Small Power Big Change: A Conversation with Casey Hudecki, Daniela Montalvo and Aniko Kaszas
Written by Alisha Grech
In the midst of dragging my feet from room to room in my apartment, I noticed a feeling of powerlessness. During a time of social distancing, where most of the world is (rightfully) shut down, we are told this feeling is normal—whatever normal really means right now. I felt like I was lacking in ways that I could take control over my situation, right now. This realization lead me to the idea of “small power.” If you google the words, you’ll get videos about water generators and other electrical power companies. In hindsight, maybe that isn’t too much of a departure from what I was thinking about. How can I, as a young woman in the creative industry, harness my “small power” towards large-scale change?
I reached out to Casey Hudecki, Daniela Montalvo and Aniko Kaszas to discuss this idea of “small power.” All three have walked similar paths. They discovered their love for film and television in childhood, in acting in classes, through theatre, and then climbing hurdles towards professional careers. However, these are not the only points of commonality between these women. Each, although in different situations now, have harnessed the idea of “small power” to large-scale change, in their own ways.
Casey Hudecki is a certified fight instructor, stunt performer, fight director, and intimacy coordinator. Casey has worked with youth and professional actors alike, working with scenes of intimacy on the stage and screen. Casey was also one of the first women to lead the Fight Direction at the Stratford Theatre Festival. She is a certified Intimacy Coordinator with Intimacy Directors International.
Daniela Montalvo is an actor with recent credits including: Hers is a Lush Situation, Law & Order: SVU, and Manifest. You may know Dani from her most recent work: I Was Lorena Bobbitt, premiering on Lifetime. The project will outline Lorena Bobbitt’s life story as an immigrant bride of an abusive husband in the 1990’s.
Aniko Kaszas is an actor and stunt-woman based in Ontario, Canada. She is a graduate of the University of Toronto with previous studies at the American Academy of Arts (New York City) and Second City (Toronto). Aniko’s recent credits that you may have binged during this quarantine include: The Expanse, V-Wars, The Boys, and The Umbrella Academy.
I dialogued with Casey, Dani and Aniko regarding their careers, and what inspired them towards the path they are currently on:
Casey Hudecki
Casey Hudecki: “I started acting professionally and learning stage combat in high school. This combination of skills led me to stunts and fight directing. I have always enjoyed the blend of performance, storytelling and the technical discipline of fight choreography. My understanding of safety, movement and performance led me to intimacy coordination. In each job, I am a storyteller, and I use movement and performer impulses to guide the story.”
Dani Montalvo: “I started off with music as a child; playing the guitar, singing and writing my own songs. After finding that form of expression, I knew I wanted to be a performer, and to entertain. I took a theatre class in high school, watched a lot of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and eventually decided I wanted to go to theatre school.”
Aniko Kaszas: “That’s a really great question because I sort of have no idea. I’ve been told by my parents that I declared, “I want to be an actress!” when I was 4, but I personally have no memory as to why I made that decision. The declaration has been re-made many times over the years, though, and it still stands. Acting is an impossible profession and if there was anything else that I was equally passionate about, it would be an easier route to take, yet I still decide on acting, and then I decide again. I guess you could say that it sort of keeps choosing me and I go along with it. As for inspiration, currently, I’d say it is because I love stories and I love storytelling. I get to be the vessel through which people tell stories, and I think that is absolutely fantastic. Stunts has come alongside the acting because I have a pretty varied background in physical skills that seem to lend themselves to the work, and I really enjoy using physicality to tell stories as well. There’s a lot you can convey with movement alone.”
Dani Montalvo
The ability to tell stories and share the experiences of others is a common thread for all three. Within Dani Montalvo’s most recent project, I Was Lorena Bobbit, storytelling is at the center of her work:
Dani Montalvo: “The fact that Lorena herself was attached to the film let me know that this story would be told from her side, and to a completely new era of thought and law. Not everyone is truly aware of the injustices to women worldwide, and Lorena’s story is a prime example of the reality many people face. By bringing this story to film and letting Lorena’s voice be heard, I can only hope women everywhere will feel like they are not alone, and that they too, have a voice. That they don’t need to be silent anymore. We need to hear and see this story through a different lens and now is the time.”
Both within and externally to the project, there is an importance for exploring intimate and even traumatic moments safely within the film and television industry. As women in the area of physical stunts and intimacy coordination, Casey Hudecki and Aniko Kaszas describe their unique perspectives on actor safety, personal safety and the intimacy that comes when working on a project like I Was Lorena Bobbitt:
Casey Hudecki: “Intimacy Coordinators are a liaison between production and performers, ensuring informed consent. We are movement coaches, we are advocates for the performers, and we put in place protocols for scenes of nudity, simulated sex and sexual violence. I am wary of saying that my being a woman gives me a greater understanding of these elements. My experience as a performer (including as a nude stunt double and body double) helps me, as well as a career full of performing the victim of physical and sexual assaults. When doing scenes like the ones in I Was Lorena Bobbitt, both performers needed to protect their mental health, because it is hard to tell either side of a story like that.”
