Meeya Davis caught our eyes with her role as Tilly Jackson in Red Dead Redemption 2. Her portrayal of the character truly brought her to life as we see another layer of Meeya’s talents.
Meeya Davis is a Detroit, MI native. She is a lover of the arts and a mother to her son, Mason. She graduated with her BFA from Rutgers University. Her credits include: The Blood Quilt (Arena Stages), High Maintenance (HBO), Crashing (HBO), Orange is the New Black (Netflix), FBI (CBS), Premature (Sundance Film Festival 2019), Know Fear (Film Valor), Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games), and numerous national commercials/ voice-overs.
Ashley Dias: Acting is definitely your passion and it definitely shows. How did you know that you wanted to get into acting?
Meeya Davis: I would say I knew I wanted to pursue acting my junior year of high school. My drama teacher, Marilyn McCormick, really cultivated my love and respect for the craft. I’ve been hooked ever since!
What is something you’ve learned through your acting journey?
Acting truly is a journey of patience and timing. When things are meant to be yours they will find you. I”ve learned to trust that my gifts will make room for me.
Besides acting, what else you would say is another passion of yours?
I really enjoy pulling together looks and doing really chic fashion statements. Expressing myself through fashion is a passion of mine.
Would you describe yourself as a gamer?
HA! I would not describe myself as a gamer. I can’t really comprehend the use of the controller (lol) so I steer clear from actually playing the game! I do love to watch someone else play a video game!
We were impressed in your role as Tilly Jackson in the hit game, Red Dead Redemption 2, and fell in love with your interpretation. What made you pursue a role in voice acting (especially with video games)?
As an actor you hope to be equipped for every type of role that comes your way. So, when it came to auditioning for the role of Tilly, I took the same approach as I would take with any role, with the utmost respect and professionalism. When I got the audition for a project with Rockstar Games, I was excited because I had never worked with them before. I wouldn’t say I specifically pursued the role. It truly came to me.
What was the best part of your role?
The best part of any role is bringing the character to life. So, being able to breathe life into Tilly was by far the best gift that I was given.
What did a typical day in your role (as Tilly) look like?
Hmm.. A typical day for me while playing Tilly- early morning car ride from Manhattan to the sound stages out in Long Island, settle into the actors green room upon arrival, get a quick breakfast bite, then head to get suited and booted for the day! It was always a joy to be in the green room with my cast mates. Lots of fun times spent together!
You and your cast mates seem to get along really well, did you all help each other in getting prepared for your roles?
We are all very good friends! The secret community that we all lived in ranging from 3-7 yrs (depending on how long you worked on the game) was something truly unique. Until the release date of RDR2, we were not allowed to be friends in public with each other. lol NDA Chronicles! But we would help each other on set with character questions that revolved around the world we were creating together. The production team and directors were also so helpful when it came to prepping our characters and answering questions.
What advice would you give to those who aspire to get into voice acting?
My advice to an aspiring actor would be to know that the gift you possess is enough to get you to where you want to go in life. Have respect for the craft and always be working on things that will propel you forward. My little Meeya saying is “F.M.A.” Forward Motion Always.
