Today we’d like to introduce you to Mikaela Free.
Hi Mikaela, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
On the evening of January 20th, 2006, I was downstairs in our living room witnessing history happen right before my eyes. High School Musical aired on Disney Channel. Okay, maybe this wasn’t world-changing, but in the eyes of an 8-year-old, it was. It was the first time I’d seen what theatre was and it just captured me. Three months later, Hannah Montanna aired, and I was locked in on performing. Acting, performing on stage, in front of people. It just seemed like the most magical thing in the world to this shy little girl. You could say this is where I caught the “bug”.
In any way I could, I started performing and managing my way on stage in any shape or form. From class plays and choir performances in elementary school to taking theatre classes all the way through my senior year of high school. My journey didn’t come so easy, as I was never cast in any major roles when I was young, which caused a lot of self-doubts in myself and my family. They wanted the best for me and seeing my rejection of every lead role seemed like theatre wasn’t my path. They wanted me to pursue something that would help me be successful in life. I persisted to choose different ones. I was determined to continue trying in Acting because I knew in my bones and soul how much joy it gave me, even with every rejection.
As my family was encouraging other avenues, I sought out Film, the cousin to Theatre. I have been in love with film and television since I came out of the womb! I had a television in my bedroom growing up and the television was the centerpiece of each room. I was always customed to shows and movies being on at all times. I fell in love with how film and television were able to capture you, even just for a small moment. To take you away from all of reality and make you feel something. I wanted to do that for others forever. In my senior year of high school, I decided to take a gamble and wrote, directed, filmed, and edited my first short film with the help of some of my best friends. We submitted it to a festival through the school district and didn’t win, but I won much more out of it. I learned a lot about filmmaking through trial and error, as well as a future career plan. Cause when you fail miserably at something, you decide to make it your career, right?
I attended Collin County Community College to earn my associate degree, where I also took my first film acting class with Gail Cronauer. It was the first time in my life that I felt like I discovered my niche in something. From there I auditioned and acted in my first short films, which continued over to Undergrad. I graduated with a Bachelor’s in Media Arts and a Minor in Theatre from the University of North Texas. While attending UNT I was a lead in multiple short films, one of which earned me Best Actress at a Texas film festival, and was a Lead in a telenovela that aired on the school’s television channel in the area. I wanted to be well-rounded outside of Acting, to create a safety net, so I dabbled in all things behind the scenes. I worked on a lot of sets as a Costume Designer as well as Directing. During my time there I wrote and directed an episode of the Telenovela, as well as a few short films. My “senior thesis” film I wrote and directed, Nuova Luna, turned out to be one of the biggest personal challenges in my journey thus far.
Nuova Luna is a story about a young girl who recently graduates from college but is still struggling to figure out who she is until she meets a girl who opens her up to a new side of herself and her sexuality. It’s a short I wrote loosely inspired by my personal life. During this process friends and crew members who I thought to be friends turned around to slander my name and me as an artist. Conversations were discussed about me (some to me) about how I would never amount to any success, was not talented enough to make it, to then personal attacks on my character. I was a constant topic of cruel conversations that took a deep toll on me. I was told because I loved films such as “Twilight” I would never make anything good. I hit rock bottom in my mental health and my depression hit a very scary all-time high. It seemed like no matter what avenue I was in, theatre or film, everyone was trying to hold me back and bring me down. I made a lot of mistakes through that film process and learned a lot about myself as an artist. This film went on to win a few Best Short Film awards at a couple of festivals.
Post-graduation I was lucky enough to work on Paramount+ “1883” as a Costume Department PA, Extras Casting Wrangler, and Background Actor through the first five episodes. Working on a large professional production was one of the best masterclasses on how real sets work. But the best part was meeting forever friends and like-minded people who actively wanted everyone to succeed in their goals of this business. I’ve since worked on a feature film in Extras Casting, multiple short films doing Costume Design and Acting, and numerous Commercials as an Actor and Wardrobe Stylist. I’ve been lucky enough to be able to dabble in different avenues of the business, but at times felt overwhelmed. I felt like I was being pulled in so many different directions in my career thus far, that I lost sight of what my true passions are. It’s very true when they say to try everything to see what you like because it was exactly what I had to do. During the time between jobs, while I would work my day job to help pay the bills, I had done a lot of soul-searching. Was it worth trying to do EVERYTHING instead of focusing on what I really love? I felt like I had been spreading myself so thin I had to remind myself what my 8-year-old was so in love with, performing. I’ve been taking classes at Cathryn Sullivan’s Acting School and have been working on getting representation. I also am working on writing and directing more in my future because nothing is more magical than the power of storytelling.
My story has been a constant battle between outside forces and inside voices, but I never gave up. I am now 24 years old, and I am actively pursuing my childhood dream, as hard as it is because it’s what I love to do. Never give up on yourself and let others get in the way. It’s a rollercoaster alright, but it’s the best one at the park. I didn’t get off the ride and now I know the best part is only inches away.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Besides the struggle of my short film in regard to directing and writing, acting has not been easy. People think becoming an actor is a glamorous easy life, but it’s far from the truth. In the words of Olivia Rodrigo, “It’s brutal out here.” Though I never snagged lead roles growing up, the little wins of supporting and ensemble roles kept a fire in me to keep going. I wasn’t completely out in the dark. But there is so much rejection in this journey for actors, it’s hard to learn not to take it personally. It took a long time for me to learn that more times than not, it has nothing to do with your talent. It’s a million other factors that you can’t control end up being the reason why you don’t get cast. The same goes for getting representation. It can be a simple fact that an agency has met its quota of blondes and doesn’t have an open spot for me yet. And above all, the hardest part is telling yourself to keep your chin up and keep going. It’s so easy to look at the dozens of blondes in the room who are similar to me and my age range and not compare myself to them. Why is it not me? Is it worth even going through this constant trouble? The simple answer is, yes. It’s really just a waiting game, that universal timing. Waiting for that one person in that one room or that one zoom audition to take a chance on you.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m an Actor, Writer, and Director.
I’m most proud of my short film, Nuova Luna, as a Director/Writer, because I prevailed through and became a better artist after that. I can only go up from here for the films I want to create. Plus, I’m proud to share a different LGBTQ+ story with it.
I’m most proud of my acting in the short “Arrows” because I won my first Best Actress Award. It was also the first time I was given the opportunity to show a different, more emotional side of my acting on screen. I was super grateful for that opportunity. I also am proud of the work I’ve done since in a few projects that have yet to be released as well as a Pilot I make an appearance in, “Ghost Trippers”. The pilot has won numerous awards across the United States and 2 other countries! They are currently in talks and looking to plan to produce a series if picked up. I’m proud of my work in my acting class as I continue to grow as a well-rounded actor every time I perform.
You can see me in multiple shots on “1883”.
What sets me apart is that I am who I am and I’m passionate about what I do. I love bringing characters to life through acting or writing or directing. I honestly hope to have a similar career to Greta Gerwig or Resse Witherspoon and have a job where females, POC, and LGBTQ+ creatives can tell their stories in a collaborative environment
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
People can contact me best through my email, mikaelaafree@gmail.com. They can also follow my socials, @mickeyluvsyew. You can check out my website, www.mikaelafree.com, or search for me on IMDb!
I’m always looking to collaborate and work with new artists.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mikaelafree.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mickeyluvsyew
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/NaENfiUQwak
- Other: https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/mikaelafree
Image Credits
Paramount+ Lifetime UNT
NTTV Ghost Trippers
