In this industry, it’s easy to feel like you should just be grateful to be seen, especially when a good project comes your way. When Star People first came across, I was asked to audition for a solid role. It was a good opportunity, but it didn’t feel like me.
And I’ve learned not to ignore that feeling.
I told my agent straight up, “That role’s dope, but it’s not for me. I don’t speak Spanish either.” She respected that. I messaged the casting director, Bella Hibbs, and she sent over a list of roles still needing to be cast. I went through it line by line, and then I saw him: Benny. He was just listed as the roommate, but I saw something about him! He was in a band and that’s all I needed to know! I told my agent, “That’s the one.”
A month goes by and I’m at this film festival with one of my boys, and I get a call from my agent. She says, “You booked it.” I’m like, “Booked what?” She laughs, “Star People.” I was so hyped!! I jump up and down and was dancing!!
Filming day comes and the scene is me throwing the main character (McCabe Slye) out of the house. His sister, played by Kat Cunning, is there watching it go down. We ran the scene for hours. Each take I tried to bring something different. At one point, I found this old beer bottle in the room and took a swig during the scene. Afterwards someone on crew was like, “Yeahhh, that’s been in storage for months, I wouldn’t put my lips on that.” Too late. But it worked. The funny thing is they didn’t end up using the take. That’s how it goes.
What stuck with me most from the experience wasn’t just the role, it was knowing I could speak up, trust my gut, and carve out space for myself even when the path wasn’t laid out. You don’t always have to take what’s handed to you. Sometimes you look at the menu and say, “Nah, I’ll cook something else.”
And when the people around you trust you, and you trust yourself? That’s when the real work starts. And that’s where the magic lives.
