‘Rejection is redirection’

Showbiz Reporter

Thespian, Gabriella “Bella” Kouds who is based in the United States of America has urged people not to give up on their dreams no matter how many times they face rejection.

In an interview, the Zimbabwe-born theatre actress who recently played the role of Hamlet in an off-Broadway production of an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, said rejection basically means redirection.

“Rejection doesn’t mean you’re not good enough. Rejection is our job as actors. It’s the one job we get amidst the rejections that fuels our tanks for the next round of rejections. It’s a vicious, yet magical cycle,” said the actress as she responded to how she handles rejection and maintains a positive mindset throughout the ups and downs of being an actress in a competitive industry.

Bella is doing very well for herself in New York as she continues to bag lead roles in notable productions. The productions she has been featured include Eurydice in Eurydice by playwright Sarah Ruhl and Anna in Anatomy of A Suicide by playwright Alice Birch.

Bella who had a stint at Reps Theatre in Harare before relocating to the US opened up on her acting career. Below is the interview.

Q. What drew you to pursue a career in acting?

A. Being on stage always fascinated me as a child. Perhaps it was the fascination of playing someone who is not myself. After performances, the audience couldn’t really understand how someone so shy transformed into someone incredibly confident. I liked that.

Q. What challenges did you face along the way?

A. The challenges have definitely been accepting how competitive this industry really is, and making a choice at a young age that this was the path I’d like to take. That often scares me. The doubt of “what if” creeps in and I erase that with “I can” and the path continues.

Q. Can you share with us some of your most memorable roles and how they have impacted your career as an actress?

A. There is something memorable about every role. I find that acting is finding something about your character that resonates with you personally, and then creatively turning the lines into action. My most memorable roles have been Mary Warren from The Crucible, and Anna from Anatomy of A Suicide. Mary Warren taught me what it meant to side with my character. Ultimately, at the end of the play, she spirals into a manic episode whereby she accuses John Proctor of something he did not do. I remember thinking ‘How unkind and dishonest’, but then again, it’s rather human in so many ways. This character had a profound effect on me because of this action. The ability to convince the viewer or stir a positive or negative response toward the actor is a relatively good sign that the actor is portraying it right.

Q. How do you prepare for auditions and new roles?

A. I train using a technique formed by Lee Strasberg (an American theatre director). This technique is called the “method”, it works well for me. I prepare by connecting with the material and doing exercises to help relax my body so that I feel vulnerable and open. I do enjoy exploring other techniques too.

Q. Can you discuss a particular project or role that pushed you out of your comfort zone? How did you navigate through any doubts or fears, and what did you learn from that experience?

A. Fears and doubts are self-created. Actors, as confident and vein as they may come across, are oftentimes the most insecure and sensitive types of people. Anna in Anatomy of A Suicide was a role I was most nervous to play. She suffers from severe drug addiction. I spent time speaking to people who had suffered from this and watched documentaries on the subject in order to familiarise myself with this condition. I felt comfortable to physicalise her, after these exercises, even though credibly nervous to play the role. With excellent direction from the director Olivia Songer, I trusted myself more than ever.