Celebrity / TV

‘NCIS: Los Angeles:’ Daniela Ruah’s Advice to Actors

NCIS: Los Angeles fans love the show not only for the action but also the acting. Here’s the advice Daniela Ruah once gave to actors looking to improve their craft. Daniela Ruah used to put on plays for her stuffed animals Ruah’s parents were supportive when she decided to become an actress. She told CBS …

by Sheiresa Ngo

Published on June 8, 2020

2 min read

Daniela Ruah used to put on plays for her stuffed animals

Daniela Ruah (right) on the set of NCIS LA | Bill Inoshita/CBS via Getty Images

Ruah’s parents were supportive when she decided to become an actress. She told CBS Watch! magazine her parents told her to be the best at whatever career she decided to pursue. “My parents were always very supportive,” Ruah says. “They let me be who I was. They would say, ‘Whatever you do, just be the best you can be.’” Their unwavering support led Ruah to pursue a role in the Portuguese drama, Jardins Proibidos, which means “forbidden gardens.” Ruah was offered the role of the star’s best friend.

There were plenty of signs that Ruah would one day become an actress. She told CBS Watch! she used to use her toys to put on performances for her parents. “I put on shows with my teddy bears for my parents—I had a captive audience!”

Daniela Ruah’s advice to actors

During a panel discussion at MCM London Comic Con, Ruah discusses what it takes to be a great actor. She says an important part of improving your acting skills is learning how to become a better listener. Here’s more of what Ruah said:

I think the most important thing with acting, it doesn’t matter what school you choose to go to or no school at all. When we have a conversation, just like you and I are having now, you’re listening to my words and you’re reacting to what I’m saying. Acting is that. It’s act and react. Just listen, and you’ll give a real response.

Obviously, if you’re playing a character who has certain quirks and certain aspects and characteristics about them, you end up incorporating those in, but essentially, you just always want to tell the truth. And the only way you can tell the truth is by looking and listening to the circumstances within the scene and with the other person. So, listen and react.

Daniela Ruah doesn’t plan on leaving ‘NCIS: Los Angeles’ any time soon

Bill Goldberg and Daniela Ruah | Cliff Lipson/CBS via Getty Images

If you’ve been worried about the possibility of Ruah suddenly leaving the show, you can put your fears aside. During a 2018 interview with journalist Franck Ragaine, the actress says she plans to remain part of the NCIS LA cast for as long as she can.

“I’ll go for as long as they’ll have me, I think,” says Ruah. “There’s nothing about this show that makes you want to leave. The writing is good. The directing is good. The producers are incredible and if you need anything at all, they will do whatever they can to accommodate you. And the chemistry between the cast and crew is so alive and so real. You come to work, and it doesn’t even feel like going to work.”