Where did you study?

Bond University

Who is your agent?

Howell Management.

Who is your vocal coach?

Hannah Gray

What’s the best bit of advice you’ve been given?

Don’t be so predictable in your approach and do it again and again, because everyone gets told no, so if you love it, then keep going.

What was your headshot session like?

It was absolutely incredible. I felt empowered and also completely at ease within myself. The entire experience of working with Sheona was inspiring and she found a way to tap into all parts of my personality and emotions, where I could be strong and vulnerable whilst feeling completely safe and as if I were on my own adventure. I’ve never felt more comfortable in front of a camera.

If you chose between doing a big film or a small film, which would you choose and why?

Either. I love small films for their ability to give you the chance to interact with a smaller cast and crew on an intimate level and really experience everything first-hand at every stage, whereas larger films challenge you to take a step back and appreciate the enormity of the challenger you are undertaking on a grander scale, whilst not losing yourself in the process.

What is your favourite type of role to play? Why?

I love a character with flaws, a strong character but who has a dark element to them whether it be in the way they challenge others or fight back, or fight against their own mentality. It allows me to test my own abilities but more than that, it can be a chance to really touch base with aspects of myself that I don’t know exist, or go to places in me that I otherwise never delve into.

If you could travel back in time to meet anyone (living or dead) who would it be and why?

Joan of Arc and Cleopatra. I just love how different both of these women were and how they were strong and feminine, but also how they encapsulated love in their lives in different ways, and both of them had an aspect of ‘fight’ to them. Depending on how you look at their stories, you can imply that darkness was always a part of their lives, but its the way they faced their challenges, but also the differences in their desires, their strategy, their leadership, and also their romances (with both the physical and spiritual) that fascinate me.

Do you work in TV, film, theatre, or all three?

All three. 

What’s the most interesting role you’ve had?

Having to play a politician’s advisor who is a woman, pretending to be a man, who doesn’t speak for the entire play until the end when he/she has a monologue to admit that they were the murderer on the train. It was a challenge to convey everything through a form of mime and body language, and also behind ‘screens’ and through the use of shadows (by way of ‘carriages), but then to just burst out at the end and with a Southern accent and generate the ‘shock’ factor without being predictable and ‘overdoing it’, was really challenging for the play. 

Follow Kayla Santagostino on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/kaylanatalie13