I had the pleasure of talking with Charlot Daysh. Charlot, a multifaceted Norwegian actress and writer, has emerged as a significant figure in the entertainment industry, marked by her diverse roles and profound influence both on and off the screen. Born in Stavanger, Norway, Daysh’s journey into the realm of acting and music commenced at an impressively young age. Her career, now spanning several decades, reflects a rich tapestry of experiences and achievements, including her notable performances in “Hotel Cæsar” (1998), “Cry of Silence” (2024), and “Camp” (2013).
From the tender age of five, Daysh’s engagement with Norwegian musical theater laid the foundation for her artistic endeavors. Her early exposure to the stage, coupled with a vibrant childhood filled with imagination, play, and the support of her family, paved the way for her entrance into the entertainment world. A significant milestone was her participation and victory in the Jr. Eurovision Song Contest, representing Norway at just eleven years old. This experience not only showcased her talents on an international stage but also highlighted her versatility as both a singer and an actor.
Daysh’s commitment to her craft is evident through her extensive training with esteemed teachers in the United States, Canada, and Norway. Her ability to navigate between acting and singing in international productions speaks volumes about her adaptability and dedication. Beyond her artistic pursuits, Daysh is deeply involved in charitable activities, underscoring her belief in giving back to the community and using her platform for positive impact.
The upcoming thriller film “Cry of Silence,” set to premiere on May 1st on Hollywood Suite and Prime Video, presents Daysh in a leading role as Margaret “Maggie” Klassen. In this action-packed thriller, Daysh’s character navigates the complexities of a small town besieged by a serial killer, showcasing her versatility and depth as an actress. The role required Daysh to delve into new aspects of her acting abilities, including fight training and performing stunts, further demonstrating her commitment to the authenticity and dynamism of her characters.
In addition to “Cry of Silence,” Daysh is involved in various exciting projects that highlight her range as an actress. These include “Finding Odera,” a romantic drama currently making rounds in the festival circuit, and upcoming series such as “Trickle and Flow” and “Noose.” Her venture into creating original content, including a short film and a feature, reflects her growth as a creative force within the industry.
Charlot Daysh’s journey from a mesmerized child in the audience of a musical to an acclaimed actress and writer is a testament to her perseverance, talent, and passion. As she continues to explore new horizons and take on challenging roles, Daysh remains a prominent figure in the entertainment world, captivating audiences with her performances and contributing significantly to the artistic community.
Yitzi: Charlot, it’s a delight and an honor to meet you. Before we dive in, we’d love to learn more about your personal origin story. Can you share the story of your childhood and how you grew up?
Charlot: Sure. I grew up in Norway in a city called Stavanger, and my childhood holds memories of theater. I did a lot of musical theater as a child, and during summers at the cottage, I spent a ton of time outside following my imagination. I took good care of my beloved pet rabbit, Trampe, and she was a big part of my childhood. I got into musicals at an early age, so that also had a big impact and made it quite magical for me. My parents, grandparents, and twin brothers were all very supportive and helped me put on my own plays. I would direct my younger brothers, telling them what to do and how to dress up. We loved to entertain.
Yitzi: So can you share the story of how you joined the entertainment industry? How did that first start? How did that evolve to the success that you have today?
Charlot: When I was four and a half years old, my grandmother took me to watch a musical. I was so mesmerized. I very determinedly ran down to the stage to get my poster signed. Then I had actually asked them if I could join, if I could perform with them. I was very persistent and caught the director’s attention. They explained to my grandmother that you had to be six years old to audition because they had some trial parts as well. But they said that I seemed very outgoing and mature for my age. So they actually gave me a test, and I ended up auditioning and got a part in the musical. I performed with that theatre company for almost a decade, every single year. That’s where it all started and really shaped me as an actor. I got training while we weren’t doing the rehearsals for the musicals. But I learned by doing at such an early age. So I have more experience acting than actually training, although I got more training later as well. But that’s how it all started.
When I was 10, I saw a commercial on TV for a singing and songwriting competition, kind of like Idol in Norway, just for kids, the junior version. I called up my friend, another child actor in the musical, and said, “Do you want to write a song together and we can be a band and submit?” He said, “Yeah, let’s do it.” We wrote a love song — I think we had a little crush on each other at that time. We submitted it and actually got selected. We ended up winning in Norway. So we represented Norway in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest. After that, I pursued singing as well as acting and slowly transitioned into doing more film and television. That’s kind of how it started.
Yitzi: Did you grow up speaking English?
Charlot: Yes, I do speak English. My mom is Norwegian and my dad is English. He moved to Norway to study, met my mom, and they’ve been together ever since — he’s been living in Norway. When growing up, he would speak to us in English so that we would learn both languages.
