Many photos of Sasha Calle from the past four years show her wearing a floral engraved silver ring that dangles from a chain. Ms. Calle recently wore it while promoting “The Rip,” the Netflix film she stars in alongside Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.
The ring has been on red carpets, at fashion week appearances and in candid shots posted on her Instagram feed.
She rarely takes it off.
In an interview that has been condensed and edited for clarity, Ms. Calle talked about her attachment to the ring and memories of the person who gave it to her.
Tell me about your ring.
I left my mom’s when I was 17, 18, moved to Los Angeles and went to college, graduated and was struggle-bussing it. After a year and a half of couch-surfing, I booked this soap [“The Young and the Restless”] and it changes my life. And for the first time ever, I moved into my own apartment. I mean, I couldn’t even believe it.
I needed help cleaning the apartment. One of my best friends is like, “You can use my housekeeper. She’s amazing.” So she comes over, and her and I just hit it off. Her name is Elizabeth. L.A. can be a very isolating place. You have to find your own people. And it just so happened to be that my housekeeper became either one of my best friends or a second mother. I would clean my whole apartment with her.
February of 2021 hit and I booked “The Flash,” and that was a big jump. And I just moved out of the apartment, put everything in a storage unit. Right before I left, I went to go visit her. And she was like, “Hey, I have something for you. “
She gives me this ring, and I put it on my finger. And she’s like, “It’s a magical ring.” She told me, “When I first moved to Los Angeles, I went to this little store, an antique store, and I walked in and the owner of the store was like, ‘I recommend you buy this ring because it’s a magical ring. If you hold it in the palm of your hand and make a wish, the wish will come true.’”
I just never took it off after that. I put it on a chain because it didn’t fit, and she told me that I couldn’t alter it because it would take the magic away from the ring. It kind of sat on my neck since January, February of 2021.
Have you experienced any of the ring’s magic?
I think that the magic was just Ellie and the love that she gave me and our friendship. But I do, on occasion, grab it, close my eyes and wish for something. I kind of forget, because I don’t have expectations on the ring. I think I hold it with love and joy, and I’m grateful for it — not because of its magic qualities, but because it just holds a very tender memory.
Where is Ellie now?
She kind of retired and is living her best life. She’s an angel, and she really was such a big part of my life around that time. And obviously, as I have this piece of jewelry, I think about her with a lot of love and gratitude and joy. I just think those people that are, I suppose, the unexpected angels that come into your life are really beautiful.
You didn’t wear it when you played Desi on “The Rip.” Did that feel weird?
You dive deep into what you think is best for the character. I wanted a Cuban link because I thought it was very Miami and I love silver, so I was like, let’s give her a Cuban link chain.
There’s a magical rule that no one else can touch [the ring]. It’s a superstition, but for me, I’m just trying to respect [Ellie’s] wishes. So I have a system: I’ll bring a box, and I take it off, and I leave it in the box, put the box in my bag. And then when I’m done, when I wrap, I put it back on.
Have you thought about passing down this ring someday?
Not yet. It was gifted to me, and I have to keep it. I don’t know. Maybe when I have a kid, but I have to make sure that my kid doesn’t lose it. How do you even do that? Do they have to turn 18? Do they have to turn 21? How old will I be?
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