How to Be an Actor in 2025 with Netflix Star Carlacia Grant

Actor Carlacia Grant (Netflix's Outer Banks) joins host and actor Robert Peterpaul for the How We Role by Casting Networks premiere. The performer breaks down what it means to be an actor in this day and age, rolling through everything from the process of creating a character to the sacrifices that come with chasing a dream to self tape tips.

About Carlacia Grant
Carlacia Grant found a passion for acting at a young age and has quickly made herself one to watch with her powerful and layered performances as a Haitian Jamaican American actress on the rise.

Grant can currently be seen as breakout cast member in Netflix’s hit series “Outer Banks.” Grant stars as ‘Cleo,’ a confident and fearless Nassau girl, whose world collides with the Pogues, alongside Chase Stokes, Madelyn Cline, Madison Bailey, Jonathan Daviss, Rudy Pankow, and Charles Esten.

On the small screen, Grant appeared on Oprah Winfrey’s well-received megachurch drama series “Greenleaf” as well as the critically-acclaimed miniseries “Roots” alongside legendary actors Laurence Fishburne and Forest Whitaker. Grant also recurred on NBC’s crime drama “Game of Silence” and recently guest starred on FOX’s medical drama “The Resident.”  Grant currently resides in Los Angeles.

Learn more about Carlacia at IMDb.

This is - How We Role. Discover fresh casting calls at castingnetworks.com.

Follow Host, Actor and Producer Robert Peterpaul (Amazon's Sitting in Bars with Cake, The Art of Kindness podcast) on Instagram @robpeterpaul and learn more at robertpeterpaul.com.

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Transcript

The Journey of an Actor

Robert Peterpaul 0:31

Well, hello, Carlacia. Hi, I am so thrilled to have you as the very first guest ever of Casting Network's podcast, How We Role.

Carlacia Grant 0:40

Welcome. Thank you for having me and thanks for making me the first one. It was so dope.

Robert Peterpaul 0:44

We're so excited. How are you doing? First of all, I'm doing well.

Carlacia Grant 0:48

I'm doing really really well, you know.

Robert Peterpaul 0:50

Oh, I'm glad to hear it. And I feel like it's a really good time to talk about all things food. The topic today is food. Yes, no, I'm just kidding. What if I went rogue and I just changed the subject?

Carlacia Grant 1:01

I could go with it like I'm a foodie, like I'm like a true foodie, so I could say her all day and talk about it.

Robert Peterpaul 1:06

I sense that from your Instagram bio, which I love and we can get into that, but no, I'm just kidding. The topic today is what it means to be an actor, and I would love for you to answer that question. I know it's a bigger one, but what does being an actor mean to you?

Carlacia Grant 1:21

Giving voices to voices and experience or recognition to people who otherwise wouldn't have a voice, though making people be able to see a reflection of themselves through media.

Robert Peterpaul 1:38

I love that. It's like you're a conduit, I think, viola.

Carlacia Grant 1:42

Davis talks about that. It's like the best way to describe it. Yes, exactly.

Robert Peterpaul 1:46

I love that definition. I think that's incredible. Did you kind of always have that in the back of your head? You know, was acting a dream for you since you were a child?

Carlacia Grant 1:54

Yeah, I think I learned later like how to put it into words, but like my family from the West Indies, so doing something that's not like a lawyer or a doctor is very like shunned upon. So I didn't really talk about it. But initially actually, first I did, I wanted to model, but then I didn't grow tall enough.

Robert Peterpaul 2:16

But that's what heels are for. Come on.

Carlacia Grant 2:19

Exactly, exactly, but I just never grew tall enough to like do it. You should always eat your Wheaties, but I just remember watching Halle Berry, who's one of my biggest inspirations, and I would say, oh my gosh, like that's what I want to do.

Robert Peterpaul 2:40

She is such a great inspiration to have and she's still killing the game. Everybody loves some Halle Berry, come on.

Carlacia Grant 2:45

Yeah, yeah, legend for sure.

Robert Peterpaul 2:48

Well, it's interesting. I was actually curious for this just in general, because I feel like a lot of us actors struggle with actually saying we're an actor. It's sort of at what point do you claim that title? Yeah, and I love that. You kind of brought that up with your family, did you, I guess, struggle with owning that title for a while? When do you feel like you could accept it?

Carlacia Grant 3:07

I feel like once I dropped out of college to pursue it, it was like that's it. You know, this is like balls to the wall.