Yitzi: Not only do you speak English flawlessly, I don’t even hear any accent, not even a Canadian accent.
Charlot: Yeah, I try to have the neutral American accent because that’s what most productions want. But I can also do the British accent, if needed, or even a Norwegian accent.
Yitzi: Is your natural accent like when you grew up with a British accent?
Charlot: I would say it was kind of like British, but not too strong because in Norway, they teach English from second grade. So everyone knows how to speak English, and we kind of just have a general, not too heavy accent — whether American or British. And then all of our media was very Americanized. So a lot of Norwegians, including myself, have more of an American influence because of all the TV, movies, and media.
Yitzi: So you probably have so many interesting stories from the different productions you’ve been involved with, different shows and films. Can you share with us, the readers, one or two of the most interesting stories that have occurred to you since you started this career?
Charlot: That’s such a big question. One thing that comes to mind was back in Norway, there was a really popular TV soap opera called Hotel Caesar, and everyone was watching it. As a child, I always wanted to watch it, but I wasn’t really allowed until I became a little bit older. We would kind of sneakily watch it sometimes with friends. I always wanted to be on that show. I was like, “If I can be on that show one day.” My grandparents were so hooked on it, especially my grandmother who would watch it religiously.
Then one day, I just got a call from them. It was such a magical, gift from the universe. They asked if I was interested in coming on board as a recurring guest star role. I just remember feeling so grateful that I didn’t even have to audition — it kind of just came to me. Doing it, I learned a lot. It was the first TV series I had done and saw how fast and quickly things move. Telling my grandparents, they were about to burst with pride. That just meant so much to see how happy it made them. They told the whole neighborhood.
I think that was an early, very impactful experience that really made me believe that good things like that can just kind of come. It helped propel me forward.
Yitzi: It’s been said that sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Do you have a story about a humorous mistake that you made when you were first starting and the lesson that you learned from it?
Charlot: Yeah, I remember when I was doing the musicals around age nine, I would start getting really emotional during one of the plays at a specific scene. I started to cry and almost have an anxiety attack, and it would happen every time at the same point.
The director sat me down, saying, “You know, you need to get past this or we can’t have you in the show anymore.” I just remember having to take back my power and really learn how to calm myself down. I guess it was the first anxiety I’d ever experienced.
After they had that talk with me, I was fine. I don’t know what shifted, but I got it somehow. I realized I have to control my emotions, nerves, and anxiety on stage. That was an important lesson for me at a young age about managing those feelings when performing.
Yitzi: I love stories when you hear somebody’s career was impacted by somebody who went out of their way to do an act of kindness or open an opportunity that they didn’t have to. Was there a person who made an impact on your professional career by doing an act of kindness? I’d love to hear a story if you have one.
Charlot: There have been so many people like that, and so many acts of kindness. I think that’s what drives the world, but especially this competitive and difficult industry. Anytime someone has helped me or taken me under their wing, I just appreciate it so much. People that have really impacted me starts with my family because they planted the belief in me that I could do whatever I set my mind to. It’s really been a cornerstone in my life. They always encouraged me to follow my bliss.
Then, being able to audition for that theatre group, they believed in me and kept me with them for so long. Since coming to Toronto, I feel people have been very welcoming and I feel really well received by the industry here. I’ve had many mentors — it’s hard to just name one. Also, a lot of great acting teachers that I’ve studied with both in Norway and the US and here in Canada.
Yeah, there have been a lot of them along the way and they’re all very needed. I try to pay it forward because I know how much I appreciated it and how much it’s done for me. So I always try to pay it forward and help and uplift those around me any way I can.
Yitzi: You have so much impressive work. Can you share with our readers the exciting projects you’re working on now and what you’ll be working on or releasing in the near future?
Charlot: Sure, Cry of Silence is coming out on May 1st on Amazon Prime and Hollywood Suite. I’m really excited about it. It’s an action-packed thriller with lots of twists and turns that’ll keep you riveted. It’s about a young married couple trying to settle into a small town where the town is being traumatized by a serial killer.
I play the role of Margaret Klassen, we call her Maggie. She has to face demons from her past, stand up against them, and fight for her life back. It gets quite dramatic and definitely helped develop me as an actor. I got to explore new sides of myself. I did fight training, which was really cool. I loved that. There were some stunts too — it was great.
Yitzi: So you played the lead character in this?
Charlot: Yeah, me and Felipe Acow.
Yitzi: How does it feel to be the lead of the film?
Charlot: It’s amazing. It was so much fun and a dream come true. I feel really grateful. Actually, the same thing that happened with the soap opera happened for this movie. They reached out to me after seeing my profile on Backstage. We talked over Zoom during that time, and they offered me the part. So it was just a gift.
Yitzi: So you didn’t audition? They just offered it to you?
