Danika Golombek [Interview]

Hello Folks! We are wrapping up the week with not only more coverage of the incredible film we have spent some time with the last week, the brilliant Wade in the Water, but we have some words from the amazing performer who brought the film’s most interesting character to life. And that would be the wonderful Danika Golombek!

Much like our interview subject from earlier this week (Tom E. Nicholson) I would have to regretfully say that I was not aware of Danika’s work in the world of performance. But just like Tom, I have become just so damn intrigued and believe that she is one of the best young performers out there in the world of acting right now, and for a long time coming. I am extremely excited to see what the future holds for this amazing star on the rise.

So Folks, please enjoy some wonderful words from the incredible Danika Golombek!

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What inspired you to get into the world of acting? Was it something you have dreamt of doing since a youth, or did you just happen to find yourself in this world one day?

I was an extremely anxious kid. The kind of anxious that resulted in a nearly paralyzing fear of being my authentic self in any given situation. So my mother had always tried to nudge me a bit outside of my comfort zone. I was taking singing and ballet lessons, so she figured I might find solace (and maybe some confidence?) in the theater. She signed me up for a community theater program around age eleven and that was it. Here was a place where I could tell someone else’s story. It was a way to get out of my own head for a little while, and it became incredibly therapeutic.

I went on to pursue acting at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, Washington. From the get-go, I was drawn to performing in small studios/black box theaters. The intimacy of the space made me feel so much more connected. I loved dialing it down and finding the nuance. So naturally, the interest in film grew more and more.

What was your very first gig in the world of performance? And where there any sort of lessons learned from this first project that you still insert into your work today?

My very first show was the musical Annie, at a small children’s theater in Bend, Oregon. I had a teeny part with a teeny solo, but I was hooked. Being in an ensemble taught me at an early age just how vital every person involved is to the production. The same is absolutely true on a film set.

You gave an absolutely amazing performance in one of my favorite films of 2019, entitled Wade In The Water. Can you tell our readers about this project, and what drew you to be a part of it?

Well, thank you! I appreciate that very much. Wade In The Water is not your typical vigilante film. Our lead man (played by Tom E. Nicholson) is an awkward, angry loner with a dark past who’s personal demons catch up with him when discovering a package in his mailbox that wasn’t meant for him. He takes it upon himself to enact justice as he sees it. In doing so, he meets Tilly. The daughter of his intended victim.

I had the pleasure of playing Tilly. When we meet her, she’s going through the most difficult period of her life very suddenly and has trouble allowing herself to feel an ‘appropriate’ reaction. Her nonchalance is a little unsettling, given her circumstances. These two characters form the most unlikely bond, but through it find a way to cope with each other.

I was incredibly drawn to this project because of how it confronts grief in a real and complicated way, because grief is just that. Very complicated. It varies from person to person. The way we mourn is so personal to who we are individually. It’s more interesting to watch, I think. I have felt so humbled to have had the opportunity to tell this story, because it’s so deeply human.

You also recently had a role in mini-series that we excitedly covered in detail here at TWS known as I Am The Night. How was your experience working on this very strange tale? Any fun antidotes being on this set?

It was super exciting to be apart of something on that large of a scale. I was only there for a day, but it was quite the full day. We shot our scene in this warehouse. Very creepy, very cold, and very cool. We had filmed over a year ago before it released. I got a call from my mom screaming “you’re on t.v.!” and it took me a moment to realize what she was referring to simply because so much time had passed.

If you were handed the opportunity to portray any historical figure in American history, who would it be? 

Gertrude Ederle, Dorothy Lawrence, Margaret Hamilton are some women who come to mind that I could realistically play. I’ve known about Margaret for some time, but Gertrude and Dorothy I’ve only read up on recently. Not only are these examples of women who have paved the way for other women, but women who have made huge strides in their field and haven’t received the attention they deserve. Gertrude Ederle was the first woman to swim the English channel. It took her 14 hours, beating the previous record held by a man for whom it took 16 hours. She had only a few months of acknowledgment before being overshadowed by Charles Lindbergh, who flew a plane across the Atlantic Ocean soon after. I was swimming competitively for the first big chunk of my life, so to be able to play someone who’s sport I have a genuine appreciation for would be incredible.

What does the future hold for you? Anything you would like to plug to our readers?

Well, given the opportunity I hope to be telling unconventional stories more and more going forward.

Chris Retts and Mark Wilson (writer and director of Wade In The Water) are my guys and I intend to work with them until I die. We’ve got ideas currently in the works. So you’ll be seeing a lot more of us in the coming years. Just you wait.

What was the last thing that made you smile?

This really incredible banana cream pie that I had on the fourth of July. The perfect ratio of banana to whipped cream, meaning like 85% whipped cream. My smile was impenetrable. Tears were shed.