We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kelley Rae O’Donnell a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Kelley Rae thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’ve love to hear an interesting investment story – what was one of the best or worst investments you’ve made? (Note, these responses are only intended as entertainment and shouldn’t be construed as investment advice)
The best ongoing investment I’ve made as an actor over a few decades now, is finding my people. Building my community.
Fellow artists and institutions in theater, television, film, commercials, voiceovers, video games, audiobooks, podcasts, etc. that become people/places where I can share my work and have their work shared with me. We can be vulnerable and take risks. We can learn from each other and inspire each other.
Building these connections is how I’ve learned to take criticism and understand that not everyone is going to love my work. Someone absolutely hating your work can be an honor to embrace – don’t let it stop you from creating. You are unique and special. Embrace yourself. And surround yourself with others who embrace you–and who you can embrace and champion, as well.
Some of the ways I found my people include attending University for theatre in NYC, taking acting classes, seeing all the film and tv and theatre possible, attending industry events, getting involved with theater companies, volunteering for arts organizations, striking up conversations with fellow actors after an audition, and even cold contacting people whose work I admire.
I’ve found the community, fellowship, feedback, patronage, guidance, and advice provided by my people on all aspects of being creative including the business of being creative to be invaluable over the years.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’m an actor, voiceover artist, producer and writer primarily based in NYC.
I was raised by my maternal grandparents in a tiny Pennsylvania town. They would drive me to/from a bus stop twice a week so I could commute weekly to NYC as a teen to begin an acting career. I didn’t have any family members with artistic inclinations so I hustled on my own and found a manager, an agent and acting classes. After high school, I moved to NYC and graduated from Fordham University Lincoln Center with a BA in Theatre. Soon after that, I was made a Company Member of Off-Broadway’s Award Winning LAByrinth Theater Company by Philip Seymour Hoffman and John Ortiz. LAB has been an invaluable artistic home for me.
I have lots of film, TV, and theater experience, most recently opposite Jennifer Lawrence in the film “No Hard Feelings,” and I’ll soon appear on stage (March 2024) in “lolita lolita” a new play from LAByrinth. I’ve voiced and appeared on camera for 100s of commercial campaigns, a number of video game characters, narrative podcasts and animated characters. I’m also a creator and performer of original comedy content for companies like WeTV (Women’s Entertainment Television).
You can often find me meditating, reading a memoir, taking a road trip, cooking, volunteering for arts organizations, and/or listening to 90’s R&B.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
Memoirs of actors! Or, really, biographies of any creative-type people, at any stage of their career. I can not recommend reading these kinds of books enough. I have found them to be so helpful with ideas and inspiration in the journeys of people who are on similar paths.
A few of the first ones that inspired me: Lauren Bacall’s “By Myself,” Carol Burnett’s “One More Time,” “Marlene Dietrich” by her daughter Maria Riva, Lucille Ball’s “Love, Lucy,” Gelsey Kirkland’s “Dancing on my Grave.”
A few recent ones I’ve loved: Gabrielle Union’s “We’re Going to Need More Wine,” Geena Davis’s “Dying of Politeness,” Jennette McCurdy’s “I’m Glad My Mom Died,” Sally Field’s “In Pieces,” Barbra Streisand’s “My Name Is Barbra.”
Some additional books that I have found helpful: The “Steal Like An Artist” Trilogy of books by Austin Kleon, “The Big Leap” by Gay Hendricks.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
For most of my life I’ve been the primary caretaker for several family members. More than once, I’ve even had to pause my career and turn work opportunities down to be with loved ones while they were ill and/or at their end of life journey. Of course, this wasn’t always easy to do, since it caused a lot of financial and emotional stress, and occasionally made me worry about losing momentum in this industry. I had to learn how to take breaks without ever ever losing sight of my goals. I kept my creativity nourished by reading and watching and creating things with my loved ones. I didn’t worry about being too old or thinking my creative juices would dry up.
Life always happens when we least expect it (another lesson I’ve learned from reading so many memoirs), so if you ever find yourself going through something similar, the best lessons I’ve learned to stay resilient are: always look for ways to laugh and find joy. Be present and remember every moment feeds your creative life and your vulnerability. If you have to step away from your work for life reasons, you’ll be able to bring those experiences back into your creative work in millions of possible ways, and likely find it far more rich and original, educational and inspiring to others.
Contact Info:
- Website: kellrod.com
- Instagram: @kelleyraeodonnell
Image Credits
Headshots: dirty sugar Ushuaia Blue: Seth Freeman