Aniko Kaszas: “I think it just gives me a sense of power that’s really exhilarating. I grew up with a mother who was a trailblazer in her career, and I didn’t realize until later in life that some people think that women are “the weaker sex”. They’ve clearly never met my mom! I consider myself very strong and capable, and in the avenue of stunts it feels awesome to showcase that and in doing so, perhaps inspire other women to the realization that of course we can do this, too.”
But what is “small power”? What am I even talking about? To me, small power takes the action of tiny steps towards a larger scale change. Anything from waking up in the morning just a little bit earlier to get a better start to your day, or rooting yourself in your artistic practice, to feeling more physically healthy by moving your body—are all examples of exerting acts or moments of small power towards larger change in the future. I asked Casey, Dani and Aniko what they felt “small power” meant to them within their lives:
Aniko Kaszas
Casey Hudecki: “It doesn’t always take much to instigate a paradigm shift. The moment it takes to ask for consent, or check in, or cover a nude actor before giving them notes creates a greater mindfulness and a culture of respect. My background is in stunts, and I find this to be a good comparison: once safety distance, speed and timing are worked out and performers know they won’t be hit, they can commit fully to the performance. It may seem small, but generally once boundaries are named and acknowledged, performers feel much freer to do vulnerable work. This respect can influence the greater dynamic of a set and what kind of stories we can tell safely.”
Dani Montalvo: “I immediately picture the idea of planting millions of tiny seeds that eventually grow into a forest. Just because you may feel tiny or small, it doesn’t mean that the actions you take won’t create a difference or change.”
Aniko Kaszas: “It’s the butterfly effect! We might think that something we’re doing is negligible in terms of importance, but who knows the reverberations one tiny action might have down the line. If you are able to silence your own negative voices and just take steps towards creating, collaborating, supporting and engaging, you might have an impact somewhere down the line that is totally unexpected.”
In conjunction with the ability to create change through acts of “small power,” we also talked about the challenges they face within their industry:
Casey Hudecki: “The main challenge at this time is educating the industry about the value of this work. The Intimacy Coordinator is not a censor, we are there to facilitate communication in prep to help make the scene its best, and generally that means ensuring the cast feels safe and respected.”
Dani Montalvo: I’ve noticed how often people want to take advantage of you. Not everyone who you think has your best interests in mind, does. It’s very easy to want to trust people who can do something for you or your career, but it’s so important to set boundaries and learn when and how to say no. It’s awful that women too often feel like prey in this business full of predators, but it’s the reality of the industry and the challenge lies in creating a change. I try not to allow myself to feel silently uncomfortable, especially around people who say they can do something for my career. Finding my ground and voice has been crucial in weaving my way through this business.”
Aniko Kaszas: “I think that there’s still something to be said for how you look, how old you are, and whether or not you’re willing to play the “game” in terms of where your career can go. It’s certainly changing, but I feel like there are walls I come up against from time to time that have nothing to do with talent, work ethic or ability. A major thing that has helped me overcome challenges is to stop being my own worst enemy. For a long time, I talked myself out of taking risks because I was sure I would make a mistake or fail, but then of course I failed because I never tried. Now, when something comes up, I really try to silence the voices that tell me I’m not right and just go for it. You don’t need to be your own worst critic. It’s a terrible curse of the perfectionist, because you decide against yourself on behalf of other people when maybe they would have decided differently! So, overcoming the negative voices and just showing up helps you overcome a lot.”
For many people during the pandemic, exuding “small power” seems like an impossible task when it feels like the world is at a standstill. Many artists find it difficult to create, some are struggling with mental health or the responsibility for caring for others in their lives. What are ways we can take the idea of “small power” and put it into our day to day quarantine experiences?
Casey Hudecki: “I have two small children, and that makes the COVID-19 shutdown challenging. I have found that it is a good time to focus in. With playgrounds closed we have been spending time noticing the little things: ants, the texture of bark, signs of springs, and that has been very rewarding with the kids. As an adult I think it’s a good time to focus internally, and examine habits. We have power in regards to our mindset and mental health patterns. Anxiety is an issue everywhere, even with my children, but we have an opportunity now to slow down and get present. Because really, the present moment is the only place we actually have any power.”
Dani Montalvo: “Even though the least I can do is stay at home, wash my hands some more, and social distance, it’s a small act that down the line makes a huge difference for us all.”
Aniko Kaszas: “I’m trying my best to continue to silence the voices of negativity and futility and do things that make me feel fulfilled. I’ve been working on a small web-series as well as a few short films, and even just hearing from one person who says, “that made me smile today” makes it all worth it.”
What brings Casey Hudecki, Daniele Montalvo and Aniko Kaszas together is a passion for change. Finding strength within not only their prospective crafts, but themselves, is just as—if not more—important than the change they are making themselves. The truth is, everything we are doing right now: staying home, reading, reaching out to our loved ones, working in essential business, are all acts of small power towards a larger change. The world may not come back the way it used to be, but I’m hopeful it will be something new.
I Was Lorena Bobbitt premieres on Lifetime on Monday May 25th at 8:00pm EDT.
Learn more about the interviewees here:
Casey Hudecki: https://www.intimacycoordinatorscanada.com/casey-hudecki
Dani Montalvo: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6133020/
Aniko Kaszas: https://www.anikokaszas.com