Carla Renata is one of the hardest working women in Hollywood. Let’s hear it for the Howard University graduate who has recurring roles on CW’s “Hart of Dixie” as the busybody hair salon owner Susie, and Disney’s “Shake It Up!” as Marcie Blue, Rocky and Ty’s mother. The St. Louis native is widely recognized for her guest appearances as the advice giving receptionist on ABC’S hit comedy “Modern Family.” And while her face and voice may be familiar from numerous television and radio ads, she also voices the video games Grand Theft Auto IV and Kinect Disneyland.
Here, Renata shares how she finds balance, the similarities in her TV roles, and her favorite places to travel. –yvette caslin
How do you keep up with your roles? How much of you is built into the characters?
The only thing that’s similar about the roles, is that I play a hairdresser on each one. Preparation is not that intense, it’s not that deep. On “Hart of Dixie” my character is a little more free form. She’s a little out there and kind of marches to the beat of her own drum. On “Shake It Up,” I’m playing a mom, and so it’s little bit different, because I’m playing a Disney mom. I just go where ever they put me and do my thing. Both of those characters are nothing like me because … I’m not a mother and I’m not a hairstylist. I like to do hair, but I’m not a hairstylist by trade. Those are the biggest differences between me and the characters. I just try to keep it as honest and as real as possible and not make either one of the characters a caricature. [I] try to make them real people that someone can relate to.
In keeping such a busy schedule, how do you stay balanced?
I like to write and I like to do Yoga. I’m working on a couple of books. One is a book about how to promote yourself as an actor, and the other one is about Broadway understudies. When I was on Broadway, I did a lot of understudying — so I thought that would make a good subject for a book. I’ve reached out to several publishers, and no one is actually interested in the understudy book as much as the other one, so I might have to self-publish that book. Writing takes up a lot of time, I do a column for a website called the “Daily Actor.” I try to keep myself busy. I”m on the condo board where I live, that’s a lot.
OK, it’s obvious that you enjoy keeping busy. Let me rephrase the question. When you want to wind down where do you go?
When I have an opportunity to travel, I love to go to spas. I don’t have to pick up a phone. I don’t have to look at a computer. I just go get a massage … a facial and just chill out. I love doing that, that’s my thing and I’ve been to quite a few of them – Miraval, Green Valley and Ojai. I’ll go and I’ll stay for a week and just chill out and enjoy the surroundings. Either one of those three places I mentioned, I enjoy being out and around the area for a variety of reasons, because up in Ojai, that’s in the Southern California Mountains, the scenery is absolutely beautiful. They have bike and hiking trails. The food there is fabulous. In Arizona, where Miraval is, they have horseback riding, rock climbing, hiking. At Green Valley, Zion’s National Park is real close by in St. George. They have some fabulous hiking in that park; it’s breathtaking the views in there and I enjoy that. I’m not a a big camping or fishing girl, but I will go to a spa and a hike a trail.
Any last words for fans?
Yes, for everybody who’s listening or reading whatever the case may be, I want you to reach out and like me on my Facebook page, it’s called the Renata Fan Page, and to reach me on Twitter, it’s CaRenata.