Carlacia Grant 3:14

This is what I'm doing, this is like who I am. And I think once I really started to understand that, like it's not really a quote unquote job, like I can't be like you know. You know, acting is like kind of like up and down. Sometimes you're not in between and I'm still an actor. So as long as I'm in pursuit of it, then I can call myself an actor. So once I was like you know what? I don't really want to make other people happy or make my family happy. At the time I want to make myself happy, like this is what I want to do. At that moment I was like no, like now, like I'm an actor.

Robert Peterpaul 3:48

Yes, the pursuit. That's so brilliant that you bring that up, because it is the pursuit and the process that we should all be enjoying.

Robert Peterpaul 3:55

I know we watch people like yourself on these red carpets and on these press tours and that's, you know, that's icing on the cake Sometimes it can be stressful on its own, but I feel like enjoying the process is such an important thing and I guess, since we're starting at the beginning, you know, looking at your beginning pursuit, what were the first steps you kind of took to becoming an actor. Do you remember?

Carlacia Grant 4:17

Yes, I remember that I did a play actually in New Haven, Connecticut.

Robert Peterpaul 4:23

Oh, shout out Connecticut.

Carlacia Grant 4:25

I did a play to my family. I had to go to summer camp and there was this book of like all these different things. I was like basketball, like all different things, and I was like that's what I want to do, like I'm going to go to acting summer camp and they're like okay, whatever. And then I did. The play was actually Treasure Island and I ended up playing like Robert Louis Stevenson, like in the play yeah, how after a while, I know right, isn't it crazy.

Carlacia Grant 4:52

I'm always doing like some type of treasure thing, but doing that, doing that play, learning the process and loving the process of it. That's when I was like, oh, like, this is what I want to do, hmm, what theater was that?

Robert Peterpaul 5:05

Should we shout them out? Do you recall?

Carlacia Grant 5:07

I don't even remember, okay. I don't even remember, but there's photos.

Robert Peterpaul 5:12

I love that! Everybody go start Googling.

Carlacia Grant 5:14

Yeah, there's photos. It's out there.

Robert Peterpaul 5:17

That'll be its own Treasure Hunt online for everybody. After you listen to this episode, Be right from there and I guess early on was there an acting mentor you feel like that kind of took you under their wing and gave you advice.

Carlacia Grant 5:29

So I moved around a lot, so I bounced around a lot with a lot of different like acting coaches. Um, when I lived in Florida, I was with um Jill De Peanelli who did like the Eric Morris process, and I also worked with Mark Durso who did the Hagen process. Then, when I lived in New York, I was with Anthony Ape's in and then I went.

Robert Peterpaul 5:50

Oh my goodness, I study with Anthony too.

Carlacia Grant 5:51

No way, you're an Ape's a night.

Robert Peterpaul 5:53

Then you just walk in there, you sit in his little chair.

Carlacia Grant 5:56

Yes, he's amazing.

Robert Peterpaul 5:59

He is amazing.

Carlacia Grant 6:01

Fantastic, I love Anthony. And then now being in LA, um I've been with Leslie Khan kind of on and off.

Robert Peterpaul 6:10

Very nice. I think it's really cool when you can get sort of a well rounded view of all the different techniques and then kind of meld them together and make your own.

Carlacia Grant 6:17

Exactly.

Robert Peterpaul 6:18

Is that kind of what happened with you, or did one resonate with you more than others?

Carlacia Grant 6:22

No, it's just kind of like I learned like a bunch of different ones, and so like I feel like I'm not really like a, I'm not really like an Udha Hagan person like definitely wrong, Like she was cool, but for me personally, like repetition wasn't like the thing that like made me like tick, so like I just tried all these different things and now it's like I know so much, it's like whatever works in the day, whatever works in the moment.

Robert Peterpaul 6:46

Yeah right, Take what you like and leave the rest. That's what I think Exactly, exactly. You know it's interesting. You mentioned moving around. I feel like another thing actors have to kind of come to terms with is making a lot of sacrifices, Whether that's, you know, missing your sister's birthday party or a wedding or more serious things of that nature. Yeah, was there anything you had to give up along the way? You don't have to get too personal.

Carlacia Grant 7:11

No for sure, Sacrifice is like one of the main things, Like I would say like number one. You know, I live in LA and my family lives on the East Coast, so you know you miss a lot of like the little moments.

Carlacia Grant 7:23

You know I have nieces that are really small and are growing up now and it's like you know, I'm always like so far away or I have to take a flight, or even now just working. It's like you know, let me see if I could fit it in my schedule. But I think one of the biggest sacrifices I think during that process was kind of like being in a place where it's like I didn't feel like it was working out in a time frame. I wanted it to work out and it felt like all my other friends had careers, genuine careers. People who stayed in college or graduated to that route were already buying houses and had a really great paying job and doing all that stuff. And I was still a waiter doing very odds and ends job, trying to make it work, but I needed enough availability to be able to be ready for the auditions when they came. So I think that was kind of like the hardest sacrifice was being patient enough to wait for it to come.

