Actress Kyana Teresa chatted with Digital Journal’s Markos Papadatos about starring in “Good Witch,” “A Sisterly Christma,” being an actress in the digital age, and she revealed her dream acting partner in the acting business.
In “Good Witch,” she played the role of Zoey Taylor. “Being a part of the ‘Good Witch’ cast was such an amazing experience. It actually helped me realize that I would love to focus on more television roles. What was especially great for me (especially coming off of short stint movie sets) was just how smoothly everything ran,” she said.
“The show operated like a well-oiled machine because the cast, crew, and production had all worked together for such a long time. This meant the days flowed easily, were organized and I got home at a decent hour every night,” she exclaimed.
“As an actor, what I loved most about playing Zoey Taylor was that she was a fully realized character,” she said. “Meaning she had depth and balance, strengths and weaknesses, a rich past and future goals.”
“It’s actually one of the few opportunities I’ve had to play a role like that. Unfortunately, actors of color are too often delegated to the ‘supportive best friend’ or ‘sidekick’ role. We exist solely as a vehicle to further the storyline of the white lead. So this was a breakthrough role not just for the show, not just for the network, but for me personally as an actor,” she elaborated.
On her daily motivations as an actress, she said, “What inspires me as an actor each day is pretty simple: Gratitude. I feel so beyond privileged and blessed that I get to make my dreams a reality. I think about how proud little Kyana would be of what I’ve done so far, what I’ve gone through, and the risks I’ve taken to get here.”
“I still have a lot more to do and a long way to go, but whenever I feel overwhelmed or I’m doubting myself, I think about the roof over my head, the food in my fridge, the air in my lungs, and simply the fact that I got to wake up today. I remind myself nothing is permanent and that every day can breed new possibilities. One audition, one phone call can change your life,” she said.
She was also a part of “A Sisterly Christmas.” “I was so excited when I learned that I was going to be working on an OWN production (and one step closer to meeting Oprah) I play the antagonist of the movie Reginé Radcliffe. She is a pop star diva like no other, and you do not want to be on her bad side. I might have had just a little too much fun playing her,” she said with a laugh.
“It’s rare in Canada that you get to work with a predominantly black cast and let me tell you, the experience was incredible. The vibes were high, the culture was strong and the love was real. I’m really excited for audiences to see it during the upcoming holidays! It’s all about overcoming fears and old grudges to find true love and happiness,” she said.
On being an actress in the digital age, she said, “It’s honestly pretty cool. The fact that I can connect with my audience and vice versa in real-time is something that still amazes me. I definitely didn’t have that ability growing up watching my favorite celebs. If you wanted to learn about them you would have to catch their interviews on TV or in physical magazines. Now you can just check out their socials to get an instant glimpse of their lifestyles, and opinions.”
“Now of course there is always a flip side to these parasocial relationships but luckily my experience so far has been overwhelmingly positive,” she exclaimed.
She listed Viola Davis as her dream acting partner. “I would absolutely love to work with Viola Davis,” she said. “She is one of the most talented actors I’ve ever seen and I know I could learn so so much from her. Beyond knocking it out of the park with every single role, I also love listening to her interviews. She had an extremely hard life growing up and hearing her story of how she overcame and triumphed is so motivating and inspiring to me.”
For young and aspiring actors, she said, “There are going to be a lot of people who will want to place limitations upon you. Don’t be one of them. You have to be your number one cheerleader. Keep training, keep working hard, and keep showing up. Opinions, doubt, and judgment from you or about you will never serve you so do your best to keep them out of the equation. So much about success in this industry is your mindset! Keep that strong, and you’ll already have an advantage over 90 percent of other actors.”
On her definition of the word success, she said, “To me, success means living authentically and creating a life that you can feel proud of, whatever that looks like. For me, it looks like honoring and embodying my core values. It looks like acknowledging my weaknesses and actively working to better them. It also means being gentle and kind to myself on the days when none of that feels possible.”
For her fans and supporters, she said, “You’ve made me feel so loved and validated as a person and an actor. What an honor to have a ride or die group to support and back you up in all your endeavors. Together we are going to make a big difference in this world, I just know it.”
