Vanessa Brown

An Otho native can be seen in a new series on Netflix called “She’s Gotta Have It.”

Vanessa Brown, a 2005 Fort Dodge Senior High graduate, plays in a dancing role on the show.

The series made its debut recently.

Brown said she’s not sure which episode she would be featured on or how long her part is.

She auditioned for the role in October 2016.

One of her friends knew Spike Lee, the director.

“She told me he wanted me to come audition,” Brown recalled.

She lives in New York City.

Brown developed a passion for dancing as a young teenager.

“Growing up I was in gymnastics and I started dance when I was in eighth or ninth grade,” she said. “I finally decided to take a dance class.”

She added, “I would always watch the dancers to pick up what they are doing. Just the technique and the focus — it can take you away from what you’re doing that day. It’s always inspiring. Whether it’s the music or the the lessons.”

Brown studied dancing at Arizona State University and music at Columbia College in Chicago.

She said although she enjoyed dancing, she wasn’t used to acting.

It was an internship with Jive Records that attracted her to New York.

At the audition for the show she was asked to say her name, the role she was auditioning for, and her line.

Things didn’t go as planned, she said.

“It was one of those funny moments where they said ‘ok go,’ and I was staring into blank space for like 5 seconds,” Brown said.

The audition lasted for about 5 minutes.

Afterwards, she didn’t think she would make the cut.

“I told my friend thanks for calling me, but I think I just embarrassed myself,” Brown said.

About a month passed and Brown thought someone else had probably been picked.

Then she got a call.

“I thought maybe they called me on accident,” Brown said. “So I just let him talk.”

Brown was asked to perform for a second audition.

She contacted her friend again.

“I texted her and said ‘I think they called me on accident’ and she said ‘no they didn’t, you got a call back.'”

“I was like ‘oh wow,'” Brown said.

Her next audition went much smoother, she said.

“I was much more comfortable the next time,” Brown said. “It was pretty much the same thing, but I think they had cut the number down, but wanted to see it again.”

After that audition, she secured her part.

“I didn’t think I would ever get it,” she said. “I was very grateful.”

The experience taught her to believe in herself.

She offered some advice for others trying to reach their goals.

“You don’t know until you try,” she said. “Don’t doubt yourself before you even give it a chance. You never know who you are going to meet. I just think if you go for it, you will be very surprised in a good way.”