Reyna Papotto shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Reyna, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
Something that I have been called to do now that I was afraid of before was, moving back to my hometown. I created the narrative in my head that if I moved back home, I was a “failure” or even worse, people would say that “I gave up on my dreams”. But in reality, the results have been quite the opposite. What I “feared” was simply just a fear. At this point in my life, moving back home has been exactly what I needed to restore my love for creativity and my craft. I not only rediscovered what I wanted to fulfill in the industry, but what I NEEDED to be filled in the industry. This came to fruition through taking it a bit easy for a while. Being reunited with my hometown friends and family has completely shifted my perspective. Their love and support reminded me of my eternal purpose, and I am able to share that through my work & exude that in my everyday life. That kind of love being shared with me completely removed any fear that I had about returning home. I am still capable of WORKING in this industry, and taking every opportunity to create in my small beach town in South Carolina. I hope this encourages anyone that feels like they are trapped in their small town bubble. You don’t have to be planted in a big city to impact people.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hello, My name is Reyna Papotto! I am an actress, model, and singer. I have been on this whole creative voyage for a decade now! That is so crazy to type out. Time flies when you are truly having fun. I must admit, this process has had a lot of its ups and downs. It IS the BIG waiting game. But I have found so much joy in the waiting & game of it all! I started my acting/singing journey when I mustered up the courage to audition for a community theatre production when I was in middle school. From that first major staged musical gig, I haven’t been able to keep myself away from the stage and NOW screen since….
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
Something that I believed as a child that I no longer believe… this is such a great question! My response: I actually BELIEVE in myself compared to the younger version of myself. It wasn’t quite that I had low confidence as a kid, but it was that I believed I would never be confident enough in myself as others were in themselves. Growing up I never saw anyone in films, shows, plays, magazines, etc. that looked like me. I felt so “different” compared to my peers. But now, I believe that my differences are my superpowers, no longer my insecurities. I don’t have to dim my light for others because they don’t understand it, ya know?
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
A time I almost gave up happened not too long ago actually. I almost threw in the towel completely when it came to searching for talent representation. I spent about two years submitting to different talent agencies without getting any kind of responses or feedback. I am a very picky person, so I didn’t just submit to any and every kind of agency out there. I sent out my materials to agencies that I could truly envision them tailoring to me and vice verses on how we could impact the industry together. I will say this made the search take much longer than expected, but I think it saved me a lot of time being wasted. I didn’t want to waste my time submitting to organizations that wouldn’t be searching for me in the first place. I think it’s so silly to reach for something you know isn’t meant for you in the first place. It is WONDERFUL to take risks and a leap of faith into the unknown, and to try new things! but when it comes to sharing yourself, I think it’s a lost art to be a little more picky about who & what you share yourself with! And you know what they say, slow and steady wins the race. I think it is also SO important to research agencies that are going to want you for YOU. I signed with The Avenue Agency this spring and they arrived into my life right on time. I took a chance on sending in some materials one day & wasn’t expecting any kind of response or feedback, but I could so see myself in their lineup of representation. About a month later I heard that they were interested in seeing more of me! Eventually, I went through more rounds of submitting myself to them, and then had an interview process of us getting to know more each other. It was a two way street. I am so thankful that I didn’t give up on finding out who was out there for me! And not just as an industry product to be repped, but to be shared and understood with the industry for who I really am and how I want to be impactful in so many creative ways. This whole journey has been an eye opening experience. My faith has been restored in when people say, “good things come for those who wait.” Trust that feeling that still lingers in your gut after all of the rejections or being left on read. Giving up is such a lame excuse to no longer LIVE and fight the good fight! That’s how you end up with really cool stories like this to share with friends and family in the future!
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Is the public version of you the real you?
I would say I am authentically myself ALL the time, whether that’s being in a crowded room filled with people, or keeping myself company all alone in my room. Honestly, it’s quite exhausting trying to be someone that you aren’t, because the fact is that’s NOT who you are?! When you think about it, It takes little to absolutely no effort just to be yourself. That should be such EXCITING news to people! Everyone has the easiest job in the book, and that’s to simply: show up as you are. Who wants to be a cookie cutter version of themselves in this infinitely exhilarating world? Cookie cutter’s can’t fit the entire world in its tiny little stencil. Over the years, I’ve learned to embrace all of the unexpected moments that have made me, “Reyna”. I call them my “Reyna moments”. Lean into to the joyful, awkward, painful, exciting. (the list goes on) moments that occur & reoccur in your life. Gain understanding from them, and you will see nothing can be tailored so perfectly to you then the REAL you. The most memorable people in my life are the ones that were unapologetically themselves. Even if that interaction was just from a run to the grocery store with a stranger is no denying who the real you is. I can confidently say that these experiences are only be tailored to you. What’s more real and authentic than that!? Lean into to the joyful, awkward, painful, etc. moments that occur & reoccur in your life. Gain understanding from them, and you will see there is no denying who the real you is. the real me has learned and grown with everything in my life. The figment of imagination version of myself has stayed stagnant. My parents always stressed to me and my brothers to: “be a leader not a follower”. There’s the blueprint. Confusion can’t exist when it comes to making your own path rather than following someone else’s. So be yourself, I promise that no one is thinking about how you awkwardly hum to kill the lingering silence within a group of people, or smiling too much to yourself when no one said anything funny. BE REAL! BE HUMAN! Welcome in your quarks and uniqueness, because I can assure you no one else has what you have. It’s beautiful to share what you can’t replicate!
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Have you ever gotten what you wanted, and found it did not satisfy you?
I have gotten what I wanted and it didn’t satisfy me in the way I thought it would… BUT that unsatisfaction pointed me in the direction of what WOULD satisfy me! When I graduated from high school, I wanted to get as far away from my hometown as possible. So I chose a school in the middle of nowhere, in a state I’ve never been in to pursue acting. With all of the research and visiting I did during the summer, I was CONVINCED this was MY school! It was my DREAM school. When I arrived I gained everything that I wanted and desired at the time. But it all didn’t water the soil that desperately needed hydration in my life. Although I was meeting great new people. & fulfilling aspirations within my craft, I quickly realized that there couldn’t be growth in new places if growth didn’t take place in the old places. So with all of these “wins” I kept feeling like a failure. I was physically in a “new place” but felt so unsatisfied from my “old place” (mentally). But experiencing all of this led me down a NEW path in a (physically) old place! So after my short time away attending my DREAM school, I returned back home for a few years and grew in ways I never could have imagined. My worst nightmare became my DREAM come true.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @reynapapotto
- Other: The Avenue Agency: https://www.theavenueagency.com/actor-profiles/reyna-p
Actors Access: https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/1787290-5094241
Casting Networks: https://app.castingnetworks.com/talent/public-profile/a7ded2fc-423e-11f0-9a44-c1c9c0f3fe22
Image Credits
Ella Neugebauer & Duane Delorean
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
