We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Khara Campbell a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Khara, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Has your work ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized?
I met with a potential agent some years back, before the pandemic. I remember him taking a look at me and type-casting me as “cool Mom” which I realize wasn’t intended to be offensive. And I’m not offended by being considered worthy of motherhood, nor coolness – the problem is, it had to do with age. I was, in this salesperson’s mind – because let’s be honest, an agent has to sell you, this is show business, not show art, as we’ve all heard. The problem was how narrow the view of me – and all women – once we hit a certain age. He was limiting me and all of us. In his view, I was a wholesome mom, not a doctor, lawyer, junkie (compliment, I guess), firefighter, professor, or just sexy, single lady. As a woman over 35, I certainly didn’t possess sex appeal. The young lead has that, not the “cool mom.” These limitations have squeezed us into a box since the beginning of filmmaking – sexy OR selfless, the desirable or the matron. I disagree with these limitations and believe in AND as opposed to OR. Women are all of these things at once. It’s going to take awhile for Hollywood to catch up, but we’re working on it. Here’s the truth: I was not a mom at all and at the time, was in a Maxim covergirl contest and had gone 6 of 8 rounds, beating out over 30,000 women of all ages.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I got into the business of acting and writing when I decided in one second I didn’t want to be a lawyer. I was studying English and Political Science at the University of New Hampshire and after seeing Good Will Hunting about a brilliant nobody who quit everything he knew and followed his heart. As scary as that sounded to the ever-responsible side of me, it also spoke to the deepest parts of my soul. And that was the moment I went for it. Two nobodies from Massachusetts – just like me – wrote their movie and acted in it. The same thing I secretly wanted since I was an 8-year-old kid. Those nobodies (for those who have never seen it) are Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. My life would be so different if it weren’t for them, and while entertainment is horrifically difficult, there’s nothing I’d rather do.
It’s hard to say what services I provide. I’m a really good writer and actor – it’s taken me a long time to say that because I hate arrogance. My legendary acting teacher, Eric Morris, tells us it’s not bragging if it’s true.
I figure out ways projects CAN be done. That’s my producer side, which I’ve also been. I’ve directed as well, short films and online content and I’ve done some voice work. I’m about to narrate an upcoming book which I’m really excited about. I’m a great connector, bringing people and resources together, particularly with Women in Film & Video New England. I take chances and I reach out. I recently connected with “Akeelah and the Bee” producer Sid Ganis whom I met 18 years ago. He and his wife are tremendous people and were open to reading a script of mine while they’re working on their own project. The “open ones” are the most valuable and rare people in the industry. Kevin Walsh of “Manchester by the Sea”and Leah McKendrick of “Scrambled”and the upcoming “I Know What You Did Last Summer” are others. They simply took my call or email. I hope these people continue to win for the rest of their lives. They remind us true success includes helping others.
What sets me apart? Well, I don’t quit. I lost my home and way of life due to greed and landlord harassment, I’ve had to move all over, but I don’t quit because I love to create. Art is therapy, survival.
The entertainment business is in turmoil. A state of upheaval, as streamers have taken over and theatre and ticket sales struggle to return to the way it was before COVID, and now, we navigate the threat of AI replacing humans, which is a tragedy. Human beings are beautiful, interesting and unique creatures; to do away with us, in ANY profession, because it makes “someone’s” life easier? I invite people to ask themselves who it’s easier for and how long before it’s THEIR job that’s gone.
These are very scary times; I believe it’s artists who will keep the masses calm, bring joy, beauty, laughter and humanity back. Just the way artists, playwrights, musicians and storytellers did during wartime and the Great Depression, we must recognize, it’s art created by OTHER HUMANS which make us all feel ok BEING HUMANS. Hurting, fearful, confused, vulnerable, loving, strong, hopeful HUMANS.
What am I most proud of? Getting the shit kicked out of me and getting back up. Letting anger and pain fuel me. And keeping a really big heart despite all of it.
What do I want potential clients and followers to know about me and my brand? You’re about to see all of this in a new book. It’s taking a wee bit of time to complete it, but my brand is all of this. Get ass kicked, get squeezed into a box by other people’s limitations, break outta that box, kick ass and take names. Stand-by for the book. ❤️
Lastly, I love to collaborate; podcasts, interviews, film acting, etc. Let’s talk, let’s create, let’s produce. Hit me up.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
In the span of 6 months, I lost my dog, my best friend and producing partner, and consequently, the project we were working on; then my home in Santa Monica of 20 years. I had to leave LA. I feared I also was leaving behind the dream I spent my entire life fighting for. Finally when I got safe from landlord harassment and found safety with family, my oldest brother died of cancer. It was as if I couldn’t stop the loss from coming. I didn’t have time to grieve one thing before I had to grieve another. And I was unemployed due to the strikes. I felt like I had nothing. It was the lowest I’d ever been. But I wrote. I wrote about what I went through, to survive; a story about survival and fighting for your life, and the safety and rights of other vulnerable citizens. The script is called InDiGence. And maybe no one will ever see it, maybe it’ll never get made, but it helped me get through that horrible and it’s a beautiful story about the underdog in all of us, fighting for what’s right.
In reality, there’s a happy ending: the City of Santa Monica changed laws on Tenant Protections and Landlord Harassment to prevent what happened to me from happening to others in the future. Even if I lost my home, I’m happy that direct contact with City Hall DID make a change. There’s hope after all.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
Goal or mission. Movies and storytelling, for me, are the most influential, beautiful, interesting, artful, educational pieces of work out there. It comprises sound, sight, emotion, poetry- it’s a weaving of multiple fields to create something life-changing if you let it. And more than that, it can be the best therapy you ever get. When I was 3-and- a-half, my 17-year-old brother died in a car accident. As you can imagine, my mother was overwhelmed by grief. At that formative age, I needed her more than she could give. I found solace in the world of movies; stories of struggle, triumph and hope. These stories gave ME hope. I think they helped me believe good things could happen, because in my world, they weren’t. Mom was inconsolable and Dad was always at work to provide for us. It was me… and the movies. Me, triumph, and hope. We ALL need that. I was somehow blessed with an imagination and writing skills that were recognized by teachers at a young age. It is my duty to give back to other kids and adults who need help in navigating struggle, in believing good things happen, even when we’re at our weakest. It’s my duty to pay forward what the filmmakers of my day gave to me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.amazon.com/Seahorse-Khara-L-Campbell/dp/1480874264
- Instagram: @kharacampbell1
- Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHYuBm_wCfM
