Written by Jordan Speakes. Photographs by Jordan Speakes.
Every year avid movie goers and residential binge watchers find themselves captured by the new talent that graces our screens. On the sixth day of the SCAD Savannah Film Festival, Entertainment Weekly sat down with six of this year’s breakout stars. Students and festival attendees got the chance to hear from Adia, India Amarteifio, Jalen Thomas Brooks, Skyler Gisondo, Summer H. Howell, and Tom Rhys Harries. Together these stars pulled back the curtain on what it really means to be an actor.
While nearly all of the stars started in the arts, not everyone’s first passion was acting. Harries mentioned he initially pursued music until a teacher convinced him to take an acting class. Amarteifio and Adia shared similar stories in starting in musical theatre/dance till an injury — Amarteifio torn hamstring, and Adia a hip injury — guided them to a different role.
In a career such as acting, the occasional bombing of an audition is inevitable, but Harries and Gisondo told viewers not to feel discouraged. Harries explained how whatever someone imagines their journey is, it typically doesn’t go as planned. Gisondo added by saying that sometimes not getting an audition is a blessing in disguise. Where one door closes, another will open with something better that is meant for you.
With the growing presence of social media in the entertainment industry, the stars shared different approaches on how they handled using it within their career. Amarteifio revealed her disappointment of missing out on a role for not having enough followers. Although she tries to limit her use and stay true to herself, she admitted to increasing her use of social media to display more of her work. Others, like Harries and Adia, shared different perspectives. While Adia doesn’t have social media at all, Harries explained it could be a strong tool for someone early in their career, but later on they may rely on it less.
From comics, books, movies, or real people, everyone on the panel held some experience in working on a form adaptation. For “Carrie” (2026), the new Amazon remake of the classic “Carrie “(1976) film, Howell admitted to not having seen the original film at the time of auditioning. Showrunner Mike Flanagan advised her not to watch it until after filming to keep her version of the character uninfluenced. The script giving a new take on the story allowed her to take her own liberties with the character.
Brooks reflected on his experience with “Off Campus” (2026) and how learning about BookTok (a popular community on TikTok that shares their love for romance books) was a crazy experience. He says it was a humbling to take such a beloved series and build it from the ground up. With the studio taking a lot of care to make something the fans would love, the cast was able to put their trust in the creatives.
For DC fans, Harries and Gisondo revealed the pressure of wanting to do right by the devoted fans of the comics. “The responsibility of these are established,” Gisondo said. “You want to do justice to the thing.” While the pressure can be stifling, he said Director James Gunn was intentional about instilling confidence in the actors when it came to being chosen for each role.
Of course, acting is not just the emotional work, but sometimes the physical too. Harries revealed he once had to hang upside down nearly every night for a play, making him a few inches taller for a short period of time. Gisondo shared his own story of lying about playing the piano for a role, working endlessly to get it right, only for the entire scene to get cut.
For Brooks, he endured strenuous training in weeks of hockey practice, working with an Olympic level coach and even being taught how to skate by his mom all to prepare for his role. “It was cool to have that anchor for a character or something to understand what they do,” Brooks said.
To wrap up the interview, each panelist offered some of their best and worst received advice. Adia brought up how the worst advice she’s heard is, “Say yes to everything.” When starting out, people might not have as much control over their career, but she reminded everyone to stay true to their own morals.
“Never judge decisions when you don’t know their choices,” was added by Brooks. Amarteifio agreed to this, explaining the importance of thinking with the business side of your brain. Her time working in a casting office helped her learn that while some actors can have a brilliant audition, they just don’t always match the part.
Sometimes the hardest part of being an actor isn’t actually the acting itself. Instead, it can be embellishing about a few extra talents you don’t have or simply keeping your chin up against the never ending cycle ‘no’s. The panel shared an important reminder for aspiring actors or anyone who needs to hear it: the opportunities that are meant for you will find you, but only if you keep striving long enough for them to do so.
Camryn is a junior writing major who loves writing stories that foster and inspire meaningful connections among SCAD students and the greater Savannah community. She an avid fan of sumo wrestling, a lover of anything made in the color chartreuse, and in her humble opinion, the sole authority on where to find the best matcha in the city.
