Rising Stars: Meet Lisa La Capra

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa La Capra.

Hi Lisa , thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I don’t know where to begin but, Hiya! I’m Lisa. I was born and raised in Brooklyn NY. Bushwick to be exact. I am an aspiring actor and I made my acting debut in a short film called ‘Oblivious’ with the indie production company, Fourth Film Productions. Now before I get into more of that, Let’s go all the way back to the beginning. Back to the time where I was made to believe that I couldn’t do anything and I was crazy to even think that I actually can. For most of my life, I believed people like me didn’t get to have dreams. Dreams of wanting to model, act or become a designer. No matter what I wanted to do, I was always told no. Every time I got excited to try something new or wanted to do something, that excitement was always crushed. I heard “you can’t,” “that’s not for you,” “You can never be that.” Those voices eventually became my own. Most of those words came from family members. People that I loved and who were suppose to love me back and support me, including someone who I looked up to. When the people closest to you don’t believe in you, it’s very easy to stop believing in yourself.

So I did just that. I spent decades thinking I wasn’t enough. I was always afraid to speak up. Afraid to be seen. Afraid to make my own decisions. Afraid to have my own thoughts. Afraid to fail before I even tried. I thought I was crazy for dreaming. I thought, who was I kidding.

Then life happened. I became a mom and my children became my whole world. I poured everything I had into raising them. I don’t regret that because they will always be my greatest accomplishment and I love them dearly. Somewhere along the way, I forgot about myself. I spent many years living for everyone else. Then came even more challenges, obstacles and lots of moments when I felt like giving up on life itself…but I didn’t. New years of 2024, I said I will start living for me and do things for me. I gave modeling a try and walked in a few shows and did a couple of photo shoots and that was an interesting experience. Shout out to NOOE Productions for that opportunity. 2025, I stepped into acting even though I was terrified. The audition process was scary. The company didn’t make it scary, my overthinking made it scary. I was scared because I’ve never done anything like it before so, I started having doubts. Those voices started showing up. It was definitely a monumental step out of my comfort zone. I almost backed out of the audition. I pushed myself to do it anyway and I’m so so glad that I did. I actually met the CEO and Director, Jordan Caldwell at a fashion show. I worked very hard on my audition and gave it my all. I got to play Michelle Reed. I felt a deep connection to her. Someone who was afraid to speak up. Who was controlled. She always tried her best though. The love she had for her child is what kept her going. She eventually found her voice. She got the ending she deserved but not the one she truly wanted. You’ll have to watch it to understand what I’m talking about. So please check it out. It’s on YouTube @fourthfilmp. Leave a comment and tell us what you think. 😊 I am very proud of this film. It is my very first one. I loved the experience and working with the cast. I learned so much and I want to thank Jordan for believing in me. He’s so easy to work with. I love his mind, passion and work ethic and not only do I get to call him my friend now, I can now also call him my business partner because I am now the Casting Director and Production Designer for the company. That’s what’s great about Fourth Film Productions, they offer many opportunities for growth. Now I work behind the scenes and I absolutely love it. I love to create and design and I get to do that, from designing the set, wardrobe mood boards for the cast and putting the cast together is so fun and so me. I get to share my ideas and make executive decisions. Now I do plan on auditioning for more films in the future. I want to take acting classes to learn even more and get better. Right now I’m enjoying the other side of film making. I love learning and experiencing new things. Being on set was a cool experience and the amazing thing was, I realized I was capable of so much more than I had spent years believing. That one step turned into another. I never imagined that I would be the one helping to bring stories to life on screen and behind the scenes. I’ll be honest though, the fear hasn’t disappeared. I’m still scared sometimes…okay, maybe more than sometimes haha. I still have moments where I question myself. The difference is, I go for it and give it a try. For the first time in my life I’m including myself. I’m taking back my life. That has been and is one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to learn. Choosing me feels so unfamiliar and for some reason I feel guilty for doing so.

If there’s one thing I hope people take from my story, I want them to know that your dream doesn’t expire because life gets hard or you’ve gotten older. It’s never too late to believe in yourself, even if you’re the last person to do it. That’s how I got here. I’m still writing my story though. I’m still learning. I’m still elevating. I’m still a work in progress. I’m excited to see what is next for me. I did it to see if I actually can do it and did. I did it for Lisa. The little girl who stopped believing because she was told she couldn’t. To the teenager who felt like she couldn’t go on anymore. I did it to prove to her that even with a late start, she is capable, she is enough. She deserves to see how far she can go and how good life can get. To the person who is reading this right now, you got this! Forget about the reasons why you can’t in life and just start to try because now it’s your time. It’s my time. It’s our time. Cheers!! ✌🏾

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road at all. As I stated before, I faced quite a few challenges and obstacles along the way with mental health, homelessness, health issues, financial stress and injuries, just to name a few. Being a mom is a challenge in and within itself and when you’re doing it alone with no help or support system, it can get very hard. Life is going to life you know? I will always do the very best that I can. It’s all we can do.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
As a Casting Director for Fourth Film Productions, I post casting calls on social media. I evaluate actors based on talent, chemistry and the directors vision. I organize and run auditions/callbacks and review self tapes and headshots. I’m also responsible for communicating with the actors throughout the process and coordinating filming dates with the cast and crew.

As a Production Designer, I’m responsible for the visual look and feel of a film. I work closely with the director to make sure every location, set, prop and color palette fits the story. I also make props if needed. I love making things. I also make sure there’s continuity throughout the production. I create mood boards, posters and flyers.

What sets me apart from others is that I’m willing to learn every part of the process. I represent people who don’t often see themselves reflected and I lead with my heart.

I am proud I’m finally including myself. I’m proud of me for showing up to that casting call for a NYFW Fashion Show. I’m proud for auditioning and stepping onto a film set, even though I questioned myself on whether I belong there. I’m proud of saying yes to this interview to share my story. These moments may be small to someone else, but for me, they’re huge. I’m proud of me.

Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I use to think that taking risk meant you had to be fearless. I now realize that’s it’s actually the opposite. Every step I have taken in my life has been scary. Modeling was a risk. Acting was a risk. Working in film was a risk. Putting myself out there was a risk. For years I let other people and fear control and make decisions for me. If I never try then I never have to fail right?…Wrong! The biggest risk is not trying at all. Now I will say, I’m still afraid. I don’t think that would go away completely however, I will go for it and continue to tell myself, I got this! I can do hard things, even when it feels terrifying and so can you! 💜

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colormelisa
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@fourthfilmp
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/fourthfilmproductions