Robert Peterpaul 8:24

It is hard. It's so hard. Everybody's having kids, getting houses and you're sitting over here trying to memorize these sides putting up a ring light.

Carlacia Grant 8:32

In the back of a cheesecake factory. It's like one of those things.

Robert Peterpaul 8:36

We've all been there. I love it there. That menu's like a Bible. It stresses me out and also makes me happy at the same time.

Carlacia Grant 8:43

And I still know it, like I still know everything about it, of course.

Robert Peterpaul 8:47

Should we just recite the menu for the rest of our time together? You know, I do think a lot of actors are foodies, though, because I feel like people will enjoy this. I can't define that in a way. It's interesting, though, when you get into that headspace of feeling like everybody else is moving so fast and running ahead of you and you kind of feel like you're almost just hovering in the same position.

Robert Peterpaul 9:08

I feel like there are certain things that can help you. Did you find any mantras or, yeah, I guess, practices that helped you out of that little funk?

Carlacia Grant 9:18

Yes, of course I love reading. I said, even still to this day, like I read a lot of biographies or autobiographies or audibles and I would listen to a lot of acting ones or things from actors, and I listen to their story or I'll read their story and it will just give me like a little bit more of, like you know, a little pep in my stuff, like I don't at least not feeling so alone. So I did that. I listened to podcasts and surrounded myself with people that also were on that type of like positive, like energy, so like, yeah, mantras, I would do vision boards, I would do things that would feed my spirit.

Carlacia’s Unique Audition Process and Self Taping Tips

Robert Peterpaul 10:01

Hmm, I love that. I think it's nice being an actor today. I mean, there's certainly negative things that come with it, but because of all the social media and resources online, you can kind of find a community for yourself so you don't feel so alone, even if you're just listening to an episode like this, where there's two actors sitting down hi, everybody, like we're here for you.

Robert Peterpaul 10:23

Hey, I feel like it is touching. It's just so full of heart. I can't wait till everybody reads your biography down the line. You know, and many people right now know you as an actor on Outer Banks, which is a true treasure trove of a show. I'm so corny. I love this show. I'm obsessed. I can't wait for it to come back. I've read that you had a really unique audition process in that you actually submitted the same exact tape twice, which I think is so interesting. Can you just take everybody through that?

Carlacia Grant 10:54

Yeah, it was one of those things where it was like I got the audition and you know, I didn't embarrassingly enough, I never even I never watched the show to know anything about it. So I got the audition and I had like a bunch of other auditions and I was like it was like a little stack in the corner and then my friend watched me and it's like, oh my gosh, like this is really cool. And I'm like, yeah, I'm not gonna do it. He's like you should do it. Like are you crazy? I was like, no, I'm not gonna do it. I don't think I'm ever gonna put it anyways. Yeah, these are things that I need to do and they do, and I just have to like work on my own time.

Carlacia Grant 11:28

Anywho, I ended up recording it and I felt really good about it, like really, really strongly about it. I was like this is actually a really good tape. I'm in love with the character and you're gonna be traveling to like Barbados, or it was either Barbados or Bahamas, that's kind of what the breakdown said. And it was like to do it and I was like how cool is that, you know, being able to do that and travel to another country? And I didn't hear anything like literally, it's like nothing, and I was like that is so strange. That was really what I felt like was strong tape and what I feel like. What I felt like, I was like I could at least got a callback.

Carlacia Grant 12:06

You know, I never, know like how it really boils down at the end of the day, but like I should still be in the running.

Robert Peterpaul 12:14

Well, do you think you did well just to kind of stop here for a second? Do you think you did well because you weren't overthinking it, you didn't have time to, you just were like I don't know this show. I have a million auditions to do. I'm just gonna lay this down.

Carlacia Grant 12:26

Yeah, I think I did well and I think, kind of like how you said and that's kind of like once my career kind of made a change, is like I stopped doing auditions based on result.

Carlacia Grant 12:38

It was like if I wasn't like, oh, if I don't get booked or whatever, then it's like a bad audition or a waste of my time, Like I literally was like as long as I feel like I did an amazing job and I'm getting better each and every time, then it's fine. You know, I got to fall back in love with the craft than just being like result based.

Robert Peterpaul 13:00

That's so important. Everybody remind that. Listen to it again.

Carlacia Grant 13:04

So you're waiting.

Robert Peterpaul 13:05

you're thinking why didn't I get anything?

