Meet Lydia Castro

Lydia, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
From a very young age, I wanted to be Wonder Woman. I would spin and spin hoping to turn into someone super awesome. It never worked. But, the seed of desire to act was planted.

My journey into acting started the day after I graduated from UCLA.

My father spent his entire career in the military and neither he nor any of this brothers or sisters went to college so he worked hard so that my sisters and I could go. I knew I wanted to be an actor which is why I chose to go to college in Los Angeles. However, me majoring in Theater was not an option for dad.

During school I did internships anywhere in the entertainment industry that I could get them, so that I could learn different aspects of the business. These places included Showtime, Fox, Warner Bros, and multiple production companies. I did everything from Press Kits to DVD sales to script coverage.

Right after my college graduation, I got myself an agent and started auditioning. I literally knew nothing about the acting world so I had to start from the ground up. I took acting classes, Casting Director workshops and seminars about the business of acting. I did so many short films and plays. Any opportunity I could get to perform.

It was always a struggle of survival because it cost a lot of money to pursue an acting career and I didn’t have a “real” job. Most of us actors in LA at the time worked nights in restaurants and bars because we needed our days free to go to auditions. You couldn’t have a 9-5 job unless you could find one that would let you leave whenever you needed to.

I would go to audition after audition and nothing. Every time, right when I was about to give up, I would book something and it would give me the motivation I needed to keep going.

It is a grind. There is no guarantee of work. You will deal with rejection and self-doubt constantly. You will deal with people who will tell you all the reasons you won’t make it.

You have to love it. You have to develop a thick skin. You have to surround yourself with positive people. You have to be persistent and consistent.

The highs are high and the lows are low.

Out of my frustration from my audition experiences as a mixed race minority, I wrote a short film called Truth Be Told. I was fortunate to have Rob Minkoff (Director, Lion King) make a cameo and Greg Camp (Smashmouth) do the music. It was empowering and rewarding to create something. I enjoyed the process because it gave me a sense of control over my career. As an actor I am always at the mercy of the decision makers.

This film gave me an opportunity by SAG to speak on a Diversity Panel at the NY Latino Film Festival and it was also screened during NALIP’s (National Association of Latino Independent Producers) annual conference.

A highlight for me was my film being introduced by Chris Weitz (Producer, American Pie) during the Rasquache Latino Film Festival. (They were honoring his Great Grandmother, actress Lupita Tovar).

This inspired me to keep creating projects for myself whenever I could so that I wouldn’t obsess about all the acting jobs I wasn’t getting.

I produced a Sketch Comedy Show at the Lee Strasberg Theatre In Los Angeles with work by Charles Horn (Emmy nominated writer for Robot Chicken) that was later accepted into the Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival. From this show, the comedy troupe “Friends with Benefits” was born. We were selected as one of the six finalists for the International Sketch Competition.

Next, I directed a documentary short called Dignity about one of my favorite charities, Food On Foot. I then wrote and produced a web series called Livin’ the Dream, LA.

After moving to Atlanta, I wanted to meet fellow actors and filmmakers so I decided to put a team together for the 48 Hour Film Festival- something I had never done before. It was such a unique experience and I’m proud to say that our film was nominated for nine awards and won four.

I have had the good fortune here to work on Television shows Kevin Probably Save the World, Being Mary Jane, Good Girls and Dynasty.

Going back to my roots and doing some Black Box Theater at Pulp was a great opportunity to play and have fun.

The best and most recent experience has been working on my first Feature Film in years! It is a Studio Horror Film Franchise and I am so excited to be a small part of it. (I think it’s a sign that I finish the horror film that I have been writing for years and wanted to shoot here in Atlanta).

Currently, I am in rehearsals for a One Act Play in association with ACT FOR A CHANGE- a wonderful nonprofit organization bringing Artists and local Charities together to ignite change via storytelling. Performances will be in October at the Rob Mello Studio and I hope to see you all there!

In November I will be going to Los Angeles to perform at a Fundraising Gala to benefit the nonprofit MEMAH (Men Educating Men About Health). We will be doing a reading of Shakespeare presided over by esteemed Shakespearean Director and Educator, Louis Fantasia.

You can also find me at Nova House where I coach actors while putting them on tape for their auditions. This has been so rewarding for me because I get so happy when they book. I know the excitement of getting your first paid acting job and the joy of finally booking after a long dry spell. Every booking is such a victory because for the majority of actors, you never know how long it’s going to be until you get the next one. I understand the emotional roller coaster ride of this business we’re in. These actors inspire me and I learn something new f from them every time.

I’m still at it after all these years because I just can’t give it up!

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Ha! Has anyone ever said yes to this question?

One of my biggest struggles was my mixed ethnicity. I am half Japanese and half Mexican. Mixed ethnicity was not yet a term used in casting (the word used was exotic). Television (more so than film) needed to put you in a specific box. I had to try to pass for a certain race. If I was going to identify as Asian, then I would have to have the bone straight, jet black hair, know some kind of martial art and speak some kind of Asian language. Or speak English with an Asian accent. On the other hand, if I was to be Latino then I needed to be more curvy with big breasts and butt (I did contemplate a boob job for ten years but I was too chicken to go through with it) and speak Spanish. Or speak English with a Spanish accent.

A lot of my early auditions were for the prostitute, maid, and nanny.

My first Feature Film role was “Hispanic Girl.” I was a college student who never came out of my dorm room because I was hiding the fact that my whole family lived there with me.

It was very frustrating because I just wanted to play a role that was not defined by the stereotype of my ethnicity. Why couldn’t I simply play a human being- the best friend, the neighbor, the co-worker?

Things have changed a little in the industry, but not much. It has been interesting to see the difference in how I am perceived between the West Coast and the South East. When I lived in Los Angeles, I went out for Latino roles. My last name is Castro and I have brown skin. I came to Atlanta and I am now only Asian. Which means I am smart. Which means I play Doctors.

With all that being said, my biggest and most important obstacle has been my mindset. I was mentally fighting and resisting an industry that I had no control over. I could not expect it to change overnight. It was what it was. I had to change the way I looked at things and change the things I focused on. I had to ask myself better questions. I had to control my thoughts and my attitude. It wasn’t easy and it’s an ongoing process.  Like a muscle, it needs to be exercised every day to stay strong.

My road may not have gotten any smoother, but I no longer look at my struggles as personal assaults. I now view them as challenges that are meant to make me grow and my journey has become so much more enjoyable.

I am truly grateful for any opportunity I get to audition and for any role that I am blessed to book.

I have learned to relinquish control over that which I have no control!

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
When I think of success, I think of two questions.

The first question is “If I die tomorrow, do I die happy?”

Am I doing what I want to be doing? Am I reaching my full potential? Am I enjoying and appreciating my life and circumstances? Is there something I regret not doing?