Daily Inspiration: Meet Christina Villa

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christina Villa.

Hi Christina, thanks for joining us today. We’re here with the always interesting Christina Villa, can you tell us a little about yourself and how you got your start?
I was exposed to performing at a young age in my hometown of El Paso, Texas. My mom was a singer, and would perform locally at fund raisers, car shows and at restaurants. Once she even opened up for the Tejano band Little Joe Y La Familia. Sometimes she would let my sister and I get on stage with her, I was really shy socially, but I enjoyed performing. In elementary school, I would sing at assemblies and write plays or do skits for my class.

When I went to college, I majored in Public Relations at UT Austin, and didn’t take my first acting class until I graduated. After graduating, it was hard to find a job so I started doing extra work on TV and film sets. I realized that I loved being on set, and that acting was really what I wanted to do with my life. To get experience, I started taking classes, auditioning for student and indie films, and performing in community theatre.

I moved back home for a while, and I got a job at the newspaper. While working full time, I auditioned for the summer musicals at The El Paso Community College, and ended up getting one of the lead roles. I remember not being able to really read the music during the audition, but acting like I could, and it paid off! The time I spent doing theatre back home really gave me confidence as a performer and the desire to keep pursuing acting as a career.

I decided what I really needed was formal acting training, so I started thinking about going to graduate school. I heard Al Pacino speak at a local film festival, about The Actors Studio, and how it impacted him as an artist, and gave him a sense of community. When I learned that their MFA program, The Actors Studio Drama School in New York City, would be holding auditions in LA, I decided to go for it. I flew out with a friend of mine who would be my scene partner, and auditioned for Elizabeth Kemp. She asked if I would be willing to move to NYC if I got in, I told her I was, and her response was, “Good because you’re in.” Within a few months, I was living and studying in New York!

That was a life changing opportunity. I got to learn from the best teachers, and work with some very talented actors. As students in the program, we were given the opportunity to attend weekly sessions at The Studio, and we were also a part of the show Inside The Actors Studio.

During my time in New York, I was acting in any way that I could, whether it be in plays, staged readings, workshops, student films, and in class. I even interned at a talent agency to learn about the business side of acting. Eventually, I landed representation and started auditioning consistently.

When I moved to LA, I auditioned for the role of Rosa Barranco opposite Dolph Lundgren in his film Wanted Man. I was so thrilled when I found out that I booked it! It was my first legit booking, and I got to work with Dolph, and Kelsey Grammer and so many other great actors. From there, I continued to book work, including a supporting role in the film Spark, which recently made the New York Times Five Science Fiction Movies to See Now!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There have definitely been some struggles along the way. Pursuing a career in the entertainment industry isn’t easy, and it will test your endurance whether it’s by dealing with rejection, long periods of waiting, or financial struggles. I’ve found that building community really helps, you can’t go at this business alone, and I’ve been blessed to meet other like-minded artists and people in the industry who have turned out to be lifelong friends. My family and friends outside the industry have also been a huge support system.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. Tell us about your work. What sets you apart?
You’ll usually see me playing a strong female with a complicated past like Rosa in “Wanted Man” and Veronique in “Spark.” I also enjoy making people laugh when I get the opportunity to do something comedic like my most recent role, Gabby in the film “Done Deal,” which is still in production.

I think what sets me apart is my resilience. I’m still here, working hard, and I’m always learning and growing. I also believe in paying it forward, I’ve been lucky to have people believe in me as much as I believe in myself, so I think it’s important to not just climb up the latter, but to also let it down for others.

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
The industry is constantly changing, we’ve seen a lot of that in the last five years, with the pandemic and the strikes. Before the pandemic, we navigated a world where auditions were mainly in person, now self-tapes are the norm. We’re also seeing a lot more verticals or short-form video content being shot.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://imdb.me/christinavilla
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamchristinavilla/
• Other: https://imdb.me/christinavilla

Image Credits
Per Bernal, Diedhra Fahey, Stephanie Girard