When reflecting on her success since making our Ones to Watch list in 2019, Callina Anderson credits 70 percent of it to people\u2019s kindness, casting her in roles she hadn\u2019t considered. \u201cThey\u2019ve given me opportunities I would have taken myself out of the running for if it were up to me,\u201d says Anderson. \u201cBut people said, no, we want you. So they brought me in.\u201d<\/p>\n
One thing hasn\u2019t changed in the seven years since we last spoke: this tremendously talented actor is as humble as ever. Shy even about her gifts and the effect she has on stage. But the needle has moved ever so slightly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think people have seen things in me that I\u2019m maybe just now recognizing, so I\u2019m thankful that they\u2019ve laid the foundation for me to realize I can do those roles,\u201d Anderson says. Building on that new self-awareness, she has recently become more intentional about reaching out to theaters, asking if they have anything for her, or showing up to auditions she is interested in pursuing. Still, as noted, the change is slight.<\/p>\n
For most actors, playing Medea in Euripides\u2019 famous tragedy is considered a dream role. But when Classical Theater offered the part to Anderson in 2023, she wanted to turn it down. \u201cThen my good friend Dain Geist said, \u2018You said, yes, right?\u2019 And I\u2019m like, oh, no, I\u2019m still thinking about it. I don\u2019t know if I can. It\u2019s such a big role. And he said, you need to do whatever you need to do and say yes. So, I thought about it some more, and I said yes and was for sure better for it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCallina is one of my favorite actors \u2026. a hard worker, focused, and extremely talented. Basically, a director\u2019s dream,\u201d says Classical Theater Artistic Director, John Johnson. \u201cMedea needed to have gravitas and an inner strength that can\u2019t be denied, but balanced with a sensitive, motherly facet to her personality. Callina brought all of that and more to her Medea.\u201d<\/p>\n
Looking through the list of Anderson\u2019s many other standout roles over the years, there\u2019s a distinct seriousness or intensity to the characters she\u2019s played. Reflecting on this, Anderson says, \u201cI think I\u2019m not afraid of going to dark places. I kind of enjoy living in those places. And I think there are unique challenges in those areas. Directors want somebody to go to the wall. And I may not make it there, but I\u2019m willing to try.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another word that pops up again and again from the various directors who have and continue to work with Anderson is her honest footing as a person and an actor.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I love about Callina\u2019s work is her groundedness,\u201d says Rebecca Greene Udden, Main Street Theater Executive Artistic Director. \u201cShe is always open and vulnerable and absolutely solid. She has done many shows for us and many different kinds of roles, but every one has been firmly based in truth.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ash Love, who is directing Anderson in her upcoming show as the lead role of Sugar in Tiny Beautiful Things at Stages, echoes these sentiments.<\/p>\n
\u201cCallina brings a natural warmth and emotional honesty that feels so grounded and deeply human,\u201d says Love. \u201cCallina demonstrates impressive versatility, balancing vulnerability and strength in a way that gives Sugar depth, levity, and complexity. I could hear and see Sugar as soon as Callina started speaking in her audition.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anderson laughs when she reflects on landing this most recent part. \u201cSo, the way that role went was, I, of course, talked to myself out of it. I was like, well, I\u2019ll just audition for the supporting ensemble role, and I did, and then the director was like, that was great. Would you mind reading for the lead? I went, yes. And that\u2019s what I ended up getting.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another example she gives of learning to see herself as others see her, without letting it go to her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hate prideful actors, and I want to not be self-deprecating. So I\u2019m trying to find wherever that middle ground is.\u201d<\/p>\n
As directors have chosen Anderson for plum roles over the years, she says her confidence has grown. With each new opportunity came a challenge that she\u2019s loved rising to meet. Reflecting on her journey, Anderson says, \u201cI feel like a much more confident actor. And right now, I feel like I have an opportunity to go to another level. I know the types of roles I\u2019m good for, but now I\u2019m trying to go somewhere else with my acting\u2014somewhere I\u2019m scared again.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Anderson, being scared means seeking opportunities at bigger theaters in Houston and beyond\u2014places to grow as an actor and learn how larger theaters operate.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would also love new stories, environment and new people to work with and see how that informs my performance,\u201d says Anderson, who assures this ambition doesn\u2019t mean she\u2019s leaving us. Houston, she says, will always be her home base. Perhaps even one day in her dream role.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to be Stevie in The Goat Or Who Is Sylvia,\u201d says Anderson. \u201dI\u2019ve been working on her for 20 years. The text is so challenging. The character is so challenging. And you can\u2019t just be screaming the whole time, you have to be completely open. I love the play, I love her.\u201d<\/p>\n
OK, casting agents, over to you\u2026..<\/p>\n
You can see Anderson in Tiny Beautiful things at Stages running through April 19.<\/p>\n
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