Today we’d like to introduce you to Sophia Sparks.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Sophia. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I grew up dancing in a ballet company my mother started in a small town in East Tennessee. I’ve always loved being on stage performing. I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t taking dance classes, rehearsing for a show, or performing on stage. I decided to attend New York Film Academy’s summer program my freshman year of high school to see if film acting would be a new interest for me to pursue. There, I quickly realized that film acting was what I was truly passionate about and wanted to do as my career. I knew I needed to practice acting just like I had to take dance classes to hone my skill, but I didn’t know where to start. I began researching. I kicked off my training by taking acting classes with Ken Feinberg at Creative Studios of Atlanta. He helped me to understand how, in film acting, your emotions come from within and have to be real because the camera sees everything. I loved the challenge of having to tap into a character and truly feel the emotion.
I filmed two dramatic short films there in Atlanta. I traveled to Los Angeles for two summer intensives with other industry professionals: Catherine Stroud, Joey Paul Jensen, Mitchell Gossett, Jeff Gerrard, to name a few. In Spring 2018, I booked my first role in a feature film, and in fall 2019, I signed with The Jackson Agency. I have also been writing novels and short stories since I was a child. I never stopped creating my worlds on paper. I completed one novel, CellDwellers, and am currently working on a few more about assassins, haunted carnivals, and waking up alone in the snow.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I had to overcome a lot mentally on my journey. I’m sure I will never stop overcoming and growing throughout my career. Struggling with depression and anxiety since middle school, acting, writing, and dancing became huge outlets for me to figure out who I was as a person and how I wanted to impact others. My family always encouraged me to pursue my dreams and follow God’s plan for me. These styles of art help me express myself in a raw and real way. They also have their downsides. Acting, especially, is full of rejection. Sometimes it can be hard not to take it personally when I don’t book a role. I have to remind myself to keep my head up and continue working towards my goals. A quote by my favorite author helps encourage me to continue my journey in acting no matter what disappointments I face: “Courage, dear heart” (C.S. Lewis), for without courage, even our smallest dreams could never be achieved.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I played the lead role in the horror film, The Evil Down the Street, which was released on Amazon Prime. I also starred in the dramatic short films, The Stranger and the Casket, and Not Seeing is Believing. I’ve appeared in multiple Tru Crime ID: Murder Mystery series. I’ve danced the lead role of Maleficent in the ballet Sleeping Beauty; I danced the supporting roles of The Spirit of God in Ruth + Boaz, the Evil Stepsister in Cinderella, and Lucy Pevensie in Prince Caspian.
What were you like growing up?
I was a tomboy growing up. I have two older brothers so I was always rough housing. I loved the competitiveness in contact sports like soccer, cheer leading and martial arts. Dance brought out the soft and elegant side of my personality.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.imdb.me/sophiasparks
- Email: sophiad99@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sophiadsparks/
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