work on new ideas. I love team work and cinema is just that. I enjoy every step of the process of creating a story, and I think writing really complemented my acting, because it was a great way for me to also create and share my own stories.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

To me it’s all about reaching someone. It’s so rewarding to see when a story touches somebody, when it lit up someone’s day, made them feel less lonely, it’s a feeling I can’t describe. As a kid i couldn’t believe a movie, a book or a painting could evoke so many emotions in me and after that all i wanted was to make that impression into other people, make them feel things. It’s hard to explain because it’s not palpable.

And then also its so rewarding to see an idea come alive, a script you wrote having locations, characters having voices, it’s so thrilling and after it’s over I cant wait to feel that rush of emotions again.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Sometime perhaps the hard thing to understand (and that I got asked a lot) Don’t you think you need a plan B?

Of course you need money, and if you need to have a side job because your art is not paying the bills absolutely get one. I get sides jobs from time to time, but a side job I would argue is different than a plan B. If you have a plan B there’s a huge possibility that when things get rough it will become your plan A. Don’t loose focus of what you want. Of course make money, but don’t loose the goal. And sometimes non-creatives don’t get this. Because this means no safety net, no idea of when vacations will be, it’s difficult to make plans ahead; but this is just a choice, a price to pay to do other things.
Instead of creating more fear, offer a solution. I would say less questions (even if you don’t understand fully the creative) and just support can make such a difference sometimes for artists.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @_mariadesa_
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariadesa94/
• Other: IMDB Page: imdb.me/mariadesa

Image Credits
Teresa Pamplona Oscar Garcia Photography Marc Sirisi Diogo Raposo