Words by Carol Wright | Photos by Amanda Elkins
We got to chat with May about her love for acting and dance. You can see her most recent work in Nickelodeon’s Knight Squad and Lifetime’s The Secret Lives of Cheerleaders.
You started acting because of a musical you saw at age 4. What musical was it and what about the musical resonated with you?
It was actually the school musical my cousin was in. At the time, I had just started taking combo dance classes and I really fell in love with it. Although, at the time I was only 4 and I thought taking classes was all you did as a dancer. I never really thought about the performing aspect of it all. So, when we went to see my cousin in the musical I remember sitting there and watching these kids go on stage to not only dance, but they were singing and acting as well. It was magical to me. I didn’t realize there was more to dancing than just taking classes. I turned to my mom and said, ‘I want to do that. I want to be up there,’ and that’s basically where it all began.
What is the most valuable skill you learned through training at Talent Under the Stars?
It is so hard to just pick one. TUTS provides the most incredible training for young artists, from learning about the craft itself to learning how to present yourself in an audition room. Since it was such a prestigious academy, you were expected to act like a true professional. I think that was the most valuable skill I learned. I didn’t even realize how much they prepared us for the real world until I moved out to LA. To everyone else, I was overly prepared for every audition, and they thought it was really impressive at my age, but for me, that was normal. I would think, ‘Doesn’t everyone do this?’
I honestly owe so much to TUTS not only for their training but for the everlasting friendships I made. For almost 5 years, I was there every day from 8 in the morning until 10 at night, and I didn’t want it any other way. If I could’ve slept there, I would’ve haha. That academy was my home. So, knowing I have their training and life skills in my back pocket, I’m ready for anything.
Was it an easy decision to move to LA and continue pursuing an acting career, or were you nervous to take that leap?
It all just kind of happened so fast. I went out to LA in January of 2016 to go to a couple workshops to see if I would really like to try TV/film. I had only done theatre and dance my whole life so it was going to be a really big change. The first day of the trip I went to a workshop. By the second day I was meeting with an agent who wanted to sign me. Then, if that’s not crazy enough, by the third day I signed with a manager and they wanted me to move up to LA for pilot season. It was one of the moments where you just have to take a leap of faith. So that’s exactly what we did. We went back to Texas, packed up our whole lives and in less than two weeks, we were living in LA. I think I was more excited than nervous. I knew no matter what was about to happen, it was going to be some kind of adventure.
Your first big job was Knight Squad on Nickelodeon. What drew you to the role of Buttercup?
So Knight Squad was my first job ever in LA. I had been on a lot of auditions since I moved out there and I kept getting down to the final few for the role but none of them ever pulled through. When I got the audition for the pilot of Knight Squad, I could tell it was going to be something special. Just the storyline itself was so unique and nothing like it had never been done before on a kids network. Funny enough, I actually auditioned for the role of Prudence. My first audition was in the middle of October in 2016, and I went through weeks of callbacks. The final network test was a month later. About a week and a half after the network test, my agent told me that I didn’t get Prudence but the creators (Sean Cunningham & Marc Dworkin) wanted me to come in for another role in the pilot. That’s when I got the breakdown for Buttercup.
I fell in LOVE with her. Her bright demeanor, the way she tries to be evil like her best friend Sage, how she loves everyone and everything. I felt a really strong connection to this role and I knew this was the one I was supposed to be going out for. I went in for my audition on a Friday morning and found out that following Monday morning that I booked it. Then, my first day of work was the next day. I was so excited that I didn’t even sleep the night before, I just wanted to get up and go to work already. The most insane part about all of this is that Buttercup wasn’t even a character in the show. After the creators met me through my audition process for Prudence, they knew I didn’t fit her but they wanted me to be a part of their pilot. So, after talking it over with the whole creative team, they wrote in a role specifically for me and only had me come in to audition for it. I didn’t know any of this until they told me at our season 1 wrap party almost a year and a half later! They have believed in me since the very beginning and I could not be more grateful.
