When established Hollywood actors note that “it’s all about the work,” they can come off as sincere as the athlete who “takes it one game at a time.” But after listening to a reporter read through some of her early roles as described on a popular Internet database, Sheena Colette makes it abundantly clear that, for her, it was entirely about the work.
Any work.
Between 2010 and 2012, the Boca resident scored bit parts on TV and in films, playing ev-erything, according to her IMDb Web page, from “hot girl” and “fit model” to “stunning girl” and “bikini babe.” On paper, it reads like the credits from a “Baywatch” episode. But in an industry littered with trampled dreams, Colette was intent on staying busy and making her own breaks.
“You can’t sit around and assess every acting opportunity, especially in the beginning,” says the New York native. “You put yourself out there over and over and [hope that] someone takes the bait. You have to if this is what you want to do. … Yes, I had to be ‘bikini girl.’ But I had to showcase myself.
“No one is going to invest in you until you invest in yourself.”
Don’t look now, but that investment is starting to pay dividends. This summer, the graduate of Florida Atlantic University shares the big screen with Jon Heder (of “Napoleon Dynamite” fame) and Thomas Ian Nicholas (from the “American Pie” movies) in the feature film “Walt Before Mickey.”
Also on tap this year: Colette is set to star in an indie film with the early title “Black Widow,” which is being shot in Central Florida; she’s wrapped up work on a comedy called “Slaphappia” that likely will debut on the film-festival circuit; and she’s shopping a TV pilot about the Cuban mob that she also produced.
For someone seemingly on the brink of catching a wave that could take her career to the next level, Colette is steady as she goes. She’s done little press, choosing instead to remain “a bit of a mystery.” But her below-the-radar approach can’t hide the passion she clearly has for a profession Colette began to pursue in earnest four years ago, after earning a degree in biological sciences from FAU.
