By Elia Esparza
It would not be a cliché to say that triple threat performer/director Karina Noelle Castillo was ever not destined to be a part of the film, TV, multi media digital industry. Her career accomplishments have solely been as a result of her training, talent and tenacious determination. But coming from a family of noted entertainment industry professionals, veteran actor/writer/director Enrique Castillo (Deja Vu, Blood in Blood Out, Weeds), media maven/producer Bel Hernandez (TheTRENDTalk, Latin Heat Entertainment), and highly regarded theater actor Sol Castillo (American Mariachi), one can say it was almost Karina’s birthright.
Yet, despite who she’s related to in Hollywood, the best way to describe Karina is that she is first and foremost, a Los Angeles born Chicana, who is building an impressive career as an actor, producer, director and is also and entrepreneur with her own clothing (Humana/Xicana brand). She graduated from the prestigious Los Angeles County High School for the Arts and California Institute of Arts, where she studied as a Theatre Major.
Karina started booking TV roles as a teenager at the age of 13. And has racked up an impressive list of TV credits working on programs such as: NCIS, S.W.A.T., Rebel, L.A.’s Finest, Pump, Superstore, The Good Doctor, Grey’s Anatomy, General Hospital, and Criminal Minds, to name a few. In 2015, she had a recurring role in Empty Space in the role of Martina for eight episodes.
In 2015, she was cast in The Last Dinner, a horror short film. Her introduction to the horror/thriller genres and she loved it! Her other shorts she acted in are: Romantick, Vici, Ten Thousand Miles, Hero Complex, and Wake which inspired her to venture out on her own and direct, write and star in first short film Outside Your Door in 2020 about two young adults who try to manage their complicated feelings in the midst of a passionate but ultimately doomed romance.
Currently, Karina has making the transition from acting to filmmaking. “More often than not in acting, you’re just one piece of the entirety of the art of filmmaking. I love the idea of being able to take an idea from its infancy and then create the final product and it’s thrilling to see my name behind it. To have my stamp on it, is exciting.”
Her second project currently in pre-preproduction, The Wall, is a 15-minute short, and officially her second horror/thriller short film outside of film school.
Why the scary genre?
“I’ve always been a big fan of thriller/horror films and they are a fan favorite. They provide the opportunity to wrap serious themes in an entertaining package,” she said. “Thus, reaching a wider audience whose cup of tea isn’t always the more serious dramas. For this film, I drew inspiration from the classics like The Exorcist and Rosemary’s Baby, as well as the more modern films like The Babadook.
Karina grew up in the era and was a huge fan of Goosebumps and other R.L. Stine books.
“I then ended up becoming a bit obsessed with gothic horrors, especially the Anne Rice universe starting with Interview with a Vampire and then moving on to the rest of the series,” she said. “I interspersed these with the classics like Dracula, Frankenstein, Phantom of the Opera, etc. I think the latest horror novel that terrified me was Bob Woodward’s Fear: Trump in the Whitehouse.”
She gave us a good chuckle here — despite the fact we know she’s serious about culture, community activism and politics. She’s sincere in her desire to want the best to represent Latinos and people of color.
This year Karina was the recipient of the MACEF (Mexican American Cultural Education Foundation) grant recipients, where she was awarded $10,000 to help produce her short film. She was award the MACEF Premier Entertainment/ Dr. Ruiz Film Production Grant which was a great start, however Karina knew that to be able to afford the special effect she has planned for her film, she needed to raise more funds.
The Wall is a tense psychological thriller with a searing message about the repercussions of denial and repression after trauma. It is intense but relatable film. “My goal in this,” stated Karina, “and all of my films is to shine a light on mental health, and to feature people of color in leading roles with as much nuance and truthful representation as possible”
“I wish I was a writer who gets obsessed with some historical subject and does heavy research to write about some sort of World War II story involving espionage or something like that,” she explained. “But I just write what I know. What’ I’ve experienced. It’s how I process things in my past, mistakes I’ve made, scenarios I wish I could have done better in my 20’s instead of ‘performing’ aka faking it, just like Lara is doing.”
In further explaining her script, Karina reiterates that The Wall is not about mental illness but rather, the “importance of addressing your own individual mental health. It’s about the damage denial and repression after trauma causes”, she tells us.
“Neither characters, Lara or Samuel, are mentally ill,” stated Karina. “They are people who like the majority of us, sacrifice their own peace of mind to keep their relationships and homes together. So many of us make little tiny choices every day to either ignore our feelings or placate people, or to convince ourselves that ‘everything is OK’.”
“After many years those small choices become a mountain of unaddressed issues, and our mental health suffers because of it. Eventually all of those things that we don’t address will boil over, and that manifests differently depending on the person.”
The Wall’s theme has relevance to a wide audience because most of us have experienced the harm that denial and repression can cause. If we allow the trauma to fester, it could swallow you whole without mental health professional assistance. But with proper treatments, most can face their fears and it can be a glorious rebirth. That’s the beauty of the promise of The Wall.
For now, The Wall is slated for its world premiere as part of the Mexican American Film and Television Festival in 2023 which happens May 13 and 14 at Ralieigh Studios in Hollywood.
“Of course, for The Wall, it is all dependent on how well we do with our crowdfunding campaign and in finishing the film in time for submission,” stated Karina. “I’m honestly just grateful to be selected as one of their recipients… Just being supported by them and having the board believe in my project is heartening enough. Any other festivals would be more icing on the cake.”
Karina Noelle Castillo is undeniably at the forefront of rising talents and film directors in Hollywood. She is the CEO and founder of Another Killer Winter, a production company focused on projects that explore the bitter-sweetness of humanity with an emphasis on looking through the female lens. She has has also extended her directing talents to include the TheTRENDTalk TV show which airs on MeTV and all social media platforms. She produced and starred in the web series Buzzchat premiered on the FYI channel as a featured segment of talk show KikiMobile in 2017.
To be a part of Karina’s latest film project, please click The Wall for more details. Karina Noelle Castillo is repped by @citizenskull.liz, @soverigntalentgroup.
The Wall Cast:
Karina Noelle Castillo as Lara
Andrew Lee as Samuel
Leonora Anzaldua, Producer and DP
Aram Ramirez is 2nd Unit Camera