Today we’d like to introduce you to Carolina Ravassa.
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 was born and raised in Cali, Colombia and was lucky enough to have incredibly artistic parents who encouraged and nurtured our artistic side. Me and my two sisters loved painting, acting, being crafty and doing things a little bit differently. Because of this, I started acting when I was five years old, and I’ve never stopped. I didn’t act professionally, but I knew it was what I was most passionate about so I kept auditioning for all the school plays and loved being a part of them. I like to say I didn’t choose acting, it chose me. I moved on to study theatre at Boston College and started really understanding what it was all about. I then moved to NYC to continue my studies in film and TV, and ended up staying for ten years! I waited tables at night and on weekends and auditioned for everything and anything during the day. I did short films, crappy theatre in moldy basements, a bunch of indies no one has ever seen, PSAs, random voice work for ESL and medical companies, you name it! I think that’s where I learned to work hard, but also be patient, and through the blood, sweat and tears I understood everything comes at the right time. After hundreds if not thousands of auditions, I booked the voice of Sombra, in a video game I didn’t even know, called Overwatch. Little did I know it would blow up. Since then I traveled the world meeting gaming fans at Comic Cons, and I moved to LA to continue pursuing voice acting. I’ve loved that trajectory because now I get to do fun character voices in animation and video games, and it’s incredibly fulfilling. I still pursue film and TV and produced my first feature during the pandemic: Morgan’s Mask.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road! But I’ve learned to enjoy the different challenges along the way. They say actors don’t act for a living, we audition for a living- and that’s true! We spend so much time on auditions and character development, and we book maybe 2% of the roles we go up for. I got my hopes up for a lot of roles I was excited about, and then my heart would get broken. But I learned how to strengthen that little blueberry heart and keep moving forward. In fact, that’s how my web series was born. I kept being told I was too white to play Latina and too ethnic to play Caucasian, so I created a sketch comedy series where I make fun of all my experiences. It was a wonderful creative outlet and a great way to keep the soul alive.
During the pandemic, most actors were out of work and it was a very isolating time. I was lucky enough to receive a script from Trevor Rigby that really spoke to me, and instead of waiting for funding or a big producer, we made this indie happen. I felt connected to the character because she went through some similar challenges I did in the lockdown, and I wanted to represent all the people I meet at comic cons. Morgan is an outgoing gamer and cosplayer, who has to truly search for what is important to her and start taking care of herself if she wants to come out of her depression. I think art and passion can be medicine when we have fallen on tough times.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Since I was young I fell in love with Robin Williams because he did films and he also voiced animated characters. The Genie and Batty Coda were my absolute favorites. Somewhere along the way I forgot about cartoons and was just pursuing theatre and on-camera work. I love that video games brought me back to voice acting because all of a sudden this whole voice career opened up for me and I feel so grateful for it. I have a knack for badass chicks with guns, so I have played quite a few of them for video games and now I understand that world so much better!
I get to create interesting voices for animations such as squeaky seven year old kids, old Latina mothers and grandmothers, a sexy cat, an anxious chicken, even a dancing queen ant! It’s so creative and so playful, and it really brings me joy! My voice is quite versatile and I love languages and accents, so I’m good at making up characters on the spot and making them sound different.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I’ve definitely been lucky to have met certain people along the way that have helped me or recommended me for future jobs. But I also believe that luck has to be met with talent, hard work and timing. When these people have wanted to help me, I have a great voice demo to back up my talent, or it just happens to be the perfect time for that one role they were looking for. I think it’s about being open to the possibilities of what the universe can offer you, and rolling with the punches. I mentioned I was lucky to receive Morgan’s Mask script, and that’s how it was. But then I assembled a team, and we did a Kickstarter campaign and made this baby happen with very little resources. So I think the luck was met with a need to create during tough times, and everyone’s love for the craft made it what it was. This project has a lot of heart in it, for sure 🙂
Contact Info:
- Website: www.carolinaravassa.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ravassa/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hispanglosaxon
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/carolinaravassa
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CarolinaravassaHispanglosaxon
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5CC5dhVb1g
