Priscilla Catania … A beauty of an actress!!!
oday I am chatting with Priscilla Catania, who describes herself as “crazy wife and a mother of 3.” She has her own successful business in hair and beauty and over the last 3 years has been chasing her dream in acting.
DB — Thanks for making the time to chat to me today Priscilla. I can see that you must be very busy with the kids, your business and trying to squeeze out the time to chase and do acting roles. Could you please give us a bit on your acting background?
PC — Thank you David it’s a pleasure.
Well I first started in 2015, I woke up one day and thought time is passing so quickly and decided to contact a few people. Nathan Hill was one of the first guys I met, he was great giving me some direction and the next week I was in an acting class where I was fortunate enough to have Andy McPhee teaching. I then started an 8 week acting course with Andy and also took the opportunity to be involved in auditions that would pop up through the actor’s studio. All the feedback I was getting was positive and I was told I was a natural. I really felt amazing and it gave me more confidence. I have done dancing and martial arts I have also completed a basic street fighting course for actors as well as a SWAT and tactical firearms course with Digger Tactical. These all have been very fun and can’t wait to learn more.
DB — You’ve got a few impressive credits already Priscilla on your IMDB, such as Colourblind, Safe Ground, Open Slather and Cult Girls. I actually met you on Cult Girls, although you might not remember. It was a brilliant set, with international stars like Jane Badler. Can you tell us a bit about your experiences on that set?
PC — Where do I even start? Cult Girls was just amazing. Mark Bakaitis was an amazing director, his professionalism and the care he had for all of us was truly beautiful. The costumes were amazing; everything about it blew me away. I first met Jane Badler in the hair and make-up department, the room was full of people. I was doing the hair for all the girls and everyone was so stressed but Jane walked through and her energy was great. But what will always be in my thoughts was the moment she started acting. I had Goosebumps everywhere; I immediately thought “wow”. I want to be just as good as her, everyone I’m sure was in a daze by her performance. It was brilliant.
DB — Aside from Cult Girls, which has been your favourite set to date and why?
PC — Oh this is really hard. Every set is different and you seem to take a piece with you every time. I have met some truly amazing people I now call my friends, this is very important to me. But I would have to say Wentworth and Colourblind have really stood out due to the production values and quality of the people involved.
DB — Have you found that coming from the beauty industry has enhanced your understanding and abilities on the acting side? Has this given you a deeper appreciation of important film elements that other actors and actresses might not have noticed?
PC — I would have to say yes. Working in the beauty industry I have gained so much knowledge about body language and energy. You can’t help that you’re constantly in someone else’s personal space and you’re not just there to do their hair, but to build a relationship with them also. So with this comes listening. Which were the first 2 things I learnt in acting, you must listen to your scene partner and be vigilant of not just your own body language but theirs also. People love to talk and over the years I have heard many stories that have stuck with me as I have seen firsthand how people react and deal with their problems, whether they are good or bad. These stories as well as my own personal journey with life, has given me a lot of tools to act in different scenarios so I am grateful to have a lot of life experiences.
DB — You certainly do work hard Priscilla and I am in awe of your efforts. Are you planning on any particular direction for your acting career?
PC — Thank you David. Yes. I want to get more involved in short/feature films. I would love to get a consistent role on a TV series and even Television Commercials. My long term goal would be to visit Los Angeles and work over there.
DB — Thanks for taking the time to chat to me today Priscilla. Is there anywhere that we can look to keep up to date with your career?
PC — Thank you also David for having me. Yes you can find me on the links below:
Instagram — priscilla_catania
Facebook — Priscilla Catania
Starnow — http://m.imdb.com/name/nm7692208/
IMDB — www.starnow.com.au/priscillacatania
David Black regularly writes for Oz Indie Cinema — https://ozindiecinema.wordpress.com/
And is the lead singer/ bass player for Darkness Visible — https://www.facebook.com/DarknessVisible/