An Inspired Chat with Allie Costa of Los Angeles

Allie Costa shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Allie, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
Performing. When I’m on set or on stage, I lose track of time, and I connect to the deepest parts of me. Doing what I love makes me so happy, and I’m grateful for every moment of it.

I also lose track of time when having a good conversation with a loved one, especially when we’re laughing at inside jokes, talking about shared experiences (“Remember the time that we saw that movie…” “Oh my gosh! The one with the goat?!”) and connecting over common interests. There’s nothing like sharing quality time with your favorite people.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi! I’m Allie Costa. I’m an actor, writer, director, and singer working in film, TV, theatre, and voiceover. Working in a variety of mediums and genres allows me to tell many different stories and challenge myself in different ways. It keeps things fresh, it keeps things interesting, and it allows me to show my range. It’s fun to play an earnest bright-eyed character one day and a devastated but determined survivor the next. In addition to film, TV, and theatre projects, I also lend my voice to animated projects, audio series, video games, audio books, documentaries, commercials, podcasts, you name it. Whether I’m on a sound stage, in a theatre, or in a recording studio, whether I’m playing a superhero, a secret agent, or the girl next door, I always give it my all and do my best to bring the character to life.

What genres do you work on?

A little bit of everything! Dramas, comedies, musicals, sci-fi, fantasy, thrillers – Anything with a good story and a good script, especially if it’s character-driven, clever, and compassionate.

What are you currently working on, or have worked on recently?

I’ve had the good fortune to act in a dozen films this year, ranging from tense thrillers to feel-good animated films.

In the film Eyewitness, in addition to playing the title character, I also provided the voice of the 911 operator, which means I’m the only voice heard in the entire film. Isn’t that cool?

For another film, a satire, I auditioned for one role, then was asked if I’d be interested in voicing a second character as well. I was very flattered and excited to play both parts, especially since they were extremely different in tone and personality.

This all goes back to how much I love playing a wide range of roles. This year alone, I’ve played a lonely perfectionist, a doctor, an energetic telepathic alien (yep!), a grieving spouse, an authority figure at a futuristic corporation, an editor, and a talking book, just to name a few. I just wrapped a film where I played a reporter, which was a blast. I always love playing reporters and newscasters. There’s range there, too: Sometimes, they are straightforward and neutral, simply reporting the news, while other times, they are emotionally invested and clearly torn between their personal opinions and their professional responsibilities.

In another recent film, I played the female lead and also choreographed the musical sequences, and I enjoyed wearing both of those creative hats simultaneously. The closing scenes of the movie were filmed on location outdoors, and in order to get those key scenes and the final shot to look just right, I had to adjust things on the fly as we approached sunset, and we got it! It was so cool when we got that final sequence and final shot to look just like we wanted.

I had a wonderful time performing in Murder Behind the Mic, an evening of noir stories presented in classic radio broadcast mode, which means there were live sound effects and live music underscoring the whole thing, and we were in front of a live audience, a sold-out show with a packed house! Plus it was livestreamed, so we had a global audience, too. It was so much fun.

I performed at the Catalina Jazz Club for the first time, singing selections from a delightful new musical by Michael Gordon Shapiro called The Whirlwind. It’s such a good show. I did a staged reading of it last year, and I really hope we get to do a full production soon!

Constellations, Mermaid Story, and Future Shock, three films I wrote, directed, and appeared in, were recently selected for a film festival in Alabama and subsequently streamed online. You may watch them at my website if you’d like!

Earlier this year, my play Remembrance had its world premiere production in Illinois, followed by its international premiere in the Bahamas. Remembrance is a modern-day spin on Hamlet: After the death of his father, a grief-stricken Hamlet is plagued by psychotic delusions making him think several others have died and that he is at fault. He finds comfort in an unexpected source: the dearly not departed Ophelia.

My play Boxes Are Magic continues to be the cat’s meow, with productions in Oklahoma, California, and England this year. It’s a comedy about resilience, resistance, and the forces of nature, featuring a woman who must simultaneously contend with an unstoppable force (the outside world) and an immovable object (her cat). I’m really proud of that script. In addition to having productions in several different locations over the past few years, it was also included in a scriptwriting course at Interlochen Center for the Arts!