Carlacia Grant 13:06

This was a great audition, so weird yeah, I was like that's so weird, but I was like you know what Wasn't for me. But, Dan, that was a really great audition.

Robert Peterpaul 13:15

And.

Carlacia Grant 13:15

I can move forward, knowing that like I'm really feeling good about these. And then, like a month later, I was on the phone with my manager about something completely different. She was like, oh, you know, they're still looking for that girl the one that you do want to because I sent it in. I sent it to her. It's like, listen, I like this tape. This tape is so strong and Rihanna's from Barbados, and I really want to go.

Carlacia Grant 13:36

So, like you know, whatever you got to do, but like this one's a good one, you know, pay special attention to this one. And she was like okay. And she was like yeah, they're still looking for that girl. And I was like that is so weird, because like I really do feel like I should have at least got a call back. And she was my manager. My name was like okay, well, let's just done it again. I was like okay. She's like do you have a tape? At the time I was even out of town and I was like I guess I can get it. So I ended up finding it in my phone and I was like okay, I'll send it. She's like okay, we'll just resend it. And I was like okay. And then, like two days later, two days later, they called me in for a chemistry.

Robert Peterpaul 14:19

That is wild. I feel like there were so many things that could have stopped that from happening, in that you could have maybe not thought it was as good in your own head. Your manager could have said no, we can't do that. That's gonna annoy casting. They've seen it it. Just it worked out so perfectly. It was meant to be here yeah.

Robert Peterpaul 14:37

Well and also intentionally meant to be, because you put in hard work. So it's like all these things coming together, this confluence of events. I think that's so cool. While we're on the topic of self tapes, I feel like we should ask for your top self tape tip out there to help us actors, if you have one.

Carlacia Grant 14:55

Number one. First of all, I love self tapes.

Robert Peterpaul 14:58

I know they're really cozy. You don't have to go anywhere.

Carlacia Grant 15:00

I've gotten so used to them now, Like I'm, like you know, impressions are. They're cool too. But like I love a good self tape, I think it's. I think it's, I'd say, take advantage of the luxury of salt tape, which means that if you don't feel good about it, re-tape it. Don't feel like you have to hit it within, I don't know, a 15 minute window or whatever. If you don't feel comfortable and it's not working out, take some time, step away from it, come back to it and enjoy the luxury, which means you don't have to nail it perfectly the very first time you do it. So that would be my best tip enjoy the luxury of jeans. You can do it again.

Robert Peterpaul 15:43

I love the way you put that, because I'm picturing everybody in slippers enjoying that luxury. You can't see the slippers on the bottom.

Carlacia Grant 15:49

We're wearing whatever on the top. Yeah, that's me enjoying the luxury.

Robert Peterpaul 15:53

Yeah, enjoy the luxury. I love that and I think it's important to what you said, because we can spiral and just keep doing a million takes, but if you don't feel good about it deep down and you know you don't feel good about it walk away and take that break, listen to your favorite song or something. Yeah, a cookie, and then come back. Yeah.

Carlacia Grant 16:10

Yeah.

Robert Peterpaul 16:12

Getting back to OBX for a second. Yeah, you're getting to tap into so much of your actor's toolkit. I feel like it's a dream job internally. Externally, you're tackling physical challenges. You mastered a new accent.

Carlacia Grant 16:25

Yeah.

Robert Peterpaul 16:26

It's incredible what I think. I've heard you speak about this before, so I might know the answer, but I'm gonna ask anyway. What do you feel like was your biggest challenge as an actor on this show so far?

Carlacia Grant 16:40

Yeah, I think. Yeah, it's definitely Cleo's accent, like I feel, like everything else kind of, but yeah, everything else kind of came like second nature but I think it would be her accent and like her, I think, like her body, like her body language, like Cleo's, like you know, so different from me, but just like mastering, like her accent and like her swag.

Self-Care for Actors

Robert Peterpaul 17:03

That's wild to me because I would just say that's her. You do it so naturally that I thought it was actually your accent and the swagger's there. And then I'm getting nervous before this. I'm thinking she's probably so cool, she's just gonna swag in and I'm a little berkset in here.

Carlacia Grant 17:17

So you fooled me? No, not at all. Not at all.

Robert Peterpaul 17:21

Well, reading about the physical stuff too was really interesting and wild. I think. The first time we meet Cleo she's sort of wielding a knife, even and it just kind of keeps going from there and gets even crazier. I heard you rehearsed fight scenes after your dinner breaks. Yeah, you're doing it between takes. How do you take care of yourself as an actor on set when it's so physically demanding?

