I’m excited to share with you my interview with actress, singer, musician, and artist Persia White.

A little bit about Persia White (via wikipedia.org): she was born in Miami, Florida and raised in Nassau, Bahamas, and Miami. At the age of three, she earned a scholarship to the Nassau Civic Ballet Company. At age eight, she joined the Miami Coconut Grove Children’s Theater. As a teen, White studied dance, acting, singing, and painting. Her films roles include: various independent films, including Red Letters (opposite Peter Coyote) and the cult horror Blood Dolls.

Persia White’s TV movies roles includes: Operation Sandman (opposite Ron Perlman), and Suddenly, opposite Kirstie Alley. Her television work includes guest starring roles on Angel, NYPD Blue, The Steve Harvey Show, Brooklyn South, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as well as a series regular role on Breaker High with co-star Ryan Gosling. In 2008, White appeared in The Fall of Night, as the character Dawn. She can also be seen in Chrisette Michele’s video, “Be OK”. White recently completed the drama Spoken Word, set for release in 2010. Persia is a vegan and an animal welfare and environmental activist.

I spoke to Persia White on the phone this past summer. I had the most amazing conversation with her about her beginnings as an actress. Her role on the long-running sitcom “Girlfriends”. The award-winning documentary Earthlings which she co-produced and was narrated by Joaquin Phoenix. What does fame really mean to her. What’s in her makeup bag. And future plans. Persia to me came across as absolutely beautiful inside out. I want to thank Persia for taking the time to chat with me!!

Marta Walsh: How did you decide on a career in acting, and what were some of your first breaks as an actress?
Persia White: I loved acting since I was 8 years old. I started to do theatre in Miami on the Coconut Grove Children’s Playhouse. That was my big introduction to acting. Then a talent scout founded me suggested I should find an agent. I was also a dancer and kept dancing but eventually I got into acting, which is a bit easier. Dancing is such a hard career. I still love dancing. I used to be one of these artistic kids and always loved make people laugh. I would do stand-up comedy skits when I was young. I moved to LA when I was a teenager and booked my first TV Series: “Breaker High” with co-star Ryan Gosling. I did several TV guest star appearances like in NYPD Blue and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I then booked a soap opera in New York which so happened to get cancelled. I moved back to LA, which was good because I booked the role of Lynn Ann Searcy in the sitcom “Girlfriends”.

I’m not huge on watching sports on TV, but I must admit that one sport I do love to watch is Figure Skating. I enjoy watching the costumes, the makeup, and listening to the music. This is why I’m thrilled to share with you my interview with figure skating champion Rachael Flatt.  Rachel is 2008 World Junior Champion and the 2008 & 2009 U.S. silver medalist.

In this interview Rachel Flatt talks to Marta Walsh about her beginnings as a figure skater. The biggest moments of her figure skating career so far. Reveals some of her beauty secrets and future plans.

Photo Credit: USOC / NBC Sports

Marta Walsh: What attracted you to figure skating and what are some of your biggest moments in your career so far?
Rachael Flatt: I started figure skating when I was about 3 1/2- 4 yrs old. I was at the local mall in San Diego with my parents when I was 2 1/2 yrs old and the local skating club was hosting their annual summer ice show. I told my parents that I wanted to try it…I liked the idea that the skaters seemed to float effortlessly across the ice, loved the idea of spinning and jumping and they seemed to be having a lot of fun. About 4 months later, I started “Learn to Skate” lessons and have not turned back. Love it just as much over 10 yrs later as the day I started! Truly a life long passion!

Photo Credit: Getty Images and www.dailymakeover.com

I recently had an amazing chance to interview actress Taylor Schilling who plays Nurse Veronica Callahan in an upcoming NBC TV series “Mercy“. There are two other nurses in “Mercy”: Chloe Payne played by Michelle Trachtenberg, and  Sonia Jimenez played by Jaime Lee Kirchner.

