Yaya Da Costa might not have won season 3 of America's Next Top Model, but she's still managed to find some success in the entertainment world since her time on the show.

She had a role in the 2006 film Take the Lead, which starred Antonio Banderas and told the story of a dance teacher who took an interest in a special group of young people.

This year, she had the chance to work with some other big names as she took on her next role in the recently-released Honeydripper.  The film stars Danny Glover, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Charles S. Dutton, and Gary Clark Jr., and was directed by well-respected director, John Sayles

The experience of working with such professionals gave Yaya new insight into the craft of acting. She said of Danny Glover, "He's a great actor to watch and learn from. He's a season actor and has worked on many films and done so many things, it was good to see his process of working and his patterns and how he developed them through the years."

She also appreciated working with John Sayles, saying, "I learned about the responsibility of the actor. He doesn't teach anyone how to act. He has a very clear vision. He wants you to do your job as an actor, especially when you have a tight shoot. There wasn't a lot of room for multiple takes."

In addition to work with those individuals, the film offered up a new acting challenge for this America's Next Top Model alum, who originally hails from New York. She said, "I'm a city girl and the film was set in the South and I thought it would be an amazing opportunity and I was so grateful that they cast me after the callback. Once I got there I realized that this character was so different from myself."

Fans who grew to love Yaya's look on America's Next Top Model will be pleased to learn that while she is focused on her acting career, she still does pursue modeling opportunities.


- Leslie Seaton, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: AOL BlackVoices 
(Image courtesy of CW)