Olga Petsa: Inside the Journey From Cyprus to Netflix and Mastering the Art of Bold Acting Choices

As a part of our series about pop culture’s rising stars, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Olga Petsa.

Rising star actress, Olga Petsa is ready to make waves with the Netflix coming-of-age film, MIXTAPE alongside two-time Emmy winner Julie Bowen, Gemma Brooke Allen, Nick Thune, Jackson Rathbone and newcomers Audrey Hsieh and Diego Mercado. The film is slated for release this December.

From director Valerie Weiss (Outer Banks) Mixtape follows orphaned, awkward 12-year-old Beverly Moody (Allen) who on the eve of Y2K, discovers a broken mixtape crafted by her teen parents. Raised by her grandmother Gail (Bowen), a former teen mom herself who finds it painful to speak about her late daughter, Beverly sees this mixtape as a chance to finally learn more about her parents. So, she sets out on a journey to find all the songs on the tape. Along the way, she makes friends with her quirky neighbor, Ellen (Audrey Hsieh); intimidatingly tough, Nicky (Olga Petsa); and Anti, an anti-everything record store owner who’s the key to finding these tracks, and a renewed bond between Gail and Beverly.

Olga was born in Nicosia, Cyprus, the younger of two children of Maya and George Petsa. The family moved to Vancouver-BC before her 10th birthday to be closer to auditions and have a better shot at booking roles. Olga speaks basic Serbian and is fluent in Greek. With MIXTAPE becoming her biggest role yet, she is ready to take on roles that challenge her and can’t wait to become a household name and one day work alongside her role model Emma Watson.

When she isn’t juggling schooling with acting or booking her next role, Olga loves to embrace the arts of all kinds from singing, ballet, basketball to student council president.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?

In 2016 I moved with my family to Vancouver, Canada and have been living here since. However, I was born and raised in Cyprus, a tiny island in the Mediterranean Sea. Cyprus has a population of just over 1 million people and it’s a beautiful, cozy, perfect place to grow up! You can’t, not have the best childhood, with this blanket of friendships, family gatherings and overall community support wrapped around you. I love that I live in Canada now, but I wouldn’t trade growing up in Cyprus for anything. I invite you to look up and learn more about my home country, it really is an amazing place.

Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?

There is this creativity “bug” I’ve had since a young age. It led me to dancing, painting, singing, doing skits — it was always my thing, to present or perform for anyone who cared to see. Once I moved to Canada, that desire got the opportunity to be showcased on a bigger stage. And I took that challenge, that chance, and turned this hobby into a career. With the help of various acting programs and supportive coaches — I improved. The important turnaround was my signing with an incredible agency; KC Talent and the best agent ever, Corey Menzies! And from there, I simply try to work hard and move forward, one audition at a time.

Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

Easily, the best story is how I was informed I got the part in “Mixtape”. My very first audition for the role of Nicky was sometime in May 2020. Followed by a callback a couple of weeks later, then a Zoom one-on-one with the director Valerie Weiss, then chemistry read with my co-stars. At the end of it, I was impatiently waiting to hear the “verdict”, when another call came in for another chemistry read of one of the scenes. So once again I prep my lines, calm my nerves and join the new Zoom call. Valerie greets me and says, “now I will invite the rest of the team for the read” and a second passes and she says, “No I won’t because you got the role!!” To which I replied “Seriously?”. So funny — that “seriously” will haunt me forever. On the flip side, besides getting the role, I will forever have that recorded moment to cherish.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

After the pandemic started and self-tapes were introduced as a new way of auditioning, it took a while to get organized and create a mini studio-like corner in my room. The first in-house setup had this heavy curtain literally taped to the ceiling because there were no hooks or rails to hang it from. So, I had a scheduled callback with the casting director and in the middle of the call, the curtain came crashing down behind me; revealing the mess at the back & creating chaos! The casting director was so worried that I got hurt, and I somehow continued with my lines as if the curtain drop was supposed to happen — making a good impression on the director. First lesson learned obviously is “don’t tape heavy curtains to the ceiling” but more importantly — when performing, be prepared for the unexpected and roll with anything that comes your way.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

I just wrapped up a new project. Unfortunately, my lips are sealed until more is revealed. What I can share, is how excited I am for people to watch it — as I am really proud to have been part of it. The project I can talk about is the film “Mixtape”, scheduled for global Netflix release on Dec 3rd! I portray Nicky — a badass, tough, young girl. She helps Beverly discover more about her deceased parents through the music they recorded on their mixtape. In the film, Nicky made a huge leap from this cocooned loner to a caring friend. That to me is the essence of this story. Exploring and finding out who you are and who you want to be, both as an individual and as part of a group. It is a beautiful story, told by an amazing group of cast and crew that I feel privileged to be a part of.

