NETTA WALKER ON THE HEALING POWER OF REPRESENTATION IN HOLLYWOOD
INTERVIEW BY IRVIN RIVERA
Filipino-American rising star NETTA WALKER is one of the emerging generations of Hollywood actors bringing proper representation to the table. Netta currently plays Keisha McCalla in All American: Homecoming, a young American sports drama set against the backdrop of the HBCU, aka historically Black colleges and universities, experience at Bringston University, where Black excellence is a way of life.
Visibility and representation is a big deal for Netta and a lot of Filipinos and Black Filipinos in the US. “The fact that I can represent black Pinoys on a network television show being shot in Hollywood... my younger self would never believe it”
In this exclusive interview, talked about the significance of playing Keisha- how it not only honors her Filipino culture but also her experiences as a young adult- joys, grief, confusion, exploration, mental health, sexuality, etc, her creative process, Keisha’s character evolution throughout the show, dream projects, valuable life lessons, and more.
PHOTOGRAPHER: IRVIN RIVERA, FASHION STYLIST: DONALD LAWRENCE, GROOMING: AMBER AMOS, HAIR: ARIANNA CHAYLENE BLEAN, PHOTO ASSISTANT: PHIL LIMPRASERTWONG
What’s unique about All American: Homecoming that sets it apart from other young adult dramas?
It's a show that very seriously values culture and teaches incredibly valuable lessons while honoring that culture. The way that mental health, sexuality, gender, grief, adoption and so much more are explored with kindness and love, within the setting of a notorious HBCU... it's something I've never seen before. The willingness to honor and explore grief within Filipino culture was something I'd never seen before. It's an honor to work on this show.
What’s the best part about playing Keisha?
She just feels so real. I love how she’s always there for her people, but also how lost she is in her own grief and confusion of young adulthood. She's learning everything on the fly via her own active mistakes and choosing to learn from them, which is something I admire a lot about her. She doesn't give up.
What are the challenges and the highs that you experienced during filming?
Learning how to manage a work-life balance was really hard for a bit but that's worked itself out with time. Memorizing scenes this quickly was a hard challenge that I'd never faced before, TV moves fast. But once they're really in my head and I get into playing the scenes - that always gives me such a high. Anytime we start shooting and the moment where the scene clicks into place with a scene partner - such a lucky thing to feel.
Can you walk us through your creative process whenever you go and film a scene?
I guess it all depends on the scene and what it means to the journey of the character at that particular moment in their storyline. If it's an emotionally exhausting scene I have to be in my own little bubble for a second before shooting, if it's a goofy scene I like to keep the goofing up between takes. But usually, I approach all text as if it was a play, since the theater is where I started, and mark all the major beats I notice from the first read-through. Then go back in and start to tear the script apart a bit more, mark more minor beats, mark information that other characters give about me to inform me more about my character, and other elements of script work. When I get to set I try to run just the words with no inflections with my scene partners, talk a little about our thoughts on the scene and where our characters are at that moment, and then honestly wait for everything to be set and get the first real "action" before I dive fully into exploring the scene. I like to keep things as natural and unrehearsed as possible so that it stays authentic.
How did acting start for you? Was it something that you’ve always wanted from a young age?
It wasn't actually, I wanted to be an Astronomer for a really long time, got my first real telescope around 6 years old. You'd type in a galaxy, moon, or planet and it would move to show you any star based on your current coordinates. I was obsessed with space. But then I started failing most of my math courses, so I gave up on that dream, and then wanted to be a Clinical Psychologist for the Department of Veterans Affairs. My dad was a retired Navy Veteran with PTSD-based Psychosis, and I therapized him enough as a kid that I wanted to help other veterans like him, but then realized how hard being a psych major in college actually was. Theater seemed like an easy transition from that. It allows me to explore telling and honoring human stories and feel the empathy I believe all Psychologists should feel for their patients. And I had an amazing theater teacher who believed in me, Shirley Kirby. She really solidified my love for acting during my sophomore year of high school.
How important is representation to you as a Filipino/Black actress doing mainstream acting work in Hollywood?
Incredibly important. Purely because I never saw anyone who looked like me on the TV, and I never saw people eat with their hands or have both collard greens and lumpia for the holidays. The fact that I can represent black Pinoys on a network television show being shot in Hollywood... my younger self would never believe it. I was made to feel like an outsider for most of my life, so getting to showcase the culture I was afraid to be proud of as a kid feels very healing.
Who and what inspires you?
My family inspires me. My mom, my late father, my brothers... they're all the best people I've ever known. My mom is the strongest and kindest person I know, though, hands down. I cry a lot about how lucky I am that she's my mom. She probably inspires me the most as of late.
What’s your dream project?
Something that requires me to make someone terrible into someone likable. I love playing characters you feel like fighting yourself for liking. Also a grand deep and dark romance, Romeo and Juliet style. Digging my teeth into the complexities and pains of love would be so exciting.
Aside from acting, what else keeps you busy?
I love writing and filmmaking. I feel like all of my free time is spent in a movie theater trying to catch films that will inspire me to be a better artist.
What’s a valuable lesson that you’ve learned from your career that you think is still universally relevant?
Be careful with who you allow having access to you. We have to protect our energies! Some folks see a bright light and they try to dim it or take it as their own. So keep minding your business and drinking your water.
If you were a book, what book would you be and why?
I feel like right now I'd be Native Guard by Natasha Trethewey, but I'm sure that'll change with the seasons. That book has gotten me through quite a lot, I relate to so many of the pieces in it and I can only dream that my inner monologue will be as poetic as Natasha Trethewey's voice. If you've ever lost a parent and are looking to feel seen, read it.
