Kelsey Susino
ACTRESS
What do you do in the Vertical Industry?
Actress 🧚🏼♀️
How did you come across Vertical Dramas?.
I had been submitting on casting sites to what I now know are vertical dramas but my first one was kind of just luck? The Secret Heiress was a direct offer and it really catapulted me into the vertical drama world. I played a (you guessed it) secret heiress named Lily Wilson, and it got really popular on TikTok. This is also the only vertical I was ever recognized in public for. I'm super grateful to Linkhand Media for getting me into this crazy world, it's been so much fun!
What is your favourite project you have worked on so far?
Ooh! My favorite project has to be an unreleased one called Secrets of a Housewife! It'll be out on Playlet! I play a housewife who, once being diagnosed with leukemia, sees her life for what it has become and decides to start fresh. Chaos and hilarity ensues in a much more uplifting and redemptive story than I expected. It was so fun to film and my real life husband Ben played my husband in this too and anytime I get to work with him I am the happiest!
Other honorable mentions are: So Young So Perfect on TaleOn, where my costar and I really turned this into such a fun romcom and I'd definitely loveee to do more of those! I also got to film this is NYC, which is where I'm from, so getting to stay with my sister and one of my best friends was such a perk.
And Faux Fiancé on SaltyTv! This was a different type of vertical for me, basically love island if it was a vert. Callie was so fun to play and it was so great to switch up the circumstances!
What is the craziest thing you have found yourself doing while working on a vertical?
I feel like mine have been rather tame! I mean I've been kidnapped and done some kidnapping sure but .... hmm on the vertical I just wrapped, it was the last scene of a 19 hour day where one of my costars and I were running into the rain, which happened to be a hose attached to a HUGE water tanker, and it was 4am, and did I mention we were in China. We knew we were going to get soaked but I was still laughing and shrieking the whole time.
Any funny stories you can share with us?
On Faux Fiance I wore the infamous wig which unfortunately looked very fake the whole time. But when we filmed this one scene where my character and another girl push each other in the pool in the middle of a fight, we only had one take to get it, and it looked great, but tell me why that wig looked the realest it ever did on my head popping out of the pool soaking wet! Hmm most of my stories involve getting wet.
Also on that set, one day Ben was visiting me to bring me a coffee (he's the sweetest boy in the world) and we ran into a director he had worked with who was scoping out the location for another shoot. He absolutely didn't recognize me! And one of our ADs also didn't realize I was wearing a wig until halfway through the shoot and she told me that she would always get confused at where the girl who showed up in the morning would go.🤭
What are you most proud of?
Getting married to Ben, whenever my only job is acting, pulling myself out of depression a few times, growing and being someone I respect
(I'm jet lagged sorry if this is a little much 🙈)
3 Random Facts:
⭐ I produced a podcast years ago for an art fair company that was streamed in over 200 countries!
⭐ I have a lip tattoo that says "ciao" my sister and I got them matching in Rome .. yk us Italians just love making sure people know we're Italian. I'm fully Italian btw..
⭐ The summer I went vegan I ate 8 bananas a day.
Favourite snack:
Mango!
Current earworm:
Anything fka twigs
Last movie you saw at the cinema / play you saw on stage:
Enemy of the People on Broadway starring Jeremy Strong and Michael Imperioli
Presence! Wait no, it was this Norwegian film called Armand (but I left a little early eek!)
Currently reading:
Penance by Emilia Clark!
Thank you Kelsey 🙏🏼
Please do check out:
🎞️ Faux Fiancé on SaltyTv
🎞️ So Young So Perfect on TaleOn
📸 Kelsey’s Instagram @kelseysusino
