Ava Santana

Ava Santana has spent the last few years working on both mainstream movies and independent films. Following uncredited roles in the likes of The Return (opposite Sarah Michelle Gellar), Ava has appeared in the low budget horror HellBilly 58, the blockbuster Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay and the upcoming 3D movie The Mortician, whilst also being voted #20 in UGO.com‘s ’50 Hottest Actresses Under 50′ (just beating the likes of Lindsay Lohan and Twilight‘s Kristen Stewart).

Ava discusses her career to date…

When did you first become interested in acting and what kind of performing did you do prior to working in the industry?

“The world of pretend has always been a common place for me even as a child. I have always had a really excellent imagination and pursuing acting inevitably seemed to be a career for me that just made sense. I often found myself wondering what it was like to be something or someone else if only for a short moment. My sister and I would often put on little shows for the family and I did do a couple of school plays but I at times was a bit shy in front of crowds. My high school acting teacher told me I would never make it as an actor because of my timid personality in class. As quiet as I was in class, I always knew I would pursue a career in acting. I just felt that deep down there was nothing that could or would stop me.”

Who would you say you are most influenced by and what is your single greatest ambition as an actress?

“I live in two different worlds. There is the world of acting for me and then there is another world where reality isn’t very fair to many people or beings. Both worlds consume me. I choose to live in and acknowledge both worlds because I refuse to live in a mental bubble where most people decide to blindfold themselves from reality. Within the acting world, I am influenced by Al Pacino, Johnny Depp, Meryl Streep, Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton, Marlon Brando, Marion Cotillard…God the list could really go on. In my alternate world which is also known as reality, I am highly influenced by activists and authors such as Ingrid Newkirk, Bill Mckibben, Martin Luther King Jr., Bernadine Dohrn, Peter Singer, Carlos Castaneda, and Dr. Ali Sadrieh. These are people who have chosen to live their lives fighting for the greater good of humanity and our earth and they are just some of the people who have my utmost respect. My mother is also a great inspiration to me. She is such a strong and beautiful woman who worked really hard as a single mom raising four children on one salary.”

How did you land your first film role and did you have many unsuccessful auditions as you were starting out?

“It is difficult to start out with essentially nothing significant on your résumé. Everyone starts off somewhere though. In Austin, TX around six or seven years ago I would audition for student films at the University of Texas and various Indie films around town. I knew I was talented and that I just needed to show people in person that I was capable of bringing their films to life. My first film was for a law student at the University of Texas. It was a simple love story. An acting teacher always told me that 80% of success is just showing up. Just showing up is basically how I built my resume in the beginning.”

What kind of actress did you always see yourself as and what would you consider to be your dream role?

“I enjoy making people feel good about themselves. To me, acting is a creative outlet and to be able to use that outlet as a way to spark a thought or inspire a change in a people or even one person would be an ideal predicament for me. There are so many causes that I deeply care about and I know that film is a medium in which a message can be proliferated so abruptly and drastically if persistent enough. I’ve never thought of a “kind” of actress I would like to be but more of how I as an actress would like to impact a crowd’s mind. I haven’t yet found a role that impacts an audience as I desire it to but that mysterious role I am sure is out there somewhere.”

How did you come to choose your stage name and why did you not want to be credited as Kathryn Knighten?

“I love my birth name. It is from my father’s European side of the family. I have always been fascinated and in love with the Cuban side of my family though. My grandmother whose name I use as my stage name is one of eight children born in Key West, FL just arriving from Cuba. Neither of her parents spoke any English and struggled to make ends meet. Her father passed away when she was eight years old and she helped in raising her brothers and sisters as her mother struggled to provide and keep food on the table. My grandmother grew up to be such a beautiful and elegant woman along with her sisters and I always love looking at old pictures of them from the ’40s as sassy and sexy head turners. She’s always told me that I remind her of herself when she was younger. I use her name as a dedication to how much she means to me.”

You had an uncredited role in the 2006 horror movie The Return, in which you played a dancer. How did it feel to be on the set of a horror and was this a genre you were a fan of growing up?

“Honestly, all I remember from working on that film is that Sarah Michelle Gellar was really beautiful and very kind. Oh, and the director and cinematographer were cute English men. Horror films were a genre that I did watch growing up with my older brother only because he really loved them. I was always terrified because I would pretend using my imagination and in my mind the scenes were really happening. I will still watch horror films every once in a while only with friends, popcorn, and in places where I can scream really loud.”

Were you nervous about the topless lesbian kiss you had to do for Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay and due to the movie’s success has this brought you more mainstream roles?

“I am very comfortable with my body so I had no reservations about doing a topless scene; however, it was my first nude opportunity in film so I wasn’t entirely sure of what to expect. I went into the audition not really expecting to get the role knowing that thousands of girls in the U.S. were auditioning for it but had a good time preparing and playing a quite goofy character in front of the directors. They later changed it after I got the role, making it sexier. The only thing I was maybe a little nervous about would be when I met Kal Penn only because I thought he was really sweet and handsome. I will say that Harold and Kumar was a great stepping stone for other features. It helped get my name out there more for sure but I still have to audition and work for roles. Nothing is ever quite handed to you on a golden platter and nothing beats good old fashioned hard work.”

How did you become involved in the low budget slasher HellBilly 58 and how would you compare working on this kind of production to a studio feature like Harold and Kumar?

“Well, the brilliant Russ Diaper had emailed me regarding his film Hellbilly 58. I had seen some of his work as a filmmaker, musician and stunt performer and thought that he would be a really great guy to work with. I feel fortunate to have worked with him because now I consider him to be a dear friend. Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay is such a different film so there is almost no comparison. It is a larger budget comedy and the directors, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, are so brilliant and funny and I just had so much fun working on set with all of them. Again, I feel fortunate because that film also brought me very close friendships with people I highly respect in the industry.”

What can you reveal about The Mortician, which will star Edward Furlong and Method Man?

“I didn’t have a scene with Edward Furlong but my scenes were directly with Method Man. I play a country girl with a southern accent who works at the local diner. I will say that this is a side of Method Man I don’t think many people have seen. He is such a great actor and a really nice man. It was quite fun flirting with him between takes too. It was also shot in 3D so that should be cool when it comes out.”

Another project you have in the works is Outtake Reel. Can you shed light on what fans should expect from this movie?

“I absolutely loved working on Outtake Reel! These guys, Scott Feinblatt and Jeff Chaffin, have these really great ideas merging shots using documentary style with feature filmmaking. It is categorized as a horror film and it is the story of an actress filming a movie and behind the scenes of this movie being made and certain events take place that end quite deadly. It is a different type of film and I am actually really excited to see the final product. Stay tuned because there will be more interesting films coming out.”