Carlacia Grant 17:45

I think you have to. I take care of my. I take what I do is I take care of myself outside of set. So like if I know I have something like physically demanding, I'll probably have like a more restful night. Before I tried to stay healthy, so like I probably would eat a lot better that day or like the week leading up to it. Make sure I'm like very well hydrated.

Robert Peterpaul 18:11

Yeah, no cheesecake factory for you, I'm sorry.

Carlacia Grant 18:14

No cheesecake factory for me, she got a sponsor. Yeah, please, yeah. So I make sure I like eat right and I take care of my body and if anything happens I try to heal it. I go to the spa, I get massages. I start to take care of it the best way I can.

Robert Peterpaul 18:32

It's awesome. It seems like it's just so much fun first of all, so I'm sure you're just having a ball with that.

Carlacia Grant 18:38

It is. It's a lot of fun, for sure.

Robert Peterpaul 18:40

I know you said, and I feel similarly, that music is a huge touch point for you. Are you someone who makes playlists for each character? You know? Is that helping you get in the zone on set?

Carlacia Grant 18:52

Yeah. So I guess I have a few ways that I get into Clio. But one of my favorite ways is to get into Clio is absolutely music. So like right before I'm walking on or even on the drive on this set, you know I have a Clio bad gal playlist that I like put in. Just like, get me in the mode, giving me the zone.

Robert Peterpaul 19:12

Is Rihanna on it? Because I feel like, of course.

Carlacia Grant 19:15

Of course. Of course she's on it, of course.

Robert Peterpaul 19:20

Do you stay in the zone on set in between takes? Are you someone that does that, or you can kind of slip in?

Carlacia Grant 19:26

and out? No, no, I'll slip in and out.

Robert Peterpaul 19:29

Yeah, I feel like that makes sense. But you never know with an accent, I'm sure after doing that for a while and filming for a while, you must go back and hang out with friends and just kind of slip into it sometimes.

Carlacia Grant 19:39

Yeah, it happens. How's that work? Yeah, and then it's vice versa, Like it's like, oh my gosh. It's like it's still funny, because it's like you really do create this other person and sometimes like tapping in and tapping out of it.

Robert Peterpaul 19:52

Yeah, it's so cool, it's so admirable what you've done and, yeah, you're just so great on the show. I could gush about it for this whole episode. I'm trying to get some resources from you for our listeners, which you've already given us so much. I would love to know, because we learn so much on the job if there's a memory you have from filming with your co-stars that you feel like made you grow as an actor, or a lesson you've learned from working with someone on Outer Banks.

Carlacia Grant 21:06

I think what I've learned on this set, or I think what I'm very fortunate to have on this set, is that we all take care of each other. Sometimes we have heavy scenes if each individual person or sometimes there's a very heavy action that needs to be done. So I think that just taking care of other actors, of the actors or people that you're working with, has been very important and that's been something that we've learned really like a family. So it's really important that we have this family thing.

Robert Peterpaul 21:46

It shows on screen. The chemistry is off the charts. Thank you. By the time this airs, you might be back with them filming. I would love to know, as you approach a new season, I just turned into a foothog. I'm like, as you approach a new season, that's my accent. As you start to approach a new season, what do you do to get back into character? Are there certain things and methods that you use? Are you someone who writes a backstory or a journal? As Cleo, I know you use music, but any other kind of techniques there.

Carlacia Grant 22:17

Yeah, we're actually a smack job in the middle of filming right now. Oh, hello yeah yeah, yeah, it's exciting.

Robert Peterpaul 22:24

We're filming.

Carlacia Grant 22:25

We were on a little bit of hold because of the strike, but we're back to filming. I am one of those people who journal sorry, journal in the voice of Cleo, so like I guess it's equivalent to making a backstory, but I don't. I do it like in first person instead of like a person standing out of it. I do that. I go on my YouTube deep dives, which is like I just end up like watching, like all these biographies, stories, tick, tock, dances, who knows where this thing leads me. But I look up like Caribbean, caribbean girls, or like the Caribbean what is like growing up in the Caribbean, and I'll just like watch, like probably this my thousands of videos and like take all that in and then music for sure.

Carlacia Grant 23:22

I usually take a trip. So, like right before I did this season, I went to Jamaica. So you go to the islands. Yeah, and I spent some time in the islands, just to kind of get it in my bones.

Robert Peterpaul 23:37

Do you ever I tried this once for an audition and it was actually useful Do you ever, you know, walk around as Cleo, like when you're visiting the islands on these trips? Do you ever have moments where you've just kind of tap into her? And because sometimes it helps to rehearse these things in public, you know, I've like rehearsed lines on a phone walking in New York and maybe in the.

