It’s a rainy morning but Daniel Berini has brightened up our press room, charming every assistant and journalist with his warmth and self-deprecating sense of humour.

The young actor is here to discuss his latest feature film, Promised, a new Australian work which boasts a standout cast. In the lead role of Robert is Daniel himself, another addition to a long list of projects which have consistently showcased the Perth-native’s gripping screen talent, among them, film projects like Madhouse and Terminal 1. When talking about Promised however, it’s clear that Daniel hasn’t developed an ego that would otherwise be expected from a young leading man.

“We were nearing the end of the shoot, on location, in the middle of nowhere and it was ridiculously hot. All I had to do, on this particular day, was pretend to play a game of cricket, and then notice someone back at the house and walk off. But for the life of me I just could not swing the bat…”

Daniel continues the story with a laugh. “…I’ve never been a cricket fan, but I’ve certainly watched a game or two and get the general gist. But, no matter how hard I tried to look cool swinging this bat (and I was supposed to be pretty good at it) I just made it look so wrong. What should have been a quick scene became a half day ordeal, with nearly every member of the crew stepping in at one point to show me how it’s done. It must have been the heat but the more I tried the more I laughed uncontrollably, and so on it went. They ended up cutting that part of the scene I think.”

Despite funny anecdotes such as this, Daniel’s latest role in Promised reinforces the trend of him being a remarkably capable film actor, as many in the Australian industry will attest.

“Daniel has always shown a great emotional capacity within his work. His ability to connect with a character in an honest and authentic way is extremely compelling, a skill that has resonated with audiences,” said prominent Australian casting director Micaeley Gibson when contacted to comment.

Daniel’s performance in Promised combines sensitivity with an ardent understanding of Australian masculinity as it was in the 1970s, fuelling his portrayal of Robert to be more than just another representation of a ‘coming-of-age’ saga. Indeed, the storyline about a young couple’s arranged marriage called for a more demanding understanding of love that would generally be beyond the reach of someone as young as Daniel, but it’s clear his refined understanding of craft – coupled with that aforementioned wit and sense of humour – came in handy during the filming process.

“I found it easy to identify with Robert. He’s the oldest son in a traditional Italian family living in a place that has inherently changed them but also allowed them to thrive. He loves his family, family is everything to him, but he is also driven by his own ambitions and desire to make something of his own… It was quite refreshing to read a script that celebrated Italian culture in Australia but didn’t make fun of it. This is a story that follows two people from two Italian families in Melbourne, but it doesn’t feature Italian cliches that are so often presented in film.”

Daniel also experienced the bonus of working with entertainment legend, Tina Arena.

“Working with [her] was an absolute treat. She plays my mother in law, Rosalba, and despite this being her maiden foray into film, Tina’s 40-plus year career in the entertainment industry brought a wealth of knowledge and experience to the set. She has such a playful quality, her personality shines through Rosalba, it’s wonderful to watch.”

In scenes opposite his The Good Place co-star Antoinette Iesue, Daniel’s performance evokes genuine selfless involvement with a measured subtlety, allowing an audience to follow his character with ease. This is in stark contrast with the tense grit that has become the norm in so many other actors’ performances in recent pedigree films that have been born out of the current socio-political discourse of anxiety.

The WAAPA-graduate’s understanding of how to build character in film has been sharpened over many years and projects. Daniel is credited with Home and Away actress Felicity McKay in Jennifer’s Coming Home, in which he’s listed as one of the cult members in the home belonging to the titular character’s mother. The reveal of the cult is the dramatic climax of the story, and represented a dark story that stands in strong juxtaposition to a feature film like Promised.

“I’ve been very fortunate to have not been typecast into any particular category, and constantly find myself playing a variety of characters.”

In the 2015 project Madhouse, Daniel is credited alongside Secret City actor Aleks Mikic, himself known for his turn opposite Oscar-nominee Virginia Madsen in Safe Neighbourhood.

Daniel is listed as the character of Silvio, who tries to break into Max’s new ‘bachelor pad’ where all the action unfolds.

The role allowed Daniel to show off an understanding of action and comedy, something which he hopes to do more of in the near future.

