Catherine Tresa: A very shy performer

From being a shy child, who was pushed to overcome it by parents who always wanted her to be an achiever, to the star that she is today, actress Catherine Tresa has certainly come a long way.  “I didn’t like that they tried to push me out of my shell. But when people appreciated me, I started enjoying it. I realised that I liked being a performer. That’s probably why despite being shy and reserved, I am confident in front of the camera and easily snap out of my zone,” shares the actress, who is pretty busy with a couple of Telugu films in the pipeline.

It is this eagerness to perform that probably pushed her to learn even Telugu. In fact, many, who speak to her on an everyday basis vouch for her fluency in the language. “I try to speak it well,” she says with a sparkle in her voice, adding, “For the most part, I am confident. It’s important to understand the language I am performing in. It makes a huge difference in terms of understanding the emotions. That’s why I took an interest. And when you do that, you inevitably end up learning it.”

But Telugu isn’t the only local connect for Catherine. While she juggles between Tamil and Telugu cinema, she’s got family here! She lives with her dogs Brandy and Cooper in her house in Hyderabad. “I love both the cities, but I am more at home here. In general, I hardly go out except for work or to the gym. I occasionally meet friends too. I was raised in a very disciplined atmosphere and today, that discipline is a habit for me. There are some things I do by default like I retire early, workout at least once a day, and read a book before I sleep,” she shares.

A small conversation with her will make you realise that she is very well-read, with knowledge and interests in a variety of topics from political history to terrorism. “I don’t read for the purpose of being well-read! It’s just a habit, a lifestyle. Being an actor, this habit helps me visualise better.” While Catherine has been around for a while, it seems she’s suddenly doing a lot of work now. “Post Sarrainodu, people started seeing me differently. I wasn’t doing the roles I wanted to do earlier. But now I am quite excited by the films that are set to release. I love preparing  and getting into the character. It’s the best part of it all,” she signs off.