We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Amber Steigelfest a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Amber thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

I am really lucky in that my parents are also my true best friends who champion my career and successes. They have always taught me to believe in myself. My mom and dad both work in medicine, so I always jokingly say that “they keep people alive, and I give people a reason to live,” but my mom repeats that to me unironically. They love watching my self tapes, being my readers, and just overall find joy in this career path alongside me. I think they recognize that the film industry, like any other career, requires time and consistent hard work. They are proud of me regardless of my successes, but also make sure to always remind me of them. The way they lead with love is really impactful to my life and has affected the way I look at scripts, opportunities, as well as how I treat my friends and cohorts in this career path. It’s never a competition, just a bunch of artistic souls who have decided to make a career out of our passions. I also appreciate my parents’ emphasis on relentlessness, it’s never the idea of working oneself to the point of exhaustion (they’re both very health focused which has helped me find balance in hard work and a sense of longevity in the work), but they do believe in applying oneself completely, taking risks, and never backing away from tough conversations. My favorite Sarah J. Maas quote “you do not yield” fully re-emphasizes my parents’ message to me growing up. They’ve never questioned my decision to be an actor so long as my work ethic and obsession with it has never faltered.

Amber, 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 played the role of a class clown in a play when I was 9 years old an simply never went back. The second I inspired an audience to laugh, I was addicted and I was done for. Unfortuntately my elementary school defunded the drama program after that, but I bid my time. I kept reading, delving into stories and brains other than my own which I think began my addiction to living in other worlds. Truthfully, I think my brain functions best to this day if its 10% planning, predicting, and relaxing into a story other than my own. I want to be an actress and a storyteller because I want to give others the same experience whether that be escapism through laughter or identifying with a story that is so utterly personal to them it frees them from the concept of thinking they’re alone in their struggle, or at least that the character can absorb into their lifelong companion. The first piece of theatre I did that sold me on not only performing for the sake of entertaining, but sharing deeply impactful stories was Great Expectations directed by Malcolm Morrison. When Estella says, “I have been bent and broken but– I hope –into a better shape,” my thirteen year old self knew that was important and meant that there was beauty in the imperfect. Now my twenty four year old self has revisted such a quote realizing it is not our strengths that shape us but what we do in the face of our mistakes and our fears. Strong storytelling whether it be in the form of a sitcom, film, play, or novels allows its viewers to get used to imperfection through the characters mistakes which inherently creates a domino effect for a viewer to forgive themselves and those around them and find the beauty in the mess. Embracing the mess is the key to finding peace in ones life. Also, as someone who struggles with indecision, I definitely appreciate telling stories about incredibly flawed characters trying their best resulting in an ultimately happy ending. Today, I love acting and am pursuing the career every day of my life. This past year I’ve done plays, features, and short films– majority of which are comedic or at least have comedic elements. I still perform stand up comedy around town including at The Ice House and The Comedy Store. My best friend, Sammi, and I co-run a female led production company, Archetypes Productions, focused on flipping the typical narrative with a huge focus on female friendship and mental health. Our most recent short, Cultivate, is in post production, and we are excited for its festival run in 2025. We are always looking for others to collaborate with and have a portfolio of work including micro-budget features, music videos, and shorts. Whether I’m acting, writing, directing, or producing, I always try to bring the most human element to the work. I want it to be real, relatable, and if the circumstance calls for it, properly hilarious.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn the idea of being the best or wanting to be the best. Creativity is so subjective and perfection can be an artist’s worst enemy. Sometimes I would struggle with inaction due to the fear of the result not being perfect. Also, there are so many things I’m not naturally talented at that I have been able to gain life changing skill in just because I tried despite the lack of experience. You have to do something to get good at it, which is one of the scariest lessons of all. For example, I am not built for weight lifting and have never enjoyed running, but this past year I made it my goal to consistently exercise and now I’m faster and stronger then I ever thought I would be which has transformed my life and mindset. Additionally, aiming towards a desired result in scenes is detrimental to acting…we can’t control how we feel in real life, so how are we supposed to control how we feel in a scene that’s supposed to both entertain and emulate in real life? We can only fully immerse ourselves in the emotional life and the circumstances and trust that truth will come out rather than trying to give a bland, half-ass, controlled result that requires no risk or brilliance whatsoever. There’s no “best” way to do the scene, but there is my best. I can bring my best self to every interaction, to every project, every goal and trust that whatever the result is, I had nothing else left to give. So while I should never aim to be the best or do something the best, I can always bring my best and that is enough.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I think society can keep championing art. See live theatre, attend stand up shows, talk about movies and TV shows that you find inspiring to create community fueled by art. Supporting the art of your friends is key, especially when it’s something that they do not see themselves as good at but just wanted to try. Vulnerability often needs a response, and no stranger or fan will be able to as meaningfully advocate for your friend as you can. Reach out to strangers if you like their art! It’s never weird to compliment someone if you mean it, and you never know when someone’s at the point of breaking, so just simply saying something as one person might be enough to keep someone who is really struggling with their mental health or confidence in the game. Don’t treat creative professions like they’re selfish or a huge risk. Realistically, yes, not many people become super freaking famous, but so many people have built great lives as working actors or entertainers or found ways to balance their art and monetary needs in life. Realistically, we all only get one life which affects no stranger or friend as much as it does ourself, so if someone believes in themselves enough to jump in this career path that is as dangerous, limitless, but potentially shallow as the ocean, offer them a life vest, help them build their boat, but don’t comment on their choice to swim unless you’re saying you’re jumping in too.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10836720/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/steigelfestival
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amber-steigelfest-583352199/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfVZgyWIAA4Yb7Hu6ZFzV7A
• Other: Production Company Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archetypesproductions/

Image Credits

Headshot by Christopher Sheffield
Film Photos by Mollie Lemm
Red shirt photo by Delia Bush
Stand up photo by Sanaz Bashiri
Waffle photo still from music video by Victor Yuan