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Sophia in David James' short film "The Next One" (provided) |
by Colin Moore
You might recognize Sophia Manyet. She’ll be a senior at Highlands this year and
works at Highlands Fitness Center and at the Highlands Country Club. She was Audrey
in Highlands High School’s performance of Little Shop of Horrors. Oh, and she’s
also an aspiring movie actress who you may have seen in a recent feature film
or commercial.
“I love to step into
other people’s shoes and show what they’re thinking. Maybe sometimes you can be
an evil character and show why they’re doing what they’re doing. For me it’s
almost as easy as breathing, it’s a way to live a thousand lives in one
lifetime.”
Some of us have to work out what we want to be when we grow
up, Sophia has known for some time. “I
think I’ve known I wanted to be an actress since I was four or five. We would
go to the movies and when we came home I would be pretending to be one of the
characters.” Her mom, Rebecca, knew even earlier.
“When she was about three she would go in front of the mirror. One minute she’d be crying, the next minute she’d be smiling. My husband and I looked and each other and thought “We’re into something here!””
“When she was about three she would go in front of the mirror. One minute she’d be crying, the next minute she’d be smiling. My husband and I looked and each other and thought “We’re into something here!””
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But, like any actor, Sophia hasn’t been playing lead roles
since day one. “I remember auditioning
for a play in middle school. I thought for sure I would get the lead role and
when I got more of a background role I was torn apart. I decided I was finished
with acting- so overdramatic! But I kept doing it and as I went on I got better
roles every year.”
About four or five years ago, while watching the Hunger
Games, Sophia realized she wanted to move away from theater to act on film. “I love theater, but it’s big and loud,
it’s all about projecting. Acting on film is quieter, you have to show
everything with your eyes. You have to be able to say everything without saying
anything.”
Her first role in a movie was in a low budget movie about
tennis called "Wimbledon Dreaming". Since deciding she wanted to concentrate more
on film she discovered that there were actually a lot of movie makers on her
doorstep, in Kentucky and Ohio.
“We’ve found lot of hardworking individuals that make really amazing movies. There’s like a little underground film community right here.”
“We’ve found lot of hardworking individuals that make really amazing movies. There’s like a little underground film community right here.”
Sophia’s first major role was in the movie "75"directed by Joe Zappa, which deals with the heroin epidemic. “When I read
about what heroin is doing to Fort Thomas and Northern Kentucky communities I
thought, “I have to be involved with this.””
To begin with Sophia was to be in the background at a party scene, but after another actress dropped out, she sent the producers some monologues and landed a much bigger role as the girlfriend of a heroin addict. “I already knew the script was amazing. When they called to offer the role they were just very nonchalant about it, “We want you to play the role” but I was so excited. It was a bigger set than I’d been on, a bigger budget.” Sophia made such an impression on the crew that she’s currently making a short film called “The Next One” directed by David James, the co-producer of "75".
To begin with Sophia was to be in the background at a party scene, but after another actress dropped out, she sent the producers some monologues and landed a much bigger role as the girlfriend of a heroin addict. “I already knew the script was amazing. When they called to offer the role they were just very nonchalant about it, “We want you to play the role” but I was so excited. It was a bigger set than I’d been on, a bigger budget.” Sophia made such an impression on the crew that she’s currently making a short film called “The Next One” directed by David James, the co-producer of "75".
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Sophia as a mean girl in an anti-bullying video for Scenario Learning (provided) |
Throughout her career Sophia has had great mentors, acting coaches
like Lana Read. Colton Wheeler, who has
appeared on many TV shows and starred alongside Sophia in "PayDay", has also kept in touch and offers advice. Brand Old Productions, who produced "75" have taken her under their wing and shown her encouragement. She also receives guidance from Kay Vermeil, a Highlands grad who received a highly sought after full ride scholarship to film school at USC. Kay’s mother
Heidi has also been a huge source of advice for Rebecca. On top of all these
mentors, Sophia believes that a scholarship to the Governor’s School for the
Arts has really given her the confidence to pursue acting as a career. Every
year the state of Kentucky awards scholarships for a four-week program at
Center College. The places are highly sought after and Sophia was accepted in
both musical theater and acting, before choosing to accept the acting place.
“It was a huge
springboard. To go from Fort Thomas, which is quite suburban, to there, and be
around people that wanted to do the same thing as I want to do was
amazing. It was really inspiring, they
really taught us to shoot for the stars." Rebecca believes that main thing
Sophia took from G.S.A. was the confidence to market herself. “She got home and updated her resume and
sent it to a lot of groups, which landed her a lot of roles. They taught her
that the worst thing people can say is “No,” and that a lot of people will.”
Sophia’s goal is to graduate from Highlands and study acting
at college. Ideally she'd be in Southern California, or possibly Atlanta, since she wants to be
able to audition for work while she’s at college. She knows that this is a
tough task, tuition at colleges in California is hugely expensive and scholarships
are keenly contested. Instate schools are also a possibility, according to
Rebecca. “One of the great advantages to
having come through the Governor’s School for the Arts is that they hold
auditions/ All the colleges in Kentucky who have acting schools meet at Center
College, so she can audition for them all at once.”
Despite being only seventeen Sophia has the wisdom to know
that despite her talent and hard work, finding a great role can sometimes be
outwith your control. “There are
thousands of blond, 5’4” teenagers in LA. You can show up to an audition and be professional, on time
and in wardrobe, they could love the acting but maybe you just don’t look the
way they pictured the character. You have to be there at the right time, right
location with the right dress, as well as have the talent.”
If everything goes her way Sophia would love to be a working
actress in Hollywood in five years, but she knows that might not happen. If it
didn’t she’d might like to teach acting “I’d
like to pay it forward and be a mentor to other people, to give back some of
what I’ve been blessed with.” She
may also write, in her senior year at Highlands she’ll be taking screenwriting
classes at NKU and she may consider writing as a dual major at college.
Sophia’s resume is impressive but what is more impressive is
her positive attitude and work ethic. It's true that only a handful of students in the
country will receive scholarships to acting schools in LA this year, having
heard first hand how dedicated and hard working Sophia is, I certainly wouldn’t
bet against her being one of them.
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Sophia modelling for Carabello Coffee (provided) |
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