Tiffany Feng
Assistant Business Manager
Mira Costa freshman Cole Konis follows his dreams of acting through participating in everything from school musicals to award-winning films.
Konis’ acting journey began eight years ago when his par- ents brought him to a musical for the first time, and he was in- stantly inspired, Konis said. His inspiration for acting stuck, and he enrolled in Family Theater, a theater comapny located in Her- mosa Beach. There, he learned acting skills and stage directions that eventually led him to land a role in the award-winning movie “American Sniper.”
Check out some photos of Konis performing
“Acting was a commitment that I myself wanted to pursue at the time,” Konis said. “I loved be- ing on stage and just wanted to do more and more of it. Being on stage is nerve-racking at first, but soon, the payoff hits you, and it’s an amazing experience.”
In the summer of 2014, Konis’ mother was approached by movie producer Tim Moore, who sug- gested that Konis should audition foraroleinafilmthatwasbe- ing released later that year. Ko- nis took the opportunity and au- ditioned for the film “American Sniper” a couple days later. He landed the role of the main char- acter’s younger-self.
“Being on the set was life changing,” Konis said. “The en- vironment of it all was very pro- fessional and at the same time felt like I was in a whole different world. Over the years, I have be- come very grateful for the experi- ence, and it will always be important and special to me.”
After realizing he wanted to further develop his acting skills, Konis auditioned for the Belasco Theater Company in Los Ange- les. He spent the next five years learning the different aspects of acting and performing in Broad- way-style productions. Although he also auditioned for other agen- cies and several commercials, he had a difficult time landing any of them, Konis said.
“Belasco was a sort of step up of professionalism for me, and it was one of the best decisions of my life,” Konis said. “I learned many more techniques in the company and made many friends on the way. The director, vocal instructor, and dance teacher there truly taught me what acting and musical theater can be like.”
The first task Konis had to ac- complish on set was to learn to fight for a combat scene. He was trained by stunt professionals who taught him the basics, how to punch and how to take a hit. In addition to learning to fight and memorizing his lines, Konis had to manage his school work that he was completing with an out- of-school teacher.
“The character I played is a protective and loving kid who grows up to become confident, strong-willed, devoted and cou- rageous,” Konis said. “Overall, I loved acting as the character, and I would give everything to do it again.”
Konis joined Costa’s Drama Department at the beginning of freshman year, as well as the Thespian Society, an organi- zation for high school theatre students to honor their achieve- ments in the theatre arts. Konis is also involved in a senior project called “21 Trump Street,” a short musical cast directed by Costa senior Connor Tree.
“Working with Cole has been an invaluable experience,” Tree said. “From acting together in the spring musical ‘Oklahoma!’ to directing him in my own se- nior scene, he is consistently ex- cellent and engaging. His acting is already at a solid base, with a strong sense of developing his character and his natural ability to tell a story, and he will only continue to improve.”
Currently, Konis is taking a break from acting on camera to focus on enjoying his high school experience and partici- pating in live musicals, Konis said. He hopes to continue acting throughout high school in vari- ous classes and clubs. After high school, Konis plans to continue acting in college, as well as pos- sibly to pursue an acting career in the future as a profession.
“As high school and after that, college, progresses, I hope to al- ways have acting by my side; it is what I like to do,” Konis said. “I might choose a different major and pursue something complete- ly different in college, but I am not sure. I will just have to see where life takes me.”
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