Regan Aliyah on growing up with a long family history of creatives and staying honest and authentic for her character portrayals
Photography MATT KALLISH
Words ICEIS AUGUSTINO
Today, we had the opportunity to sit and talk with Regan Aliyah. She’s an actress from the Netflix show ‘XO, Kitty’ and the upcoming Marvel show ‘Iron Heart.’ We discussed various topics ranging from growing up in a family that was heavily working in the music industry to staying honest and authentic when preparing and portraying character roles.
Have you heard of the game, Would You Rather?
I have. It’s a classic. I feel like everyone has.
So, I thought it would be fun to do a couple Would You Rather questions to start this off.
Okay, I’m excited. Let’s do it.
The first one is, would you rather be reincarnated as an exotic animal or have a talking exotic animal as a pet?
I feel like that’s tough because being reincarnated as the exotic animal is cool, and if I had a talking animal, that does not mean that the talking animal would like me. It doesn’t mean that we would be best friends all of a sudden just because we could communicate. I’m obsessed with little rodent-looking things, [and] there’s some exotic animals that are still tiny little rodents, so I don’t know, I might be the exotic animal.
That’s fair. I think that’s a fair point. Just because you can talk to your animal does not mean they like you. They might actually be telling you they’re going to eat you in your sleep.
And now I’m terrified when I don’t even have to be terrified. I could be roaming the earth as some cool, exotic animal, and everyone’s like, ‘Wow, look at her go!’ So, I would pick [being the] animal.
Would you rather be stranded in a desert for a year or Antarctica for a year?
Desert. I don’t do cold. I don’t do normal cold. I don’t do A/C in the house cold. I like to be warm all the time, so I would pick the desert. I feel like in California, we have desert. We’re kind of in that vein. So yeah, I could do that.
Yeah, California, Arizona, and Nevada, all those areas are nothing but desert. You’re already prepared for the climate. The last question is would you rather be forced to wear your least favorite outfit every day for six months or never be allowed to wear your favorite outfit ever again?
Never wear my favorite outfit ever again, because if it’s my favorite outfit, that means I already don’t wear it often. If it was my favorite, that means it’s really extravagant. It’s something that’s a big statement, and you have to space out statements anyway, so I would wear that outfit once and never again, and then mix and match other stuff to make my new ‘favorite outfit.’ If it was my favorite, I got that look off. Everyone saw that look. I don’t need to do it again.
You have recently been cast in some pretty big things, which is very exciting for your career. Going on this journey, do you feel like there was a defining memory or moment that made you realize that you wanted to be an actress?
I come from a family of creatives, a lot of musicians and entertainers in general. Growing up hearing music in the house, seeing people always going after the arts, it was one of those things where I had no choice but to be bitten by the bug, even though they didn’t necessarily want me to, because there’s a lot of pros and cons of this industry, and they were burned a lot in it. They were like, ‘go to school. Don’t do this. You can end up broke, and this and this.’ It went in through one ear and out the other. I still wanted to do it. As a child, my defining moment was seeing their passion for the arts, regardless of if it ever burned them or if it didn’t pan out the way that they thought that it would. As a kid, you still love that creative element. I loved it through music. I love it through acting. I love it through performing of any sort. Being a kid and seeing other people’s passion made me passionate about it, and it was my defining thing that made me want to pursue entertainment in general.
I think it’s always great when you’re exposed to those things earlier on because then you can see what it’s about and decide if you want to go into it, whereas if you were never exposed to it, and you randomly decided you wanted to go into it I feel like that’s a lot harder, and you don’t know what to expect. So I definitely think that gives you an advantage at least going into it.
It does. It’s an interesting thing to see people that have that. You can have knowledge, I like to say, but at the same time, I think the downfall of it is that when people are burned from things that they really love, they’ll tell you the honest things like, hey, I couldn’t get to this point, or I didn’t make it because of this, this, and this. It can be really hurtful to hear that there are outside forces behind certain things where your creative ability or passions can’t even take you to where you wanted to go. At the same time, it was an optimistic yet pessimistic situation, because I think these are the most talented people in the world, yet they were burned so badly by these circumstances, but like I said, that knowledge, and them believing that the arts is valid, was something that is very great to have, and such a genuine thing that I don’t take for granted at all. You know, people [who] believe that the arts are a real career path.
In addition to acting, you’re also a musician on the side. You’ve put out some music, and I’m sure the skill sets for those two careers are maybe not super different, but they do vary in different ways. What is a skill you’ve learned from each outlet, and do you feel that you can apply any of those skills that you’ve acquired to the other?
