My first time being on stage was in elementary school for a fundraising play at Camp Grady Spruce. We sang, danced, and did little skits. I LOVED it. From there, I joined choir, did musical theater in high school (even played the lead as a junior), and was a lieutenant in our school’s dance drill team, the Bryan Adams Belles. Junior Players in Dallas gave me so much access to explore acting as a teenager. This all definitely played a part in moving to LA.
indieactivity: How did you become an actor?
Bola: Every time I would watch a movie, I’d acted out the scenes and lines all the time. I was always interested in performing. I started theater really young and had fantastic teachers in high school: Mrs. Ward, Fuse, and Mr. McCollum. Then at Junior Players,Matt Tomlanovich was a great director, who knew how to plant creative seeds in the minds of rowdy teenagers. Vikas Adams was someone I also knew through Junior Players, who went on to inspire actors at UCLA as well.
Name dropping Robert @Rodriguez can be a VERY effective way of making sure your location shoot isn’t shut down. #RebelWithoutACrew https://t.co/Ng3KIBfvgP pic.twitter.com/m2ObiB5cD7
— go90 (@go90) May 7, 2018
indieactivity: What acting technique do you use?
Bola: Warner Loughlin Studios in LA helped me with Film and TV training. They teach a lot of creative sense memory, focusing on how your imagination can give you the best detail so that you can tap into those feelings in your scenes.
indieactivity: Do you take courses to improve your craft?
Bola: I take private coaching lessons when working on a specific role, but I’d love to go back to taking classes. Improv classes would be great too!
indieactivity: What acting books do you read?
Bola: I haven’t read any acting books recently. Most of the ones I read were from college. I’m diving into filmmaking books like Robert Rodriguez’s Rebel Without A Crew.
indieactivity: How do you keep fit as an actor?
Bola: I’m a strong believer in weekly therapy. It’s every bit as important as a workout. In addition, I love to swim, run, and use functional training as my regimen to staying fit.
indieactivity: How do you prepare for a role?
Bola: I read the script several times, circle, and highlight all over the place. I even mark up other characters lines to motivate what I’m saying!
indieactivity: How do you create a character in a script into a person?
Bola: Questions, questions, questions. What do they do? How long have they been doing it? What do they WISH they were doing, or are they happy? So many questions you have to ask to find out who they are.
indieactivity: How do you stay fresh on a production set?
Bola: Depends on the scene. I try not to stay so in character that I can’t have normal conversations with my co-workers, but I like to listen to music. It easily moves your mood to where you want it to be for the work.
indieactivity: Describe a memorable character you played?
Bola: In college in 2006, I played Zerbinetta in this play called “Scapino”. I loved playing her! She was a vibrant and saucy gypsy.
indieactivity: Explain one creative choice you took on set?
Bola: When I was shooting On The Run, we shot at an awesome 50s style diner. The second day we shot there, I brought out the slider to get some smoother, “sexy” shots. This helped give a lot of production value to our tiny budget film.
indieactivity: What do you want most from a director?
Bola: A clear vision
indieactivity: What actors do you long to work with?
Bola: That list is so long… someone I’ve always been fascinated with is Angela Bassett. She’s amazing.
indieactivity: Why?
Bola: She is someone who doesn’t hold back in any of her characters. When she steps into their shoes, SHE STEPS INTO THEIR SHOES. Her most recent work on the American Horror Story series is such a weekly and versatile treat!
indieactivity: What advice would you give to actors?
Bola: Classes are important. I know so many actors who think they aren’t. Unless you’re working all the time, classes are key to exercising your acting muscles. If you don’t “work them out”, you’ll be struggling on set.
Rebel WIthout A Crew: The Series
indieactivity: Briefly write about your career?
Bola: I have a weird background because I started heavily as an actor and a performer. I played Dolly in “Hello Dolly”, Titania in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” and several characters in a couple of web series. Then, when I moved to LA, I started doing a lot of production work. After that, I got into AFI’s Directing Workshop for Women and Ryan Murphy’s HALF Program.
My first short “The Water Phoenix” screened at LA International Shorts, Citizen Jane, and Sci-Fi London. My second one “Are We Good Parents?” had its world premiere at South By Southwest, along with “On The Run,” the $7,000 movie I did with Robert Rodriguez. It’s been a crazy ride, and I hope it gets crazier.
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