“They’re obviously good fun.”

And nothing was perhaps more surprising than Daniel’s refreshing turn in How to Beat A Spell, a musical-comedy shot in its entirety in one full day within the backstreets of Perth city, his hometown capital. Daniel played the humorously named ‘garbage guy’ who intercepts the protagonist Will and sends him on a different path in search for his love, the Music Lady. By directly intervening in Will’s trajectory, Daniel’s character represented something of an antagonist which is in the vein of another archetype he’s interested in pursuing further.

“Actors like Ben Mendehlson have grown into playing antagonistic characters later in their career as they’re so interesting and so much fun, so I’m looking forward to actively chasing those types of characters and stories in the future.”

With Promised making waves, it would be surprising that those artistic challenges don’t come any day now.

“As challenging as this industry can be at times, I can think of no other job that would bring me greater satisfaction. I’ve never met harder working, more passionate, creative and brilliant people in my life, and it feels like a huge privilege to be able to do what I do. I get to explore characters so different to myself, and be apart of stories so different to my own. It is such a ride at times, and I absolutely love it. I can’t wait for what’s next!”

While award-winning actress Karlisha is still young, as she sits down to discuss some of her latest projects with us, it’s clear this Australian is no naive ingenue. In fact, Karlisha is well-known amongst industry insiders for her wise-beyond-her-years quality that has propelled her to the top of casting directors and producers’ lists when it comes to casting young screen talent.

“I had to grow up quickly as one of two siblings of a separated parent. I hadn’t even started school when my mother took us on a world trip to ensure I grew up with an understanding that the world was vast and full of opportunities and I could go anywhere and do what I wanted.”

In many ways Karlisha, currently appearing in feature films Wrapped and a new Rob Malenfant film still being kept under wraps, has forged a place in the select few of edgy, young actresses once occupied by stars like Dakota Fanning and Amanda Seyfried. Comparisons aside, Karlisha’s Australian heritage (she’s originally from the small city of Darwin near where Crocodile Dundee was spawned) and gripping talent has meant she’s quickly built a reputation that belies her less-than-two-decades on Earth.

“As a kid, I was inspired by Rose from Titanic. I grew up believing I could do anything and be anything no matter what anyone else thought of me because of Rose, who had a chance to embark on an adventure within herself that the rest of the world was against, or fall in line and have no real feeling of purpose. I feel really blessed to have the career I’ve had.”

Perhaps best-known for her acclaimed role in the gripping film project Karlisha & Morgan, for which she won Best Actress awards at the Accolade Global Film Competition and the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival, Karlisha had already been acting in Australia for 8 years prior to moving to the United States. A childhood comprised of auditions, acting classes and taking days off school, soon jettisoned into film shoots, rehearsals and eventually, accent lessons.

“Once you start working in Australia at a young age and travel to LA for training which I did each year since I was 11, agents in the US become interested in you. I was very lucky that the transition to the US was so smooth.”

After booking roles with Ventura Court Productions and the web series Sharing is Caring, Karlisha solidified her place as a vital component of that production company, as she also joined the cast of Hostages Don’t Take Another Step and The Safe Zone. She has also been cast in the company’s series, ‘How to Identify a Serial Killer’ which begins shooting in March. While booking any acting job is an accomplishment, building creative partnerships is often the hallmark of an indie film star. Once those actors partner with either a director or producer early in their career, the track record of other stars suggests that those creatives usually grow together. One only need look to the collaborations of Martin Scorsese and Leonardo Dicaprio, and more recently Ryan Coogler and Michael B Jordan (from Fruitvale Station to Black Panther) to understand how lucrative such professional relationships can be.

The critical nature of Karlisha’s role in Kristine May’s career is mirrored by the importance of Karlisha’s position in David Raynor’s company Bad Hat Films, as she has also worked with him on numerous occasions. These projects include Hello Tom Sullivan, Dark Angels, The Birthday Party and Karlisha and Morgan.

In this regard, Karlisha marks her position at the top of casting agents’ wish-lists.

