The biggest thing that everyone can do is check your internal bias. How are you talking to yourself in the mirror? Do you view fat people as unattractive? Do you think that you would be worth less if your body changed? So much of fat liberation and body positivity is looking inward. If everyone makes an attempt to even be aware of their internalized fatphobia, things will change. We can’t make systemic change until it happens for individuals.
As a part of our series about stars who are making an important social impact, I had the pleasure of interviewing Mia Kaplan.
Mia Kaplan is an artist originally from Southern California. You may have seen Mia in TV/film works like SMILF on Showtime, Thunder force on Netflix, and other guest spots in various projects. Mia has been performing since the age of 7 and is currently getting their BFA in musical theatre from Texas State University.
Thank you so much for joining us on this interview series. Can you share with us the backstory that led you to this career path?
In first grade, a few of my school friends joined an afterschool theatre program so I decided to join them. After that I caught the bug pretty quickly. I’ve been telling stories ever since. As soon as I learned I could make a career out of acting, there was no other option.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Once I was in a musical where I played a young girl with an infamous red cape. We were towards the end of the run, so things were pretty much muscle memory at this point…or so I thought. Right before I was about to go on stage, I realized I did not have my cape on, so I ran as fast as I could, grabbed the cape and went on stage. I went through the scene like everything was fine, until I referenced the cape and realized it was simply not on my body. Turns out, during my dash to get on stage, it got caught on another actor’s costume without me realizing. The lesson I learned from this mishap is to always be present. Even when you think you can “phone it in” (for lack of a better term) it is important to stay active in the story and be aware of your surroundings.
What would you advise a young person who wants to emulate your success?
I would tell them to keep finding the joy. Write down a mission statement for yourself about why you want to do this and go back to it every time it gets hard. It gets hard a lot. But reminding yourself why you put yourself through the hardships is what gets you through, or it does for me at least.
Is there a person that made a profound impact on your life? Can you share a story?
I had an acting teacher named Martha Gehman when I was starting to work in film. She changed the way that I do everything. We did an exercise one day where she gave us a postcard and we had to take on the physicality of a character based off of the image. When I finished my presentation, I remember her saying, “that was profound.” I think that was the first time I believed in myself. Profound is my favorite word because of her and because of that moment; how valued she made me feel.
How are you using your success to bring goodness to the world? Can you share with us the meaningful or exciting causes you’re working on right now?
As a plus-size artist, being an activist kind of came with the job. That is, if I want to continue to be loud and proud of how I exist. My hope in my work is that bodies of all shapes, sizes, and abilities are viewed as worthy and enough. Representation is everything.
Can you share with us a story behind why you chose to take up this particular cause?
When in my senior year of high school, I posted a video online of myself talking to the camera and sharing my experience as a plus-size actor. It got a lot of love. I realized that people needed to talk about bodies and needed to feel seen or be made aware of issues not on their mind every day. It was then when I decided that If I was going to have a platform, I was going to use it. There became no other option.
Can you share with us a story about a person who was impacted by your cause?
At the Dallas International Film Festival not too long ago, A young teen came up to me after watching Empire Waist, the film I am so lucky to have starred in, and told me that they felt comfortable to maybe try wearing a backless dress after seeing my character do it in the film. That is why I do it. I needed someone to be that for me when I was younger, so having them say this to me affirmed that I am doing the right thing.
Are there three things or are there things that individuals, society, or the government can do to support you in this effort?
The biggest thing that everyone can do is check your internal bias. How are you talking to yourself in the mirror? Do you view fat people as unattractive? Do you think that you would be worth less if your body changed? So much of fat liberation and body positivity is looking inward. If everyone makes an attempt to even be aware of their internalized fatphobia, things will change. We can’t make systemic change until it happens for individuals.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started”
These are the 5 things I wish I could drill into my young actor brain:
#1 Breathe
#2 It’s not that deep
#3 Keep asking why
#4 Be bold. Make the surprising choice.
#5 There is no such thing as a linear path to success
You’re a person of enormous influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
Wow. This is a tough one. I think the movement that I would start would be one of respect. I think we are lacking a lot of that. We’ve just gotta let people live the way they want to live. If you are not hurting anyone or yourself, who am I to judge? You do not have to understand everything about identity to respect an individual. Call people what they want to be called, let them exist how they want to exist. If it makes them happy, who cares what the reason is!?
Can you please give us your favorite life lesson quote? And can you explain how that was relevant in your life?
There is a Samuel Beckett quote that reads, “Try Again. Fail Again. Fail Better.”
I had the privilege of studying at Shakespeare’s Globe during my time in college. I had this teacher who drilled this into us as we learned. It changed the way that I look at things. There is no such thing as achieving perfection, all we can hope to do is fail better. I have the words “fail better” tattooed on my arm as a reminder.
We are blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.
Cher. I am just obsessed with her. She is the definition of an icon. She lives so authentically and unapologetically, I just want to pick her brain.
Thank you so much for these amazing insights. This was so inspiring, and we wish you continued success!
Stars Making a Social Impact: Why & How Mia Kaplan Is Helping To Change Our World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.