Always be true to yourself. Don’t overact. Try to keep the character’s emotion just below the surface so it seems natural.
Always be true to yourself. Don’t overact. Try to keep the character’s emotion just below the surface so it seems natural.
As a part of my series about pop culture’s rising stars, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Kayla Bohan.
Kayla Bohan is a rising star in the new feature film “Harper” and is known internationally as a songwriter and performer. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Kayla began her creative career at age 4. In 2017, she had the opportunity to work with the critically acclaimed American actors Joe Estevez and Kyle Devero on the feature film “Kayla.” Winning awards at multiple festivals for her performance in the film, Kayla earned a nomination for Best American Actress at the NVIFF Public Choice Awards in 2019 and won the Best Child Actress award at multiple festivals, including: the 2018 New York Film Awards, the 2018 Festigious International Film Actor’s Award Los Angeles 2018, and the Los Angeles Film Awards in 2018. In addition to acting, Kayla has established a following from around the world on her Instagram and YouTube channels as a singer/ songwriter. She composed the theme song for her first feature film “Kayla” with the song “Right Here for You.” The song went on to win “Best Song” at the 2018 Festigious International Film Awards, and she won an award for her performance of “Right Here for You,” with the Female Vocalist Bronze Medal from the Global Music Awards in 2019. Kayla wrote three songs for her newest feature film “Harper” and is featured on the movie soundtrack. She also performs her songs in the film: “I Thought,” “Promise You,” and “Just Like You,” and at age 11 she is looking forward to more success with the film “Harper” and its Spring 2022 release.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
Ilived a normal life as a Californian kid until eventually, I developed a burning desire to pursue music and acting which only grew stronger over time. I was very inspired by movies and books where the main character helps other people by solving problems using their natural talents and passion. I started acting out the scenes of the characters I was inspired by. My mother took notice of my interests and wanted to support me. She wanted to help me develop my talents in acting and music and started putting me on projects. The more I learned about the arts the more passionate I became. Stories and characters and music are a big part of who I am now. I want to develop and use my talents for good in the world. I always want to bring people together and I enjoy teaching others how to understand each other. I love to find ways to care for one another. In the new film HARPER, I have a leading role and this kind of filmmaking is part of my new and exciting path forward.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
Early in my career, my mom started taking videos of me in, “A Day in the life of Kayla.” It was a lot of fun and I really loved the process of performing and filming for my friends and family. The more I performed the more I wanted to continue to express my feelings using music and acting as the medium. I’ve always felt like there is a door to an artistic life and you only need to find the key. Once you open the door, you don’t want to go back to the past. Although I may have just stepped through my own door, there might be 10,000 more steps ahead. I am happy to take this challenge and climb upward. I can already feel that the future is very bright.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your entertainment career?
While I was filming HARPER there was a scene where my character had to fall out of a tree. In the scene, I was terrified that a Wolf was chasing me. I was already feeling worried about the scene but not because I might break my legs, it was more that there were little bugs on the ground that appeared to be like white scorpions. So, from high in the tree looking down, that was terrifying. During that whole shoot, I was worried about the bugs crawling on me and especially getting in my hair. And when it was over, and the Director said “cut” I was super relieved and happy with myself for overcoming my fears.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
When the director said, “Action” I would sometimes begin right away and they would stop me and say, “Wait, we aren’t rolling yet.” That was funny. But the experience taught me a lot about how to get into a scene. And, in the movie, I had to learn to do a lot of farm work. At first, it was to better understand what the character, Harper, had to go through. A few months before filming I went to a real farm to experience life as my character would have. I learned how to wash horses, ride horses, chop wood, drive tractors, climb trees, and eat wild fruit from the forest to defend myself to survive. Even if I had a great opportunity to do all these things, I had to learn how to do them by myself, just like how I had to learn how to ride a horse for this movie. I even fell off the horse many times, I still got to successfully complete the scenes in the movie. I liked the challenge.
Gradually, I fell in love with living on the farm. Therefore, I hope people remember my character Harper from the movie and remember the lessons she had to learn. Lives can change in an instant, but if you never give up your dreams and embrace challenges you can learn to accept the difficulties and go bravely forward.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?
I am currently putting my efforts toward getting into a good Musical/Theatre school to continue learning about the Arts and developing my talents. I have more than ten songs posted on my Instagram and YouTube channel, but I also will continue to write new songs and pursue my musical career.
Most young people your age don’t have to balance work and school. Can you tell us how you manage to balance your schoolwork, auditions, and time on set?
It’s very difficult sometimes but I am so determined to succeed that somehow, I find the energy to do everything that is expected of me. Usually, by the end of a project, I’m so exhausted that I need to take a break to recuperate but then after I’m rested, I am very proud of what I accomplished, and I find the energy to do it again.
None of us can achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
There are lots of people that have helped me along the way but it’s mainly my mom who stands behind me and supports me the most. No matter what happens my mom is always there to help make my dreams come true.
She is the perfect picture of a good mother.
Ok thank you for all that. Now let’s jump to the main part of our interview. What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. (Please share a story or example for each.)
Always be true to yourself. Don’t overact. Try to keep the character’s emotion just below the surface so it seems natural.
Avoid scenes with bugs, especially scorpions.
As an actor, come up with multiple emotions for delivering each line.
Ask more questions, get advice from others with more experience.
Don’t steal all the snacks that they have on set.
You are a person of enormous influence. How do you think you can use social media as a platform to be a positive influence on your fans, and for society at large?
I always try to bring out a positive message. I always want to help people be true to themselves and be kind to others. I believe that I can make a difference in the world by having the strength and perseverance to pick myself up if I fall and hope to inspire others to do the same.
If you had the ability to choose to work on any TV show or film, or work alongside any co-star, or with any director, what or who would that be, and why? You never know who might see this article, especially if we tag them. :-)
I want to work with people who inspire me, let me express myself in many ways and allow me to have the best possible experience in acting. If I had the chance to work on a TV show, then I would love to be in a Harry Potter kind of series with Wizards and Warlocks.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
I have a growing following of more than 83,000 followers on Instagram and more than 17, 000 subscribers on YouTube.
Instagram : kayla.bohan — https://www.instagram.com/kayla.bohan/
YouTube: Kayla Bohan https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_4gOvOF9EWtMhvweX_BC6g
IMDb : Kayla Bohan — https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8670231/
Harper IMDb : Harper — https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14063688/
Harper Website — https://www.harpermovie.com/
This was very meaningful, thank you so much!