Drama Queens, a five-star arts journal focusing on female artists

“I am an actress and writer but first and foremost I consider myself a storyteller,” says Swiss-born film and TV actress, Chantal Cassutt. “I love playing characters that show surprising power and resilience that you would not expect based on appearances,” she continued. She enjoys playing villains and underdogs as they present the challenge of finding the humanity in “the imperfect.”

Getting to the point, she declared: “something that is personally very important to me is empowering women and I want the roles I play to reflect that in some way. I believe the stories we tell have personal impact on others and that is what I always strive for in my performances. I hope that my work can provide some sort of value to the viewer, no matter how small.”

Chantal is already exemplifying her point by appearing in several films as a take charge kind-of person.  She played a mysterious young woman commanding a quiet dinner in Thank You; one of the last women on earth in a dark piece called Alone, basically showing us what could have happened with Covid-19; offering up a bit of personified karma in an ode to the surreal and to silent films, Trapped; and even the Devil HERself in Call Me Devil.

DQR wanted to learn more about an enigmatic actress that plays enigmas.

What event in your life made you make the decision to be an actress?

It was definitely not one event alone but many small things that started piling up. Growing up I always loved novels, theatre, movies and TV shows. I had drama classes in elementary school and adored them, however, living in Switzerland it never occurred to me that working in entertainment could be an actual job. Switzerland is a country that while valuing the arts, doesn’t necessarily encourage creativity or creative jobs and so becoming a professional actress never even crossed my mind. As a teenager, I took dance and singing classes and so I knew I loved performing, but again, I never thought of these things as more than a hobby. Something changed when I moved from Switzerland to the UK to get my undergrad degree in Management and Marketing. During my studies I spent one year in London where I worked at a large beauty company as a marketing intern. For the first time in my life I was living in a diverse, cosmopolitan city that had everything to offer and so I jumped at the opportunity to take acting classes. Within a couple of weeks I was hooked. I would commute every weekend and sometimes after work to take as many classes as possible as they gave me such creative fulfillment that I couldn’t get from other things in my life. When my internship came to an end, the company offered me a full-time position to come back, something that is rare and was a huge honor. But instead of being over the moon like I should have been, alarm bells started ringing in my head. And that was when I knew deep down that my current path was not the right one for me. The following summer I attended an intensive four-week acting workshop in Los Angeles and I realized there was no going back. Acting was what I wanted to do with my life. Collaborating with people to create something of value. Entertaining people. Creating fully formed characters from words on a page. I flew back home, completed my degree, packed my bags and moved out to L.A. to go to acting school. Taking that plunge was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

Was it a difficult transition in joining the entertainment community of the United States?

It is always difficult. Simply moving to a different country is tough because you encounter so many obstacles you never even thought about. Culture shock is a real thing and it is exacerbated when you are working in an industry like entertainment where it is all about the culture. Adapting to how things are done here was definitely a steep learning curve and I am still learning every day. Fortunately, I have met many incredible people who have helped and guided me along the way and it has made the transition a lot easier. 

What are some of the obstacles you faced?

One of the biggest challenges when it comes to the entertainment industry in the United States specifically, is the overwhelming amount of information. There are hundreds of acting studios in Los Angeles, thousands of coaches that give both craft and career guidance. Every person you meet that is involved in the industry in some way will shower you with advice. Every day a new advice article is released. Agents, managers and casting directors give daily advice on social media. It’s a lot. The majority of these people are of course well-intentioned but I found it to be incredibly overwhelming at first. As someone with a Type A personality, I had to learn that while it’s great to listen to people who have more experience, it’s also okay to not take every piece of advice and be selective about who and what I listen to. Ultimately, this industry is a lot about gut instincts and I had to learn to trust in mine. Another big challenge is one that I know all actors can relate to and that is the constant rejection. You put yourself out there, show people the most vulnerable side of you and never hear back. That was tough in the beginning for sure, however, it has since become something that I have started taking in stride and do my best not to dwell on. Being rejected is part of the job and it should have no effect on how you feel about yourself or your ability. I remind myself of that daily and am fortunate enough to have incredibly supportive friends around me who always uplift me.

What are you working on now and what’s next?  

One of the things I both love and hate about my job is that you never really know what’s next!  Things can change at the drop of a hat. However, I do have some things coming up that I am very excited for. I’m going to be shooting a short film in a month’s time called “On The Line” which is the story of a relationship that is falling apart. I’m also attached to another short film that I’m very excited about but cannot give any details on yet. A few weeks ago I also got the opportunity to be part of the recording of a fictionalized podcast called “Sentinel” and hopefully if the first season is successful we’ll be able to do a second season soon. On a writing level I am currently redrafting the script of my first feature film that I am hoping to produce in the coming year. I am also working on a short film and am outlining for a new feature.

I’ve also recently co-founded a production company and we are working on getting that up and running. We already have a few projects lined up in the coming months that I’m very excited for.