Meet Salomé Costa | Actress and Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Salomé Costa and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Salomé, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I followed an artistic career because I had the dream of making movies and becoming an actress.

For as long as I can remember I wanted to make movies but I grew up thinking it was unachievable and instead chose a more conventional path. After high school, I moved to London to study Psychology. It was a topic that I really enjoyed but deep down I knew that it wasn’t what I really wanted to do with my life. The following year I moved to Montpellier, south of France, and entered an art school. Six months in, I knew that something was still missing and that even though an artistic career was what I wanted, I wasn’t there quite yet. I knew that the dream that I had was still very present and I had to give it a try. I just had to.
I spoke to my parents about trying out for “Les Cours Florent” and they completely supported me. I auditioned to enter the school and six months later I was starting my career as an Actress. It was the most important choice I made and I do not regret making it. I’m forever grateful to have chosen to listen to my heart and follow my dream because it has been such a wonderful journey!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am a French/ Italian actress and producer based in Los Angeles. I grew up in Saint Martin in the Caribbean and later moved to France to start my acting career. ​
I studied acting for three years at “Les Cours Florent” in Montpellier, France. During that time I wrote, directed, and acted in the short film “Upside Down” which won fifth place in the City’s “Revolution ton 8 Mars” Film Award and was also nominated for the CATE festival in Santa Monica, Los Angeles. I then expanded my acting skills by starring in short films.

Later, I opened my production company called “Roll In Picture” and produced my second short film “Consumption” in which I star. Consumption has been nominated for multiple festivals and won several awards including Best Short Film and Best Message. I won Best Actress at the Top Indie Film Awards and Femme Fantastic at SCREEN ATX. Consumption was also recently selected at the SILICON BEACH FILM FESTIVAL.

No, honestly, nothing in the past few years has been easy. It has been a constant battle with my mind to not give up and keep fighting when things weren’t going the way I wanted them to. The production of Consumption has been a real journey and post-production was one of the hardest things I had to go through mentally. We started by losing a full day of the shoot during which we had to reshoot everything, followed by having one of our hard-drive crash with our first draft of the edits; and then more issues with sound and colors. We stayed in post-production for around 8 months, fixing issues and finding solutions as well as compromising on choices we had made. It was an endless lesson, but no matter what we were going through I wasn’t going to give up. I had to keep fighting for all of the people who had given their time and energy for this beautiful project, but most importantly I had to keep fighting for myself. This was one of my hardest battles and I’m so grateful and happy because I know that it was worth it.

I think what I want people to remember from my story is that, this feeling we have inside, that dream, that passion that drives you, that thing that makes you vibrate. It’s all worth it. I grew up on a tiny island in the middle of the Caribbean, and that dream I had to make movies and work in Hollywood felt so far from my reach, but last weekend I had my movie screen at the Chinese Theatre, one of the most prestigious theaters in the world, located right in Hollywood, so, dare to dream and follow your heart. Dare to go out there and fight for what you love. I promise you, it’s so worth it.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
One of my favorite places to go in the PCH, that is definitely somewhere I would bring people I love. There is something about that road, driving by the ocean, it just feels, magical. It allows me freedom and to disconnect for a little bit from the crazy life of Los Angeles!

What I love about LA is the amount of food options we can find around. No matter where I go I always find different cute spots. I would probably be all about exploring more than having a set itinerary.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Many people around me have helped me move forward in my career. A lot is due to their love, support, motivation, and belief in me. The first people who deserve credit and recognition are my parents. They have always supported me and helped me make good decisions. They always followed me in my dreams and made me grow stronger.

Everett Aponte has also been a very important part of my life for the past few years. He has been a mentor and encouraged me throughout my career. Everett directed my short film, Consumption, which I starred in, two years ago, which made me grow so much as an actress. He knows how to push me to be better in my art and I will forever be grateful for his support and friendship.

Sam Alsalman is definitely another person who deserves recognition in my story. Two years ago I came to him with my short film and on the spot offered to produce it. I did not have a team or a budget yet but he believed in me and believed in what we could do together. He made all of this possible and has been a very important part of my life ever since.

Website: www.salomecosta.com

Instagram: @_salomecosta