Carlacia Grant 23:53

Silverado but no, you're not. You know what I used to do it in earlier seasons, like when I was first, like trying to carve her out, but I feel like now not so much Now, it's just like it just comes so quick, so I haven't done it as much.

Robert Peterpaul 24:14

You got her. That makes sense. What do you feel like you do when you're looking at a script? Do you have certain ways of breaking that down and do you think about, I guess, what happened before? Because when you're filming it's obviously out of order. So I'm sure you have to have in your mind, oh, she just did this, she's probably out of breath, that kind of thing.

Carlacia Grant 24:32

When I'm reading a script, so I have this thing. So my thing is like I have to hear it all out. So like I will call someone and be like, hey, can you read this with me? Like I need to hear out loud. And then when I'm listening to it out loud then I am like imagining like the world around. So like that's my thing is to just hear it, hear it first, before like I'm thinking about the character or anything like that.

Carlacia Grant 24:58

I want to just hear the story. So I just start the story and then I think about, okay, where do I fit in, like in this story? And then once I figure out what are the other characters in this story, like what is, what's the relationship between that? And then I do a thing where I will read everyone else's character but mine, and I'll have my reader read my character, so I can already hear from a different point of view. And then after that then I'll be like, huh, maybe it should be this way, maybe it should be that way. Then I'll kind of like switch back and then kind of do my ins and I'll probably stand up and walk around and get it in my body. But those are like some of the things that it can be in this order, it could be completely out of order.

Carlacia Grant 25:50

It just depends on the moment.

Robert Peterpaul 25:52

That's so smart that you have all of that in your toolkit, and thank you for sharing it, because I think that's going to help a lot of people. It's sort of a storytelling approach, because a lot of the times we can get so insular and think it's all about us. And then you're in a scene. You're not listening, you're thinking about your next line. What's?

Carlacia Grant 26:06

my face doing yeah yeah, yeah For me.

Robert Peterpaul 26:08

I'm like my eyebrows are in my hair and it's smart to kind of hark back to looking at it as a big picture, as a whole story.

Carlacia Grant 26:17

Yeah, yeah.

Robert Peterpaul 26:18

And letting someone else read it to you. That's a great tip too, because if you're listening to the recording of your own voice, you could kind of memorize those patterns and get stuck in yourself again.

Carlacia Grant 26:27

Yeah, and now I'm one of those people. I could memorize a pattern. So, like I've learned to just like not, because as soon as I found what doesn't work for me, as soon as I get, I'm immediately trying to memorize it. And I'm immediately trying to, like you know, maybe make it too performatory too soon. So, like, I've taken all that away from me and just, you know, start at the basics.

Robert Peterpaul 26:51

Is there anything? When you get into that spiral, maybe and maybe you don't onset even now that kind of brings you back to center and gets you ready to actually do a grounded take yeah, Parts like this I have to learn.

Carlacia Grant 27:01

I'm here totez that in try out some steps and then, if we want to do a người imperative嘿 I mean how to put these things together. Sometimes it's just giving myself a pep talk in a corner, like sometimes it's like yeah, like you can do this, like you've done this. Sometimes I'll like pray and I'll be like you know, let me. I usually just say you know what, I'm gonna throw this away, and then I'll just say you know what, let me just be a vessel and then I'm free.

Carlacia Grant 27:26

As long as I'm a vessel, as long as I'm being honest to whatever comes in that moment. Sometimes it's not my idea, which is good too, because you don't want to be, you don't want to walk into sight, you know you're also working with other people, you don't want to have only your idea, and then you're not open to what someone else is giving you. So it's like I know enough where I feel a strong point of view from where I'm coming from, but also not enough where I won't let you in.

Carlacia Grant 27:55

And if that's happening, then I'll just bring myself to the moment and be like you know what? I'm just a vessel, and I think it goes back to like the self-same thing. It's like you have a luxury of doing another take, and if you don't have another take, then that's fine too. Just be honest with whatever you're feeling in the moment and if the nerves are there or if the doubt is there, don't try to avoid that. It's there. Accept that it's there and find a place to put it in the moment. That's real.

Acting, Being Present and Social Media

Robert Peterpaul 28:28

Yeah, having that awareness and then the ability to practice acceptance is huge, I feel like, because you can go into an emotional scene and you're sitting there trying to figure out how you're going to cry on this line. Exactly, but it's much better to just go in there and come from where you are. And if you don't cry on the first take, at least it's grounded and natural. Maybe they'll like that. Maybe they'll think oh that was a better choice. Maybe clean enough not crying.

Carlacia Grant 28:53

Yeah, yeah.

Robert Peterpaul 28:55

I think that's amazing.

Carlacia Grant 28:56

Yeah.