Charlot: I never did an official audition, no. That was also a gift. But trust me, I’ve had my fair share of auditioning. Any time I don’t have to do that, it’s really nice because everyone knows auditioning can be hard. There’s a lot of rejection — for the most part, you’re getting a no. So any time you don’t have to go through that, it’s like, “Oh, what a blessing.”
I also have Finding Odera, which is a romantic comedy or you could say romantic drama. It’s currently in the festival circuit — it was recently at the Africa International Film Festival. Coming up, I’m involved with a few exciting projects, including Trickle and Flow, a crime drama series, and Noose, a period docudrama series currently in development. I’m also dipping my toes into creating my own project, currently working with others on a short film and a feature.
Yitzi: So what lessons do you think our society can take from the themes and motifs of Cry of Silence?
Charlot: Never underestimate the power of a woman and what she’s capable of. Never let anyone hold you down — fight back if you’re not being treated the right way. I would say those are some key things from that movie for sure. We need more roles like that, powerful female leads.
Yitzi: So how do you compare and contrast your personal character, Charlot, with the character you play, Maggie? How are you similar and how are you different?
Charlot: We’re actually quite similar in a few ways. She’s creative, an aspiring fashion designer, so she’s very creative as I am as well. She’s a dreamer, which I definitely am too. She has a really warm and gentle way of being. That’s something I’ve heard that I am like as well. But then when it comes down to it, she has a real force inside of her that can really come out when it needs to. I like to believe I have that too, that inner strength and power.
Yitzi: Okay, so this is our signature question that we ask in all of our interviews. You’ve been blessed with a lot of success now. For somebody who’s looking to start, what are five things they need to succeed?
Charlot:
- I would say you have to make sure you really want to do acting. Get to the bottom of why you want to do it, the reasons, so you make sure it’s something you’re super passionate about. If not, you’re just not going to last because it is really tough and very competitive.
- You have to build mental stamina because there’s going to be a lot of rejection. You have to have a healthy amount of confidence and value yourself, be good to yourself. Acting can be like being in a toxic relationship. But as long as you are sturdy in yourself, that’s really important — knowing who you are and don’t compromise your values for a part. Really try to follow your inner compass.
- Get experience — do work for free if you have to. Also, train, find good teachers and train under them. Find representation when it’s the right time and just go for it. As cliché as it sounds, you have to keep believing in yourself and pushing for it.
- Consistency is key, being disciplined, and not just relying on an agent to submit you. You have to go out there, meet people, create your own work. No one’s going to work as hard for you as you’ll work for yourself. Get yourself out there and do a little bit every single day that will push you forward.
- And then having a genuine belief that you can, because if you don’t subconsciously, that can be problematic.
Yitzi: Can you share with the readers the self-care routines that you do to help your body, mind and heart thrive?
Charlot: Yes, I love everything that has to do with health and wellness. I love to meditate in the morning. That really sets me up for the day. I feel different if I don’t meditate — I’m just more focused and aligned.
Then I do a bit of yoga every morning. It doesn’t have to be long, anything from 10 to 20 minutes, depending on how much time I have. But it does so much.
I also try to work out maybe every other day or most days because it’s really good mentally and just good for everything. I eat a healthy, organic, clean diet as much as I can. I’m really passionate about sleep — I try to get as much as I can.
I love to read too. I think we should always keep learning and educating ourselves about how we can optimize our bodies and minds. I love to do the occasional ice bath and then sauna and those wellness things.
So many fun wellness practices you can do. I love that it’s becoming more mainstream, everyone’s getting more into it. It’s great.
Yitzi: So Charlot, because of your great work and the platform that you’ve built, you’re a person of great influence and people take your words very seriously. If you could spread an idea or inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
Charlot: I would say kindness — just being kind to the people around us. Everyone is fighting their own inner battle. Kindness is free. I think we should sprinkle that everywhere. The impact you can have on somebody by just looking them in the eye, giving them a smile, acknowledging them. Along with that goes empathy. Empathy is huge. I think it’s the driving force of everything. Just seeking to connect with people, to understand them, and to support them in any way we can. That would be my movement — kindness and empathy. I think that could take us far.
Yitzi: So how can our readers continue to follow your work online? How could they watch your upcoming films? How can they support you in any way?
Charlot: I’d love to connect with any readers on Instagram. I always post updates there. My website is charlottesh.com. New projects will always be on my IMDB as well.
Yitzi: Well, Charlot, it’s been truly a delight to meet you. I hope we can do this again next year when you have another exciting project.
Charlot: I would love to. Thank you so much. You’re a wonderful interviewer. Thanks again. Looking forward to seeing the interview.
Yitzi: I look forward to working on it. Have a beautiful day.
Actress Charlot Daysh On The Five Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Career In TV & Film was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.