Maybe it's safe to say that actors are not actually the characters they play in films and TV shows, as actor Mia Challis is the answer. She plays the turtle-crushing, wild child Ruthie in season 4 of Outer Banks. Mia's character is portrayed as one of the main villains in the newest season, who develops an intimate relationship with Austin North's character, Topper. The show serves as a coming-of-age story for a group of local teens, the Pogues, in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Part 1 of the new Outer Banks season debuted October 10th, and part 2 will premiere November 7th. However, there's more than meets the eye with her, as this wasn't the start of Mia's career. 

The Australian native was born in the city of Perth and has acted since she was in school. She had her TV debut in Netflix's Clickbait, where she recurred as the volleyball team captain, Jenny. Then played the character Emma Staley on FBI: International. She also plays Dylan in The Last Bell, where she was nominated for Best Actress at the Mammoth Film Festival while helping the film to receive the top honor of the Grand Jury Prize. She has even delved into the directing role with A User Not Found. She is a talent that doesn't stay stagnant. A talent that is always happy to travel into the unknown. Maybe that happiness is what changes the air. That’s it.

See here as Mia Challis delves into all things acting, education, and her identity in this world. 

‍How did you get into acting? I feel as if acting grabs ahold of people at random. How did it grab ahold of you, and what do you love about it? ‍

I've always loved it. It wasn't an "AHA" moment. I just always loved being on stage. Theater is where I started, so I did a lot of it as a kid. It never really felt like a tangible career.

I wasn't really sure how to get into it, but I knew that it was something I loved. Where I'm from, in Perth, not too many people are actors, and if they are, they leave. So, I wasn't really sure what a career in acting looked like in Perth, but I knew that it was something I had to do.

With the series A User Not Found, you were part of the directing cast. Can we talk about what you enjoy about that directing?

When it was pre-Covid, I was still in Perth. I got a group of actors together, and we were very lost. We didn't know how to create anything, so we said, "Let's just do something together." I think for me as an actor, when I'm on set, the hardest thing that I struggle with is going. I know what the scene needs to be, but sometimes I feel like I'm just one step not able to get there a hundred percent of the time. I think that's where, for me, directing is so fun because you can take that step back and see things from a third party, and working with actors is so fun for me.

Onto Outer Banks, how was joining the cast? How is the dynamic of joining the family and adding yourself into the mix?

Well, I come in as the villain this season, so that's always a little apprehensive to be like, "Hello, hi, everyone." But they are just such nice people and are so welcoming. I remember my first day; I think we were filming in Wilmington on the beach, and it was so cold, and I was so nervous. I just remember being like, "I hope people are nice," and I was welcomed straight away. Jonas, the showrunner, was also directing that episode. He set the tone from the get-go.

When you go onto sets, do you usually make friends and form tight bonds with filmmakers and co-stars? 

It's crazy that half the time, actors are (you would hope that) on set all the time, but a lot of the time is by yourself with your other actor friends, self-tapping. Those rare moments when you're on set are so exciting because you get to be like, "We're here. We did it. We're finally on set." I always try my best to remember it's obviously a workplace, but I always say if you can take one person from each set as a lifelong friend, then you've had a good time. 

With Ruthie being one of the "villains" in season four, can we talk about that preparation process because you seem so far from her?

[laughs] I don't know if Ruthie would get very far in life being the way she was. She needs therapy; I always say that about poor Ruthie. 

Actors dream to play characters so different from themselves. I always like to find someone that I can relate a character to or elements. I didn't have my own high school experience to tap into because I followed the rules and never really went to parties. I was kind of boring as a teen.

I kind of was like, "I'm just going to think about all those popular girls in high school that would just bring alcohol to school" and be like, "I'm going to a party after school." All those things that were so risque to me, I kind of added into Ruthie.

You can just watch movies with Regina George and characters who are just so sassy and mean. It infuriates you as an audience member. That's what I wanted to achieve. The fans that felt infuriated, that's how you should feel towards Ruthie.  If I've made some people angry, then I did my job. 

How do you feel it affects your identity? Moving past the role into the world, do you think people still see you as that? How do you think you're perceived?  

I think going onto a show like Outer Banks, you know how passionate the fans are. I knew that before signing up to do it, so I was kind of prepared in that sense.

And Austin, who plays Topper, his character is not super-liked either. He was like, "Some fans find it hard to separate characters and actors, but If you're doing your job right, then that's the response you should be getting." You just have to accept that's a part of the game, really, and know that.

Fans are passionate for a reason. It's a good thing, and you want them to feel the way they feel, so I was kind of prepared. Honestly, the response that I've gotten is, "Oh, you made me really angry, but good acting!" 

I swear I love aquatic animals. I feel like I need to put that in my bio or something. 

What is your favorite part about playing Ruthie? 

Yeah, I think I just shock myself. Sometimes we cut, and Madison and I are like, "Girl, whoa, like, what is happening?"

It's all in the writing. It's so intense, like running over baby turtles. I'm like, "Oh my gosh." I was talking to the writer, Shannon, the other day. And she was like, "I didn't really anticipate it having that much of an effect." I was like, "What do you mean!?" It's so wild, so I think the funnest part is just doing crazy stuff that you would never be able to do in real life.

Earlier, you were talking about your education and abiding by the rules. So, what does education mean to you? Why is it so important to you as you're part of The Education Collaborative? 

I mean, education is the human right. It should be accessible to every single person on this planet. Unfortunately, it's not, but it should be. I studied very hard in school. I was lucky that my mom sent me to a great school, so I was able to have access to education. It was always very much a part of my upbringing to get your education first and then, do whatever you want to do.

Funny story, but I'd actually started studying outside of high school, and then I started booking work as an actor. I became a little detached from my university studies, but recently this year, I decided to get back into it. I don't know what came over me. I think I just was feeling like my brain needed it.

Now I just finished an undergraduate degree of criminology and social justice, so that's really cool. I had so much fun. I did it all online, which was really hard, but it's good. It's just quite disconnected; nothing like being in a classroom with people.

I think it's so important, and being a part of The Education Collaborative is the least I could do. 

From an actor's perspective, since your work is immortalized and it follows you, what do you think about the phrases “work to live” and "live to work?”

It's funny you bring this up. I'm kind of going through this in my own personal life right now, where I've been living in America for four years. And my whole past four years have just been, what is the next job? Where do I need to be? Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love my job, but it is important to have that balance, and I don't know what that looks like. I think people talk about balance as if it's the fountain of youth, like, where do you find this balance? I'm definitely striving towards that.

Do you want anything else for you besides acting?

I do. I love the film industry. Obviously, I would love to do more directing. Ultimately, I want to get to a point where I have a platform that I can intertwine social justice with my career. I have this moral conundrum half the time where I'm like, "I'm not doing enough," so I definitely want to focus on the things that mean a lot to me, and hopefully, my career will be able to put me in that direction. 

Photographed by Stef King.