We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Whitney Rice a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Whitney, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
My whole career has been a risk.
Before I became an actor and writer, I was a speech coach and professor. I taught public speaking and argumentation at CSU Northridge and CSU Long Beach, and coached the speech team at CSU Long Beach. I loved teaching and seeing students overcome their stage fright. I also loved coaching the speech team and watching my students perform at tournaments all over the country. But, I always felt like there was something missing in my life. Like I was settling for the safe option — an option that really wasn’t true to “Whitney.”
I’ve always been drawn to writing and performing; throughout my childhood, I would lock myself in my room and write books (there’s one story I wrote about a group of kids taking a wild journey to the center of the earth that involves gigantic friendly earthworms and I feel like it has a chance at a book deal). In college, I got the performance bug after I joined the speech team and started winning titles at national tournaments. I always wanted to try the damn thing and see if I could make my talents a career. I was afraid, but I also knew that if I didn’t at least try, I’d spend my life wondering: “What if?”
So — I quit! I followed my gut, and I quit my professor career. That meant: goodbye job security, goodbye pension, goodbye regular paycheck. And, let me tell you, my parents were not happy. Here I was, with an established career — and I decided to blow it to bits so I could pursue this amorphous thing called “acting” and “writing.”
Taking the risk to jump into my dreams wasn’t easy. I had a lot of people tell me I was crazy, that I should get a “real job.” I ate a lot of refried beans straight from the can for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I worked a lot of “acting” jobs for $50 that I regret and I’m sure you can still find on the internet somewhere. And I had a long roster of terrible restaurant jobs, including my first job as a waitress at a fancy restaurant in Beverly Hills. Every shift, the manager would tell the female waitresses to put on more blush. I’d get so hungry, I’d hide in the kitchen and cram cheddar chive biscuits down my throat. Worst of all, I’d have to park in a fancy neighborhood with very restrictive parking. So, I’d go to work, make $80, and often come back to my car with a parking ticket for $90. So, I took another risk — I quit that restaurant job. And I promised myself: “I will never park in this neighborhood again.”
Twelve years later, I ended up driving to Beverly Hills. After I parked my car, I looked up and realized that I was parked in the same neighborhood I swore I would never park in again. I laughed. And I cried. Because this time I wasn’t parking in that neighborhood to go wait tables at a terrible restaurant job. I was parking in that neighborhood because the TV show I was on was nominated for four Emmys and I needed to get a dress for the event.
Don’t worry — I didn’t get a parking ticket that day. And I learned later that Neiman Marcus has complimentary valet, but oh well.
Whitney, 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?
Getting to where I’m at currently in my career required me trying bunch of different *things* over the past twelve years.
After quitting my professor career, I quickly realized that an agent wasn’t going to come knocking on my door to give me opportunities. So, I started doing standup — a “career” that lasted for a whopping three years. While I wasn’t skilled at standup, getting up on stage in a dingy bar at midnight helped me build a backbone (I’m really sensitive) and get used to bombing in front of crowds. FYI: For those not familiar with the word “bombing” — it means no one laughs at you. At all. A synonym might be: ”eating shit.”
From there, I got into background acting work. A background actor is a person in a TV show or movie who is in the background of the scene, eating at a table, walking through the street, sitting at a desk, etc. My very first gig was as a background secretary on ‘Mad Men.’ It was on that show where I landed my SAG-AFTRA union card, and learned the Hollywood lingo, like “back to one” and “inviting first team.” I still remember my very first day: I’d stand on set, frozen, not sure what anything anyone said meant. It was like everyone was speaking another language. But the other background actors would shuffle me here and there, filling me in. I’m very grateful for all of them.
I knew if I wanted to be on screen, then I’d have to put myself on screen first. So, I started making sketches with friends. I loved watching people edit the video footage, so I taught myself how to edit by watching YouTube videos. From there, I started my own YouTube channel, where I made a bunch of character sketches— lots of wigs and weird stuff. My YouTube channel is what launched my acting career.
