We recently connected with Becky Jo Harris and have shared our conversation below.

Becky Jo, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you wish you had started sooner?

At one point I did wish that I had started my acting career sooner. When I was younger and found out Hollywood was a thing, I longed, with every part of me, to be a part of it. I would daydream of acting on a tv show and walking on the red carpet at award shows.

But actually pursuing a career in acting was a whole other story. I had no clue how it worked or how to go about it. And honestly, I’m happy I didn’t figure it out until later, because the 8 year old me who was dreaming of being on a studio lot was also so very shy and unsure of herself. It would’ve been ROUGH. I’m glad I got those years of getting to know of myself until I finally found the courage and moxie at the age of 26 to make my dreams a reality. And I can honestly say I’m happy about when and how everything has happened for me since then. It feels like everything is lining up exactly as it is meant to be.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’ve been acting for 8 years now in commercials, film, and voiceovers. But I first started in improv and sketch comedy. In 2016, a sketch comedy group in Phoenix, AZ took a chance on me, the funny, quiet girl. And because of this, I broke out of my shell, found my voice, and started to also pursue film acting, in both drama and comedy. As the years went by I really started to hone my comedic voice and find my niche in the comedy community. I’ve acted in commercial campaigns for companies like Airheads, Amazon, DoorDash, Hulu, and ADT as the comedic relief. I’ve also made my way through the Groundlings, a sketch comedy and improv school in LA. And recently I have been auditioning for more film and television roles.

So overall, I’d say I am a comedic actress that can also do drama. In my mind, my career will look a lot like Steve Carell’s or Bryan Cranston’s. I’ll kill it at comedy, book a hit show, and then somehow work my way into drama. Maybe win an award or two, create a show of my own….a girl can dream.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I feel like every actor has their “someone didn’t believe in me, but I got back at up and made a name for myself” story. Here’s mine.

I signed with a manager in 2020. They were the first to say yes to me, and I was chomping at the bit to start auditioning for film and tv. I need to preface this by saying that this manager was what you would call a boutique management company. They’re not super well known. But that was totally fine with me, and they did get me some auditions. After being with them for 2 years I booked a commercial but that was about it. Around this two year mark they suggested I take a class with the assistant that worked for my manager. Which turned into them telling me the class was mandatory and that they wouldn’t submit me to castings until I did. My first course of action was venting to my acting friends. They very fervently told me this was a HUGE red flag. So I went back to my manager and doubled down, saying they would not get any money out of me to take this class I was being gaslit into taking. They emailed me saying something I will never forget, mostly because it was so ridiculous. They said, “Submitting you without proof of you being better at auditioning wouldn’t help, because you’re not strong enough to compete with working actors.” When I read that, I think I believed it a little at first, but then I thought, what the hell are they talking about? I’d booked national campaigns for huge companies at this point. I’d been flown out to another country to film said commercials. I’d been nominated multiple times as best lead actress in multiple film festivals. I’d had amazing feedback from my acting coaches, and I’d worked my *SS off to get to that point.

I’ll admit it took me almost a year to submit to a manager again. But when I did, it was through a referral from someone I trusted implicitly, who understood who I was, and who I knew would point me in the right direction. And lo and behold, I signed with someone that understood me, loved what I brought to the table, and was excited to see where my career was headed. I’ve been with this new manager for 3 months now, and I’ve auditioned for things that my younger self would be jumping for joy for. And because I got back up and didn’t listen to the naysayers, I’m on a path to a career that will be just as fulfilling and full of opportunity.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I wish I knew how important it was to create a vision and goals for myself.

I started working with a career coach last year, doing group coaching sessions with creatives like me, and doing so has taught me that I was really limited in my thinking, and I didn’t have any clear goals. I didn’t have a clear vision of what a successful career as an actor looked like to me. Once I fully allowed myself to see and believe the possibilities of my career, I started naturally going in that direction. I innately knew what didn’t serve me, started attracting the things that did, and became confident that I was headed in the right direction no matter the successes and failures.

Coming up with a clear vision feels taunting at first, but once you get into it, it becomes exciting and effortless. And when I say clear, I mean specific. Like super specific. Like, what does your future trailer look like? What will it feel like walking on the red carpet? What will the air smell and feel like stepping out of the limo? Speaking of smell, what does success smell like to you? To me it smells fresh, like a garden filled with gardenias and eucalyptus. Maybe start wearing that scent every day, and when you walk into an audition, you’ll be enveloped in that smell of success.

You’ll never fully complete your vision. It will evolve and change with you, and as you grow, it will continue to grow. And that’s what makes it so exciting.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://beckyjoharris.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsbeckyjoharris/?hl=en

Image Credits

Stephanie Girard