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Interview!

ICYMI: B&B’s Karla Mosley (Maya) Interview

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Credit: JPI

Whenever Karla Mosley (Maya) has a bad day, she thinks of her niece, Lilia, and that puts everything into perspective. That’s because Lilia, who just celebrated her fifth birthday, has already had a heart transplant, having been born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome — a congenital defect in which the left side of the heart does not form correctly. “She is adjusting to her new heart very well,” reports Mosley. “She’s so strong. The best part is that her personality is back in spades. She’s a sassy one, but for a while, when she was really sick, all she wanted to do was watch TV and space out. That was scary to see, but now she’s back in full. It’s a testament to her spirit. She grounds me. If I ever feel scared or overwhelmed, it’s like, ‘Let me check in with the Lilster and remember what life is all about.’ ”

Instagram

With that philosophy in mind, Mosley took a very personal leap of her own when she recently shared on social media that she had marked a major life milestone. “Gratefully waking up to 10 yrs free of bulimic behaviors,” she posted on September 1. The actress says she felt the time was right to come forward. “I just felt so grateful for the clarity that I have, and since that’s Lili’s birthday, as well, I was just thinking about her life and what I want for her, and what I hope for young women,” she explains. “I had been quietly open about my experiences with having an eating disorder and worked with NEDA, the National Eating Disorder Association, for years, so I thought, ‘Well, let me just share this piece of me.’ ”

But it took a lot of soul-searching for her to come to the decision to do so, Mosley notes. “It felt really vulnerable to share and I definitely didn’t want it to be self-serving, because the thing about eating disorders or any kind of something that we deal with, it’s always there, and it’s something that can come back,” she points out. “But the truth is, even that is important to know about, the fact that many people deal with these things day to day; it’s a great equalizer, right? I just wanted to share it and let people who might be struggling with it or know someone who’s struggling with it, know that they’re not alone and that there’s hope and there’s so much joy on the other side of it. It’s indescribable.”

Mosley will celebrate her five-year anniversary with B&B in early 2018, and that’s yet another cause for celebration in her life. “I was just telling someone the other day how this all started and what an amazing gift it was that was just dropped at my doorstep,” she smiles. “Every day I go to work and spend time with people who have become a family to me, and I can’t imagine my life without it.”

JPI

Playing transgender Maya, she reflects, “has been so creatively fulfilling, and the social impact of being able to play Maya every day for nearly five years is a total surprise. What I love about all the different players in the story, like Rick and Julius, is that we are able to present different sides and do it in a way that’s respectful of all of those sides, and do that in a way that is not aggressive or preachy. I hope we can do more of that. It’s definitely needed in our world. I’m just in awe of Brad [Bell, executive producer/head writer] and I can’t wait to see what’s next for Maya and Rick and the rest of the Avant clan.”

just the facts

Birthday: August 27
Hails From: Westchester, NY
Soap Roster: GUIDING LIGHT’s Christina, 2008-09; B&B’s Maya, 2013-present.
Girl Power: Regarding the women in her family, “My friends talk about us like we’re a pack of lionesses. We all walk together. No matter where we are in the world, I know that we’ve got each other’s backs. There’s this aboriginal phrase that goes, ‘There’s no space and no time between us,’ and that’s the way I feel about my sister and my mom and [niece] Lilia.”
Fit And Trim: She just did an episode of Lawrence Saint-Victor’s (Carter, B&B) new YouTube series, FIT CHAT.
The Play’s The Thing: Mosley is a member of the Ammunition Theatre Company, which produces socially relevant works. “We just did a performance with high school clubs that support friends and family of the incarcerated. You’d be floored at how many kids from all walks of life come to this club where they can talk about things they can’t talk about anywhere else. They write an anthology every year, and we performed their words as a fundraiser.”

did you know?

  • She became a vegan at age 10.
  • Her first professional gig was on the kids’ series HI-5 as “Chatterbox.”
  • Her production company, 1:1, is dedicated to championing women of color both on-screen and behind the scenes. “We just celebrated a year and I have to say, I am super-proud of us!”

there’s something about lawrence

Instagram

On GUIDING LIGHT, Mosley’s Christina wed Lawrence Saint-Victor’s Remy, and before marrying Rick on B&B, her Maya was engaged to his Carter. In real life, the pair launched a web series called WED-LOCKED in 2009 and now it’s being revived. “He is my partner in crime,” Mosley declares. “We have a similar sense of humor, a beautiful working and writing relationship and a similar drive. There must be a reason that the powers-that-be keep bringing us together again. We shot the web series over my birthday weekend, which was also my niece’s birthday and the anniversary of my eating disorder recovery, so it was a celebratory time. The shoot was unbelievable. We have something incredibly special on our hands. Everyone was so focused, and we kept surprising ourselves. We laughed and we cried. There were all kinds of beautiful moments that we didn’t expect, and I think that it’s a picture of marriage that’s real. I’m so excited to share it with everybody, and I’m so proud of Lawrence. The fan support has been unbelievable. I can’t wait for everyone to see it!”

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