Robert Peterpaul 28:57

Speaking of your ideas and you being that vessel. I know the writers are now starting to write for you as a performer, which is really cool. How much say do you have in your character development, if any? Do you kind of have conversations about Cleo? Do they ask you questions?

Carlacia Grant 29:12

Yes, I am asked questions and I would feel like I have a lot of conversations with our writers and they've always been, you know, open to my ideas or me feeling like Cleo would do this. You know Cleo wouldn't do this, or this is what I think would make her do that. So we've had open dialogue about, you know, what I like.

Robert Peterpaul 29:42

None of us.

Carlacia Grant 29:44

Certainly, they always use it, but we talk about it.

Robert Peterpaul 29:47

Is there something you're dying for Cleo to do? Because I feel like you've gotten to do so much already on this show that I don't know what it would be, but maybe you have an idea.

Carlacia Grant 29:56

I feel like I do, but if I say it they'll never use it.

Robert Peterpaul 29:59

Okay, I got you. I see what you're saying. We got to keep the spoiler free, you know, obviously because we got the Netflix machine. It's such a major show, I don't need to tell you that. Do you feel like there's one skill in particular you always tap into as an actor on this show? That maybe surprised you.

Carlacia Grant 30:21

Being present. I don't think that's probably like, yeah, being present, I think when you are, you know, working on your craft as much as you are, and I mean like not just like also auditioning, but also being like on set, where it's like all real things and are creating this like world, but being present, like being present for of everything that's happening around you. That's been a good lesson that I've learned.

Robert Peterpaul 30:54

That's a great lesson. Just in life, I feel like I need things to snap me back into the present. Zoom is good, even before we kind of started recording. When there's like little blips on Zoom, it takes you back into the present moment, which is actually why I think. Zoom auditions can be fun, as weird and awkward as they can be.

Carlacia Grant 31:10

I love Zoom.

Robert Peterpaul 31:11

For me. But yeah, I like that. Do you have anything that snaps you back into the present that you do? Is it like a pep talk?

Carlacia Grant 31:23

I mean, sometimes I'm just like, well, guess I just busted my ass and here we are. Take two. But yeah, accepting that. You know, does this happen? Or you've loved a line, or you know you're supposed to make the jump and you didn't. You know, I find that sometimes humor, you know brings back the present, oh yeah.

Robert Peterpaul 31:45

I couldn't agree more.

Robert Peterpaul 31:46

I think it's so amazing, though, that you can practice acceptance so freely. It seems like I think that's a struggle for a lot of people and it seems like it really helps you as an actor, and I value that, and I'm glad we've talked about that. You know, on a different maybe not so nerding out act or referent, we have social media, which is really important today and miss, I think, 1.3 something million followers here. I feel like I should ask you it seems like you go on and off of it, but as someone people love to follow and who's also, you know, a fashionista and you have all these other things you're putting out there that are very aesthetically pleasing and fun. It's a valuable tool for actors, and a lot of people are booking jobs now because of social media.

Robert Peterpaul 32:27

in a yeah we're getting brand deals and all this stuff. What's your approach to it? Do you have sort of a philosophy or any advice for people just starting out, even?

Carlacia Grant 32:37

Oh man, I'm the last person I'm talking about this, because I get a sense you're on and off of it.

Carlacia Grant 32:43

Yeah, it's a love hate relationship. I mean, I'm really like so introverted, like I can be introverted, and I think that sometimes it scares me so like I'll like put something out there and then it'll be like like comment, comment, and then it just like overwhelms me that sometimes I'll just be like, oh my gosh. You know, I think honestly, I'm a work in progress at that. Okay, so I feel like I'll tell you what I intend to do this year. I'll tell you what I was like. You know what? I went to Thailand and I was like you know what? This year I'm just going to put stuff out and not really care about like what anyone thinks, just put it out there. So that's what I'm working on and that goes with social media. It's here I feel like sometimes I overthink it.

Robert Peterpaul 34:31

Yeah.

Carlacia Grant 34:32

And I'm working on it.

Robert Peterpaul 34:33

It's hard not to. I imagine the more followers you get, the harder it can be and I'm sure for every positive comment, which you get a ton of, you probably just narrowing on the ones that are crazy and then you can. You know it's. It's a something that can be very negative but does have a lot of power and I know shows have embraced it. So I wonder, does Netflix and the show sort of have guides for you all on? I'm sure they give you guides of what to post when it's coming out, but on set, are they encouraging you taking behind the scenes videos? I mean, you're filming in these very remote locations, so I'm just curious about that.

