When reflecting on her success since making our Ones to Watch list in 2019, Callina Anderson credits 70 percent of it to people’s kindness, casting her in roles she hadn’t considered. “They’ve given me opportunities I would have taken myself out of the running for if it were up to me,” says Anderson. “But people said, no, we want you. So they brought me in.”
One thing hasn’t changed in the seven years since we last spoke: this tremendously talented actor is as humble as ever. Shy even about her gifts and the effect she has on stage. But the needle has moved ever so slightly.
“I think people have seen things in me that I’m maybe just now recognizing, so I’m thankful that they’ve laid the foundation for me to realize I can do those roles,” Anderson says. Building on that new self-awareness, she has recently become more intentional about reaching out to theaters, asking if they have anything for her, or showing up to auditions she is interested in pursuing. Still, as noted, the change is slight.
For most actors, playing Medea in Euripides’ famous tragedy is considered a dream role. But when Classical Theater offered the part to Anderson in 2023, she wanted to turn it down. “Then my good friend Dain Geist said, ‘You said, yes, right?’ And I’m like, oh, no, I’m still thinking about it. I don’t know if I can. It’s such a big role. And he said, you need to do whatever you need to do and say yes. So, I thought about it some more, and I said yes and was for sure better for it.”
“Callina is one of my favorite actors …. a hard worker, focused, and extremely talented. Basically, a director’s dream,” says Classical Theater Artistic Director, John Johnson. “Medea needed to have gravitas and an inner strength that can’t be denied, but balanced with a sensitive, motherly facet to her personality. Callina brought all of that and more to her Medea.”
Looking through the list of Anderson’s many other standout roles over the years, there’s a distinct seriousness or intensity to the characters she’s played. Reflecting on this, Anderson says, “I think I’m not afraid of going to dark places. I kind of enjoy living in those places. And I think there are unique challenges in those areas. Directors want somebody to go to the wall. And I may not make it there, but I’m willing to try.”
Another word that pops up again and again from the various directors who have and continue to work with Anderson is her honest footing as a person and an actor.
“What I love about Callina’s work is her groundedness,” says Rebecca Greene Udden, Main Street Theater Executive Artistic Director. “She is always open and vulnerable and absolutely solid. She has done many shows for us and many different kinds of roles, but every one has been firmly based in truth.”
Ash Love, who is directing Anderson in her upcoming show as the lead role of Sugar in Tiny Beautiful Things at Stages, echoes these sentiments.
“Callina brings a natural warmth and emotional honesty that feels so grounded and deeply human,” says Love. “Callina demonstrates impressive versatility, balancing vulnerability and strength in a way that gives Sugar depth, levity, and complexity. I could hear and see Sugar as soon as Callina started speaking in her audition.”
Anderson laughs when she reflects on landing this most recent part. “So, the way that role went was, I, of course, talked to myself out of it. I was like, well, I’ll just audition for the supporting ensemble role, and I did, and then the director was like, that was great. Would you mind reading for the lead? I went, yes. And that’s what I ended up getting.”
Another example she gives of learning to see herself as others see her, without letting it go to her head.
“I hate prideful actors, and I want to not be self-deprecating. So I’m trying to find wherever that middle ground is.”
As directors have chosen Anderson for plum roles over the years, she says her confidence has grown. With each new opportunity came a challenge that she’s loved rising to meet. Reflecting on her journey, Anderson says, “I feel like a much more confident actor. And right now, I feel like I have an opportunity to go to another level. I know the types of roles I’m good for, but now I’m trying to go somewhere else with my acting—somewhere I’m scared again.”
For Anderson, being scared means seeking opportunities at bigger theaters in Houston and beyond—places to grow as an actor and learn how larger theaters operate.
“I would also love new stories, environment and new people to work with and see how that informs my performance,” says Anderson, who assures this ambition doesn’t mean she’s leaving us. Houston, she says, will always be her home base. Perhaps even one day in her dream role.
“I want to be Stevie in The Goat Or Who Is Sylvia,” says Anderson. ”I’ve been working on her for 20 years. The text is so challenging. The character is so challenging. And you can’t just be screaming the whole time, you have to be completely open. I love the play, I love her.”
OK, casting agents, over to you…..
You can see Anderson in Tiny Beautiful things at Stages running through April 19.