11-year-old chasing dreams; Orangeburg resident has new book

Kayla Berry of Orangeburg had a life-changing experience as an extra in the upcoming musical adaptation of “The Color Purple.”

“It was actually fun. I met a lot of people,” the 11-year-old said.

“I met Oprah Winfrey, I met ‘Mr. Brown’ from ‘Meet The Browns,’ I met his ‘Mr. Brown’ wife, I met Halle Bailey,” Berry said.

Berry is a townsperson in the movie. Her mother, Conswella McCants, said it was amazing seeing her daughter in a movie like this.

There was a lot of work that went into getting Berry into her role.

“To be honest with you, it was exciting. I normally go online to find work for her to do. Once I do that, and submit for her to do different roles, then if she fits the description, they will contact her back. So when I got the call back for ‘The Color Purple,’ I felt that was really exciting,” McCants said.

Berry is not only interested in acting, she is also putting out a new children’s book called “Follow Your Dreams.”

McCants says her daughter has a very strong support system.

“My parents, my sister, my niece, my daughter, everyone, a very strong support system. I am so grateful for that,” McCants said.

The book is designed to show that no matter what you’re going through, you should push through it and stay focused on your goals.

The young Berry spoke about some of the early struggles she faced so far.

“You can look through my path of what I went through. It’s just my perspective on how I got into my dream,” Berry said.

“God first in everything you do, because God can make a lot of stuff happening in serious ways,” Berry said.

Berry’s mother enjoys seeing her child accomplish her dreams at such a young age. She also took the time to talk about pushing your children to accomplish their goals.

“I usually tell people that if your child wants to really do something, don’t kill a dream, just go forward,” McCants said.

She spoke on how there are always tough moments, like those discussed in the book.

“It’s a lot. But again, if it’s the dream, you don’t kill it, you keep going forward,” McCants said.

“It’s going to be rough. You may go, you may get some calls, you may not get some calls, but when you don’t get in a call, don’t get discouraged. Just keep going,” McCants said.

The musical remake of “The Color Purple” is set to come out December 2023. Berry’s second book, “Follow Your Dreams,” can be purchased on Amazon.