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I'm an actress, Sonya Balmores, who plays Auran on Marvel's Inhumans... which wraps up tonight on ABC so now I'm an out of work actress. AMA!
I was born and raised on the Garden Isle of Kauai. You may recognize me from other projects like Soul Surfer and Beyond the Break... You can follow my acting work on Instagram @sonya.balmores - Twitter @sonyabalmores - Facebook @alohasonyabalmores I'd also like to take this opportunity to give a shout out to my favorite organizations that I support and LOVE: Stella's Voice (https://stellasvoice.org) and Into Freedom (http://www.intofreedom.org) -- I volunteered this summer at their girls camp, it was amazing. I learned that one of the ways to stop human trafficking is to prevent it from starting, and that's by teaching young girls how valuable they are.
Proof: https://i.redd.it/c26plvri51xz.png
I'm signing off now! Thank you all!!! Enjoyed my first AMA!
coryrenton63 karma
what sort of research materials are you given when taking on a comic book role -- what's the weirdest thing you've written off as a tax-exempt expense in researching for a role?
alohasonya70 karma
I bought a few graphic novels from the comic book store and then I went and became a Marvel Insider online so I could read more about The Inhumans. Ooooh expenses... my accountant is very by the book, so I really can't write off too much...
kanejh199044 karma
Hey Sonya, only a light hearted question from me :-)
Cute dog in the pic! Can you tell us a little bit about him/her?
Ps. Good luck with the future
alohasonya60 karma
Thanks! Rufus is a Jack Russell he's about 9.5 years old! He loves the ocean and killing rats.
alohasonya41 karma
Thank you for your questions! and for making my first time on Reddit awesome! I have to hit the books now, studying for an audition and then prepping a little party for tonights season finale!! Hope you'll join us on ABC and live tweets on the west coast! xoxo
zgold219227 karma
Hey! I actually really like the show and your character a lot. Do you think it’ll survive to another season?
Also: if it doesn’t, can we hope for a crossover?
alohasonya37 karma
I don't know about a second season, always hope for it though! Crossover would be AMAZING! Thanks for watching it and enjoying Auran:)
Narazemono21 karma
Out of any possible project, What would be your dream TV show/film to do?
alohasonya57 karma
Star Wars-- just heard they might explore a new galaxy with new characters?!?!?! Cray!!
alohasonya59 karma
Yes, it's a huge problem, but I don't think it's just in our business... I think it's a human problem all over the world. I'm very lucky and blessed to not have had to face anything super scary. Everyone I have worked with has been so professional and wonderful to me... there are good men and women in Hollywood and I hope more people with integrity take positions of power to make our industry safer.
alohasonya55 karma
Yes, I always try to stay hopeful... but I understand it's also a business... and if we don't have viewers then we can't have a show:(
aglioeoglio17 karma
Inhumans was panned pretty harshly by critics. As an actor, how do you deal with that? Do you pay those criticisms mind?
alohasonya46 karma
Luckily, I am just an actor right now and not a producer. I have no control over the final product, so it's really not my problem, thankfully;0
alohasonya35 karma
Wonderful. He is majorly talented. I loved watching him work. He had huge amounts of dialogue and he never missed a beat. Very impressive. Also he is a great singer and musician, his album Dinard is amazing.
freetotheworld115 karma
What do you suspect the future of Inhumans will be? Agents of SHIELD, reboot, etc.?
alohasonya29 karma
Oh gosh! I have no idea! I wish they would tell us actors anything, something;)
alohasonya27 karma
So fun to imagine! I would love to materialize things... wave my hand around and BOOM anything I want at my finger tips.
alohasonya41 karma
In elementary school it was Spider-Man... but today I love Dr. Strange.
alohasonya28 karma
Screaming, jumping, then laying on the ground in shock and saying, "OMG!!!"
sqfessman8 karma
Hi! Obviously, Auran changed a lot from her comic counterpart. I'm wondering where you drew inspiration from in helping form this new interpretation of her character? Did you have a lot of freedom in defining what the new take on her would be like?
I've been enjoying the show, and hope that we'll have the pleasure of seeing you again in a second season.
alohasonya12 karma
I was inspired by her position as an officer in the comics... I loved working with that militant mind-set. That's also what the creative team asked me to create: a no-nonsense kind of woman. Thanks for watching!!
alohasonya18 karma
I love how serious and deadly she is. Then when I found out about her regeneration powers... I was like whaaaaa--- that's dope!
alohasonya11 karma
Dark chocolate anything... Kauai Chocolates has this candy called Opihi's they are the BEST things on Earth: shortbread cookie, mac nut, caramel, chocolate.
kanejh19907 karma
Is being a Hollywood actress all glam and champagne? Or is there difficult periods like people in normal jobs?
alohasonya19 karma
Yes, there are moments of glam and always champagne and drinks avail... but yes, it is a job with draw backs like normal jobs: being on set away from family, working long hours, navigating ego's, and then the sad part for the artists in us actors is that you really only get 30 seconds to maybe ten minutes of pure acting moments! The rest is all prep and waiting...
alohasonya16 karma
My mother-in-law got to visit me on set while I was filming a scene with Ken Leung. Watching her see and learn about everything was so cute, she was like a little kid... I think when you're in the business for even a little while it's easy to forget how cool behind the scenes are!
dextrose79x5 karma
Do you find it difficult sometimes to be an actress in Hawaii instead of living in LA?
alohasonya9 karma
Yes, totally. I also wanted to study and take class here in LA. So much to learn and do here.
thebagelbabe5 karma
How is it to work as a woman in a genre of television (and film) that is primarily dominated by men? What are your thoughts on the discrepancy in the number of female and male superheros portrayed in media today, and the newer female roles that are appearing?
alohasonya17 karma
Loved seeing Thor last weekend and learning about Hela and the Valkyrie-- we need more of them! But I also don't mind male super heroes... as a woman I enjoy drooling over the heroes too;)
prisma8slg5 karma
What did you like most about Auran's character development over the course of the season?
alohasonya17 karma
LOOOVING her struggle right now... that she might have backed the wrong man, like what Karnak suggests.
alohasonya15 karma
I have lots of friends who are vegan... but it's impossible for me to choose that: I love spam musubi and hot dogs and fried chicken and sushi!!!
lurking_digger3 karma
Aloha!
What were your tv habits growing up?
Any crushes on celebrities today?
Aloha!
alohasonya11 karma
I watched TV every morning and every day after school... my mom has a picture of me drinking a bottle in front of the TV at like 1.5 years old! I love Benedict Cumberbatch.
impeccabletim2 karma
If you could choose to portray any superhero or villain, who would you pick and why? Personally, I could see you as Helena Bertinelli aka Huntress from the DC comics because of how badass she is and you are. I hope the best for you and will be keeping up with your future work and endeavors.💖
alohasonya15 karma
Oh thanks! I will have to check her out. Umm I would play whoever Dr. Strange's love interest is... LOL.
Exitoverhere78 karma
Would you like to be on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D?
And I understand if you can't answer this one but what's your overall feelings on how Inhumans turned out?
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