Meet Kayden Tokarski

Kayden , looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
I think I developed my work ethic from my parents. They both have their own businesses, work hard and are passionate about their work. They always talk about perseverance and staying true to yourself, and I think that is really important for any career.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am blessed to be a working actor. I play a young Julia Roberts’ character on the TV series “Gaslit.” You can see all episodes streaming on STARZ. I have been blessed with 14 acting awards, which is so crazy to me! These awards are for three films – my first feature film “Apocalypse Love Story” streaming this summer on Amazon Prime; and two short films “I Miss Her, Too” and “Message From the Mermaids.” I am super excited and blessed to play a mean girl “Becky” in the upcoming sci-fi feature film “Roswell Delirium” starring Anthony Michael Hall, Dee Wallace, Lisa Welchel, Reginald Veljohnson and other wonderful actors including my friend Kylee Levien, whose character the film is based on. Written and directed by the amazing Richard Bakewell, “Roswell Delirium” is set in the 1980s and premieres this July (2023). I was also just cast in a new movie called “Redland” that is slated for 2024 and produced by Leonne Besson and Rudy Roopchan. I will play the character of Jessie Land. I was fortunate to also be cast in movies shooting in Kentucky this month as well as New Mexico this summer. I am so incredibly grateful for every single opportunity!

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
This path is so full rejection that it’s often hard to stay positive and motivated. But I feel like it’s something I was meant to do for life, so I just keep moving forward. I think you have to be resilient, positive and stay motivated. I love how supportive and inspiring my agent Sueanne Edan of Tangerine Talent is … she always tells me that this business is not a sprint, it’s a marathon, and I feel fortunate to be in the race.

What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
I have been wanting to be an actor since I was 4 years old and watched a wonderful Disney show called “Good Luck Charlie.” My parents thought I was way too young to get into the business but I kept asking every year, and then when I was in 4th grade, my parents came to see me in a school play. I got the lead role and it was at that moment, they felt I was really serious about wanting to develop a career. My mom saw an audition for the nonprofit Joyful Child Foundation for a pilot program that would teach kids safety messages and moves, so I auditioned and got a role. I was 10 years old. My mom wanted me to see how long the days are on set and how it’s not always fun but I didn’t care. I wanted to continue and feel extremely grateful to my mom and dad for supporting me along this journey. It wouldn’t be possible without them.