ANNA STADLER Sight on the Horizon When did you first get involved in acting? When I was 6, my best friend and I used to write and put on little one-act plays. We’d hand make tickets and would pass them out to literally anyone who would accept them. Elementary-high school I participated in school plays, musical theater, drama club and even a pageant- just because it got me on stage. I shared with my acting and voice coach that film/TV was my passion and he pushed me to start researching talent agencies with a similar focus. I signed with an agency 2 years ago (at 16) and my professional career took off after that. I enjoyed my time in theater, but I definitely found my calling in front of the camera. What or Who inspired you to pursue a career as an actor? I have to give a LOT of credit to my acting/voice coach Kevin Jones of Kevin Jones Performing Arts Studio. He is a wonderfully tough, but supportive coach and grew my confidence tremendously. He was the one that pushed me to really go after my dream of being a professional.
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I’m sure you have met a lot of celebrities along the way. Would you share 1 or 2 of your favorite stories with us? Being 18, I’d have to say meeting Joey King on set filming “The In Between” would definitely be a highlight. I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to keep one of my best friends from stowing away in my suitcase while packing for the trip to film. Right now she’s the biggest up and coming female for teen movies, for sure.
What has been your ideal character, so far? And why? Tough question. I have several really memorable characters coming up, but I can’t share much without giving away the storyline. What I love about them though is that they are tough, driven and not afraid to do what it takes to handle business. My favorites are characters that are complex, multidimensional and prove to be something other than what you thought they were. That classic “don’t make the mistake of underestimating” kind of woman. How has your acting evolved since you first became involved in the film industry? My looks and age make me easily stereotyped as the “girl next door” typically cast in teen love stories, and although there is nothing wrong with those roles, they tend to be too much like who I am in real life to be a great challenge to portray. At 5’3” and slim I’m not initially seen a intimidating, so I had to work hard to be convincing in auditions and purposely market myself to start landing roles that were less “sugary sweet” and more “don’t mess with me” fierce type characters. If you were forced to choose only one, which emotion, more than any other drives you to stay in this tough business? Is it joy, anger, desire, passion or pride and why? Passion! In my opinion it’s the one thing you HAVE to have to be successful at this business, or any other. You can take acting lessons, you can take voice, study body language, stage presence…but if it isn’t driven by passion then you have nothing worth watching in the end.