One of my shows is slated to have its UK premiere next year, but that hasn’t been announced publicly yet, so until then, my lips are sealed!

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
My family, definitely. They have always been there for me, always supported my dreams and encouraged me to be who I am and do what I love. They went to every show I did when I was a kid, and they still cheer me on now. I am so grateful for their support. I know many creative people whose families didn’t support their endeavors, and several who didn’t pursue their dreams due to that lack of support, and it breaks my heart.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
I am so proud of you. You are smart, and silly, and creative, and passionate, and resilient, and I know you feel like everything you want is so far away, but don’t worry – It’s going to happen! You’re going to move to L.A. and you’re going to make movies and be on TV shows and act in plays in front of thousands of people. You’re going to be in musicals that haven’t even been written yet! How cool is that? And you’re going to write. You’re going to write screenplays and stage plays that get produced, published, and performed all over the world. You’re going to write monologues, too, and articles, giving advice and encouragement to other actors and artists. You will continue to connect with people over stories and music and all your favorite things. And you will still be silly, and creative, and passionate, and resilient. I am so proud of you.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
Integrity, probably. I’m a very honest person, and I feel things very deeply, with my heart on my sleeve for all to see. I know some people put on a false demeanor or a protective persona when they are in different situations, but I’m me wherever I go, whatever I’m doing. Honesty and authenticity are so important to me. I would rather be myself and trust my gut in any and all situations.

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I’m definitely doing what I was born to do. From day one, I’ve been a performer – even before that, because according to my mom, I was dancing in the womb, and then I was born talking and singing, making sounds and trying my best to communicate with everyone and everything around me! Once I was in school, I would lead my classmates in a reenactment of a film on the playground, then go home and have my stuffed animals act out a story I’d created. And I would also have conversations and sing songs to my pets and any other animals I encountered. (I still do!)

I never listened to anyone who told me I couldn’t or shouldn’t pursue a creative life. I believed in myself, and I believed in what I wanted to do. I hope I lead by example and encourage other actors and multihyphenates to keep on keeping on. As an actor and a writer, like so many artists, we do so much work that remains unseen – the roles we auditioned for but didn’t get, the projects we DID get that got cancelled or didn’t air, the time we spent on pitches and submissions that ultimately weren’t selected – it can be hard, and it can be sad, but I don’t think that time is wasted. I think it’s time well spent, because it’s time invested in our hopes and dreams, and it’s important to believe in ourselves despite the odds and stick to it no matter what.

I always have a story to share and a song to sing. That’s how I’m wired. That’s how I thrive. It’s what makes me feel the most alive, the most complete.

Learn more about Allie Costa and her work:
http://www.alliecosta.com
http://www.imdb.me/alliecosta
http://www.youtube.com/alliecosta
http://www.soundcloud.com/alliecosta/sets
https://newplayexchange.org/users/995/allie-costa

Follow Allie on social media:
http://www.facebook.com/alliecosta123
http://www.twitter.com/allieacts
http://www.threads.net/alliecosta
https://bsky.app/profile/alliecosta.bsky.social

For audition advice, artistic encouragement, and more, check out Allie’s episodes of How Do You Juggle? and Behind the Scenes:
https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/how-do-you-juggle/id1608970879?i=1000622085619
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/behindthescreenspodcast/episodes/Allie-Costa-Actress–Musician–Director—Working-on-a-filmset-e1jkjdd

Check out some of the projects mentioned in this article:

Constellations: https://youtu.be/7bJWHRwJizk
Mermaid Story: https://youtu.be/vY9aFZ0trvs
Future Shock: https://youtu.be/2jRDv655iGg

Murder Behind the Mic: https://youtu.be/o5Ri0TXcbd4

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.alliecosta.com
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/allieacts
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/alliecosta123
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/alliecosta
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/alliecosta/sets

Image Credits

Photographers include Megan Hilliard, Andrew Joseph Perez, and Allie Costa