EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH TEA WAGNER
CNF Magazine recently had the honor of getting an exclusive interview with popular actress Tea Wagner. Originally from Vienna, Austria the 21-year old power house has starred in Lead roles in award-winning movies such as “The Chicken Party” or “Killer From Space” and also just released her first single “Pink Paradise”.
First of all congratulations on your movie “Killer From Space” being selected into Hollyshorts Film Festival! Are you excited? Tell us a little bit about your role!
Yes, I am super excited! The film is going to screen at the historic TCL Chinese Theatres in Hollywood which is where the Oscar’s used to be held – what an honor! I’m playing the rebellious teenager Bridget that suddenly gets confronted by an alien that took her tutor’s body! It was super fun filming for this, my favorite part is the scene where I get strangled to death!
Was that your first time dying on camera? How did that feel?
No, I’ve also been beheaded in a film called “Knave” by CryptTV! Both were very hard demanding scenes to pull off but I was very satisfied with the results! For Killer of Space I actually told my co-star to grab me a little harder when strangling me so that it felt more realistic. It was the highlight of the film so we did the scene so many times I ended up with a sore neck for a couple days but it was definitely worth it! For Knave we worked with some very cool CGI effects and some green screen magic to make it look like my beheaded head was just rolling on the floor – I had a good laugh out of that!
What is it like being a foreigner in Hollywood?
It’s funny because I really don’t have an accent that gives it away so Casting Directors usually have no idea and just assume that I must be American. Actually most actors in Los Angeles aren’t from here anyways, there’s barely any California natives – only the best and most established artists from all over the world move out here so in LA you really only go up against the best of the best! We all bring our cultural assets with us though and there’s so much demand for different languages and diversity in the industry right now!
Not really, even on days you’re not working there’s always auditions and other stuff to do! As an actor you should constantly be working on yourself, your skills or even take up new skills to add to your resume that might book you roles later. That’s my one tip for any aspiring actor – don’t sit around waiting for your agent to send you another audition but be active in your own career and that’s how you will always keep working! Use your free time to build a social media presence, maybe create a Youtube Channel and do your own little short films – anything that might attract the attention of Casting Directors or Producers!
Is there any other tips you have for actors?
Just have fun and enjoy what you’re doing! Don’t go into the Audition room with the mindset that you HAVE to book the role because that will eventually break you when you get rejected. The truth is though that most of the time the reason you don’t book a part is not because you’re a bad actor but because you’re just not right for the role, maybe your height doesn’t match with your co-star or whatever the reason may be. Instead see every audition as an opportunity to meet new casting directors that might like you and then later bring you back in for another role that is just perfect for you!
What are some personal goals you would like to achieve in the future?
I drive up on Sunset Boulevard daily so I always thought how cool it would be to have a billboard with my face up there! I already achieved a lot since starting acting but only the biggest movies and shows get billboards on Sunset so I feel like once I see that I’d feel like I really made it in life! I also always wanted to be a series regular on a half hour sitcom – sitcom’s are my favorite genre!
