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

Hi Denise, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I have always known I wanted to act…actually, it started out with “when I get older I want to dance, act, or sing”, I dabbled in all of these through the years, but, the acting is the one that really stuck. In high school I did a play and really fell in love with acting and then after auditioning I received partial scholarship to college with the option to audition again, which then earned me full scholarship for the first 2 years and partial the last 2. years. I really became obsessed with acting in college, doing plays! I found an agent and started doing film and tv as well.

Denise, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

As I mentioned, I started acting in high school and then college. During college I performed in plays all over the Orlando area and also indie films. I even booked my first big TV show; “Superboy”! I played Lex Luthor’s sister. I loved it. After I graduated from Rollins College in Florida with my B.A in Theatre, I worked for a year saving money to move to Los Angeles. That was a scary move at 21! I’m really proud of myself for taking the leap, I didn’t know anyone there, but, I knew I wanted to act and there just wasn’t enough production in Florida. Like every actor in L.A, I started auditioning for things, it was often a struggle. I made a living by doing children’s theatre at the local schools. We toured around L.A doing educational plays for elementary, middle school, and high school students. It was really rewarding, however, I was never available to audition and the whole reason I came to L.A was to do film and tv, so, I had to quit the theatre work. In L.A, you need an agent to help you get in doors. It was hard finding an agent that I really connected with and that really understood me. I kept persevering and eventually found the right one. Bit by bit, I started booking acting jobs in film and tv. I loved it.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

Most of the time, when people think of actors, they think of the glitz and the glam, they don’t realize all that goes into being an actor. First, there are TONS of actors, so, that means lots of competition! Then, it’s not always easy to get an agent. Remember, those same actors are all trying to get the same agents. You need good headshots to catch an eye of an agent as well. The amount of headshots we go through is unreal. You have to change your headshot every time you cut your hair, lose or gain weight, or as you get older. You even have to change your headshot sometimes, simply because it’s not getting you in doors. Then, the amount of auditions we have to do before a booking comes in, is unreal. It can be daunting. As a matter of fact, if you even GET an audition, you are considered one of the lucky ones. Depending on the role, the casting director may get hundreds if not thousands of headshots submitted, which they then narrow down and call in a few to audition. Then, if you are one of the lucky ones to get called in, you might get a callback, that is HUGE…now, you are one step closer, Finally, if you actually BOOK the role, that is even more rare! Successful actors do not sit at home waiting for an agent to call with an audition, successful actors are working on their craft daily, always keeping their pictures up to date, networking, social media, keeping in touch with people they’ve worked with in the past, keeping their acting demo reels up to date, etc. It is a lot! Then, before you get to set, you have to work out who this person is, who is this character? You have to memorize your lines and be on time, if not early to set. Often, once you get to set, it’s “hurry up and wait”, which means, get in wardrobe and makeup and wait until they need you. Actors need to have patience and bring a book. As daunting as all of this seems, I still LOVE it and I highly suggest unless you LOVE it, do not get into this career, it’s full of a lot of rejection, BUT, if you love it, then go for it and never stop trying.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an actor is the BOOKING! It feels great to find out all of your hard work has paid off! You feel validated, all self doubt leaves you, it’s a great feeling! And being on set is an even better feeling. It’s fun to tell your loved ones about your bookings, it’s fun to talk to friends about it, it’s fun to create a character, no matter how small the role is.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.denisegossett.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/denisegossett1/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/denise.gossett
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/denise-gossett-585b098/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/DeniseGossett
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheDeniseGossett

Image Credits
red carpet shots: Kenny Selko