Yeah, I definitely think a lot of it crosses over. I’ve always been hesitant to be known as an actor that makes music because I [made] music first and then started acting. I was young and pursuing music, and then acting [came] up in between those times. I’ve learned a lot. Going in the studio when I’m writing my verses requires muscle memory for me to then go and perform those verses and not forget a word. I think my memorization really helps with acting and learning lines and stuff like [that]. I can read something, remember it, and then perform it like I’ve known that for a couple of weeks, so that’s really helped me as far as learning long scripts. Now I’m good at memorizing things like that, because I’m used to doing it with my own raps, because I never want to get on stage and forget some lines, because I’m like ‘oh, no, no, no. don’t do that.’ But I think that [has] really helped me a lot with learning lines. The confidence to get up on the stage [and] perform your own music, there’s a certain level of confidence you have to have. [It’s the] same with acting, to perform a scene in front of everybody watching you behind the cameras. [You have to have] confidence in yourself. It just crosses the board in entertainment. Everything can aid and help you in other areas that you don’t even know.
Most definitely, and I feel like for a lot of creative career paths, in some way or another, they crisscross at some point, and you can learn and take stuff from one aspect and take it to the other, which definitely helps.
Yeah, 100 percent. It really really does. I’m very thankful for both because they both shifted me into moving quicker in both areas because I’m like, ‘Oh, I know that from this,’ or ‘I know that from that,’ and then I just use it for my benefit. It’s fun.
I feel like when people look at music and acting, those appear to be two very different career paths, even though, as we just talked about, there are a lot of crossovers. You were talking about how you prioritize your music first, but if you had to choose only one of those careers to pursue for the rest of your life, which one do you think it would be, and how would you go about making that decision?
I feel like it would be music. That’s my first love. It will always be my first love. The reason why is I feel like I’d feel fulfilled with acting in music videos and different things like that and using those elements to get that other side of me to come through. But there’s something so special about writing something about situations you’ve been through and those situations helping other people, and being something that lasts in society for so long. It’s something I really connect to a lot, and in the same way [in] acting, you can be in a project that makes such a lasting impact on people. It is tough because I really do love both of them, and I love all the arts, but I think I would lean towards music being my everything, regardless of anything else, because I think I just feel the most fulfilled through it.
You’re talking to somebody who is actually obsessed with music and basically every genre. So, I am very happy to hear that. It’s a very cathartic release, too, ‘cause you just get to write all your feelings on the page, and then you turn it into something and put it out there.
It’s completely from your mind or the minds of the other people that you’re working with, and it always feels like you’re releasing something new into the world. It’s so beautiful. Music is in everything, including acting. Music is that connector of everything. It’s something that I feel like has always been so much bigger than me. I think I would choose it, but don’t get me wrong, I love acting. It’s so much fun for me. It’s another release, and getting to not play myself is a really really cool experience because you’re stepping into the shoes of other walks of life, and other people’s life stories, and you get to try to portray that in a way that other people can feel validated [and] represented in, and I think that is a beautiful thing in itself.
You were talking about how memorizing your own rap verses has become very beneficial for your acting. What do you feel like is the most important part of the process for learning and embodying whatever character you’re trying to play at the time?
Being honest. [Being] honest with your portrayal of what you think that character’s going through [is] the best thing that you can ever do because when you start stepping into ‘this actor may have done it this way,’ or ‘this actor would probably say it this way,’ you start putting doubt in your brain, and you start not giving yourself credit for already knowing. You know that character. How you read the character in that honest portrayal from you is what’s going to move and shake the performance. The most important part is being honest and trusting yourself in that honesty, and I think that it can take you far. I mean, I’m trying it out, and it’s doing something for me right now, but working with other actors, I hear them talk about certain things like that. I’m learning so much from them, and they’re veterans in it, and that’s always the note I get from each of them in different words. It always boils down to being true to yourself and honest about your portrayal of how you see that character.
Going back to acting doing some stuff for you, you play Juliana in the Netflix show ‘XO, Kitty,’ congratulations. Why did you really connect with the role of Juliana? What made you want to audition for her?
Her identity is something very similar [to mine]. I love to portray queer characters. If I’m going to be a part of a project, I’ll run for anything that says queer, ‘cause that’s our shared connection, and I feel like it can get a very honest portrayal from me because of [there being] some similarities. Her queerness is definitely something that made me interested in it, and the arc of the coming out stories and dealing with understanding that you are queer. There’s a lot that comes with it. Anytime there’s a story that involves that world, I feel heavily attached to it. I feel heavily attached to her, too, because I’m like, ‘you’re just dealing with it the same way that a lot of us have.’ There’s no right or wrong way, there’s only pushing through the best you can, if you’re around people that don’t support you as much or if you’re around people that you can’t be completely out with. Just that arc in itself is very close to home.
