Faly Rakotohavana talks latest project: Hulu’s Unprisoned

Young entertainer Faly Rakotohavana has a promising career in Hollywood. He plays the kinds of roles that most aspiring actors hope to land and stands out with his unwavering dedication to his job as well as a desire to be the greatest actor he can be. He has commercial acumen and an understanding of how to successfully navigate the industry, even at such a young age. When you chat with Faly, you can immediately feel his warmth and charm, as well as his sheer happiness at this point in his career. 

Profile – Young Entertainer
Actor:
Faly Rakotohavana
Current Project:
Finn in UnPrisoned
Other Projects:
Secret Society of Second Born Royals, Raven’s Home, Nightmare Cinema, The Mick, and Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn 

Cox: Faly Rakotohavana, I’m thrilled to talk to you about your roles in the Disney+ movie Secret Society of Second Born Royals and the UnPrisoned series on Hulu. But first, I want to learn a little bit more about you. 
Rakotohavana: I was born in Madagascar, but when I was six, my family emigrated to the United States. The only thing I remember is how lovely it is. Madagascar is one of the most stunning locations I’ve ever seen — from the clear seas and delicious cuisine to the cool wildlife like lemurs.  

I visited recently but it wasn’t what I remembered from when I was younger.  However, I believe this happens when you visit a location after you have been away for a while.  Things have changed.  

Cox: It’s like that sometimes when we go back to familiar places or even when we watch old television shows and movies. I’m like we really thought this was amazing. 
Rakotohavana: Oh my gosh Michael, I completely agree! The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl is one of my favorite movies, but when I look back at it now and really pay attention to the graphics, I wonder why I thought it was cool. I still love it though, and movies like that are classics for me.  

Cox: You are a busy young entertainer. How do you keep your acting skills sharp?
Rakotohavana: I focus on my craft very intently. I’m in acting classes every week. Acting is all I know. I want to continue to be good at the thing I love to do the most. Sometimes I’m in awe that I’m doing this professionally. It never really feels like work, especially because of the industry I’m in. I’m usually working on a couple of projects a year and then I have breaks in between them.  

In between these breaks, I usually do more auditions, stay in my acting classes, network, and do PR for my projects that have come out. Honestly, this is an industry where you hope that you get the next role you auditioned for. You have to be focused and have a lot of patience. 

Cox: How do you approach an audition? 
Rakotohavana: I’ve discovered that I prefer to end an audition in the room or once I have submitted the tape. I just do it and move on. After I finish it, there isn’t much I can do but continue to live my life. 

It’s far too simple to become enmeshed in this field and fret about what I should have learned or how I might have performed better. If you allow yourself to think that way, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. I don’t look back; instead, I concentrate on what is immediately in front of me. 

Cox: Faly, for being so young in this business, you are very wise. After an audition is over, what factors lead you to a conclusion that the experience/opportunity might be over? You are aware that learning this field requires years of experience. 
Rakotohavana: Although I couldn’t name a particular incident, I can say that I worried a lot about roles that I didn’t get. For instance, I auditioned for the character “Number Five” in Netflix’s Umbrella Academy. Aidan Gallagher, who is an excellent actor, undoubtedly won the part. I’m pleased that he was cast because he plays one of my favorite characters. Yet, at that time, the suspense of waiting to hear an answer was getting to me. I used to contact my agent and managers to see if they had heard anything instead of just waiting by the phone back then. 

Later, after a few auditions, I came very close to landing another part that I really wanted. Yet, they ultimately took a different course. I eventually began to adjust to the nature of the business and discovered how to approach things less passionately. 

Cox: Now, let’s talk about UnPrisoned. How did you feel when you received the audition email and read the cast list? 
Rakotohavana: Actually, I was in Oklahoma shooting an independent movie called Cricket’s Requiem when I received the audition. By the way, I can’t wait for the premiere of this gorgeous movie. Interestingly, I was quite bored during the week I had a break from filming. I had also done a few HBO Max and Netflix auditions here and there, but I can still picture the urgent email I received that mentioned Kerry Washington. I thought, ‘what on earth is this about?’ 

When I found out that I was auditioning with Kerry Washington for a lead role, my first thought was ‘Oh my god, this is crazy.’ I had to continue the audition, so I reminded myself to control my excitement and get through it. 

Cox: How did you prepare for the audition?  
Rakotohavana: When I have an audition, I go through a process that begins with relaxation. I have a session with Mary, my acting coach, before I do the audition. Fortunately, I was in the middle of filming at the time, so I wasn’t as focused on needing to land the job, even though I was thrilled. There is pressure when you are not working and are merely doing auditions but because I was working, I was able to enjoy myself while doing it. I believe that having fun with it was a key factor in why I booked it.  I made a ton of different versions since I was having so much fun. Afterward, I immediately returned to work and promptly forgot about it. 

Later, I received a call that I had to do another tape, but this time with Kerry Washington. She was the kindest person ever, which helped calm my nerves. Even though I knew I did a great job, I returned to work and put it out of my mind. The next day, I had to do another reading since they said my sound was not working correctly. The second time around, the sound was superior. I booked the job two days later and immediately left Oklahoma to begin filming the show. I’m so grateful and fortunate to have the opportunity to work on the show. 

Cox: Tell me more about the character you play, Finn. 
Rakotohavana: Finn is one of those people that is always busy. He enjoys taking a step back and looking at things objectively. I had a lot of creative flexibility with him, so it has been great to play him. 

I loved that I had creative leeway to push him in different directions since he’s between Edwin (Delroy Lindo) and Paige (played by Kerry Washington). Even though it would have a greater impact on Paige, I still wanted to make sure he developed that friendship with Edwin. Even though Edwin is his grandfather, it was crucial for him to have that fatherly role in his life. In the end, you can see that he takes the middle ground because he wants to ensure that everyone is content. 

Cox: Let’s now discuss getting a role in Disney+’s Secret Society of Second Born Royals. I know that for you, it was both nostalgic and a fulfillment of a desire. 
Rakotohavana: To make a movie like Secret Society of Second Born Royals was the equivalent of me seeing The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl growing up. It’s crazy that young children will watch the movie with an already formed recollection of it, just like I did. The opportunity I had to play this role and be a member of the Disney family was great. I can now say that I accomplished that. 

Cox: In the movie you play a prince named Matteo. Tell us more about this character.  
Rakotohavana: I got to be a Disney prince, which was really awesome. Mind you, he had the silliest superpower — the ability to manipulate bugs. So, I speak to bugs like I’m a Disney prince. But I really enjoyed it since neither the movie, nor the role, was like anything I had ever done before. Filming was a lot of fun, although my role was pretty ridiculous. 

Since Prince Matteo was so weird, it really took me some time to get comfortable with him. His own shadow made him nervous. Eventually I was able to reach down to discover his identity and purpose. 

The ironic part is that my progress with Finn was aided by the preparation I did to play Prince Matteo. Being able to focus on a character who is really uncomfortable and antisocial helped me understand who Finn was since he is a cooler counterpart of the prince. That was enjoyable for me since I rewatched my Prince Matteo audition videos when preparing for my audition for Finn. 

Credits:
Photographer: Lindsey Ruth @lindsphoto
Stylist: Alex Clough @alexclough.style