8 Questions with………………actress Shanna Toft

Its 12:36 am
dark/cold

Welcome to another edition of “8 Questions With…….”

So recently I got a call from my publicist friend Steve out in California. He and I met a couple of months ago and have worked together on a couple of things. What I like about Steve is that he takes me back to my other life in music where I worked several publicists over the years. One of the things I learned about being a good publicist and a jaded one is their excitement discovering someone new,their energy level is very high.
So when Steve called and started talking about Shanna Toft in an excited voice,I was very curious so I poked around and I was puzzled. Shanna is just starting out on her acting journey and doesn’t have dozens of credits under her belt and I said as much to Steve.  Well Steve’s voice drops low and he says “Trust me on Shanna”. In my other life,I used that same voice when I had to convince the club owners I worked for to book a act they had heard nothing or little about. More often or not after they played for us,they blew up…..so when Steve said “Trust me on Shanna”…I’m going to do just that. Shanna’s career is about to jump off and before it does,I’m so glad she decided to answer 8 Questions with us.

 Please introduce yourself and tell us a little of your background.

My name is Shanna Toft and I grew up in the Austin, Texas area before moving to the Dallas-Fort Worth area for high school. I attended the University of North Texas as well as Colorado Technical University. I participated in theater, choir, and dance all through school and added modeling in my early college years. My modeling debut was as a live Barbie doll for Mattel. Though I acted for years in school, my professional acting took the course of working as an extra/background/stand-in before gaining my first television role as the wife of a bank robber in a documentary reconstruction. I continue to work in theater, commercials, music videos, television, and film as well as modeling.

 

 When did you know that you wanted to be a performer?

I knew by about the age of three that I was meant to be in the spotlight, and I knew I wanted to be a performer by the age of five. I just love entertaining a crowd of people and doing so is an experience like no other.

 What does the word “artist” mean to you?

An artist is someone who is passionate about his or her craft. There is a deep passion for the artist to create and present the craft for others to enjoy.

 What has been the three best pieces of advise given to you professionally
and how have they impacted your career?

1. For those who are committed to doing more, they will be given more to do it with – Glenn Morshower

2. You will never become what you could be until you become angry with what you are – Glenn Morshower

3. Soul and body, I suggest react sympathetically upon each other. A change in the state of the soul produces a change in the shape of the body and, conversely, a change in the shape of the body produces a change in the state of the soul – Aristotle (quoted by Glenn Morshower)

These three have impacted my career by reinforcing that I am in complete control over each move I make to align myself on the right path for success.

 What was it like modeling as a live Barbie doll? How did you land that job?

Modeling as a live Barbie doll was so much fun – I loved getting to take pictures with kids of all ages and signing autographs as Barbie. I actually landed that job because I had been told my whole life that I looked like a Barbie so, as a teenager, I sent my picture with a letter to Mattel just to let them know I would love to do something with them. I heard back nearly immediately with a request for a fitting in the Barbie dress, and I was sent out on my first promotional event.

 How do you approach a role that is fiction against a role where you are playing a real person? 

Playing a real person requires much more character study to really understand why she thought and acted the way she did. With a fictional role, I can generally make up the reasons behind the thoughts and actions of my characters.

 Does the Dallas/Ft. Worth area have a active film/live theater community?

 Dallas-Fort Worth has a healthy live theater community and we are trying to grow the film and television community. There are many opportunities for independent films and industrial films and we would love to see more network opportunities, especially since we have a SAG-AFTRA board here in Dallas.

You are raising a large family,how do you juggle your personal life against your artistic one?

It is easier for me now that one of my kids is an adult and the others are teenagers and almost a teenager, so I haven’t needed a sitter for many years. My kids have worked with me on two movies now and they are incredibly supportive of my time on set. I am a calendar fanatic so I make sure everyone knows as much ahead of time as possible when I will need to be filming. I also have a home studio so I get to send in self-tapes from time to time. Personal life isn’t too much of a juggle these days since the teenagers are typically doing their own things but I do make sure we have our quality family time as well.

 The cheetah and I are flying in to watch you film your latest movie but we’re a day early.
Now you have to be our tour guide,what are we doing?

During the day, we’re going to Six Flags for all of the thrill rides, shows, food, and fun. We may check out some festivals and we’re definitely going to Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament in the evening to watch our knight battle for our kingdom’s victory while we dine!

My deepest thanks to Shanna for taking the time to chat with us. With her drive and talent I’m sure she is going to make a impact much sooner then later and we’ll be seeing her in our living rooms on her latest show or film.

To follow Shanna’s next project,check out her IMDb page.

You can join Shanna’s Facebook page here.

Join Shanna’s InstaGram page.

Feel free to drop a comment below and if you have a interesting story to tell,drop us a email and we’ll talk. You can find us through our contact page.