“I never thought of acting as a viable career option. I think when we’re raised in certain cultures and ways of thinking, we only know what we’re exposed to. I didn’t really grow up watching TV and movies, but now I feel really lucky to be able to do it,” says actress Shantel VanSanten, 34. The charismatic star, born in Minnesota and raised in Texas, didn’t know any actors or actresses growing up. Originally starting out as a model in “Seventeen and JCPenney catalogs,” she slowly made a transition to acting after being persuaded by her agent. Eventually moving to Los Angeles, VanSanten realized her passion for acting and has found immense success in her acting career. “It still feels like such a shock that I get to do something that just used to be a hobby and is something that I love,” she adds. The model-turned-actress has had an array of roles, and has starred in a number of shows, such as One Tree Hill, The Flash and Shooter. More currently, she has been in the role of Karen Baldwin on the new Apple TV+ drama series For All Mankind, set in an alternate reality exploring if it had been the Soviet Union that had landed the first human to walk on the moon 50 years ago.

VanSanten is not only a hard-working actress, but she’s also a philanthropist and impassioned advocate for lung-disease awareness. She first got involved with the American Lung Association’s LUNG FORCE initiative, after the untimely passing of her beloved grandmother. “My grandmother was diagnosed with lung cancer, and we didn’t understand why. In my mind, we associate lung cancer with smoking, and she was a non-smoker. That was an ignorant thought,” she recalls. “After doing much research, I found out it’s the number-one cancer killer, not only because of smoking, but of pollution, radon, and so many other causes, and anybody can get it.”
Continue reading “Shantel VanSanten Interview with Civilian Magazine”

Shantel VanSanten has one of those faces that can launch one thousand ships. But, after chatting with her, it was evident that she is so much more than a pretty face.

Shantel Van Santen is a storyteller. Her journey in this industry bagan at a young age,where she did catalogue work and commercial work. From there, her career turned into a story of its own. Playing in projects like “The Boys” and “For All Mankind”, VanSanten has managed to captivate viewers and inspire fans.

Imagista: What came first, acting or modeling?

Shantel VanSanten: Modeling came to me at a young age working for catalogues and doing commercials, but I was also a very creative kid. As an escape and an outlet I was in theatre classes and camps quite often. I am grateful for modeling jobs, but it was something I was fortunate to do to make money and never was a serious career choice.

Imagista: Both acting and being a model have to do with your ability to tell stories, have you always considered yourself a storyteller?

Shantel VanSanten: Of course telling stories is what I live for. To discover characters and uncover how to connect myself to them. To escape into another life, another brain, another human, another time… it feeds my soul.
Continue reading “Shantel VanSanten Interview with Imagista”

In actress Shantel VanSanten’s converted garage, one very special piece brings people together, amid all her curated collectibles with their own meaningful stories.

When it came to finding her 2,200-square-foot San Fernando Valley home earlier this year, the choice weighed heavily on where to fit a 10-foot, half-ton section of tamarind wood from Southeast Asia, which serves as a table for 10.

“If it didn’t fit somewhere then I knew it wasn’t the right place,” said VanSanten, 34, who stars in Apple TV+’s “For All Mankind” and Amazon Prime’s “The Boys.” “I had a base built by Big Daddy’s Antiques and a friend designed the benches. It will be a family heirloom forever.”

The barn-like space features black walls, white concrete floors and pine posts and beams, with myriad vintage objects and custom-designed items throughout the space.
Continue reading “Shantel VanSanten Interview with Los Angeles Times”