Naluda Magazine

Interview with Actress, Entrepreneur and Multi-Award Winning Athlete Kijsa Gifford

[as originally published on naludamagazine.com]

Check out our interview with actress, entrepreneur, and multi-award-winning athlete Kijsa Gifford.

Kijsa spent her formative years in intensive training for gymnastics, volleyball, lacrosse, and collegiate pole vaulting. Currently, Kijsa is a college student at University South Florida where she attends virtually in order to purse her acting career, and is set as a D1 Pole Vaulter for USF commencing her competitive season in 2025.

A distant cousin to Marilyn Monroe, Kijsa possesses the same charisma and charm as her iconic relative and named her own production company, Norma Jean Entertainment after her. In the acting realm, Kijsa recently wrapped an episode of “Space Transports,” is in pre-production for “Solace in the Little Things,” appeared in the upcoming short “The Coffee Shop,” and is slated for the lead in “Myra’s Last Hope” as well as other feature films in 2024.

Follow Kijsa @kijsagiffordofficial

Photo: Jeannie Albers @jeanniealbers

Hi Kijsa, please tell us a little about you?

I am a 19-year-old actress and athlete. I have been training since I was very young. I love acting because, as an actor you can experience moments of emotional connection that in your real life you may never have the opportunity to live through.

Describe yourself in 3 words?

Driven, happy, and kind.

How do you prepare for a role?

I am very fortunate to have some amazing acting coaches that I regularly work with. I have taken numerous workshops and am always trying to perfect my craft. I first dissect the script and read it over a bunch of times. Then I set up private coaching with one of my coaches for further work on it.

What projects you have been part of?

I have been in a short film called “The Coffee Shop,” a TV pilot called “Space Transports,” and the 2nd season of an existing TV series that I am under contract with but cannot discuss. I am also filming “Dirty Roomies” episode 9, season 1 on a new platform coming out in 2024. I just wrapped another short film and am currently filming an indie feature film in LA. I had some feature films that were set to film in September and October that are on hold due to the strike.

What kind of roles do you like or would like to play and why?

I love roles that challenge me to plunge to my farthest depths of emotional range and teach me to elevate my level of acting. I am really active so I like action roles as well. These roles allow me to empathize and grow rich connections and deep understanding of the human condition.

Which fictional character would be the most exciting to meet in real life?

Spiderman or Harry Potter. It’s a tie for me. I would love to fly through the air with spider-man and experience his body awareness. And for Harry Potter, I would love to borrow his invisibility cloak and wand for a day.

Can you name three actors or actresses you would love to work with?

Actresses: Jennifer Lawrence, Michelle Yeoh, Blake Lively, Angelina Jolie. Actors: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Cruise, Denzel Washington.

What book should every entrepreneur read?

The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. If you don’t know who you are and what you stand for, you will struggle… READ MORE