INTRO BY KAT VISTI
INTERVIEW BY CAMI LIBERTY
PHOTO BY JAMES BRANAMAN
18 year old Vancouver native Havana Guppy's acting career has had an impressive start. She stars in Hulu's hit drama series "Shut Eye," which follows around a scammer with a small chain of Los Angeles psychic storefronts and the crime families behind his business. In the show, Havana plays a rebellious teenager whom was forced into marriage at age 15 and wants to break free from Roma traditions and her complex gypsy mafia family. Aside from that, Havana has also had reoccurring roles in the Netflix series "Haters Back Off" and SYFY's "Aftermath," and her impressive resume continues to grow. Recently we interviewed Havana to learn more about her acting career and what's next for her!
When did you first realize that you wanted to be an actress?
HAVANA: "I can’t really remember not wanting to be an actor. I don’t know if I can really explain it, I just knew that’s what I wanted to do. When I was really little it was just so fun. I loved everything about it. It was probably around when I was seven or eight when I actually got really passionate about it. Not only did I think it was fun, but I really started to feel an emotional connection to characters and films. It became my life. I felt like this was what I was meant to do."
What was your first acting job? How would you describe the overall experience from it?
HAVANA: "My first acting job in television and film was a small part in a short film called 'Street Life,' directed by Philip Granger. I remember being so excited and nervous, and very overwhelmed. It was all good feelings. There was never a moment where I doubted if I wanted to do this anymore."
You play Drina Marks in Hulu’s hit drama series "Shut Eye." Do you personally think you relate to Drina in any way? If so, how?
HAVANA: "We’re both very serious, intense humans. We also don’t like being told what to do, just ask my mom. I also felt that Drina didn’t quite know where she belonged, which is something that was very familiar to me. It made it really easy to bring her to life."
The second season of "Shut Eye" premiered on last month. What would you say was the biggest difference between filming the first season and the second?
HAVANA: "Well for one, I was living alone in Los Angeles which was huge for me. Last year I was home in Vancouver, with my mom driving me to set and making sure I didn’t sleep through my alarm. This time it was all on me. Thankfully I did pretty well! Also, I had more days of work in season two so I felt more a part of the Shut Eye family, which was so wonderful."
Is there a type of role that you haven’t gotten to portray yet that you would love to in the future?
HAVANA: "I haven’t gotten to play a villain yet, and it’s something I’ve always wanted to do! I think it would be so much fun to play the bad guy."
PHOTO BY JAMES BRANAMAN
Do you find that you have a particular genre of film that you favor?
HAVANA: "I definitely favor serious films, or dark comedies. Not only do I prefer to work in those genres of film, but I also enjoy watching them over any other genres."
Aside from "Shut Eye," is there anything else that we should look out for from you?
HAVANA: "At this moment I am keeping busy auditioning to find my next project!"