July seems to be a good month for Yaya DaCosta.

The former runner-up of 'America's Next Top Model' (Cycle 3) and Ivy League grad was recently named Esquire magazine's 'Woman of the Summer' and also has a supporting role in the film 'The Kids Are All Right,' which stars Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska and Josh Hutcherson.

In this heartfelt new comedy from acclaimed director Lisa Cholodenko, two teenage children (played by Mia Wasikowska and Josh Hutcherson) get the notion to seek out their biological father and introduce him into the family life that their two mothers (played by Bening and Moore) have built for them.

Once the donor (played by Ruffalo) is found, the household will never be the same, as family ties are defined, re-defined, and re-re-defined.

Black Voices caught up with the New York native as she spoke about her role in the film, and her coming projects which includes some theater work and a highly anticipated film.

Can you talk about the role that you play in the film?

Yaya DaCosta: Yes. The role that I play is a woman named Tanya. She's the restaurant manager of Paul's restaurant. Paul is played by Mark Ruffalo and she's also his really good friend, with benefits lets say.

What was the attraction to doing this movie?

YD: Well, the script itself, even before I auditioned really just drew me in. It was beautifully written by Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg and it's a story that I don't think has been put on film before and it's always nice to do something new and exciting and refreshing and impactful. I think it's going to have a huge impact on everyone, not just the LGBT community but also people who may not expect to fall in love with these characters.

Right. This movie is not a gay film but it's about family.

YD: So you know what I'm talking about. It really is about family. It's about family values. It's about the responsibilities that family members have for one another. It's about love. It's about how you get through obstacles and there are a few obstacles in the film but it really, really draws you in and you connect to these characters because, well, I think people who have families will be able to understand where they're coming from.

Most of your scenes are with Mark. How was it working with him?

YD: Yes, they are with Mark and he's so talented. He's a great actor. He's really smart and generous and a complete gentleman, which is important when you're doing a scene like the one that we had, which is kind of intimate.

You've done other films before but when you do a movie like this, what are you learning this time around, also working with Lisa who's a female director?

YD: It's wonderful to work with female directors and Lisa Cholodenko is superbly talented. I mean she's just on the move and her script is amazing but the way that she brought it to life on film I think is just something, like, I've never seen a film like this. On set, and in independent film that's a low budget, it's shot over a short of period of time. I think we shot this in twenty one days to get it out and that's a lot of pressure. I never sensed from her that she was going to blow her top like I have seen some directors [do]. Maybe not from my own personal experience but I've definitely heard stories. She's really professional, really clear about what she wants. She gets it and she moves on. I feel like she's seeing the whole picture. She's probably – I don't know as I haven't heard her say this – but I would sense that she was editing in her head as she went and that's fine from someone that really knows what they're doing. I mean, she created such a safe space for us all, for all the actors to just do our work.

You didn't get a chance to be onscreen with either of them but did you get to talk with Annette (Bening) or Julianne (Moore) about the business and how to keep it going?

YD: The shoot was so short and so it was just constant work and there wasn't a lot of time to just sit around chit chatting, at least not for my character because I was only there for a handful of days. It's interesting because all of the scenes that were shot at Paul's house were shot on the same day, the bedroom scene, our scene even though it wasn't in the bedroom it was a similar type of scene. So, when was Julianne was leaving, when she was done and in her robe I was walking in wearing my robe and we kind of exchanged words and made jokes about that. She's from New York as well and so we talked about that, but no, there wasn't a lot of opportunity for that. I didn't have any scenes with Annette either. I just met Annette and talked with her for the first time at the after party, the wrap party.

You seem to have a lot going on this month. How do you like being Esquire's Woman of the Summer?

YD: That was so fun, so fun. The 'Esquire' shoot was super fun and even the little online affirmation that they had me say came across as really, really funny. It's always great to have the opportunity to do little fun things like that and promote the film whenever you can because I think it's a great film. So if you can get it to the audience members that might not regularly go out to the movies interested in seeing it then it's great. I think it's great for readers of 'Esquire', readers of 'In Touch', readers of 'W' and all the other magazines that the other actors promoted in; I think that everyone can enjoy it and that's the point. Even though it seems like one kind of movie on the surface, once you get in that theater I think there are a lot of wonderful surprises for everyone.

You also seem to be one of the hardest working women in the business these days because you've got some theater work coming up in a few weeks, right?

YD: Yes, I'm in rehearsals right now for Shakespeare's 'Twelfth Night'. I'm playing Olivia.

What's the joy of doing theater?

YD: It's just a completely different experience being on stage and having to be in the show at every moment and in your character without pause for the entire run of the play. It's different in film because there's a lot of technical work that goes on that has nothing to do with you. You might have to re-shoot a scene because there was something with the lights and it wasn't about you. That could throw you off, it might not but onstage everything goes. Whatever happens onstage is the show and the audience is there giving you energy right back and it's just such an enriching experience, performing live. I really love the theater which is why it's nice to spend time in New York and audition for theater as well as the TV and the film. It's a completely different kind of rush.

You're also in one of the most anticipated films of the year. 'Tron: Legacy'. How exciting is that for you?

YD: That's so exciting. I know so many people, especially who are guy friends, who were such huge fans of 'Tron' one and so now 'Tron' two is just really going to be quite big. I'm excited about the whole thing. It's interesting seeing the 3-D craze take on a new life. My thing is that there are a group of Sirens who kind of prepare the main character for his journey. So it'll be interesting for sure, identifying me beneath the costume and the makeup.

Had you seen the original?

YD: Oh, yeah, I saw it.

Do you feel that with all the work you've done on television, stage and in film that this 3-D role is just another highlight for you and your career?

YD: Definitely. Everything is a highlight. Everything that's new is refreshing, doing something that you haven't done before and I haven't done 3-D before. So that'll be cute.

Do you still keep up with 'America's Top Model' to see how it's going and how it's evolved over the years?

YD: No.

With all that you do between modeling, theater and film, what keeps you grounded?

YD: Well, the only modeling that I do is to promote film, like the spreads that I did recently were setup by Focus Features for 'The Kids Are All Right', but my family always keeps me grounded, among other things. I'm a very spiritual person and I keep close to the ones that matter and to the family films. No matter what defines family to us I think the universal aspect of it is the love and support that people show each other when you are related. Relationships come and go, friendships do, too, but family is hopefully always there. At least that's the kind of family that I was raised in. So it really, really helped in a business like this with so much rejection and so many obstacles to be rooted in that and around people who are always there to remind you who you really are despite what other people think about you.