How did you feel when you had to tape the series finale?
I was a mess! Haha. The writers did such a brilliant job wrapping up the series in the finale, I remember when we first got the script. I don’t think it really clicked until I read the words “End of Series” on paper that it was actually coming to an end. I knew it was going to be so hard to say goodbye. I had already gotten a little emotional during our final table read earlier that week, so I knew the final day of filming was going to be tough. I had kept it together all day, and then came our last scene, which was actually the last scene in the episode. We had done a couple takes and our director wanted us to do one more. Once he yelled cut, we all kind of looked at each other like “was that it?” and sure enough they announced it was a series wrap. Everyone started cheering, crying, hugging, it was such a bittersweet moment. That show meant so much to me and it will always have a special place in my heart.
You play the lead in an upcoming Lifetime movie The Secret Lives of Cheerleaders. What about the film piqued your interest?
Honestly, everything about this film piqued my interest. I was completely intrigued by the storyline and the characters’ different dynamics. Ava, the character I play in the movie, has such a unique story. She’s had a tough life but she hopes everything will turn around at this new school and in this new town. She grew up dancing her whole life but since the school doesn’t have a dance team, her overly ambitious mom convinces her to try out for the Roosevelt High Lioness cheer squad. She makes the team and goes from a nobody to instant high school royalty which doesn’t sit well with queen bee Katrina. Even though everything Ava could ever want is right in front of her, she begins to realize that being a part of this squad comes at a price. This film has a little bit of everything in it, not to mention some really fun cheer/dance routines.
Did you have to train for the film or learn cheerleading stunts?
The day before we started filming we had a full day of dance rehearsals. It was actually the first time I met all of the girls too. We had five real cheerleaders and the cheer coach from the high school we were filming at and they taught us the routines. They made sure all of us were comfortable with the choreography and created such a fun environment. Everyone was so sweet and we all instantly hit it off. I learned two numbers, a dance-off with my co-star Allie who plays Katrina, and then the big pep rally number. We had so much fun learning them!
Then a week later we had one last rehearsal the day before we actually filmed those scenes. We spent that day really cleaning the numbers to make sure they were ready to go for filming. I also have my try out dance that is in the beginning of the film. The cool thing about that number is our director allowed me to choreograph that myself. Growing up a dancer, I would always make up dances for fun but to actually get to choreograph a number in my first movie was unreal!
You got the chance to work alongside Denise Richards. Did she give you advice on set?
It was so cool to work with her! I didn’t even know she was playing my mom until I got the call sheet for the first day of filming. That’s when I also found out that my first scene on set was going to be with her. I had only ever done multicam TV shows, so I was a little nervous going into my first day because I didn’t really know what to expect. I walked onto set and got in the car to rehearse the scene and when she got in, she was so energetic and immediately introduced herself. She made everything fun and I learned so much from just watching her on set. She came in fully prepared, knowing exactly what she wanted to do with her character and if she had an idea for the scene, she would talk to our director and then talk to me and we would see how it felt. Getting to share the screen with her was an experience I will never forget.
Outside of acting. What does a normal day in the life of Savannah look like?
It kind of depends on the day haha. If I’m not working and things are quiet, I will usually go get in a workout and then come back to chill at home the rest of the day. I also go to dance classes whenever I can, even when I’m working. I do a lot of the normal fun things, go to the mall, hang out with friends, go to the movies but if I’m being completely honest… I am typically at home binge watching The Office, The Vampire Diaries, Gossip Girl, Friends, pretty much anything on Netflix.
What advice do you have for aspiring actors?
My advice for aspiring actors is if you really have the passion and the drive to do this, then just go for it! Find an acting class and focus on becoming the best you can be. In this business you are constantly learning more and more each day, but it is a huge advantage if you already have a lot of training under your belt. Another piece of advice I have is to stay true to who you are. So many people can get wrapped up in the glamour of it all that along the way, they lose sight of why they even began acting in the first place.