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Get to Know THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS Star Sasha Calle (EXCLUSIVE)

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When growing up, THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESSSasha Calle (Lola) never thought too much about becoming an actress. Instead, her passion was singing. “Music was always something that I wanted to do,” she shared with Soaps In Depth. “A friend of mine knew that I sang, and when I was graduating from high school, he told me that I really needed to be in Los Angeles [at the American Musical And Dramatic Academy]. He was like, ‘This place is for you. You’ll grow here and develop your gift.’” Of course, Calle first had to get accepted to the prestigious school! “You have to audition to get in… and mine was one of the worst auditions ever!” she groaned. “I didn’t know what I was doing. The song was terrible, the monologue was terrible. I could never afford training when I was growing up, so this would be my training!” 

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Displaying a very Lola-like determination, Calle called one of the instructors to beg for a second chance. It took 45 minutes of pleading and persuasion, but she managed to land another audition. “I went to Barnes & Noble to get a monologue book — which we’re told never to use as an actor! And then I prepared with this song from The Wild Party, which was the hardest song!” she recounted. “At the audition, I am singing and dancing, and I completely messed up the high notes. I messed them up bad! But I kept going. I was heartbroken about the song when I went on to the monologue. I was in tears, but the monologue felt so real. I had never really acted before — that was the first time I had done anything like that — but I had never felt so connected to anything in my life!”

Still, when she finished the second audition, Calle says she was sure she’d “messed up and lost my chance at my dream. My mom and little brother had come with me, and I told them, ‘I can’t leave until I talk to the [judge].’ So we waited until all the auditions were done, and I walked up to him, and he was like, ‘Wow, you are an incredible actress!’ I was like, ‘What?’ Then I told him that was the first time I’d done anything like that, and I really wanted to sing. It was crazy, but I was accepted. And now I’m on Y&R!”

In fact, Calle is quick to give a shout-out to her school for training her for the fast-paced production of daytime. “My college professors really pushed us like crazy. It was bam, bam, bam — like military boot camp for the arts!” she laughed. “And I was lucky to have my agents, because they were sending me out at least four times a week, where I had to learn dialogue really fast.” All of that prepared Calle for the Y&R audition, where she was given eight pages of dialogue to learn in three minutes! “Everybody was freaking out, but I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh, I’m so excited!’ It was like they were testing us, but I was ready!”

The Young and The Restless Abby Lola Devon

Calle really identifies with her determined Y&R alter ego. (Photo Credit: Howard Wise/jpistudios.com)

Equally cool for Calle is being able to sink her teeth into a character like Lola. “I love her!” she declared. “I love how gentle and hardworking she is. She’s bound to make mistakes like any person. She gets frustrated because she likes to control her life, and that will make her break. But I’m excited to see her ups and downs!” Lola has had plenty of both already, but for Calle, the journey has only been uplifting. “Every time I walk into that studio, I’m excited,” smiled the actress. “I always find something new to learn. I love that Y&R picked me, and we’re a family now. It’s really beautiful!”

For more on your favorite Y&R stars, keep reading the CBS edition of Soaps In Depth magazine.

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