Photo Source: JSqaured
A native New Yorker, Daniella started modeling and acting as a teen, but still attended college because her grandparents insisted on it. She has done stints on "Friday Night Lights" and "One Tree Hill," and worked with Martin Lawrence and Snoop Dogg, whom she remembers as "sweet."
Chosen as this week's Actor2Watch, Daniella will be featured in a series or articles, fun facts, and social media tweets through this week for subscribers of Girl2Watch.com.
Actor2Watch: What was your first real break as an actor?
Daniella Alonso: My first real break was meeting my manager, Julie Gibson. She's the one that introduced me to Ford and Innovative and got me started.
My first big break in terms of parts was called "Academy Boys." I was 15 or 16 and I got to ride the Greyhound to Connecticut, which is where we shot for the weekend. I was like, "Oh my God! I'm going by myself." I was young and really excited.
A2W: What kind of training did you get, and who do you study with?
DA: When I first started I would go to Weist-Barron, and I studied with Rita Litton and ACTeen. For teenagers it's a really, really great school. We did a lot of on-camera stuff, so you see yourself and what you do on camera. There's a lot of training that goes on behind it too if you want to do theater.
As I got older, I would study privately with some coaches. Then I found Lee Strasberg, which I loved. The sense memory connected with me more than Meisner at that time. I also studied with Mauricio Bustamante, who was amazing. I stayed there for a while and went back to the private coaching.
A2W: Tell us about the audition process and how you got the role on "My Generation."
DA: I remember I had gotten the script, but I had also had four other scripts. I had five auditions the next day. I got it at like eight or nine o'clock at night. It was pilot season, so it was crazy.
For some reason I just wanted to read it. I had so many and I wasn't going to be able to read them all, but something told me to take a peek. I literally read the script in half an hour. It just flowed. It was so well-written, and the part of Brenda that I was auditioning for, I just immediately connected with her and I got her.
I thought, "Oh, man. I need to focus on this." My audition was at ten in the morning. I had stuff every hour after that.
I went in, met with the casting director David Rappaport and he was great. He really gave me a lot and it was just such a fun, easy audition. He said, "Do you want to stay and meet with the producers?" I'm like, "Ahhhh..." because I had auditions every hour after that. But of course I said, "Yeah, I'll stay."
So I met with the producers Noah Hawley, Warren Littlefield and the director, Craig Gillespie. I read for them and they said, "Okay, great. Thanks." I thought, "I blew it. That sucks."
I left and finished my day. I couldn't think about it anymore. I had to move on to the next. I got a call later from my agent and they said, "They want you to test for it." I was like, "Yes!" They said, "We don't know when, but you're going to be testing in the next two days."
Then I get a call at three o'clock the day after, saying, "Okay, we need you here by five for the test." So I'm like running around, trying to get ready. They called me five minutes later—as soon as I got in the shower, wet my hair—and said, "Actually we need you here in an hour."
I'm ironing my hair dry, ironing my clothes dry. It was ridiculous. I showed up, tested and then I found out I got the part. It was really fast.
A2W: What is more exciting: getting the pilot, or the pilot getting picked up?
DA: Oh man, I guess having the pilot picked up. But in the moment, it's beyond exciting. I've never screamed so hard when I found out I got the part and got the pilot. But getting it picked up is just a different kind of excitement. It's a whole other level.
A2W: Do you go out for every role, or only those that specify Latin women?
DA: Anything that's a Latin part I will go out for, but that's what I love about my agency and my management company. When I first signed with them I said, "I just don't want to go out for just the Latin parts. I want to go out for every part that's my age, that I'm right for. Forget that I'm Latin, just send me out as a woman or a girl."
They're pretty good with that. Anything that's my age range, they will send me out for. I really am happy that I met my agency and my management company, because they see me as a person and not just a Latin woman.
A2W: Is there anything you wish someone had told you when you first started out acting?
DA: The one thing I would say is just be confident and don't worry about the no's, because they really have nothing to do with you. Don't let anything like that deter you. Just keep going, believe in yourself and once you've left that room, leave it there.
There is nothing you can do about it and it really doesn't have anything to do with you. Just go in there and be yourself and that's all you can do. That's my advice.
