Spotlight On… Rosie Taranta

MacGuffin actress, Rosie Taranta has appeared in a number of our productions including: High School Musical, More Than Anything, The Jungle Book, The Music Man, The Lion King, and Peter Pan. She won The Hitchcock Award for Youth Leadership at the 2016 Shakespeare Awards. She currently reprises her role as Bertha Barnes, the put-upon school secretary in More Than Anything – the Movie, premiering April 22, 2018.

MacGuffin Questionnaire for Rosie Taranta:

What was it like to make your first movie? Making my first movie was an experience I won’t forget. It was stressful, but I became very close to so many more people, and it was a great learning experience!
What was it like working with Charles Watson? Working with Charles was great. We both like to laugh and like to have fun. Of course there were some rough patches, but overall I really enjoyed it!
Tell us about your character/what drew you to this part. What drew me to Bertha Barnes was how she was very underestimated and under appreciated. She was doing all of the work when it came to Mr. Felty, so I enjoyed bringing that into the movie.
What is your favorite word? Perseverance, I like saying it and the meaning.
What is your least favorite word? My least favorite word is portal, saying it is a struggle, and it sounds weird.
Relate a moment in your life where you feel you changed as a person. What was the event that caused it? The moment in my life where I changed as a person, was when I was singing my Torah portion in front of my friends and family. I was really proud of myself, because I basically learned it on my own, and I could take a step back and say I did that!
What trait in others makes you crazy? When someone can’t own up to their mistakes or can’t say sorry and make excuses.
What sound or noise do you love? I love the sound of the cereal Rice Krispies popping! Or soap being cut!
What sound or noise do you hate? I hate any sound that has to do with styrofoam.
What profession other than acting would you like to attempt? I would love to be a teacher or a police officer.
What profession would you not like to do? I would not want to be a nurse, I don’t really know why I just don’t want to be.
Who inspires you – alive or dead? There are a lot of people who inspire me, but I would have to say my grandmothers. They always put others before themselves. My dad’s mom worked until she was 80 something and my mom’s mom is still writing.
What is your favorite food and drink? My favorite food is either grilled chicken, or the amazing salmon dish my parents make.
What is your favorite color and flower? My favorite color is royal blue and my favorite flower is of course a rose!
What are your favorite names? I really like the name Sage, but for a middle name. I love when the first and middle name work together nicely. For example my friend Sasha Mae.
What is your idea of happiness? Happiness to me is being around people that make you happy, and doing things that make you happy. And most important feeling happy about yourself, loving yourself, being healthy, and making others happy!
What famous quote resonates with you? ‘’Be yourself, everyone else is taken.’’ Oscar Wilde.
If you could come back as any person in history, who would you be? I would want to be Abraham Lincoln, because he was president, he made such a difference in history, but many people were against him, and I give him so much credit for not giving up on what’s right (I know that’s really cliché) but I would love to know what was going on in his mind while that was happening.
Name a recent theater piece or film that moved you. I saw Wonder, and it was amazing, I was so captivated by his story and how he PERSEVERED to show everyone should be treated the same.
Name something that you learned at MacGuffin. Something I’ve learned from MacGuffin is that no matter what part you get you can be the one to stand out, and, the other actors in the show are not your competitors, they are your family.