Deva Puspanathan

 

“Never feel guilty about doing something that makes you feel happy.”

Bookclub – Student short film

Directed by: Annie Cartwright and Nathan Morris

Written by: Annie Cartwright and Keeden Hendriks

In our third year at university, one of the most inspired short films produced was Bookclub, in which I had the delight to play the character, Millicent. She is a well-groomed, rich, villainess who enjoys killing her husband(s) when she becomes bored with them. It was a great opportunity to play around with the mindset of a villain, despite the comedic tone of the film. I also learned how to build upon audiences the first impression of the character; allowing them to make assumptions based on her appearance, and build on those assumptions to convey her deviousness. Millicent is a character that’s memorable for me as I greatly enjoyed bringing her to life, and felt I learned a lot while inhabiting this role.

All The Flags

Written by: Van Badham

Directed by: Dominique Sweeney

This was an interesting project to work on, and by including our professional training on Bouffon, it turned out even better than originally expected. I had the opportunity to play as four contrasting characters which showed off my ability to portray roles with different motives, objectives, and movement styles. It was great fun exploring different techniques outside of naturalism.

During my second and third years at Charles Sturt University, I worked with a group of incredible animation students to record motion capture for projects such as Friendly and Companies, and Skyblue.

It was amazing to learn what it’s like to be a motion capture artist. Gaining experience in such a specific mode of acting was a joy and came with many challenges. Embodying a character while wearing just a full body suit isn’t easy, but I listened to all the feedback I was given by the animation students after every take and incorporated it into my performance. At the end of each experience, I came out with so much more knowledge about how the process worked and how to give the best possible performance. The final products were amazing, and it is an experience I hope I get to recreate one day.

  

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKIadtX-evk

Here’s a small clip of me re-envisioning a scene from the Netflix film Falling Inn Love

In my spare time, I like to refine and expand my skill set by recreating scenes from movies to practice movement, timing, and blocking.

The Tempest: William Shakespeare

Directed by: Robert Lewis

Photographer: Rachel Baird

During my second year as an acting student at Charles Sturt University, I played the character, Gonzalo, in our year’s production of Shakespeare’s play The Tempest.

Gonzalo is a wise old man who’s gone through tough shades of life and has grown to see everything optimistically. Other characters see him as a hassle; Gonzalo has a lot to share but isn’t taken seriously until the end of the play. Most of his words are dismissed as utter nonsense.

My experience in bringing him to life mostly focused on developing my vocal tone and posture. I focused on my legs, tired to bring in a shaking, frail stature. The Gonzalo I envisioned had a rough, older voice, therefore I set about learning to deepen my voice and tone without sacrificing the amount of projection I would need. It was difficult at first, but with persistence and practice, I was able to get the tone I wanted without sacrificing volume.

The Marriage Proposal

Written by: Anton Chekhov

Directed by: Zoe Hadler

The Marriage Proposal by Anton Chekhov was a performance in which I had the pleasure to play as Stepan Stepanovitch Chubukov. Chubukov was originally written as a 50+-year-old single father, looking out for his daughter, wanting her to get married as soon as possible. When discussing the role, the director Hadler talked about wanting to bring something new to the character, but also respecting its original origins. The choice to switch the character’s gender brought many interesting challenges to the role, which I was excited to overcome.

Chubukov is a well-settled, open-minded, matured women. She’s a prominent pillar of the community, owning property and maintaining her status with ease. She has strong opinions she isn’t afraid to voice, becomes ignited when insulted (much to the audience’s hysterical delight), and yet is still caring and sweet with words. Learning to portray this character, discovering her voice, and figuring out her way of movement was an incredible experience, one I will treasure.

Entering the mindset of a mature woman, one who has focused her life on caring for her properties and her daughter, was a difficult challenge but one I feel I embraced. I learned to understand how actions speak louder than words, and how one’s pride can speak even louder.

 

Photos by: Rachel Baird

https://rachelbaird94.wixsite.com/rbphoto/client-showcase

“You will never be able to escape from your heart.”

I say what is on my mind, I follow where my heart leads me, and every time I embody a character I embed a part of myself within them. This sentence often defines who I am as a person and as an actress.

 

“Acting is magical, change your look and your attitude, and you can be anyone.”- Alicia Witt

Bringing a character to life to me is listening to what they’re trying to say and translating that for the audience. Each character has a story that they want the world to hear, a soul that wants to be seen, and a message that cannot be ignored. When I take on a role, I become the character’s interpreter, doing my best to show the world their worth.

As a person and an actress, these are my truths.