St. Paul Actress, 19, Gets Callback In CBS Diverse Casting Call

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Soon you could see a Minnesota actor on the national TV stage.

CBS put out a call for diverse actors from areas other than Los Angeles and New York City. A 19-year-old St. Paul woman submitted a tape and got a callback.

At just 19 years old, Isabella LaBlanc is a veteran actor in Minnesota.

"I started as an actor when I was 8 years old, I think, so about 11 years now, which, I say I don't feel like I'm old enough to have done anything," LaBlanc said.

Now, she's on her way to Los Angeles for a screen test with CBS. The television network put out a nationwide call for video submissions from anywhere, giving actors from places like Minnesota a shot at the small screen.

"They're doing a conscious effort to cast more people of color, which is incredible and not something you see that often," LaBlanc said.

During her audition, LaBlanc will be representing not just Minnesota, but also the Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota.

"The reality is that representation for Native people in the media across the board -- film, TV, even books -- is fairly nonexistent. We've been pretty ignored for a long, long time," LaBlanc said. "So the idea that for someone like me or for my nieces and nephews, we don't get to see ourselves on TV that often or in films that often, especially not in ways that portray us in correct light or flattering light. A lot of times we are portrayed in ways that we don't connect with."

LaBlanc says she hopes to change that with this opportunity.

"This feels like my way to be able to give back to a culture and a people that have given me so much," she said.

But no matter what happens, even if she moves across the country to pursue her passion, she'll still belong to Minnesota.

"Minnesota is always home base," she said. "Always."