Daily Inspiration: Meet Isabella Woodall

Today we’d like to introduce you to Isabella Woodall

Hi Isabella, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’m originally from Brazil, I have been living in the United States for nine years and am a
proud American citizen. My journey in acting began as a child as I learned how to speak English
by watching the TV show “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” when I was 10 years old. Seeing a strong
woman face and battle demons, vampires, and life situations gave me strength and empowered
me in a difficult but formative time in my life.

“So here’s the part where you make a choice. What if you could have that power? Now?”… “So
I say we change the rule. I say my power, should be our power… Tomorrow, Willow will use the
essence of this scythe to change our destiny. From now on, every girl in the world who might be
a Slayer, will be a Slayer. Every girl who could have the power, will have the power. Can stand
up, will stand up. Slayers. Every one of us. Make your choice… Are you ready to be strong?” Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Season 7, Episode 22

My love for American Television was born from watching this show. For the following years, I
rented every movie I could from the VHS then DVD store, devoured everything I could find about films
and shows in the U.S., memorized every actor’s name, and eagerly watched the Oscars, Golden
Globes, and Saturday Night Live. I would quote every actor appearing on screen to my dad, who,
much to my dismay, did not share my enthusiasm…

I talked about moving to the United States and being an actor non-stop until I started getting
bullied because of it. I come from a city called Campo Grande, in the state of Mato Grosso do
Sul. It’s a big city with a small-town vibe. My father grew up poor and his parents sold milk to
survive. While my father did well for himself and his career, his main concern and like most
people in our town was and still is: making a living. In my hometown, acting jobs were nonexistent, and I faced a lot of shame and bullying for wanted to live in the US and become an actor. To protect myself, I stopped talking about my dreams.

At 22 years old, my dream of coming to the United States came true. I was a live-in nanny for a
family and went to college. I got a Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources Development, worked
in HR for five years until the beginning of 2023, when I lost my job. I was burned out and didn’t
want to continue doing something that I, at this point, had started to hate. So, I took some time to
refocus and reconnect with who I am and then I came to the conclusion: I could not die before at
least attempting to realize my dream of becoming an actor. I took my first acting class and was on cloud nine. I couldn’t believe I had waited so long. In my defense, I never thought a girl from a small city in Brazil, with English as a second language, could get as far as I did.

I got great feedback in acting classes, got my first acting job as the co-lead in an indie feature
film. Then, I got a small supporting role in the SAG American/Brazilian feature “Almost
Deserted” – but hold on, that’s not all. One of the lead actors in this feature is Angela Sarafyan,
why is that important? Angela was in an episode of Buffy. This to me was a full circle kind of
moment. Wow!

Most recently I have had the privilege of working on various projects, including a notable role in
a short drama film called “Like Hydrogen Bonding,” directed by Dan Ochwat. I was a principal
actor in a Sentry Power Equipment commercial, and I shot a commercial for The Henry Ford
Museum.

In addition to my professional experience, I’m dedicated to continually honing my craft and
expanding my skills. That’s why I’m watching a film or a play every week, taking acting classes, workshops, and more. Ultimately, Buffy inspired and gave me strength at a time I had none and I would like one day become someone’s Buffy. Help through my art, give people strength, empathy, resilience and more as I have experienced myself in watching other actors.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been smooth. I experienced a lot of shame and I still work through it nowadays. It’s unfortunate how our society uses shame to hurt people. But I’ve learned to believe in myself and to focus on the opinion that really matters to me, my own. When I started acting, to help me become less shy and let go of shame, I created a Youtube channel for my friends in Brazil. I show interesting things about my life in the US and force myself to make videos in public spaces. Doing this really helped me learn to focus on the story I want to tell and let go of the idea of others watching. I’m still working through the idea of being comfortable being seen but I’ve come a long way.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
In 2023, less than a year after I started my acting career I got a small supporting role in the SAG American/Brazilian feature “Almost Deserted”. That’s how I got my SAG eligibility which I’m very proud of. I love acting. To me, there is a lot of power in telling a story. It’s healing to watch someone go through something on screen or on stage and be able to relate to it in some way. One of the things that set me apart as an actor is that I speak English and Portuguese fluently. But also, I think my range helps bring depth into the characters I play. I have a short film coming out soon called “Like Hydrogen Bonding”, I’m so proud of the work we did for this beautiful film. It is a really emotional story about a couple going through a divorce, and for this role, I needed to be in emotional pain but not emotional. It was a beautiful character to be and a beautiful story to tell. I can’t wait to share it. I’ve also done comedy which is so much fun. In my latest comedy short film “Rest Assured?”, the opening scene has my character crying about a breakup with running makeup all over my face. It was such a fun moment! When we cut our crew dropped everything and got their phones because I was still in a mix of funny/ugly crying and we were all laughing. It was such a great moment!

How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
People can follow me on Instagram, IMDb and my official website (www.IsabellaWoodall.com) to keep up with my latest projects.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.IsabellaWoodall.com/Actor
• Instagram: @IsabellaWoodall
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@IsabellaWoodall

Image Credits
Headshot: David Noles
Additional photo (full body sitting on a staircase): Brianna Broyles