Chelsea Ledsinger is an actress in the film Spoken, created by Tenill Ransom. Ledsinger talks with rolling out about what inspired her to be an actress, her character in Spoken and some of her favorite movies.
What led you into being an actress?
Honestly, [the] Disney Channel. I would always watch the behind-the-scenes and it just looked like so much fun, both [the] Disney Channel and Nickelodeon. Ever since I was maybe nine or 10 years old I was like, “I want to do that.” They just looked like they were having a ball. I wanted to try it, and I found out that I really loved it. I started in middle school and high school doing plays, and I always wanted to be the center of attention.
Growing up, what actresses did you look up to?
I loved Raven Symone. I think she was one of the first on Disney Channel to be a person of color, and I had her CDs when she was singing. I also loved Keke Palmer. When I saw her on Akeelah and the Bee, that’s when I was like, “Okay, I can do this. I can be one of those girls on TV just like them.”
How would you describe the movie Spoken?
It’s a horror film with a Christian theme. It’s about five students who are trying to figure out what’s going on in the town, and it’s like a demonic spirit that’s going over everyone. My character, Lena, she’s noticing that everybody around her, it’s happening to them because they’re just speaking bad things into their lives. And she’s like, “We need to figure this out.”
What are three tips you would give aspiring actors and actresses?
First, find a class that you enjoy that you feel will challenge your skill. Second, find a community of friends, a group of friends that are doing the same thing as you, because the people you’re around will cheer you on. and you’ll cheer them on. And you’ll see you’ll be able to compare notes. Third, find a mentor. Find someone who is in acting where you want to go, meet up with them, and ask them a lot of questions because they would really help. I kind of wish I would have had that whenever I first started because I had no idea what to do. So definitely go to class, find a group of friends that are doing the same thing that you’re doing, or even higher, and find a mentor.
