Hello Mellissa, welcome to the UK. How are you finding it so far?
So far so good, you know I got in here yesterday so battling a little bit of jet lag but other than that am really enjoying myself.
Congratulations on Honey 2, I personally really enjoyed it and it seems to be getting a great response, how are you feeling about the success of it all?
It’s just amazing, I mean I love it. The UK have picked it up and it’s now in theatres here and that seems to be doing really well, a lot of people are liking it and I kind of figured they would because it’s got a lot of fun factors that people would love to watch in a film. It’s got comedy, a little bit of romance and of course it’s entertaining with all the dancing that were doing so I think it’s a fun movie to see.
How did the opportunity come about for your role as Carla?
You know it’s funny because Seychelle, Gabriel, myself and Katerina Graham we all auditioned for the main role, and they liked all of us so much that they had to figure out a way of getting all of us in the film, and so I kind of naturally fit the part for Carla being the sassy firecracker of the bunch. I was very glad I was able to get that part and play Carla.
That leads me on to my next question, your character Carla is very playful, fun and a bit of a tease with the guys, would you say there were any similarities with you and her?
I think what Carla and I have in common is that were extremely sassy, we like to have fun, we don’t take things too seriously, and I think she’s a riot you know, she always say’s things that everyone’s thinking but too afraid to say, I think I’ve got that in me too.
Growing up has dance always been something you’ve done and saw a future in?
Yes, I grew up dancing and it’s always been a part of my life and right now for me to be starring in a dance film is really a dream come true. I started of doing Jazz, Tap, Ballet and Hip Hop and I’ve been competing in dance for many years. I literally could not go through life without having it be a part of me, its just what I love to do and who I am as a person.
Did you go to a dance school?
Yes, I went to a normal school but I was also a part of a dance academy. It was seven days a week from like three o’clock after school till about nine o’clock at night. I belonged to a company and we trained religiously everyday.
The film has a very fresh, young and talented cast, how was it working with the other actors and dancers?
Oh my gosh, so much fun. The fun-nest if that’s even a word or not but it really was, everyone was so good to work with. The guys were always playing pranks on the girls like trying to do things in our trailer [Laughs] it was just always crazy. We rehearsed for an entire month before we started shooting so we got all that time to really bond with each other which was really nice.
You have an amazing figure as people will get to see in the film and especially in your music video ‘Dance Floor’ what do you do to keep fit, is it all from dance?
Yeah mostly, I do a lot of dancing and gymnastics but I’ve pretty much been fit my whole life since I was little my muscles have been there and I guess good genes so I have my parents to thank for that, but I try to hit the gym at least three days out of the week. I don’t have a diet; I eat whatever I want but everything in moderation.
So any tips for us ladies in getting that perfect body?
I would say don’t be afraid of getting in the gym and lifting some weights because I think girls have this stigma that all they can do is cardio for like an hour but it’s really just about maintaining muscle mass, and also eat well and healthy.
Your occupations listed are singer, actress, dancer and a model, so you can pretty much do everything but if you had to choose just one of those that you could do forever which one would it be and why?
Oh no, don’t do this to me [Laughs] ok, it’s definitely hard to choose, but I would say my singing and my dancing go hand in hand and acting is something I’ve always been passionate about but I could never be able to go without my dancing and singing I can tell you that much.
We have seen you on a few shows such as ‘’Making the Band 3’’, ‘’The Search for the next Doll’’ including starring in a few film roles, but would you say it’s in Honey 2 that people are really going to discover Mellissa Molinaro?
Yeah I think this is definitely gonna be a different side to me that people haven’t seen, I’ve played a pop star in ‘Command Performance’ and I got to sing and dance in it, but this film is really fun and more of my age demographic. With the two shows I did that was definitely me fighting for my spot to get to where I need to be. Those shows were amazing because they helped me to get to where I am today you know, gave me a lot of great experiences to take with me on this journey because it doesn’t happen over night, you definitely have to put the work and the time in and that’s what I’ve been doing so to go from that to being in a film like Honey 2 is incredible.
Interview by Natalie Joseph