by demi marshall
photo by ryan west photo
Sascha Nastasi will star as Jennifer in the newly released Disney+ film Black Beauty. Though only 18 years old, Sascha has years of experience on stage and screen. After training at The Royal Ballet School in London and later moving to Manhattan to pursue stage productions, Sascha is now making her way to shining on screen as well. In this interview, Sacha discusses this transition between acting styles, her love of Shakespeare, and some of her favorite books and movies.
What was it like working on the new Disney+ film Black Beauty? What are some memorable moments from your time on set?
Sascha: “It was an incredible experience!! I had some of the most wonderful days of my life while working on Black Beauty. Being on set — whether it was filming a scene or talking for hours to fellow cast members — was very memorable. Specifically, Alex Jeaven who plays Jasmine, my partner in ‘crime,’ who I had lots of fun joking around with. There was great banter between cast members, and I very much enjoyed partaking in it.
My first two days on set we filmed the horse show (Earlshall Classic) scene and those were long but excellent days — getting to know everyone was absolutely lovely, the location was stunning, and the set decoration was so cool. There was a children’s area decorated with pastel colors and candy — I was obsessed with it. I kept saying to everyone, ‘Look at the children’s section!!! Look at the children’s section!! It’s sooo beautiful.’ I felt like a baby or a puppy, introduced to a new world for the first time and just in awe of it. A final memorable moment was when Max Raphael, who plays James, recommended Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master to me. I watched it that night after the days filming and was absolutely floored by it. The Master is definitely one of my favorite movies; the acting in it is so phenomenally inspiring, it genuinely makes me tear up just to think about. I am very grateful to Max for this life changing (not hyperbole) introduction.”
Do you feel you relate to your role as Jennifer in Black Beauty? If not, what are some differences between you and your character?
S: “I think I relate to her in ways, though I hope to not be too much like her — she’s a bit rude and gossipy. However, I relate to her passion — hers being for horse riding, mine for acting. I definitely think that her nastiness stems from insecurity and jealousy, two universally human qualities I’ve certainly observed within myself.”
You grew up in England studying ballet at The Royal Ballet School in London. What was it like transitioning from performing through dance to acting on stage/film?
S: “My favorite part about ballet was always performing, putting on characters and metamorphosing into someone else. I think the transition felt natural to me, though it definitely took me a long time to give up ballet completely (I had an injury which took me out for a year, and when I returned I had lost a lot of my strength and skill). I phased out of ballet, and into acting — first just in school plays. Around three years ago I realized that it was what I wanted to do with my life.”
You’ve studied acting at a variety of places, and had a focus in Shakespeare studies. What made you choose Shakespeare specifically?
S: “I first read Midsummer Night’s Dream in seventh grade and have been hooked on Shakespeare pretty much ever since. I think that reading Macbeth in eighth grade sealed the deal for me. I love everything about that play. Lady Macbeth is my all-time dream role. I did an abridged version of Twelfth Night and played Olivia when I was fourteen, which was my first experience of acting in anything Shakespeare. I took a Shakespeare class at The Barrow Group about shortly after that. I am currently reading Hamlet in school and am loving it. My teacher is phenomenal and I relate so much (though my actual circumstances are so different) to the play and many of its characters. I really want to do an all-female film adaptation of the play (perhaps set at a boarding school). I loved the Michael Almereyda’s 2000 version of Hamlet, modernized and set in New York. When you see it like that, the timelessness of Shakespeare really shines. I am in awe every time I read one of his plays. There is so much there — in the plot, in the characters, in individual speeches. When I read a great book or play, I usually want to underline a sentence or so per page, but with Shakespeare, every line is wholly underlinable.”
photo by ryan west photo
I saw you used to shop at thrift stores as a pastime. Do you still enjoy going thrifting? What are some of your best thrift finds?
S: “I love thrifting. It’s sustainable and oftentimes more economical, and if you have the patience, you can find truly incredible stuff. My favorite items ever thrifted include an amazing pair of pink pants by Dolce & Gabbana, an Emilio Pucci turtleneck which I got incredible deals on. Recently, due to COVID-19, I have been using Depop to buy and to sell, and have found some incredible sustainable brands on there which print the coolest things onto thrifted pieces — two of my favorites are stomachofyourdeadsoulmate and Secret Sister.”
I saw some genres you enjoy are coming of age, magical realism, and dark comedy. Do you have a favorite book/film under these genres?
S: “I love this question! I have so so many favorites in all of these genres; I could never choose just one. I apologize in advance for the number of titles that I am about to list. I think dark comedy wise, Heathers is a classic. I also adored the TV show The End of The F***ing World. Book-wise, I can’t leave out The Basic Eight, by Daniel Handler, and Special Topics in Calamity Physics, by Marisha Pessl. Those fall under both coming of age and dark comedy, I think. A perfect combination! I also love Nicky Silver’s plays — Pterodactyls and The Food Chain especially, are hilarious and wonderfully, darkly twisted. Other coming of age favorites include The Girls by Emma Cline and The Idiot by Elif Batuman. Movie wise I love: A Nos Amours, Breathe (2014), Goodbye, First Love, Girlhood, Water Lilies, and Raw, which are all in French and are all spectacular (and very different) explorations of female adolescence. Other favorites include Jennifer’s Body, Madeline’s Madeline, The Holy Girl, and Adventureland. Within magical realism (maybe they are better defined as surrealist films), I love Charlie Kaufman’s work, as well as Yorgos Lanthimos’s. Synecdoche, New York, and The Killing of a Sacred Deer are two of my absolute favorites.”
Why is it important to you to shed light on mental health awareness, and educate others on anxiety/OCD? How do you use your platform to do this?
S: “I have had OCD since I was twelve, and it is a huge part of my daily life as my symptoms are frequent and often difficult to deal with. Over the years, I have learnt a lot about what works for me in helping lessen and control symptoms and anxiety. I have found acting — the ability to get out of my own head and be present — to be of immense help. I think education, as well as media representation of all forms of mental illness is hugely important. The stigma must be broken and misconceptions and stereotypes are harmful. With OCD specifically, the stereotype of everyone with OCD being super clean very much prevails and many will often say ‘I’m so OCD,’ when talking about cleanliness.
OCD is not an adjective, and there are so many different forms of OCD, most of which do not pertain to cleanliness or organization (though some experience it like this) but rather to rituals and intrusive thoughts. I hope to share educational resources, and am always willing to talk with anyone about my experiences with anxiety and OCD if it can help them, and perhaps share what helps me. I would like nothing more than to be a part of breaking the stigma and help others who struggle similarly to feel less alone. I encourage anyone who wants to, to message me on Instagram to do so — I am always willing to listen and hoping to help in any way possible.”
What can we expect from you in the future?
S: “An all female Hamlet film set at a boarding school! [laughs] Maybe one day. I am auditioning and writing a lot at the moment, so fingers crossed for some cool projects soon. My dream is to have a career with both writing and acting — Sam Shepard, Tracy Letts, Phoebe Waller Bridge, and Daniel Kaluuya are major long term inspirations to me in the actor/writer realm.”