Hello, Brit Brinson here! I’m lucky to have a special guest on the blog today. Dia Summers, the sixteen-year-old star of the Bixby Network’s Dia of the Dead has stopped by to answer a few questions.

Brit Brinson: Thank you for taking time out of your busy, busy schedule for this interview, Dia.

Dia Summers: No problem. Thank you for contacting my mom about this opportunity.

BB: I guess we’ll jump right into things. Would you like to tell us a little something about yourself? What’s something your diehard fans don’t even know about you?

DS: [laughs] Diehard fans? I don’t think I have any of those yet.

BB: I’m sure there are a few out there.

DS: [laughs] I hope so. That’d be really cool. Now…let me think of something you all may not know about me. I was born and raised in Santa Barbara and have a mini dachshund named Frank. My birthday’s August 16^th. My favorite colors are pink and black and my favorite food is my mom’s pancakes. My fans probably know all of that though. Hmmm…let me think some more. [after a pause] I guess one thing that my fans don’t know is that I’m a horrible singer. I can’t carry a note to save my life but I love singing. I do it all the time! [laughs]

BB: [laughing] I’m a terrible singer as well. I guess we have that in common. So, Dia Muerto is your first role, right?

DS: Yep. I’d never acted before landing the role as Dia Muerto.

BB: That’s interesting. Can you tell me how you were cast in the role?

DS: With a little bit of luck I guess. I remember being so nervous during my audition that I was practically shaking. But I gave it my all and it worked!

BB: If you could describe what it’s like to be a teenage actress in one word, what would it be?

DS: One word? Hmmm….I think I’d go with “tough.” But not like in a bad way. Being an actor at any age is hard. You have to know your lines and hit your marks and make sure your emotions are getting across onscreen. And you have to do all of that at the same time. It’s a lot. It isn’t always easy but since I love acting, the pros outweigh the cons.

BB: As I was saying before, you play Dia Muerto, an undead high school student on the Dia of the Dead. Are you anything like the character?

DS: A little but not quite. First off, Dia’s a zombie. I’m lucky to be able to go through a day without an arm or a leg falling off [laughs]. Dia’s also on the school’s spirit squad. I didn’t participate in any sports last year when I was a freshman at SBHS. I was mostly focused on acting and trying to improve on the skill, ya know? Plus, Dia Muerto is a badass paranormal crime fighter. I’m just a regular girl…who plays a badass paranormal crime fighter on TV [laughs]. So I guess I’m not too much like Dia. She’s a lot braver than I am.

BB: It’s funny hearing you refer to the character since you two share a name.

DS: The character’s name was changed to Dia after I got the role. The original name was Ann Dead.

BB: Oh cool. Like “undead.”

DS: Yep! Exactly.

BB: Speaking of the undead, if zombism was suddenly in style, what three things would be your survival must haves?

DS: Lucky for me, Dia Muerto survives on organic brain substitute smoothies so I don’t have to worry about her getting too flesh-hungry. But if people in Hollywood did begin turning into zombies, I think I’d need the following to survive: food, water, a weapon—maybe like a katana or something—and my mom. My mom is like the number one on the list. She could probably survive anything.

BB: We’re coming close to the end of our interview. I know you have some other engagements to get to but I have one more question before you go. There are tons of kids out there who watch The Bixby Network and aspire to become actors and actresses one day. Do you have any words of advice for them?

DS: Never give up. Like I said earlier, acting isn’t easy but if it’s something that you want to do, go for it. If you believe in yourself, you can accomplish anything.

BB: Once again, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer these questions. You can catch Dia Summers in Dia of the Dead, Wednesday evenings at 7:30pm on the Bixby Network. Or you can read more about Dia’s adventures in Dia of the Dead.