Most definitely, and if you’re playing a character you can relate to, it makes it a lot easier to become them.
Absolutely. She was cool. She was rocking her fits [and] she was living her life. I feel it. I relate. I get it. I know how it feels to love somebody from a distance, not being able to be in their presence. I’m in a long distance relationship myself, and I have that all the time. There were a lot of different things where I was like, ‘oh, girl, I get you. I understand.’
I was learning this when I was researching recently what ‘XO, Kitty’ was about. I didn’t know it was a spin-off to the book and movie series ‘To All The Boys I Ever Loved,’ which I think is really cool. Were you originally a fan of the book or movie series before you auditioned for it?
I am a big rom com person, so I’ve probably seen every rom com that’s been put out, and I remember sitting with my sister being like, ‘let’s judge this like let’s see how cute this was,’ and after we were like, ‘no, they kind of ate that, this was kind of cute.’ When I got the script, we were like, ‘oh, my God! That’s so cool.’ I vividly remember watching [the series] with my sister and being like, ‘oh, this is adorable.’ It was a cool little reunion, I think everyone has their own experiences of being like, ‘oh, oh, snap, this is connected! This is in that universe,’ and now, being a part of Jenny Han’s universe, her multiverse’s stuff is pretty cool.
Considering you have knowledge of all of the characters in this universe, what is your favorite character relationship dynamic on the show?
Oh, on our show, I really don’t know. I’m never a ‘pick which relationship’ type of person. I’m more for whatever feels natural to the characters at hand. Whatever they feel like their life is gonna go to, I’m for that. With the main character Kitty, I’m for whatever she feels she is the best loved and feels fulfilled in that situation. That goes for every character. You gotta go where your heart is. I don’t know. I’m out of it. I plead the fifth. I think they’re all cute in different ways, so it’s whatever people relate to and whatever they think is cute. I’m here for it.
You said you were a big fan of rom coms, romance movies, and such. And you have been cast in quite a few of those up to this point, but you were also cast last year in Marvel’s upcoming show ‘Iron Heart,’ which is a totally different genre that we’re speaking about.
Since [‘XO, Kitty’], I’ve gone into working on different projects and stuff. They’re all a huge turn from that, but it’s pretty dope! I get to dip my foot into a lot of different types of roles and a lot of different characters and feelings. It’s really, really exciting and really cool. I’m really blessed to be able to do that, and very hyped for people to see that as well.
How did that fantastic opportunity get presented to you? Was it any different than previous roles? Was there anything different you needed to prepare for that role?
Preparing is pretty much the same. I’m literally [going] over lines and stuff with my girlfriend 24/7. [I’m] just like, ‘let’s do it again. Let’s do it again.’ I know she’s probably sick of me with that, and my sister as well might be sick of me. The casting process was really [because of] my manager. She knows that I’m obsessed with the Marvel universe, and I’m like, ‘I will play a girl running in the background. I’ll play the person that screams, whatever audition you can get me, I just want to be a part of that universe.’ So, when I got presented with that opportunity, it was just really crazy. I’m the biggest Marvel fan on this planet. That was probably the most surreal thing that has ever happened to me. At the same time, I am that way if I book anything because I’m still very early in my career. I’m not a big blockbuster movie star or anything, so booking anything at all, I’m like,’ oh, my God! What’s going on? This is crazy. I went to public school. This is wild!’ But yeah, [it’s] just [a] very surreal experience to have certain things go full circle and things that you manifested actually be right in front of you and be tangible. It’s really crazy.
This doesn’t have to be career specific. This can be personal. But are there any other things you are excited about in the remainder of 2023?
With career stuff, shooting different projects. I’m very passionate about a lot of things right now. There is a strike going on. The WGA is striking, and I’m really supportive of that, and I think if people don’t know about it, that’s something that they should definitely look into. People need livable wages. People need to survive off of the arts, and there’s a lot of things that [are] going on that we have to do to ensure that it’s possible. So, when negotiations from that can come through, that’s going to be an exciting time for people to get what they deserve out of their careers. I love to travel, so I’m loving being on the East Coast a lot. My birthday. I’m a summer baby, so my birthday’s coming up. [It’s] July eighth, [I’m a] little July baby. Just different little things like that that I’m passionate or excited to see happen [at the] end of this year.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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