Four days before she was set to start her freshman year of college with books, dorm and tuition paid for, Callie Gilbert had a change of heart. Though she didn’t quite know where to go or what to do, she was sure that San Francisco State University wasn’t it.

Fast forward seven years and you get Callie, the actress-activist. With thirteen acting credits on IMDB, including the starring role in “One of the Good Ones” (2019), the actress part is pretty obvious. The activism, on the other hand, is less so. Though she may march for Black lives and bring awareness to mental health issues on her social media, the activism, as it relates to her acting, becomes almost a defining factor that’s impossible to ignore.

Take “One of the Good Ones,” in which she plays the love interest of a young man straight out of rehab. Their short but heart wrenching journey brings humanity to drug abuse that is so easy to forget by anyone who hasn’t directly been touched by it. In an upcoming short from Micah Hamilton titled “Lovers,” out on November 8, the topic is equally devastating: human trafficking. But these roles are picked with intention.

“I don’t do anything unless I’m extremely passionate about it. Film is such an important tool in helping other humans understand each other.”

Callie grew up in a “sleepy little town” in suburban San Diego. She enjoyed acting from an early age and recalls watching “I Am Sam” (2001) with Dakota Fanning and thinking she could do this. But the calling felt like a burden, and the denial she experienced for acting throughout her early adulthood resulted in undiagnosed panic attacks, anxiety, and depression.

“The hardest part is giving yourself the permission to pursue your dreams. I would choose anything else for myself besides acting, but unfortunately it’s the only thing I love to do and find emotionally fulfilling.”

After she bailed on college, Callie moved to Seattle for two years. That didn’t work out, so she embarked on a “literal soul-searching journey” and moved to Rome to be an au pair. If this doesn’t sound like the plot of a coming-of-age movie, what does? She returned to San Diego to save money to move to Australia, when she revisited her old friend, acting, by signing up for a class. From there, she signed with an agent and moved to Los Angeles.

“Just the audition to get into the class was so fulfilling. It was the most alive I have felt in years. I’m blessed to even know what it is that makes me come alive.”

Perhaps it was the going for it that made acting feel less like a burden, but accepting the fact that this is what she is meant to do felt right. After all, acceptance is the final step of grieving for a reason. Self-aware, she comments that there is no shortage of white blonde women in the industry. The difference with Callie, though, beyond the talent, the undeniably kind heart, and the intent, lies buried the activism. It’s the choosing not to fall into the influencer events trap and the choosing of roles that matter, not just to her but to the world.

“I feel like a vessel for the story. It’s therapeutic...Maybe it’s masochistic, I’m not sure.”

Knowing all that, it’s no surprise that a long-term goal of hers is to own a hundred-acre farm that doubles as a rehabilitation center for rescue horses as well as an equine therapy for mental health center. But before then, Callie hopes to get a parrot and two bunnies.

Follow Callie on Instagram @calliegilbert to stay up to date on her projects, including upcoming feature with Eliana Alcouloumre, the Set Production Assistant on HBO’s Euphoria.