Our YA Company Class member, Mika Bantog, is having an amazing start to Summer! With a role in a new CBS Pilot, Mika continues to inspire our acting community with her tenacity, courage & commitment, along with some very key moments in her journey. Mika is also particularly excited for auditioning (& booking!) a Filipino character in an animated Kids Comedy for WildBrain! Congrats, Mika!

What inspired you the most to start Acting in Film & Television?

I guess I’ve always had the acting bug. When I was five, I wanted to be like Vanessa Hudgens in High School Musical so bad that I’d play “When There Was Me and You” and dramatically prance around our apartment pretending our kitchen was a school hallway. You find lots of ways to entertain yourself as an only child: telling stories, making silly faces in the mirror, and building intricate backstories for all your imaginary friends. Kind of like an unintentional audition prep boot camp, to be honest. I think that we lose that level of presence and creativity as we get older, but as artists we’re in a constant state of trying to tap into that again. I really only got into Film and Tv because drama class at school made me feel so alive and helped me build the confidence I needed to take my first on-camera class. So, it started with innate love and curiosity for performing, but what keeps me inspired now is seeing other diasporic Asian artists creating and thriving, and making it possible for others to do the same. Thinking of your art from a collective standpoint is so valuable and what makes the YA company so special.

As a YA company member, what’s one thing that you’ve incorporated in your journey that’s helped you the most as an artist & your journey?

Being just as kind to your own mind and body as you are with your characters! I used to think of performance as an escape from everyday life, and it definitely can be, but I’ve learned from Beatrice how important it is to take care of your instrument, which for the actor is your mind, body, and voice. You can’t expect to tap into trust and presence when the camera clicks on if it’s not something you’re practicing in your everyday. Life work is acting work too, so if we neglect ourselves it absolutely shows up in our work.

What has been the largest obstacle you’ve had to overcome in being an artist, and where are you on that journey?

Everyday I work on moving away from placing pressure on the outcome and learning to enjoy and trust the process. I’ve held myself to highly toxic, perfectionist standards my whole life, convinced that it was the best way to find success when, really, it was limiting me. You open yourself to so many more opportunities when the focus is on cultivating delight instead of scrutinizing every project. I’m far from releasing these patterns completely, but I’m very grateful to report the progress I’ve made. It’s good to celebrate every step! Pat yourself on the back!

You were recently invited to your first chemistry read for a large feature film. What was your #1 takeaway from that experience?

I think that if you asked me during the chemistry sessions, I would have said something about the importance of being open and flexible as an actor and to never steer the scene (which is all totally true!). But, looking back on it now, I think the experience was a lesson in letting go of the roles that weren’t meant for you. Each actor I read with had a completely different look and energy, and the redirects the director gave were unique to each pairing. You have to just own what you bring to the table and if it fits, great, but if it doesn’t, it likely wasn’t in your control. Especially when they’re looking for an ensemble, it really comes down to group chemistry and compatibility. It’s easier said than done, but you can’t shame yourself for being incompatible with someone. It’s like any connection; some energies just mesh better than others.

As an Actor and Voice-Over actor, there are a number of crossover techniques- from building characters, to understanding the tone, rhythm and story of the project. What have you used from your Acting training in Film & Television that has helped you the most with Voice-Overs?

There is so much crossover! In some ways, voice over has encouraged me to be more open to play for film and tv work because you have so much freedom in crafting their sound. At times, it’s easier for me to get out of my head and move into presence for voice over because there can be less distractions, like worrying about blocking. However, if I’m feeling particularly self-critical, it’s easy to start scrutinizing each word or fall into a rhythm. This is when film and tv tools come in handy, especially connecting to imagination and breath when the lines start to feel like words. Breathing, surprisingly, keeps both us and our characters alive!!

Tell us one fun fact about you!

I love to cook, but I’m super chaotic in the kitchen, in that I am very stubborn about refusing measurements and recipes. This is great for learning to release outcomes and perfection, but not super convenient when you want to recreate a meal you made and have zero clue how you did it. Needless to say, I’m not much of a baker.