Kalama Epstein

SSW: Tell us about yourself and your background.

Kalama Epstein: I was born and raised in Hawaii on the island of Oahu, and had lived there full time up until a couple years ago. I grew up going to the beach every day and the movie theater 1-2 times a week, so my love for film sparked at an early age. Ever since 7-8 years old, I wanted to become a director so my parents got me a Flip camera for my birthday. I played with that thing 24/7, making little shorts with my cousins and by myself. This love for film and filmmaking only grew and grew until I found my second passion—acting. A couple small acting gigs later, I somehow got my mom to take me to LA to find an agent, and start auditioning. And now we are here!

What was it like growing up on Oahu?

Growing up on Oahu was amazing! Starting off with the culture, it is just so different than most states. You refer to your elders as Auntie & Uncle, even though you are not related. It is a sign of respect and it shows a sense of family. You are encouraged to give a hug and a kiss on the cheek when meeting someone rather than a handshake. So all of this was like a slap in the face when I came to California. I would call my friends parents Auntie & Uncle and they would be so shocked, so I struggled with that for a while. Now all my best friends parents understand it is a sign of respect, and most of my friends now call my mom, Auntie. Back to the main point—growing up in Hawaii, there is not much variation in the activities you can do. So that is why we would go to the beach and movies so many times a week. Now I am not saying that growing up in there was boring, but there was just limited things to do. Going to the beach almost everyday was incredible and not something I take for granted. Having a childhood there also gives you a certain respect for the power of the ocean, and the “mana” or energy of the land that you cannot get from a childhood on the “mainland.”

What type of music did you grow up listening to and what is the first song you ever fell in love with?

I grew up listening to classic rock. That is what my parents grew up with, so that is what we listened to. The first song I fell in love with was probably “Here I Go Again” by Whitesnake. Me and my family went to go see Rock of Ages on broadway, and that was one of the songs featured. I immediately was transfixed by it, and pretty much listened to it as much as I could.

You love surfing. Tell us what this sport means to you and what it feels like to ride a wave?

I mainly bodyboard, but I also love longboarding whenever I can. There is something about surfing/bodyboarding that is magical. It is just you, the ocean, and your board. Sometimes there is nothing more relaxing than paddling out for a couple of hours and connecting with the ocean. You become one with the ocean as you figure out the timing of the sets, and where to line up for the perfect break. And that is what riding a wave feels like. A connection with the ocean. I feel free when I am gliding down the surface of a wave. There is not much out there that beats it.

You are currently starring in the critically acclaimed Freeform series, The Fosters. Tell us more about your role. Are there any other projects that you are working on at the moment?

My character, Noah, is a pot-smoking Bible-loving boy, who is openly gay and proud. It is a pretty fun character, if I do say so myself! I cannot wait to see what kind of shenanigans Noah and Jude are up to in 4B! We just started filming again and I have a short film called “Jon & The Wolf” that is about to make its way to a few festivals. I am not currently filming anything other than The Fosters right now, but that could change in an instant as I am constantly auditioning. I am also working on a script for a short film that I would like to shoot in the near future.

If there was a perfect soundtrack for this year of your life, which song would it be?

I am finding it incredibly hard to think of a song that “perfectly” encapsulates my year, but If I had to pick a song that features a big underlying theme of my year it would be “Claudeland” by Highly Suspect. One of the main themes of this song is about not letting stress get to your head. And how sometimes if you just lose yourself in the music, you can get rid of some of the pressure that you may feel. Sometimes getting rid of that pressure for a couple minutes can help you think clearly. Or at least that is my experience with the song. It has helped a lot this year, whenever I would be feeling down or stressed because of school, I would just put on Claudeland and calm down. It has been a great help, and has taught me a good lesson.

Do you associate memories with songs? Any stories connected to the songs you chose to share with us today?

I do not necessarily attach big memories or “stories” to songs, but rather I associate some songs with different people, and small memories of those people. Such as having memories of me and my sisters rocking out to “Bohemian Rhapsody” when I was younger. The only ‘story’ I can associate to a song would be the time I got peed on at a Journey concert during “Don’t Stop Believin’.” Yep. A guy who was piss drunk (pun intended) decided it would be nice to whip it out and pee on my leg. He tried to aim for my mom’s bag, but I pulled it out of the way in time. My leg on the other hand, did not make it out of the way in time. So that memory will always be attached to “Don’t Stop Believin’.” Thanks for that, drunk guy.

Thinking of yourself as a soul on Earth, what do you think your purpose is? And in what way do you think one person can make the world a better place?

I would say my purpose is to entertain. My goal as an actor is to make you love/ love to hate the character. I want to pull you in, and invest you in the character and the story. As a director/writer, I want to entertain you. I want to make films that you can go see and just have a blast watching. Forget about your life for a brief period in time. In reality, it is hard for a single person to make the entire world a better place. But a person can do small things to help in the long run! Such as picking up the plastic bag that are on the sidewalk and finding a recycling bin/to dispose of it. Also, by recycling in your household. No need to fill up the landfills when we have much better use for unwanted plastics/papers. Little things here and there might not change the world as a whole, but sometimes small steps need to be taken before the bigger steps can be made. Basic human kindness to one another is so important. Oh and one more step can be taken by some of my friends on the right, let us all address the fact that Global Warming is a real threat. Until we have access to warp drives and can get to Kepler-452b and colonize it, this planet needs to stay healthy and alive.

What is your best piece of advice for those looking to get their foot in the door in the acting industry?

First of all, nothing gets handed to you on a silver spoon in this business when you first start out. You will have to have tough skin, and you have to be able to take rejection. You might get an audition with a character that you love, and grow attached to that character over the course of the audition process. And you might make it all the way to the end of the audition process, and it’s between you and one other actor, and you do not get the job because you are too tall, or short, or do not have blonde hair and blue eyes. The list goes on and on. But if you have the passion, and you think you got what it takes, then go for it! Look for local casting calls in your area, take acting classes, do local theatre, find scenes or monologues online and just mess around with them. That would be my advice. Just start doing it.

Which current peers of your industry inspire you?

There is such an incredible amount of talent in this industry. Tom Hardy is absolutely incredible, and is one of my main inspirations as an actor. Christopher Nolan, Quentin Tarantino, Adam Wingard, and Stanley Kubrick are probably my biggest inspirations as a director. Another one of my biggest inspirations is Sean Brosnan. I was casted as the lead in a short he wrote and directed called “The Kid.” Watching him work on set was transfixing. He is an incredible actor, and he is an amazing director/writer. Each one of these people continue to inspire me every day.