Schilling made her debut on the big screen in the role of Jackie in the First Independent Pictures film “Dark Matter,” which co-starred Meryl Streep. The film, inspired by actual events, follows the journey of an ambitious Chinese scientist working towards his Ph.D. in America, only to be marginalized to the extent that he ultimately loses his way.

“Mercy” premieres Wednesday September 23RD 8/7c. 

Taylor Schilling

In this interview Taylor Schilling talks to Marta Walsh about her beginnings in the acting world. What attracted her to Veronica’s character on the new NBC show “Mercy”. Taylor even shares with us some of her beauty secrets and her future plans.

“Mercy” stars from left: Michelle Trachtenberg, Taylor Schilling, and Jaime Lee Kirchner

Marta Walsh: How did you decide on a career in acting, and what were some of your first breaks as an actress?
Taylor Schilling: I have wanted to be an actor for as long as I can remember…I studied acting in undergraduate and graduate school in NYC. Was only a year ago but seems like forever!

MW: What attracted you to Veronica’s character on the new NBC show “Mercy”?
TS: I suspect on some level, everyone has experienced a life changing event that has left them feeling like a fish out of water back home. Veronica is trying to navigate through that feeling in her relationships, at work, with her family and friends…everywhere. She makes mistakes. She’s flawed and she’s raw. I appreciate her vulnerability and ferocity, her compassion and desire to do the right thing.

Watch “Mercy” trailer here:

Few days ago I had the great pleasure to interview actress Bree Turner for Beauty Interviews. Bree has a role in an upcoming film called The Ugly Truth opposite Katherine Heigl. Here it is:

Bree Turner is an actress who began her journey in Hollywood as a professional dancer. Bree was a background dancer in such hit films as The Big Lebowski (1998), She’s All That (1999) and Mike Myers’ Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999). Bree’s love for performing and being on stage makes acting a natural transition. Bree Turner can be seen opposite Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler in The Ugly Truth- out July 24, 2009.

Bree Turner cover of Beauty Interviews March 2009.
Photo Credit: Collin Stark photography.

I caught up with Bree Turner via telephone from LA early in the morning, to talk about her beginnings in Hollywood, her upcoming film The Ugly Truth, future career plans and even some beauty secrets!

Bree Turner in The Ugly Truth.

Marta Walsh: How did you decide on a career in acting, and what were some of your first breaks as an actress?
Bree Turner: I started out as a dancer which got me on stage. I was pretty shy as a kid so my mom decided to enroll me in a dance class, and I fell in love with being on stage and performing. I danced all through my teens and early 20’s. Dancing brought me down to Los Angeles with a dance scholarship in UCLA.

Couple of months ago, I had an amazing opportunity to interview the beautiful Patrica Kara for Beauty Interviews.

Patricia Kara is an actress, model, and a TV personality best known as Deal or No Deal’s #9. Patricia along with Tameka Jacobs, were the only ones chosen to be on the new Daytime Deal or No Deal with Howie Mandel, which premiered in September 2008. In addition, Patricia has appeared in over 20 television programs, such as, E! Entertainment’s Wild On, Extra, and the Golden Globes.

Read my interview with Patricia Kara where we chat about her love for hosting TV shows, how Deal or No deal revolutionized her career, beauty secrets, her upcoming calendar, and plans for the future.

Why have you decided on a career in hosting and reporting?
I started out with modeling about twenty years ago back in Chicago. That led me to Florida and New York. When I was in New York my modeling agency started to send me out to auditions for hosting and acting. I started booking jobs here and there. One job led to the next job. Then I moved to LA and kept working. And I love it! Anytime I can talk and get paid for it to, is just great. I find my job real easy, it is what I love to do. With hosting I get to try new and different things, depending on what I’m hosting about, and being part of them in a way most people don’t get to do. For example, if I do a show about wake boarding, I’ll try wake boarding. I’ve done a fishing show. I’ve also hosted a lot of sporting events, such as Kentucky Derby.