Check out our interview with talented actress and dancer Cassidy Naber who is known for her roles in Barbie & Chelsea: The Lost Birthday, Life in Pieces and American Horror Story.
Follow Cassidy @cassidy_naber
Describe yourself in 3 words.
If I had to choose three words to describe myself, I’d probably pick passionate, hardworking, and determined.
Who has made the biggest impact on your life so far, and why?
I can’t really pick one person because I’ve had so many amazing mentors growing up who have made me the person I am today. I’m so thankful for each and every one of them and I hope they know how much I appreciate them.
How old were you when you first started dancing?
I started taking classes at the YMCA when I was only 2 years old, but I started to get into dancing more seriously when I was around 5. And you should know, I loved it ever since my first ever mommy and me ballet class at the YMCA.
How often do you take classes?
I’m not kidding when I tell you I take classes almost every day. Every now and then I like to take a day off just to rest my body, but for the most part, my days are filled with training.
Do you do dance competitions?
I used to do dance competitions when I was younger, but I stopped that when I was 11. I’m very thankful for those years because I know that doing comps for all those years gave me the performance quality I have today, but I knew that it wasn’t for me anymore. I was already a working dancer when I was competing, and it was just not something I needed anymore. So when I turned 11, I just started to focus more on industry classes, and I know I made the right choice.
Any advice for aspiring dancers?
Absolutely! Something you need to know coming into the dance industry is that you’re gonna hit a lot of dead ends along the way, but you have to find a way to get through them. Constantly training and taking dance classes for endless hours definitely takes a lot out of me to the point where I think about giving up, but what helps me the most is thinking about the young version of myself cheering me on. I wanna make her proud because she would never want me to give up.
What do you love most about dancing?
Something that I’ve always loved about dancing is that there is no wrong or right. Dance is my one place where regardless of what’s going on in my life, I can move freely with no judgment and no one can tell me how I should or shouldn’t be doing it.
What type of dance do you like best?
I used to always say my favorite style was jazz funk or hip-hop, but the more I’ve been training and learning about other styles, I honestly don’t know what my favorite is. I also
have gotten a lot more confidence in my technique thanks to a few amazing mentors and teachers, so I really just don’t know how to pick. I’m way too indecisive.
How did you get started into acting?
I’ve been acting since birth honestly because my whole family has been in the acting business, so it’s all I’ve ever known. My first job was actually a birdseye commercial with my family when I was only 7-8 months old, and I’ve loved it ever since.
How has this changed your life?
I think growing up with acting being such an important part of my life from such a young age just taught me so much and made me appreciate it way more. I’ve lived my whole life being an actress, so I truly can’t imagine my life without it now.
What is the best and worst part of being an actress?
The best thing about being an actress is that you have so much freedom in the roles you play. It’s so fun getting to play roles and characters that you could never be in real life. That’s why I also love voiceovers so much, cause one day you could play a Barbie doll, and the other day you’re a fairy in a made-up land. The possibilities are endless! While this does sound fun, there are some downsides to acting. Being an actress, you’ll go out on a lot of auditions and not book tons of them. Unfortunately, you don’t have much control over what happens to you in the acting world since other people are basically deciding your fate. Most of the time, booking a role or not comes down to more than just talent and people will be chosen because of their look, so that can be frustrating as well. Just keep pushing through and maybe find something in your life that you do have control over. For me, I’m starting to teach dance classes and do privates for dancing to get my name out there. Why not just go for it?
How do you prepare for a role?
Depending on the role, there’s certain research that you could do for the character you’re playing, but it really just differs for every situation. A lot of the time when auditioning, you don’t get much warning before your audition. Sometimes you’ll get an audition the day before and they expect you to memorize a 10-page script within a few hours. It’s tough but you just have to be professional and get it done.
What projects have you been a part of?
Since I’ve been in the industry from such a young age, I’ve been super lucky to have worked on a lot of awesome projects. As a dancer, I was able to dance on a lot of popular shows such as On My Block, Modern Family, and Raven’s Home. As far as acting, I’ve appeared on tons of cool shows like Fresh Of The Boat, Life In Pieces, and American Horror Story. Those are just some of my favs. The role that is probably the coolest to say I’ve done is getting to play Chelsea on tons of Barbie projects for almost 5 years. Chelsea is Barbie’s littlest sister and I absolutely loved everything about playing her. I loved the cast, the shows, and the movies we all got to be a part of. My favorite thing I’ve gotten to record as Chelsea was her own movie. I played Chelsea in Barbie
And Chelsea The Lost Birthday on Netflix. Of course, I loved being on Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures and all the other projects, but playing Chelsea in the first-ever Chelsea movie is insane. I also got to sing in it which was so much fun! I’m super thankful for everything I’ve gotten to be a part of so far, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.
Which project is still on your bucket list?
My dream role has always been to star in an acting series with dance involved in the storyline somehow. Putting the two things I love the most into one role would be literally incredible, so we’ll see what happens.
Where we can follow you?
Insta @cassidy_naber
TikTok @cassidy.naber
YouTube @Cassidy Naber
Photos: Monsee @monseeworld
