Eva Reign
Interviewed by: Elizabeth Berra, CSA
1) Has there been a Casting Director that has encouraged and/or supported you in your career?
Alexa Fogel and Elizabeth Berra. When I began auditioning with them, I didn’t have any representation. Six months later, I was the star of a feature film by Amazon MGM’s Orion Pictures directed by Billy Porter. They even helped me secure representation. I am forever grateful.
2) What work are you most proud of?
Anything’s Possible, my first feature film. It tells the story of a girl in high school, who happens to be trans, falling in love with a boy. It’s the first film of its kind, and I’m very honored to have starred in it. While I’ve appeared in other projects since then, this is the project that got my career off the ground and I’m most known for. I get messages about it all the time from people around the world telling me how much the film means to them.
3) What or who inspired you to pursue acting as a career?
My Auntie Tan. When I was a kid, I had a lot of speech impediments. I struggled with stuttering and the pronunciations of certain sounds. In middle school, I told my aunt that I wanted to pursue acting, but the last time I auditioned, I couldn’t stop stuttering. To help me, she came over to my house every week to coach coaching me on my monologues. After that, I won blue ribbons at monologue competitions in St. Louis. My Auntie Tan lost the battle to cancer a few years ago, and unfortunately, she never got the chance to see my work on screen. I’m inspired to keep going because of her.
4) What was your first IMDBPro credit and how did you feel when you saw it?
My first IMDb credit was an art film, Salacia, directed by the award-winning artist Tourmaline starring Ah’Myrah Amone. It’s now in the permanent collections of the Brooklyn Museum, the Museum of Modern Art and Tate Modern. The first time I saw it I got teary-eyed. I felt so full of pride to stand alongside such fierce Black women artists making a film that honors Seneca Village, the site now known as Central Park.
5) How has IMDBPro helped you market yourself to filmmakers?
IMDbPro has helped me learn more about the film industry and it showcases who I am as an actor. I remember spending hours on IMDb as a kid dreaming about the day I would see my face on there. Now that day has come. Little Eva would be over the moon right now.
6) Any funny casting room stories?
During a callback, I knocked over my camera and ring light while talking to the casting director. I was so embarrassed that I started sweating buckets and apologized a million times. Luckily, I still got the part!
7) Tell us a fun fact about you outside of acting:
I’m a huge nerd. I spend an unhealthy amount of time reading comic books and trying to get my friends into superhero fandoms. I haven’t been very successful so far, but I’ll keep trying to lure them to the dark side!
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