You have been blessed with success in a career path that can be challenging. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?

Adam Driver said, “Acting is really about having the courage to fail in front of people”. Embrace the so-called “mistakes” you may make. There is also a deeper approach of asking yourself what is failure really? If I give my best and don’t get a role, have I failed? Each time you have an audition, you have the opportunity to do better than the last time, to take more risks with your performance, to polish your skills. By doing that, you become a better actor. So be patient and consistent with your effort, and results will come. This is a logic that doesn’t apply to acting only, but to anything we do in life. Nothing beats patience and perseverance.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.

1. Don’t be afraid to make bold choices. Some of the most memorable scenes out there were improvised. Your “odd” choices may create something unexpected — that turns out beautiful! Or not, but that’s the art of acting. One of Jack Nicholson’s famous lines, “You can’t handle the truth!” is an example of that.
2. Believe in your talent. Don’t let negative thoughts get in the way of your performance. You got this!
3. Not every role is for you and that is perfectly ok! Each actor has some strengths and some weaknesses. So, yes, give your best at every audition you do, but when the role comes along that truly aligns with your strengths, give that extra push.
4. As Meryl Streep once said, “Acting is not about being someone different. It’s finding the similarity in what is apparently different, then finding myself in there.” Don’t create a character, be the character.
5. Every audition is a learning experience. It’s your time to put yourself out there and learn. Forget the result, and absorb any feedback you received to improve.

Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?

It is not an easy task and there is no simple answer. To be a good actor you must make yourself vulnerable. It is like any profession that heavily involves human feelings. Your work is important, but your mental health should always be the priority. If you find yourself struggling, take a break to recharge. If you are overwhelmed, allow yourself to be emotional because that’s what makes us human. Find what relaxes you, grounds you, gives you balance. A walk in the park, a good book, talk with a friend. Once you discover what keeps you in check, make sure you do it as prevention. Don’t wait until you feel burned out. Also, let’s not forget about the risk of physical exhaustion too, although a good night’s sleep usually does the trick.

If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?

You never know what your idea can trigger. Introduce “learning about empathy”, to schools worldwide — making it a mandatory subject. Denmark has had it for almost 30 years now! Can you even imagine the benefits? Learning from a young age to try and understand other people’s feelings. To put yourself in someone else’s shoes. It might sound naïve, but I truly believe that such a simple addition to education systems worldwide could make huge positive changes. Where there’s empathy, there’s no conflict. No judgment. No bullying. Can you see the bigger picture? It’s beautiful, right? Simply by teaching empathy to the little humans that grow into adult humans. As simple as that.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

I’m going to say, “my whole family”. I cannot single out only my mom or my dad or my brother. We are a very close-knit family, and we try our best to support each other. My success is theirs and the other way round. The four of us are like a well-oiled machine that works well because all parts move in harmony. Even though my brother and I were very young at the time the family was deciding between moving to Canada or staying in Cyprus, we were asked our opinion. We felt we were participating in the decision too. And that move, as I said before, was the first step towards success. Outside the family circle, I want to mention my acting coach and friend, Jill Teed. She has coached me for the role of Nicky, and I am very grateful to have her by my side.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“If not me, who? If not now, when?” Empowering words of Emma Watson that remind me that anything is possible, with the right attitude. Why not me and why not now? No delays, no second-guessing, I am capable, especially as a young girl. I have a voice and a valid opinion, and no gender/age stereotype can stop me from expressing myself.

Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them.

Emma Watson. My admiration for her started from watching the Harry Potter films. Being in awe of this clever, thoughtful character she played. You can imagine my excitement when learning who she was outside of acting. Her involvement in significant conversations inspired me (and still does) to speak out about the things I believe in. I would love to sit down and chat with her about feminism, women’s rights, climate change, and life.

How can our readers follow you online?

If you want to follow along on my journey, my Instagram is @olgapetsa.

This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!