Interview with Niketa Calame [niketac] on Whohub

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How did you begin acting?

I was in a performing arts dance troupe when I was about 8 and my instructor submitted me for a hanna barbera project and I booked it. My godsister was in the business and referred me to her agent at the time Harry Gold and Associates and I start auditioning. I booked chris rocks little sister ALBERTINA in "CB4" and one of my biggest roles as the voice of YOUNG NALA in Disney's 32nd Feature Film "THE LION KING". I received my SAG card and have been on the acting track most of my life. Love it love it love it.

At what stage in your career did you realise that acting could be something you do professionally?

When I booked my first commercial for rice krispies and the amount of fun I had. Got my check and was able to still go over to my cousins house after and play lol. As long as I was able to still do all the normal things other kids got to do I was fine.

Please list an Internet address where one can see something about you.

Please list the most important or defining jobs of your career.

By far The Lion King. To be apart of Disney history with such a wonderful cast, I couldn't ask for more. I will be able to share that with my kids and grandkids and it will always be relevant.

Please list any famous performances that have helped you in reference to your evolution in acting.

I attended The Actors Studio Drama School in NY and received my MFA degree. I was able to originate a few roles during that time which was wonderful. Frenchy Marshall in "Defacing Micheal Jackson" which won the Samuel French Festival and is now published. My thesis role LISA in "MATCH ME" was excepted into the International New York Fringe Festival which was a wonderful experience. Also JUNK: A ROCK OPERA I was able to originate the role of "MARTINA" which is a wonderful experience and the possibilites for that project are endless. In fact we have a concert reading in New York May 11, 2009

Please list three actors and three actresses that you like.

"Actors"
Don Cheadle
Hill Harper
Jeffery Wright

"Actresses"
Cicely Tyson
Meryl Streep
Phylicia Rashad

What type of psychological, physical, and emotional preparation do you do before a performance?

Backstory Research
Scene by Scene investigation of (themes,objectives & intentions, scensory elements,place,time, relationships etc...)
Overall Throughline of story and character
I ask myself: What about the character do I love? What about this character is most like me? Whats really different from me? What kind of music is this character? What color is this character? How does she walk? What animal is she most like? ... Basically as many questions that I can think of that will help me transform into a whole other person.

What is your criteria in determining which projects you select?

Story
Character
Director

What type of communication do you normally establish with directors?

Clear on their vision of the whole project
What ideas they had in mind for my character
What their process is (rehearsal, takes etc...)

What is the archetypal character in which you tend to be typecast?

Usually just on appearance alone I am commercially cast in the 16-25 age range, girl next door. Once I get to read for a role I am able to show my emotional range that goes beyond the nice girl next door and into the lives of many complex characters. I love straight drama.

Has there been a role that has been especially difficult for you?

My thesis role was bi-polar and the time and place of the play was an illusion until the end. In a film flashbacks and special effects would take its audience in and out of the characters life, on stage I had to do all of that without giving away the reveal at the end through my choices and commitment to each moment.

Do you see yourself working in this field in twenty years?

Why of course! I will be acting until I leave this world!

What do you do to kill time during waiting periods at casting calls?

Usually I am going over the sides or getting to know new actors.

Are you continuing to educate yourself through acting classes, seminars, or other courses? Do you combine this with your normal job?

Yes because I went to the actors studio for school I am a working finalist to the actual actors studio and attend friday sessions occationally, moderated by Mark Rydell and Martin Landau

Is there any fetish role you haven't interpreted yet, but that you have in your head to do one day?

Not sure about that one yet

According to your experience, please describe the best and worst of each medium: cinema, theatre, television.

cinema- best:the stories are able to reach millions of people and are archived in history
worst: if it sucked it reached millions of people and is archived in history lol

theater- best: there is nothing like that immediate conversation with a live audience
and moment to moment exploration the characters have
worst: doesnt always pay well, have to have other jobs to support yourself

television- best: there are not too many live tapings anymore but i would say it combined both film and theater elements
worst: not a lot of good scripts on tv and reality tv has just about taken over

Is there any scene or role that you would never interpret due to personal morals, principles, or taboos?

when you face a villian or a fallen soul the best thing to do is find what makes them normal, what about them is lovable and I think that will give these characters deminsion. In general I feel that kind of approach will make the characters more human, your audience will see some of themselves in these characters which will make the experience for the audience even scarier or eeeeirrrryy lol.

Could you say that your tools as an actress pertain to a certain school or concrete method?

Yes I was trained in the Stanislavski Method There are many instructors who all pulled from the method adler, meisner they were all saying the same thing. All of their theories are about the actor finding emotional truth in the story, character and from your own personal life. God gave me this talent but I still need to fill my tool box to make my work more specific. It makes all the difference from an actor who just does a monologue for example about being out in the cold, verses and actor who is talking about the cold while seeing the frozen lake and remembers how the tips of their fingers felt numb and might rub thier fingers together at some points during the monologue and can see her breath as she is talking, or maybe add a sniff here and there because she remembers how when she is super cold her nose starts running, or might grip her feet because the cold is going through her shoes and socks and the tips of her toes are numbing. All that specific works creates behavior and helps with not only bringing the words to life but the character and circumstances to life. Acting is a verb so who wants to see a still body with a talking head on stage.

Which director would you like to read this interview? What type of role would you like for him/her to offer you?

Spike Lee
Martin Scorsese
Steven Spielberg
Tyler Perry
John Patrick Shanley

Have you ever thought of giving up on the profession? If yes, when and why?

Well during this recession its tough, during strikes if you are not an A lister lol it gets tough. But I know that this is what I was born to do. Its not a hobby it is my purpose so I cant give up even if I wanted to.

One personal reason why to keep doing this work

The creative arts keeps the world going round. I believe in art and how it touches peoples lives. It makes people laugh during a depression, makes people aware of issues that they might not have ever known creating a dialogue between strangers, it breaks the ice for sensitve issues, it makes you remember to love, it shows you how ugly hate can be. Art exposes, teaches, validates and motivates and that is why I love it.

How do you feel when people recognise you on the street?

Well people only recognize me if someone tells them some of my credits. But when they do know they are usually excited. I still get fan mail from children all over the world telling me how nala was their favorite character and if I could sign a picture or photo which is a really crazy feeling. I am just doing what I love, I dont really talk about it much I just do it.

What advice would you give to someone just starting out in acting?

Stay Focused. Do something related to your career everyday even if its just reading an interview from your favorite director or actor. Keep living, and have a life, dont live and breathe the business have other things that interest you as well. Dont take rejection personally half the time its not about you its about who they already hired to play the mother that you dont look like, or you remind them of thier ex or whatever crazy things happen lol. Casting directors want you to be good they are rooting for you, so relax make a strong choice and deliver. At least when you leave that audition and if you dont get it you know you did your best and maybe they will remember you for the next project. Stay up to date with what is going on in the industry (Union issues, the trend with directors and actors, learn the vocabulary). Dont say no to indies and student films if the project is good its good and you will learn something from the experience and form relationship with the possible next steven speilberg he was only 26 when he did Jaws :)

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