Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Hailey Foss. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hailey, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I was about twelve years old when I first performed in front of an audience. It was for a musical theatre showcase, and I was singing “Ice Cream” from Anne of Green Gables. I had this brown curly wig that bounced every time I moved and it made the audience laugh. I just remember it was suddenly like I stepped into this weird new confidence I found, and feeling the energy of the audience pushed that further. It was an adrenaline rush and I was like “Oh, I gotta keep doing this”. Then, a couple years later, I had my first experience on a film set as an extra, which is a great low stress job for a first timer because you do a lot of sitting around and watching. And boy I watched. I was so entranced with all the cameras and equipment, and seeing all of the crew work together. My mind was blown with how much work it took to set up a single shot. It was a completely different form of art. And again, I was in love.

Hailey, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m a 24 year old Actor, Producer, Assistant Director and more! In 2022 I graduated from The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in NYC where I had a phenomenal experience and learned so much as an artist. Over the last decade outside of school, I have worked in both film and theatre, in front of the camera and behind. I started with acting, but I began wearing more hats in film/theatre (like being a Assistant Director and Production Assistant) so I could make a full income alongside acting while still being in the creative space. The skills I’ve learned from these roles have been invaluable and getting to be apart of the creation of a story in any capacity is very rewarding. My past acting work includes: Sarabha (Released across North America in theatres – Film), LOW (Pluto Pictures – Film), and Red Letter Day (Epic Pictures – Film). Behind the scenes I have worked on: Birth/Rebirth as Paperwork PA (NYT Critic’s Pick, Sundance – Film), Insidious: The Red Door as Walkie PA (Blumhouse – Film) and Heirlooms of the West as Line Producer and 1st Assistant Director (Numera Films – Feature Film Series).

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I would say I grapple with perfectionism and trying to do things “right” a lot. Acting has helped me in many aspects of my life to be able to let go of the outcome of things and become more present. It’s a great life tool. I also tend to take life way too seriously and my theatre training has taught me to step back into my inner child, have fun and embrace falling flat on my face.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I’ve found that involving yourself in the local arts community in any way you can is the best way to meet people and find out what there is to offer in your area. When I was in New York, and now Alberta, I joined several Facebook groups that post last minute gigs or industry events. It was how I got my first production assistant gig in New York, which led to two other assistant director jobs. Another good thing to do is to reach out to the people you do know in the industry. Ask to take them for coffee, lunch or volunteer to be an extra set of hands on their next project. A lot of the time people will be nice and take you up on it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/Haileyfoss
• Instagram: @Hailey_foss
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/hailey-foss-b59086143

Image Credits
In order: Radium Girls Production Photo (Rita Morgenthau Theatre NYC), Headshot by Andrew Alstat, LOW Film Still 1 & 2 (Pluto Pictures, CDAC), SnO Swiss Skincare Commercial Photo, Radium Girls Production Photo (Rita Morgenthau Theatre NYC), Not Okay Film Premiere NYC, Headshot by Andrew Alstat