Karlisha’s upcoming lead role in the series, How to Identify a Serial Killer, follows the path of a paranoid teenager Alice who struggles to distinguish the difference between reality and her imagination in a world full of serial killers and murderers, particularly while living with her best friend and crime reporter Jemma – played by star of 1, Kylie Riddle.   

Adding to her filmography, Karlisha’s preeminence as one of the brightest stars in independent film has recently been confirmed in her appointment as Program Director of the Port Stephens International Film Festival, a position which calls for her to judge numerous films with a focus on bullying and the acting performances of her contemporaries.

“The festival topic of bullying is something I experienced and I used acting to deal with it. I now draw on that pain; it empowers me; it gives me something to connect to; and it allows me to take my acting to a completely different level. It’s timely with the Me Too and Time’s Up movements making ground and I hope the festival will give strength to other victims and make them stronger, too.”

The Port Stephens International Film Festival is partnered with the Singapore Film Festival and winning films are screened internationally at the festival of its UK partner, Out of the Can Film Festival in England.

Festival Director Guy Perrine: “We were excited to bring Karlisha on board for this role. Her international award-winning success as an actor and experience in filmmaking for both the Australian and American film industry, writing and producing, as well as her contribution to AusPol Media as a Junior Producer and regular attendance at festivals and director Q and A sessions, have made her an enormous asset to the Port Stephens International Film Festival in her role heading up the judging of our program dealing with bullying.

Professional resume builders aside, at the core of Karlisha’s success is an imitable craft that continues to reveal an understanding of humanity that only true artists demonstrate. Much like a young Natalie Portman in the Al Pacino film Heat, Karlisha’s natural instincts on camera consistently demonstrates a creative fierceness that’s balanced with a deep understanding of technique.

This is clearly demonstrated in a scene in one of her upcoming films, Sister Mercy, in which Karlisha plays a street waif abandoned by her mother and abused by her father, Phoenix. Phoenix, ran away from her grandmother and is looking for a family and someone to trust when she dates a man who tries to get her addicted to drugs so he can prostitute her. The scene where Phoenix later sees her friend Mercy again for the first time – played by actress Dominika Van Santen – is an emotionally difficult one because of the depth Karlisha has to go within the character to make her reactions real; she is disorientated, frightened, hopeful and determined. Karlisha’s skilled use of technique balanced with natural instinct is masterfully portrayed through the look in her eyes – seeing a friendly face amidst all this doubt and chaos – and  draws in the audience to connect with her character in a way that has everyone willing her to succeed.

As we sit and discuss Sister Mercy, directed by the editor of Sharknado, William Boodell, Karlisha draws on a quote from Annette Bening who once said ‘acting is not about being famous, it’s about exploring the human soul’ and she says that is what she tried to do here.

This comment leads us on to a discussion about filming her most recent project Wrapped, which has already attracted media attention and interviews with Noah Wilson from iHollywood TV.

“Wrapped, directed by Calen Coates, is a coming of age film that explores the journey of an ordinary girl in an extraordinary position, who comes to terms with the value of overcoming her insecurities, despite the people who tell her otherwise.”

Karlisha continues: “I play the lead role of Abby, a young teenager who learns to stand up for herself by taking back the one item her now deceased mother had given to her, from a drug dealer. I’m a teenager dealing with many demons in my closet – as well as a victim of abuse – but I manage to find both mental and physical ways to not only fight back against the perpetrators but also to combat my own mental health issues. I also believe the film tackles the theme of grief. This present is the last thing Abby has of her mother. By fighting to get it back, we see what a teenager is willing to deal with in order to find a sense of closure. The journey I take – which is full of emotion, car chases, guns and fighting – is  both funny and tragic; just like life itself.”

Karlisha’s proven track record would suggest her future is even brighter. She has lots of projects coming out in 2019 – in which she mostly plays female empowering, gritty roles – including Bet the Demon wins, now in post-production, and Stitched Up  – and she will appear in a regular role in the co-host series 2 of the web TV show #Me4TV. Karlisha is also in discussion with other US and Australian producers and directors. Wrapping up our chat (no pun intended), she says she can’t wait to share more about other upcoming projects and is excited about the busy year ahead.