Meet Andressa Da Silva | Actor and Screenwriter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Andressa Da Silva and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Andressa, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I’ve wanted to be an actor since I was very young; I remember being 5 and doing what all little kids do, put on plays for family and friends.

I started off with musical theater and eventually started shooting student films in high school and during my time at college. While at college, I completed my degree in Communication with a Minor in Film Studies, which really helped me appreciate the process and creativity that goes into cinema.

Now, I’m incredibly lucky to be a working actor and award-winning screenwriter here in Atlanta and am always looking forward to the new projects this industry is going to bring forth.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Being a Brazilian immigrant (who’s also a quarter Lebanese!) I absolutely have a different perspective and bringing stories such as mine to the forefront are at the top of my agenda. I don’t mind making or writing films about hard hitting topics, one being my short screenplay that’s won a few awards on the festival run; Lizard, which is about a prostitute, a topic most writers aren’t interested in touching.

However, I love to portray characters that are so radically different from me – anything from the cute, bubbly girl-next-door, to the dark goth girl that intimidates you. As to the road I took to be where I am today; it hasn’t been a cakewalk, to say the least as I don’t come from a family with connections to the industry, so even starting out and trying to find others that loved acting and performing was a bit difficult. However, I’m a firm believer in making the best out of any situation and started joining acting groups in college, reading for other actors, and attending networking events.

The most important lesson I learned along the way was: don’t be afraid to ask for what you want.

My brand and story is about being proud of yourself. While I revel in the fact that I’m Brazilian, there was a significant portion of my life and that I wasn’t. For me, we should all be proud of our quirks and be grateful that the world is made up of people who can be incredibly different from each other and still come together to shoot and tell fantastic stories.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would most likely take them to Piedmont Park! I feel like it’s such a magical place any time of the day (or night!) and it’s a perfect place to have a picnic with friends (take it from me, I scheduled a huge group picnic with 20 friends last April and it was a huge hit)!

I’ve always enjoyed Centennial Park because the aquarium is right next to Centennial so I would make a day of it with both locations!

The most interesting places for me to check out are the High Museum and Fernbank Museum!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My parents are the first people to thank! Being the immigrant child of two Brazilian immigrant parents taught me the value of hard work and integrity and the fact they’re incredibly supportive of my career as an actor and screenwriter makes me feel so incredibly lucky. From listening to me give pitches to being my readers at times, there’s a gratitude beyond measure that I can never put a price on.

Someone else who has been so supportive is my boyfriend, director and screenwriter: Carter J Allen. He’s been my director, writing partner, and reader for a multitude of projects and I’m always excited to work on the next project with him!

Website: https://andressamvdasilva3.wixsite.com/website

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andressamvdasilva/

Other: https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/AndressaDaSilva

Image Credits
Photo 1: Joe Funk Photography Photos 4 & 5: Carter J Allen