Inspirational Women In Hollywood: How Kayla Eva Is Helping To Shake Up The Entertainment Industry
Where and with who you meet someone is very determining of how you are perceived. Not to say that this rule applies across the board. But again, not every opportunity is a good opportunity. Save you energy and focus on what you deeply believe is true. It’s so easy to get distracted, or have a draining experience that might keep you from having faith in people. It’s redundant but: create good experiences, it’ll keep you going.
As a part of our interview series with the rising stars in pop culture, I had the pleasure of interviewing Kayla Eva.
Kayla is not only an actress but a writer and executive producer. Recently seen on screen in Undercover Brother 2 and 2 Minutes of Fame. You should keep an eye on “ Get the Girl” her latest feature where she does her own stunts in an Action Comedy piece created by Chris Jai Alex. It’ll be out summer 2021.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
Being born and raised in Geneva, the francophone part of Switzerland, being an actor wasn’t really a career path. It could be a hobby at most. Traveling got me here in an acting school in Los Angeles. Passion made me stay. Ignorance got me to persist. Trust has me committed. And now, Purpose has me fueled up.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started this career?
I was shooting an indi feature in Lagos, Nigeria and we needed a prop spider. And they forgot about it. We’re already late on schedule and my time there is limited, one of the production assistants points at a spider web, with one of those thin legged big ass spiders that, for sure, is poisonous, it might not be the “dead on the spot” kinda poison, but definitely something nasty that’ll rush you to the hospital. He just casually clasps it in between both his hands. Smashes it on the floor, several times, until its legs just retracted. He then brings it to me, casually… Oh yeah, and that same shoot I had 5 boa snakes nicely displayed on me, these were alive though.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I wanna say talk about extremely personal stuff with my other lead actor while still mic’ed up. Luckily it was funny and not offensive . However, this mic guy might know more about me than my mother..
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
Well, again “Get The Girl” but also I’m currently writing a project based on the life of a bomb ass woman who was very innovative and fearless.
Who are some of the most interesting people you have interacted with? What was that like? Do you have any stories?
The names that get recognition in our industry are not necessarily the most interesting. In general, the people who are most passionate about their work are the most fascinating. I have met some cinematographers who see life through frames and colors and some special effects make up artists’ house that were just like a room out of Disneyland. That being said, being on set with Kevin Hart and watching him improvise jokes out of the blue was an epic moment. I was witnessing pure connection with the creative source, and such ease and confidence.
Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?
Think of it as a marathon, so you can’t see any failure as the end of it, it’s part of it. You have to have a strong faith game and your own health rituals, mentally, physically, emotionally & spiritually. Staying grounded is going to be the most important thing for your longevity. And then building real genuine connections with the people in your life will be your savior for when it’s too hard.
You have been blessed with success in a career path that can be challenging. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?
Well, I think the most daunting thing about this career is the lack of sense of direction, the multiple ways you can go about it and how you could be a day away from booking your biggest job and give up because you feel like you failed. You will fail, you will be rejected, but if you keep going, having a plan, sticking to it, reevaluating it as you go and believing in it, then ultimate failure isn’t an option. But also, as you will have the option, choose pleasant experiences, even though pain will teach you lessons, joy will give you fuel.
Can you share with our readers any self-care routines, practices or treatments that you do to help your body, mind or heart to thrive? Kindly share a story or an example for each.
Meditate, stretch & Yoga, apple cider vinegar, mindful of your breath and level of anxiety. And remember that you eventually are responsible for the experience you decide to create. Your mind is very powerful, as an actor I believe you might have noticed it, the way you can get yourself in certain moods, so why not consciously do this in your life? The lenses that you wear as you look at any situation will determine your experiences and memories.
What are your "5 things I wish someone told me when I first started" and why. Please share a story or example for each.
Where and with who you meet someone is very determining of how you are perceived. Not to say that this rule applies across the board. But again, not every opportunity is a good opportunity. Save you energy and focus on what you deeply believe is true. It’s so easy to get distracted, or have a draining experience that might keep you from having faith in people. It’s redundant but: create good experiences, it’ll keep you going.
Can you please give us your favorite "Life Lesson Quote"? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
This is from Khalil Gibran’s poem “Joy and Sorrow”: When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy. When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.
Everything is multi-dimensional, you can decide to see your life as one narrow line, but then you’re missing out on so many colors. Enjoy each of them as they’re part of the bigger painting.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
My grandma, hands down. She’s always been an inspiration for me, young girl from a small Norwegian town who was told to marry the neighbor, countered every obstacle and built an amazing life for herself. Surpassed what was expected of a woman in her time, especially as a Norwegian immigrant going to Switzerland. She literally lost her right to vote by going there. Today, she owns a hotel in Verbier, the Swiss Alps, called Mirabeau, you should go visit if you ever want to ski, or watch the “Tour de France” in summertime. Her clients come from all over the world just to see her. She’s more than an inspiration to me. She helped me pursue my dream and honestly, if she was able to do what she did in her financial and societal circumstances, I have nothing to complain about.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
I would want to change entirely our schooling system: teach meditation, how to communicate, what love is and why it is important. Also, value more creativity and self-expression. The Future changes so fast, the jobs that we have today won’t exist in 20 years. There are other life skills that are much more important to instill in our children.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might see this. :-)
Elon Musk, because he’s the only person crazy enough to consider my ideas,
How can our readers follow you online?
Mostly on Instagram @kaylaeva_
Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational!
