Meet Danny Sainz, an aspiring actress whose journey into the world of acting is a testament to perseverance and passion. From early inspirations watching TV and theatre to navigating through various career paths before finding her calling, Danny’s story is one of self-discovery and determination. Her dedication to honing her craft and facing the challenges of the industry head-on reflects her unwavering commitment to pursuing her dreams. Join us as we delve into Danny’s experiences, insights, and advice for aspiring actors embarking on their own artistic journeys.
Can you tell us about your journey into the world of acting? What inspired you to pursue this career path?
It all goes back to when I was a little girl, I remember watching TV, going to the theatre or movies and getting this weird feeling, it was like excitement but also a little bit of nostalgia because I wanted to be part of the story. While growing up my parents didn’t let me be really close to acting, when my mom was younger she was part of the entertainment industry in Mexico so she didn’t want me to be part of that environment. It was till I was old enough that I decided to pursue an acting career, but before that I tried different things like visual arts, architecture, image design, chef, I even studied a degree of entertainment business but nothing made me feel fulfilled, one day I remember waking up and knowing that I didn’t want to do anything else.
I talked with my parents and asked them to give me 6 months, at the beginning I thought I wanted to make music, so I did, one day one of my best friends came and told us about and acting workshop she was taking, and how much she was loving it, so I decided to try, in my mind I was going to learn how to improve my performance on stage, but little did I know, that I was about to feel like I had never feel before, and so it started, I started taking multiple workshops in Mexico City, with different actors and directors, I didn’t think of studying a career because I felt like I was too old for that, but shortly after that I heard that Stella Adler was making auditions in Mexico.
I have to be honest, I thought it was a scam because why such a big and famous school would go to Mexico to do auditions, turns out it was real, once I got accepted I was able to choose between the NYC or the LA campus, even though my dream was always to go to NYC I choose LA because I’ve always loved the magic that happens on camera, I can say that studying acting has been one of the most amazing and rewarding moments of my life, sadly half of it was remotely because of the pandemic, but even so it was beautiful, after that I have to say that it’s been a rocky way since I graduated right after the pandemic was over and then there was a huge strike so it has been a slow start, but I know that as long as my hearts feels like it’s what it wants, I’ll keep trying till I make it.
What have been some of the most rewarding moments in your acting journey so far?
Being an actress has given me so much, I think the fact that I showed myself that I’m capable of doing whatever I challenge myself to do, the fact that I showed myself that I’m capable of doing it after so many years thinking that I was not born for it has been the most rewarding moment, this journey also led me to knowing parts of me that I didn’t even know were there, like how much am I willing to do for something I love, how far can I go, without crossing my boundaries or stepping on other feet, I’ve learned to make peace with my ugliness but also accept and embrace my beauty, besides the professional part for sure I can say that the biggest gift acting has given me is a safe space to heal and grow. Another amazing thing about this journey, has been the beautiful and magical people that I’ve encounter in the way, from friends to teachers, colleagues, directors, crew members and fellow actors, each one of them so unique and inspiring.
How do you stay motivated and resilient in an industry known for its competitiveness and rejection?
It hasn’t been easy, thickening my skin has been a hard task, it’s the first time in my life that I’ve faced so much rejection, but there’s something in me that tells me I’m gonna make it. I’m not gonna lie, sometimes I feel like this is not gonna happen, that I’m not going to make it as an actress, because so far I’ve received way more no´s than yes’s but the only thing that I can say keeps me going is hope, because if others have been able to do it, why wouldn’t I?
So I would say that that is what keeps me going, that little girl falling in love with a feeling, with art, dreaming of being there one day, plus the impulse of sharing all I have to share, all I have to give to the world, to inspire and heal others just like other artist have done to me, but also knowing that there´s only one me.
What strategies do you employ to continuously improve your craft as an actress?
One of the things that I love doing and I think helps me when creating a new character is analyzing people, paying attention to them, to their lives, attitudes, behaviors without judgement, all of us have a past, a story, so do characters, each one of us is perfectly unique, filled with amazing stories, may they be good or bad.
I love getting to know people, because each one of them is irreplaceable, each mind is a different and unique world, so when you apply that to acting I think makes things more challenging and enjoyable, when you see each character as a unique person, with a past, present and future, it’s important that you leave the judgement on the side, and try to empathize with them, may them be good or bad, nobody things they’re bad or wrong, so that’s the start of it all, to see everything and everyone as they are.
Can you share a memorable experience from a project you’ve worked on that had a significant impact on you personally or professionally?
On my second year of the conservatory we had to write/direct/act a solo show about a historical character, I choose Coco Chanel, when I first started my research about her life I didn’t feel really connected to her till my life changed a few weeks after choosing her, that’s when I felt like I had to tell her story with Arthur Capel, I got inspired by this one scene in The Devil wears Prada where you can see the sensitive side of Miranda for the first time, so I decided to tell her personal story instead of the one we all already know, when I started writing the solo show I was dealing with a recent loss, and my piece portrays her grieve of when Capel passed away, it all starts when she comes back to her apartment after going to his funeral, she enters her apartment and the first thing she sees is his clothes on a chair, so she has a whole monologue with the chair, we get to a part where she starts getting super emotional, puts the clothes on and then in a desperate moment cuts the shirt in pieces, claiming that he abandoned her just like her dad did, for this I used my dads clothes, who recently passed away too, so this particular moment was like a catharsis for me, I loose the dimension between fantasy and real life. So far, this piece has been the hardest and most connected to me, because I used my grief and my pain and combined it with Coco´s to make a beautiful show.
What advice would you give to aspiring actors who are just starting their journey in the industry?
One of the biggest advice I would give them is: “You are enough”, having a good and strong mental health is really important for this industry, thick skin as they say, the amount of rejection and opinions you’re gonna receive are infinite, it’s really important that you know your worth, I remember hearing a story of a girl whose dad gives her an old car, and he tells her to go an sell it, first on a dealership, she goes there and they tell her that for that piece of junk they don’t give her more than a thousand dollars, she comes back with her dad and tells him what they said, so the dad just says ok, now go to the vintage car shop, and so she does, when she arrives there the owner gets super excited and tells her how that car is one of a kind and he’s willing to pay thousands of dollars, so she goes back to her dads with amazement and tells him what they said, the moral of the story is that you’re not worthless, you’re just going to the wrong places. So trust and believe in yourself, in your potential, and never let anyone tell you your worth.
In what ways do you think the entertainment industry has evolved, and what opportunities or challenges do you see for emerging talent today?
The entertainment industry has changed in a lot of ways, some good, some bad, back in the days it was only for beautiful and appealing people, I remember watching some series and movies and thinking that I would never be able to be part of it because I don’t look like that, but now I feel like one of the positive aspects is that it is more about the talent than the looks, but on the other side, social media has made an important impact on this, because now it is based on the amount of followers, social media presence. I feel like this also has it’s positive and negative postures, on the positive side, you can create your own material and put it out there for the world to see, you don’t need a lot to create and share, but on the other side, if you’re not a very technological person or like to have a social media presence it can be harmful for your career because then you won’t be noticed.
