CALIFORNIA FOCUS / Interview with Actress Dolores Reynals
What inspired you to start acting? I was watching "Mary Poppins" when I was 5 for the 100th time when my grandma came in and told me that Mary was the same lady as Maria from "The Sound of Music", that she was an actress playing characters. I couldn’t believe it. I thought it was the most incredible, coolest thing to ever do.
What was one of your favorite parts to play? I love comedy and when I worked in the series “All In The Method” in London I played two characters, one British and one Mexican who were like loose canyons and it was so much fun being absolutely crazy and cheeky. Also, working in Roland Joffe’s “There Be Dragons” was lovely because even though I am in the film for a short while, the preparation that went into creating our roles was very interesting and so much fun, and I got to work with a director that I really admire.
Is there anything challenging about being a voice over actress? There are many challenges. For example, sometimes you get to be in a tiny booth and have to be expressive and free when you actually cannot change the distance from your face to the mic and are very restricted. This is something you get used to. You need to look after your voice because anything can alter it from weather changes to food or drinks you consume in the day. Also, you need to keep your technique so you don’t lose your voice while working. Some characters have difficult voices as it happens in cartoons or video games, and you need to keep them going the same way from the beginning until the end of the job.
Do you have any type of strategy when learning your lines? There is no way around spending a lot of time with it. First, it's good to read the script as if it was a novel, without thinking about your lines, so you have a real feel of the characters and the scene flows. When it comes to sitting down to learn the lines it takes time, patience and practice. Having a friend running lines with you really helps.
Do you have any current roles that you are excited about? I play the lead in a fun commercial which I am shooting today. Other than that, there are talks of a few projects in theatre and film.
What kind of advice would you give to anyone who's starting out in the acting world? Train and keep training. Find good teachers. I did a drama degree and I am grateful because I got to learn history, and read so many plays by great playwrights. I'm glad I have that background, but you should never stop training. The more you train with good teachers, the better you get. It's like what going to the gym is for an athlete. Try to do theatre when you start. Also, look after your voice and your body, you need to be strong and healthy to endure long hours of rehearsal, performing, and waiting. Keep going, do all that you can to keep positive when you are between jobs. And get really good headshots.
