Cara Santana discusses stepping outside her comfort zone to play “a gangbanger” opposite Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant in Netflix’s new California-set comedy “Santa Clarita Diet.”
On refusing to be the weakest link.
“The show is unlike anything I have ever seen on TV or been a part of. It is super funny and also has a really sweet feel to it. I basically play a gangbanger from Santa Clarita, and so I really had to make sure that I knew what I was doing and walked in there with a sense of the character, because I knew [the other actors] would have their characters and I didn’t want to be the weak link.”
On remembering to have fun.
“I am so enamored when I watch movies with children in them. They seem so unencumbered and their performances are so genuine, and I think it’s because they don’t have the pressures of the business to inform how they feel. You’re not saving lives or curing cancer. You’re playing make-believe and that should be fun. If it’s not going to be fun, why do it?”
READ: Why Acting is and Needs to Be Fun
On doing your best job, no matter what.
“[Casting] very often doesn’t have anything to do with you. The decision is pretty much already made before you walk into the room. They have in their mind what this role is going to be. You just can’t take anything personally, so don’t stress, because it’s got nothing to do with you! All you can do is your best job.”
On working with Barrymore and Olyphant.
“[Drew Barrymore] is just the sweetest, most effervescent person. No ego. The majority of my scenes were with Timothy Olyphant, and I cannot say enough nice things about him, either. He is really an actor’s actor and really championed all the young actors on the project. It was really cool to see. You never know what you’re going to get when you walk onto a set with such established actors, and I was just blown away by how gracious they both were.”
On audition nerves.
“When I’m auditioning for a project or a character that I identify with, I lose those nerves because I’m so connected to that role that the material is easy to grasp. When you’re auditioning for a role that is far from who you are and you literally have that five-minute window to sort of bring this character to life, that is when I become a little bit more anxious about the audition. For [‘Santa Clarita Diet’], I didn’t think I would ever get the job, so I wasn’t nervous. I just had a lot of fun with it. I feel very blessed.”
If you’re ready to book a series yourself, check out our TV audition listings!