Kayla Manuel on Crafting Her Acting Career

Kayla Manuel, an actress from Inglewood, California, approaches her craft with the precision and dedication of an athlete. “It’s easy to take in the crowd, take in the audience, but you got a job to do — you gotta play the game,” she says. Much like a driven athlete, she doesn’t accept “no” as an answer. Manuel brought this Olympian mentality to the set of INSP’s "Wild West Chronicles," now streaming on Peacock, Amazon Prime, and Sling. In the latest season, she portrays Cassie, a newlywed celebrating her marriage to Bennie Reeves, the son of the town marshal. But things take a tragic turn when Bennie murders Cassie in a fit of rage.

In a recent interview, Manuel and I discussed her roots in Debbie Allen’s dance academy, how she prepared for her role in "Wild West Chronicles," and her favorite creative outlets.