Pop-Culturalist.com

Candy Santana is an emerging storyteller who is creating impactful characters and narratives in front of and behind the camera. Her past credits include Blue Bloods, Sunday Nights, and My Salvation.

Her latest project, Metamorphosis, is receiving critical acclaim on the festival circuit. It follows the final moments before Mariela realizes she’s had enough of her toxic marriage to David and decides to take matters into her own hands on a very special night for him.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Candy about Metamorphosis, the impact the film is having on audiences, and more.

PC: How did you discover your passion for storytelling and the arts?
Candy: I’m Dominican, and I was born and raised in New York. If you know about Dominicans, every story we tell is a mini performance. Ever since I was little, I’ve always loved movies. I’ve always loved putting on acts for my family and mimicking family members. Acting was always a dream of mine, but I thought the theatrics for me was becoming a lawyer, so I actually went to law school. It was during my second year of law school in 2014 that I actually started acting in theater. The rest is history. I went on to do my first off-Broadway play in 2014.

PC: Was there a specific moment that led to that pivot from law into the arts?
Candy: Yes! I used to say it was like a meltdown. In my first year of law school, I was in the top third of my class. I got a scholarship. I was doing really well. I actually started working in a multi-million-dollar firm in Long Island. I was waking up at five in the morning, working out, and going to school. Then, I would go to the firm and then to school again until 11:00 PM. It was one of those days where I was like, “Wow I’m only twenty-three. I already have a master’s degree. I’m in law school. I’m going super fast in the wrong direction.” It was this epiphany that I was going in the wrong direction fast. The same faith that I had given to this, I figured I could give to my acting career. That was the switch it took for me to take this seriously and to dive in.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Candy: That’s a great question. The biggest influence on my career has been my family. The reason is because of their stories, how much they inspire me, and also their support. The Dominican Film Festival just happened, and 40 of my family members showed up to the screening. Everything I’ve ever done related to this field, my family has always shown up above and beyond. They really inspired me to keep going because of their unwavering belief and support. I would say that they’re definitely the biggest factor for me to keep doing it and to inspire others as well.

PC: Tell us about Metamorphosis, your character, and what drew you to this project.
Candy: The idea for Metamorphosis came during the pandemic when we saw there was a rise in the suicide rate. A lot of people locked up in their homes were forced to deal with a lot of mental health questions, situations, and things of that nature. I had the idea for the story after learning that a lot of people were surprised when they learned someone had taken their life. We would hear comments like, “What? I just saw that person. They were fine. They have everything. They should have never done that.” It brought this question into my mind: How come everyone is always surprised? Are we really surprised or are we missing signs that someone is struggling with their mental health?

In this film, you follow my character, Mariela. She’s clearly going through a very difficult time. She’s in this toxic marriage, and she’s expressed in her message the feeling of not wanting to live anymore. Her husband never takes it seriously and calls her dramatic. There is a lot of gaslighting that happens in our culture when we see someone breaking down. We show all of those things in the film so that we can have a shift in this conversation of how we should deal with it as a society.

PC: When you’re dealing with such heavy topics like mental health and suicide, how are you able to create the space for yourself to dive into your character’s arc? What is that decompression like after a day of filming?
Candy: My mother’s a retired cop. I’ve played a cop. I’ve played a nurse. Those are roles that I could do in my sleep. This one was difficult because of what I had to take on emotionally in order to tell this story authentically, which was my number one goal. I wanted this to be authentic. I wanted the viewers to feel what she feels because that’s empathy, that’s compassion, and that’s what we should feel as a society. We need to feel what the person is feeling and offer help.

I luckily started a meditation practice around the same time that I started acting. I have a morning practice that I do that’s an hour and a half long every single day. After I finished with this character, I went to that practice to get back to myself. It was meditation, journeying, and just doing the things that I do as Candy because I was Mariela for those two days.

We shot this in the Dominican Republic, for two twelve-hour days. You’re just that person. It’s about grace and compassion. When you’re coming back to yourself, you still have grace and compassion for the character that you played. There’s a release that happens that way as well.

PC: The film is making its way around the festival circuit. It’s been incredibly well received. What do you think is resonating most with audiences?
Candy: That’s a great question. After people watched the film, I’ve had people tell me that they see themselves in my character, which has almost brought me to my knees. I’m like, “What?” That’s the authenticity of the project. I was at the New York Short Film Festival and an audience member brought up the fact that everyone was ignoring her signs. So, the messaging and the clarity of the story are landing, which makes me feel so grateful because I really want to have that conversation.

PC: Has being a part of this project changed the way that you look at future projects, given the impact that it’s been having on audiences?
Candy: For future projects, my goal is to have the same intentionality that I had with this one. When it’s your own project, you feel a bit more pressure, which is good. The pressure is good. Moving forward, I’m going to treat each project as if it were my own. The attention to detail is super, super important. It’s about collaboration and knowing that you may see something that the director or producer may not. That’s definitely the approach I’ll take moving forward.

PC: You’ve been really open about the adversities that you faced in this industry early on. During those more challenging times, how were you able to persevere? What advice would you give to future storytellers who are looking to follow a similar path?
Candy: I just thought about this the other day. I heard someone saying, “Keep going.” I know it’s annoying to hear that, but truthfully, last year I had over 300 auditions; it was like a marathon. I would have loved to book 300 roles, but I didn’t. It was really the training for this year, where I booked way more with less auditions. I always say that each season is meant to help you grow and cultivate for the next. Whatever season you’re in, just try to figure out a way to enjoy it because we’re storytellers. As difficult as it may feel, we also have to be grounded. If you’re in this for the long run, you have to take each opportunity, enjoy it, and be grateful for it, whether that’s an audition, a callback, a producer session, you booked a show, or you didn’t book a show. Wherever you are in your career, find a way to enjoy it and be as much in the moment as possible because it’s a long journey.

PC: Outside of this project, what’s next for you?
Candy: I have a movie that came out this year called Blowback. I booked a role in a film called Road House. That should be coming out next year. I’ve had projects pitched to me, which is really exciting as a producer—when people see your work and they’re like, “Can you actually work on mine?” I am really considering what story I want to tell next and see what we can produce. Then, we’ll also see how Metamorphosis does in the festival circuit.

PC: As you look ahead, is there a dream role or story that you’d like to bring to life, either as an actress, producer, writer, or director?
Candy: That’s such a good question. I’ve always been an athlete. Growing up, I played tennis and basketball. I’ve always been super, super active. I really would love to be a superhero, especially as an Afro-Latina, and be that representation for young girls. A superhero who inspires girls to go after their dreams and has a rich, authentic story. I love action.

To keep up with Candy, follow her on Twitter and Instagram.