When we look at artists who have grown up on our television screens, we often expect a straight line. We want them to pick a lane; Acting, singing, writing, or directing and stay in it. But for multi-hyphenate artist Maiara Walsh, the roadblocks of her career became the very tools she needed to build a much bigger, more expansive creative life.

From her early days on Disney Channel’s Cory in the House and the cultural phenomenon of Desperate Housewives to indie film sets and global documentaries, Maiara’s journey proves that creativity doesn’t have to be a singular pursuit. It can be an entire ecosystem.

Expanding Beyond the Roadblocks

When Maiara first started out in the entertainment industry, she didn’t know where the road was going to take her. She knew she loved acting, singing, and creative writing since she was a kid, but writing was never something she originally envisioned herself doing professionally. Instead, it was the obstacles along the way that forced her to expand past what she thought was possible.

“I started writing because I wasn’t booking the roles that I wanted to book. I started directing because I didn’t find a director that I felt shared my vision for my first short film. And each of those things just taught me how much I love storytelling.”

While traditional industry voices frequently told her she had to pick just one discipline and concentrate all her energy there, her brain simply didn’t work that way. She can juggle multiple creative tasks, working in hour blocks, shifting into something else when she gets exhausted and while it has taken her longer than it might have if she focused on a single track, she is vastly more fulfilled doing a little bit of everything. And looking at today’s industry landscape, she notes that it is vastly different now, with audiences and studios being much more accepting of artists wearing multiple hats.

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Making Things Happen in Lockdown: The Birth of Bight

When the year 2020 threw a wrench into her plans to direct a massive film featuring a thirty person cast, club scenes, and a huge crew, Maiara didn’t stop. She asked herself a crucial question: What can we write with four characters in one location?

She reached out to her dear friend Cameron Cowperthwaite during lockdown to finally write a script together. Working with actor and producer Mark Hapka at the time, they wrote a meaty, unique role specifically for him, utilizing all the resources they had at hand. Though it took longer than expected to finish, the project taught her invaluable lessons in resilience, persistence, problem-solving, and communication.

Reflecting on the realities of independent filmmaking, Maiara also offers a grounded perspective on the indie circuit. Discussing the massive hit Obsession, she points out the vital difference a major marketing budget makes:

“If you have a $15 million marketing budget, you’re also a good filmmaker, like chances are it will get seen by people.”

Yet, she isn’t stopping anytime soon. She is obsessed with creating; writing, acting, directing, and music and is eagerly looking forward to her next projects, including a big premiere in Brazil and bringing her work to a global audience over the coming months.

Finding Joy Through Comedy and Heavy Roles

Maiara’s career spans everything from lighthearted television to heavy dramatic pieces, such as her recent research-heavy role in a Brazilian adaptation of Ben-Hur that required reading a 700-page book. She loves how acting deepens human empathy by letting actors dive into perspectives they would never experience on their own.

At the same time, she has embraced the lighter side of life, recently shooting a high-production, Key and Peele-style sketch comedy show with her best friend and collaborator Jennifer Stone (whom she met filming Mean Girls 2). Comedy became a lifeline for Maiara during a dark couple of years when she struggled with depression:

“I would force myself to watch sketches and stand up every day for at least 15 minutes so I would just laugh a little bit every day. And it got me through.”

Whether she is dressing her friends in crazy thrift store outfits on camping trips or creating wild sketch characters with wigs out of a briefcase, she believes we need that levity because life is a combination of pure magic and pure hell.

Embracing the Journey: From Disney to Global Storytelling

Looking back on her time starring in Cory in the House at age 18 where she initially struggled because she wanted to be the next Natalie Portman, Maiara realizes the profound value of appreciating everything you have while you have it.

“I think if I had gotten everything I wanted the way that I wanted to, I would have started writing and directing way later in life. And now I have, like, 15 years of experience of, you know, writing and at least 10 of directing. And I just feel so much more confident in my ability to tell a story.”

That dedication to growth extends to her documentary work, including a National Geographic short she directed about indigenous women learning to become filmmakers to preserve their traditions. She hopes seeing young women run around with cameras inspires the next generation to recognize what is possible.

Maiara’s approach to preparing a role remains remarkably consistent across mediums, whether television, features, or shorts… though the amount of preparation time varies, from months of deep immersion down to fast-paced improvisation on sketch sets.

Ultimately, she views herself as a student of life. As she works on a novel, an action crime thriller script, and future narrative films, she refuses to limit herself creatively:

“I take the philosophy that I’m going to be a student for the rest of my life. There’s always going to be more to learn. And I’m always pushing myself beyond what I thought was possible.