I didn’t have a theatrical agent to pitch me to casting directors to audition for shows. But, I eventually “got in the door” when, randomly, a casting assistant happened to see one of my YouTube videos and showed it to her boss. And, because of that, they invited me to my very first TV audition. And I booked the role!
One video has led to another audition. One audition has led to the next audition. One job has led to the next job. I truly believe that if you put in the effort and you find your voice, one opportunity snowballs into the next.
I’m proud of a lot of things I’ve accomplished, especially how my little videos that I taped in my little apartment from ten years ago have advanced my career. My YouTube videos have been featured in the Los Angeles Times, Buzzfeed, and the Huffington Post. The premises for those videos have turned into pitches and TV pilots that have caught the interest of producers and studios. And, I’d say, all that work I put into developing characters and story helped me land the role of Jacqui Hillgrove on the show ‘Jury Duty,’ which was nominated for Emmys, Golden Globes, and won Best Ensemble at the Film Independent Spirit Awards. I’m really, really proud of that little show. ‘Jury Duty’ is an example of how you don’t need a lot to succeed — it was a low-budget production, on a network that no one had really heard of, with a bunch of actors nobody’d heard of — and we still hit it big time.
As for future endeavors, I’ve taken everything I’ve learned over the past twelve years and developed a public speaking business where I help mainly women find their voice and confidence on stage, during a work presentation, or even in a Zoom meeting. And I’d love to connect!
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
In my 20s, I’d say I was a bit cocky — a lot cocky — I thought I knew everything and didn’t want anyone to influence my voice. But my tune started to change right before I hit thirty. I had an opportunity to make a web series for the YouTube Women’s Production Program and I didn’t take the notes I was given by some producers…and the series, in my opinion, really struggled because of my decision. After that, I was humbled several times in other situations and eventually found myself in a rut. So, I started taking classes. Now, I’m always in a class: improv, character, clowning, writing, plays, scene study, etc. I believe we always have something to learn — and that doesn’t mean you have to compromise your voice or idea.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
It’s nothing new or unique, but I struggle with anxiety, people pleasing, and perfectionism. Being in an industry with no consistency or idea of the future can really amp up those struggles. So, first thing in the morning, I’m listening to some kind of self-help podcast or audiobook — doing that tends to set my mind right for the day. Here are some of my favorites:
‘Bird by Bird’ by Anne Lamott
‘Big Magic’ by Elizabeth Gilbert
‘The Resilient Mind’ podcast
‘The School of Greatness’ podcast
NPR’s ‘Hidden Brain’
And, of course, anything Oprah.
My therapist sent me this commencement address on imposter syndrome and I watch it often: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoHDDgeQtlc
Lastly, I’ve only recently become familiar with the idea of “reprogramming” our subconscious minds — to get rid of the negative self-beliefs and substitute them with high-worth beliefs. I do a program called ‘To Be Magnetic’ which incorporates a lot of understanding how the brain works, journaling, and meditations to help reprogram your subconscious beliefs.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.whitneyrice.com
- Instagram: @WhitLeeRice
Image Credits
Main photo (the headshot): Kim Newmoney
Photo #1 (‘Jury Duty,’ Jacqui’s closing statement): Amazon Freevee
Photo #2 (‘Tami’ and ‘Candy’): Whitney Rice’s Instagram @WhitLeeRice
Photo #3 (‘The Spokesperson for O’Doul’s Non-Alcoholic Beer’): Whitney Rice’s Instagram @WhitLeeRice
Photo #4 (Some of Whitney’s characters): Collin Stark
Photo #5 (on stage, lipstick all over face): N/A
Photo #6 (2024 Emmys): Whitney Rice
Photo #7 (2024 Film Independent Spirit Awards, Jury Duty Cast): Susan J. Berger
Photo #8 (San Gabriel Valley Women’s Summit): Craig Takahashi
Extra photos just in case:
Photo #9 (Jacqui, Cinnamon & Sparrow): Whitney Rice
Photo #10 (‘Jury Duty,’ Jacqui drinking): Amazon Freevee