Check Out Kody Kavitha’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kody Kavitha.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I grew up in Fresno, California and was lucky enough to live in an area called the ‘Tower District.’ It’s essentially the arts district of Fresno. My parents were always big into movies and TV shows, so I could easily say that’s where my love of acting started. I participated in performing arts classes when I was very young and, by the age of four, was in my first play, ‘The Lion King,’ where I played Young Nala.

From there, my parents always encouraged me to pursue what I loved and I was able to spend my elementary, middle school, and high school years at performing arts schools and studied acting at the prestigious CalArts in Valencia during the summers of my Junior and Senior year. As a lover of musical theater, I originally thought I would be Broadway-bound but, as fate would have it, the Los Angeles film and television industry was where I belonged. It was my first semester at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy when I was cast on an NBC show called ‘Outsourced.’ We filmed the pilot and I finished my first year at AMDA. That summer, production for ‘Outsourced’ called to tell me the show had been picked up for a full season and asked if I still wanted to be a part of it. I talked it over with my parents and we agreed that college would always be there and an opportunity like this doesn’t come around often. That year spent filming ‘Outsourced’ was one of the best years of my life. And, while I essentially had a “featured background” role, I was counted as part of the cast and was able to really see the behind-the-scenes of an industry I knew little about. Whether it was watching the lighting being set up, final touch-ups of make-up, or yes even those EARLY morning call times, I was completely enamored! When the show got canceled after its first season, I was heartbroken.

However, instead of going back to college, I decided to foray further into the industry – luckily, with the full support of my parents. I focused mainly on on-camera work and started to gain some momentum. That was until my health unexpectedly declined rendering me too sick to pursue on-camera jobs. So, I took a break to focus on treatments and recovery. Early on, I had signed with the wonderful agency DPN, but things had been quiet on that front for a while. It was during my health break when I booked the lead role on a pilot that my voiceover career really came alive. Before I knew it, I was voicing characters for ‘Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’, ‘Apple & Onion’, and ’We Bare Bears’ to name a few. Voiceover found me during a time in my life when I needed it most. It kept me creative, fulfilled, and hopeful. And, during one of the toughest years for everyone, voiceover was there to carry me through. During 2020, I recorded for the Netflix show ‘Deadendia’ (premiering later this year) on which I voice one of the leads, Norma Khan.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
When it comes to the normal struggles an actor faces like rejection, picking the right headshot, or searching for parking for 45 minutes for a 2-minute audition, I was well prepared. Inherently anxious, I had planned for seemingly ALL worst-case scenarios. This of course made it all that more devastating when, out of nowhere, I started suffering from mystery symptoms like hair loss, excruciating full-body pain, and severe fatigue. It wasn’t until four years and over seven doctors later that I finally got my first diagnosis and then, I kid you not, an ADDITIONAL diagnosis every year after that: 2017 Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, 2018 a rare type of Arthritis called Reactive Arthritis, 2019 Mast Cell Angioedema and 2020 Stage 2 Endometriosis, which I had surgically removed. With the sheer amount of symptoms each of these conditions carry, the cards were certainly stacked against me and there seemed to be no reasonable way my acting career would stand a chance. However…it did. I was fortunate enough to have an amazing support system to get me through it all. I’ll admit though it was during that time that I felt the most ‘lost.’ It wasn’t that I didn’t want to pursue acting anymore, it was more that I didn’t think my body would let me and I had never in my life been faced with that possibility, especially when it came to something I loved so much. One of the greatest bits of advice my mom, a cancer survivor, shared with me was to find people in the industry who have health struggles to look up to. I can’t express to you how valuable that has been for me. It gives me hope that if they can push through this type of adversity, I can too.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m mostly known for my work in voiceover and especially for voicing Sunita on ‘Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’. I’d have to say I’m definitely proud of that role. Not just because I enjoyed voicing her but also for the impression she left on the TMNT family of fans. Sunita debuted in 2019 with only two episodes but, to this day, I still receive the sweetest messages about what a positive impact she made. For me as an actor that’s the ultimate win – to transcend the screen and curl up in the hearts of viewers. I’ll be forever grateful to production for the gift that was Sunita and for the opportunity to bring her to life. 

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
I can’t say I’ve had one specific mentor throughout my journey. However, I have been fortunate to pick up bits of advice from working with a few industry greats. Two of my favorites have been Rob Paulsen and Kristi Reed. The specific brand of no-nonsense advice they’ve given me has had its way of traveling right through to my heart at times when, unbeknownst to them, I’ve needed to hear it most. When it comes to networking, I’ve always felt a little lost because I’m very shy. So, admittedly, networking in its traditional sense has never been for me. I’ve found connecting with people on a human level to be a much easier way of interacting in this industry. Essentially we’re all co-workers working towards the same goal of creating art that is impactful and meaningful and if that’s not the ultimate bonding activity, I don’t know what is.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatkodygirl/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KodyKavithaOfficial
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/thatkodygirl
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/thatkodygirl
• Other: http://imdb.me/kodykavitha