Carlacia Grant 35:06

I think the show kind of like started off as a very like a organic glue, like everyone hanging out and taking photos and videos, and I feel like that's continued. You know, you know, obviously we have people on set that capture other BTS, but I think just with us we just be like, you know, goofing around and just like recording it.

Robert Peterpaul 35:30

I like that. I feel like when it's genuine, that's when it does well. On social media Social media is social, it's for people, so we gotta get back to that.

Carlacia Grant 35:39

Yeah.

Robert Peterpaul 35:39

You know it's interesting for actors starting out. Now I think a lot of people feel like you, who maybe have an introverted side, and me as well, as wild as I can be. I think a lot of people are nervous to be on social media and then they're sort of told by external forces that they should be on it. So it's refreshing to hear that you also don't love it necessarily.

Carlacia Grant 36:00

Yeah, sometimes I do, but sometimes it's like it's something that I'm learning and it's like how much do you give? You know?

Robert Peterpaul 36:12

That's true. Again, I guess you give what you get and I like that. You gave us your bio line again. I'm going to mention that I think it's somewhere thinking about what I'm going to eat.

Carlacia Grant 36:21

Yeah, yeah.

Robert Peterpaul 36:22

What are we eating? What are we thinking about right now?

Advice for Starting an Acting Career

Carlacia Grant 36:24

That was so crazy. I was literally before. I was like, dang, what am I going to eat? I haven't even eaten today. I was like, man, what am I going to eat? But I mean, like I did like a hot pot. Like a hot pot like at my place yesterday. That was like I have leftovers from that. If I wanted, I enjoyed that. Or I would go to El Pollo Loco. I've been out of, I've been out of the country for a while, so I'm like you know you got two good choices right there.

Robert Peterpaul 36:58

I don't know what you're going to decide.

Carlacia Grant 36:59

Yeah you just posted.

Robert Peterpaul 37:02

But before you roll on to eat, I would love to end this on another inspiring note for our listeners. I have two questions here. One is a gotten and one is a given. So the first one is what's the best piece of advice you've gotten from an industry leader about acting?

Carlacia Grant 37:22

Do I actually have to speak to this person to know it?

Robert Peterpaul 37:25

It could be someone you know, a director on set, or it could be a quote you love from Halle Perry. It's totally up to you. Yeah, she's amazing.

Carlacia Grant 37:35

Okay, let me think, let me think.

Robert Peterpaul 37:38

I need a cat woman too with her, because I feel like people slept on that.

Carlacia Grant 37:43

It's iconic. You know it's iconic. I want that. I want Babs to um. I wanted to come back to the Bons movies.

Robert Peterpaul 37:56

Oh yeah, she was so good. Yeah, she lit those up. That's iconic to her, like walking out of the water.

Carlacia Grant 38:02

Exactly I needed to come back, and even come back and actually be like James Bond yeah, that would be really cool. I need that for her and throw me in there too.

Robert Peterpaul 38:14

Yeah, you can do a Q or one of the one of the people.

Carlacia Grant 38:19

Yeah, I would say that I don't know who said. I can't remember who said it, but it's a quote. That was um, this is your acting. Acting is your playground, so be free and have fun.

Robert Peterpaul 38:37

Hmm, that's so beautiful. There are a couple of Carol Burnett, who I recently had on my other podcast. Who's incredible icon legend lover. And she always talks about playing in the sandbox.

Carlacia Grant 38:49

Yeah.

Robert Peterpaul 38:49

You know, just kind of getting back to that feel of when we were all kids kind of doing this on the playground, you know, yeah. Because all this other stuff can get in the way, this business stuff. It's helpful but it can also make you overthink and forget that. Yep, we're just here to have a good time, yeah, we're just here to have fun, yeah. Well, the second one is a given and it's a little similar. But what is your best piece of advice for dreamers out there looking to get their career rolling?

Carlacia Grant 39:21

It's crazy because some of these sounds so generic, but they are true.

Robert Peterpaul 39:27

No, that's the best advice. Is that kind?

Carlacia Grant 39:31

Yeah, I think number one is don't quit, like that's like the number one thing is like you have to, like don't quit. Number two would be focus on the craft. Like focus on your craft and everything else will come over it. Like come from that. Number three would be enjoy the ride.

Robert Peterpaul 39:57

I love that. Well, we're going to keep rolling along. Thank you so much for being here today.

Carlacia Grant 40:03

Thank you so much. Thanks for having me. I appreciate it.

Robert Peterpaul 40:05

You're wonderful. I know actors are going to be so inspired after listening to you and I just can't wait to see what you do next.

Carlacia Grant 40:10

Thank you, thank you so much. Yeah, hey everybody, I'm Carlacia Grant and this is How We Role.