We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ali Bill. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ali below.

Ali, appreciate you joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I had always been a very active child and was in gymnastics and dance by the age of 4. However, when I was 6, my mother took me to my first play, and MAN do I wish I could remember what it was called or where we were! I remember the playbill very clearly… and the feeling of knowing I wanted to be a part of whatever I just saw.
My sweet mom took me to audition for the upcoming show they had and I completely froze up, it was terrifying! I remember they wanted me to cold read and improvise and I was totally out of my comfort zone, even though I’m a middle child and loved attention.
And then, of course, I wanted to take lessons and classes and learn everything I possibly could. I have that moment marked as the moment that permanently changed my trajectory.

Ali, 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 got into the acting business because it’s the only thing I ever wanted to do. There are other things that bring me joy in life but the responsibility of creating a character or becoming someone else is an indescribable feeling. It’s just what I know I’m meant to do. I love analyzing a script, finding tidbits about each character in the text and then allowing myself to dream and really enrich a character to bring it to life.
I love being a part of a team whether that is an ensemble onstage or a production on camera. I have a dream of directing someday and I’ve started writing a pilot recently because luckily, in this profession, I have the freedom to try on many different hats. I also want to host my own TV show. I mean, why not dream big?!
I want to add, that I’ve changed a lot during my career. It’s impossible not to. I want to encourage people to embrace the change and be thankful for it. What a boring life to be the same person forever.
I am the poster child for not giving up. That’s what I’m most proud of. There have been a lot of highs and lot of lows but if you love something, there’s no way you can ever stop doing it – it’s a part of you.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I can say with certainty I’m constantly pivoting, but I think the first major pivot I did was actually getting back into the industry after a few years of struggling with my mental health.
I was doing well and auditioning frequently and I honestly became a little lazy. I thought “I have an agent, I’m good. They’ll figure it out, I’ll get booked on a sitcom and BOOM! Dream accomplished”. I was very young and naive and didn’t really understand the hard work that you have to continue to do, even if you have an incredible team behind you.
I lost my agent and spiraled. I went through a traumatic experience, gained about 60 pounds and really was a different person. I never gave up on acting. I knew myself well enough to know that I would recover eventually, and I did.
My husband luckily got sober in 2017 and that was the catalyst to me taking my life back. I started running in Prospect Park and eating well and seeing a therapist and I eventually felt like myself enough to audition for a commercial through Backstage. They booked me, and with that footage I was able to find my current agent in NYC who I’m still with and love!
It’s so hard to see in the dark sometimes, but you can never give up hope.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

The human experience.
I’m an enormous empath. I feel very deeply for people, and I also know that seeing someone going through something relatable can be deeply healing.
I also believe if a story is not relatable, it can bring us closer. I really like understanding why people do and say the things that they do. It’s exciting to perform or write or direct and build upon a character, layering them. Human beings are not simple. We make rash decisions sometimes. We mess up, we misbehave, we follow the wrong path, we course correct, we love, we hurt, we praise, we fall, we get up, we come back. In the course of one lifetime, we have thousands of little stories. It’s beautiful.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.alibill.com
• Instagram: @alibillofficial
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ali.bill.3
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ali-bill-b55512227
• Youtube: @alibill

Image Credits

Elle Morris