Malia Arrayah is an American author, creative and actress known for her work in Disney+ She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. She is also a poet that expresses herself comedically and sadistically. Her work surround’s themes of heart break, empowerment, mental health, healing, daily life, identity, being woman and navigating the world at her unique height at 6’5″. She has also been published worldwide for various poems as well as her artwork, which can be found on her social media and through her website.

Hi! Tell us about who you are and where you are from.

Hi! Sure! I was born in Daly City, CA, that is right next to San Francisco. I am from Hayward, CA because we moved when I was about eight to Hayward, CA. Currently, I am an actress who does stunts, commercial acting, print, some modeling, and I love authoring my own books and creating artwork as well.

How did you get your start in the entertainment industry? How long have you been in the industry?

I got my real start in 2021, after I moved to LA in June 2020. I got laid off from a startup job in San Francisco, CA almost immediately when the pandemic happened. They literally told everyone no one was going to be laid off…and then chatted to me that HR wanted to talk after the meeting. I will never forget that moment. I actually cried. I felt betrayed. But, it was the best thing to ever happen to me. Anyway, I had a screen test in October 2020 for a mysterious character. All I knew was that I was requested by Marvel Studios. I showed up and saw a giant green character that I never heard of taped to the set they made. It was She-Hulk. I booked the show months later; I believe end of January 2021. I was actually in Washington, D.C. about to chomp down on a delicious cheeseburger when I received a call, and I just said ‘yes’ because it seemed like the most fun thing that I could possibly do. Why would I say no?

Before that I actually dabbled doing some extra work in NYC. One of the first things that I ever did was a scare acting gig in NYC called ‘NY Haunted Hayride.’ I was cast as an evil nun. I was very creepy looking, and I loved it. NYC was really the place that put it in my mind and heart. I fell in love with how fun acting was in the small dabbles that I experienced. I never let it out of my mind, even though I went through about four years of being laid off of job after job, no joke, in the bay area and just overall feeling the brunt of knowing that I didn’t fit in anywhere else, but the entertainment world. It just felt like I was a zombie, really, playing a role that I knew that I couldn’t pull off for too long anyway. I think that’s why the universe kept kicking me out of every single corporate style job that I got back then.

That is why as soon as I was laid off in 2020, I knew exactly what I was about to do. I packed everything up and moved to Diamond Bar, CA of all places, but it was great. I have been in LA area ever since.

What decisions influenced led you to choose this career path? What makes your story unique?

Well, I never knew that I could be an actress growing up… I was very typecasted I guess in real life, from a young age to play basketball because of my extreme height. But, I always had an active imagination, and I loved writing stories, being musical and being creative. I felt like I wanted to explore acting in my teens, but there was a lot of peer pressure or kind of a lot of positive reinforcement to see how far basketball would take me. I went as far as I could mentally, and physically, quite literally my body was just beat up with injuries. I went pro, and then I realized that I was just too exhausted from the disappointment in feeling my body continue to break down from basketball that I slowly accepted that it most likely isn’t my path for much longer. I had to make a very difficult choice. I was just very unhappy and very alone. This is what caused me to start thinking of other potential careers.

Was She-Hulk your first acting role? What was the audition process like for She-Hulk?

It wasn’t my first role, but it was kind of my first real experience as an actress. A serious one. Before then it was pretty much model 1 or zombie, haha. Anyway, it was pretty cut and dry for me. I went in for a screen test, and then did not hear anything back until months later. I received a call saying that I booked it, and then the woman over the phone asked me if I would accept.

What is one of the most memorable moments on set?

For me, it was just meeting a lot of actors and actresses that I only ever seen on television and movies! I always loved Marvel Studios and the projects they created were literally my childhood, so it was pretty cool to be there.

Apart from acting, we know you are a published author, poet, and artist. How long have you been writing for, and what sort of genres do you write about?

Oh yes, I write poetry books and short stories. I started obsessively writing when I moved back to the bay area after my short two-year stint in NYC. I think being there inspired a whole new part of me to come out. I would write pretty much daily and in almost every office job that I ever had during the down moments. I felt like words just kept pouring out of me.

I call myself a gothic poet and artist. To me, it’s because most of the time I write darker themes like death, loss, depression. But, I have an opposite end of that spectrum, healing, love, comedic and satirical poetry. You’ll randomly find books about cannabis or a poorly sketched stick figure comic book of tall people comebacks. I have to find a balance, haha. My art is consistent nowadays. I like a combination of scary/creepy and colorful.

Where do you draw inspiration from for your artwork?

I have an obsession with crying. It’s more the meaning behind tears. I only started painting and creating mixed media art in 2019 out of necessity of a deep pain that I felt inside. I dated someone who basically broke my heart, and I created what I call the crying man. I now have the crying woman, and crying people. I also love blues, hues of pinks, some oranges and purples the most. I am not sure why, but those colors in art remind me of dusk, or sunsets, an ocean sunset. Pain has to be transmuted somehow, otherwise it’ll sit inside and rot away. I associate healing as well as despair with tears. Crying can be beautiful too, and this is interesting to me, because most of the time people ask me why are they all sad? I don’t think all my crying people are sad. I think it is whatever the viewer needs to see in the moment.

Do you have any role models or influences that have guided your journey?

I had a coach, coach Gerald Shimada, who told me something that I really needed to hear shortly after graduating college. He was the coach that appeared and helped me reach my potential as a high school basketball player, allowing me to develop my skills and talent. I became a powerhouse. A lot of coaches shoved me in the paint because I was so tall, they would yell at me. But, I was so skinny and finesse like. He was one of the only coaches who noticed that I could shoot well, dribble and had passing skills. I was quite shy and quiet through those years. Anyway, he passed away in 2014, but the last thing I remember him telling me was, to just do what makes me happy. I listened.

What words of advice do you have for people with similar aspirations?

Just keep going. Do what makes you happiest. But, put in the work. I was lucky to have a sports background because the work ethic needed to persevere is intense. You must learn to be patient. That is not an easy skill to have, especially in a world filled with instant gratifications. This really is an industry of rejections and sometimes everything feels a little too quiet, a little too lonely. So, do it if you really love it and keep this strong. Remember why you started. There is nothing else like being on set and creating.

Any other roles or upcoming projects that we should currently be on the lookout for from you?

I am working on a new book called asthma spray – it is about all the times in my life that I felt like I could not breathe, where I felt silenced, where I felt suffocated. In real life, I do have asthma since I was a kid. I thought it was an interesting parallel to not physically being able to breathe and experiencing things along my journey that gave me this feeling emotionally/mentally. I am planning to release it in August 2025.

There is few things coming out, but I cannot give any projected time frames as I was not given any. I am a commercial actress as well, so if you happen to see me, feel free to let me know that is always fun, haha. Anyway, I am very excited to get to train in martial arts again soon for a role. I was a brown belt in my teens, I am hoping to earn a black belt one day.

Where can we follow you on social media?

https://www.instagram.com/maliaarrayah
https://www.tiktok.com/@maliaarrayah
https://x.com/malia_arrayah

Before you go, let’s ask you something random. What is your favorite food?

I really love donuts, and my favorite places nowadays is Randy’s Donuts and Voodoo Doughnut. 😊

Thank you for the great interview; wish you much continued success!