We recently connected with Greta Fadness and have shared our conversation below.

Greta, looking forward to hearing all of your stories 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?

In 2022, at the age of 53, I found myself truly bottoming out. I was broken, I thought. My cry for help thankfully was answered by loved ones and therapy. I took the risk of leaving my life. I left my life for a 65 day stay at a treatment center for eating disorders. Little did I know I was on a journey of a lifetime. A journey of making peace with my past, connecting with my present and embracing my future—my quest to live an authentic life. Turns out recovering and reclaiming your authentic self is a forever, full-time job that takes a village and accepting help was the risk I needed to take. Talk about throwing me out of my comfort zone. Over 25 years had flown by since I last graced the stage, and somewhere along the way, I had convinced myself that a “responsible” career as a death penalty criminal defense paralegal was the way to go. Leaving behind my acting career in Los Angeles in 2001 had apparently meant leaving my dreams behind, too. So here enters my next risk. I knew it was time to dive back into writing, acting and painting. And this time I wasn’t going to leave my dreams behind. There was not going to be an ending to my new story! So from this came one of my new chapters in life. I needed to create my own one-woman show: Searching for Me in All the Wrong Places: One Woman’s Journey to Find Connection, Healing, and the Me in Her Mess. Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that life’s messes make the best stories. I then quit my job of 18 years you know, the one that was killing me and I started to reconnect with who I really am – and that’s being creative.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

“Being enough was gonna have to be an inside job.”- Ann Lamott
Growing up, acting was my escape—a way to navigate the turbulence of my challenging home life. I thrived on the thrill of performing, whether it was making an audience laugh in school productions or entertaining friends in my bedroom. But as I transitioned away from acting and into working as a paralegal, my spark to be creative began to fade. My office bathroom was adorned with strips to catch dead bugs—a stark metaphor for how I felt about abandoning my creative side.
I hit a point where it felt like my life was on a one-way trip to “meh-ville” if I didn’t make a change. I realized it was time to stop ignoring the things that made me happy, even if it meant facing my fears and that pesky inner voice that kept saying, “Just stay small and quiet—you’re safer blending in with the wallpaper and the bug strips.” As I reflect on the last couple of years, I’m so grateful and proud of myself that I was simply willing to ask for help to change my life. I needed it and it did indeed change my life. Connection for me, is the gift that keeps on giving.
Back in the early days, my acting coach had to repeatedly remind me that yes, I was indeed an actor—even when my booking calendar was as empty as my bank account. I soon learned that self-love is about reconnecting with that childhood sense of wonder and joy. In the words of Nina Foch “Demand Joy!”
My mission whether it is through my solo show or through my work as an acting coach is to help reignite that spark in people, even if it feels like it’s buried under a mountain of doubts. I hope to break through those mental barriers and unleash inner creatives that can’t and won’t be denied. Trust me, we can turn those “I don’t believe in myself” moments into “Wow, look at me go!” triumphs.
Writer & Performer
Greta Fadness is a solo artist, writer, actor, and coach with a rich background in theatre. A theater major in college, Greta spent a decade in Los Angeles chasing her dreams as a professional actor, with notable roles in The X-Files, Suddenly Susan, and Coach. A dedicated member of SAG-AFTRA since 1996, she now contributes to the Arizona-Utah local chapter as a Board Member, advocating for fellow performers.
Her debut solo show, Searching for Me in All the Wrong Places, is both a heartfelt tribute to her younger self, and a testament to her journey of recovery. This work hopes to inspire those who have lost touch with their own curiosity, joy, and childlike wonder, offering a spark of hope and a reminder that it’s never too late to leave your life to get a life!
Fun Facts About Me!
I was cast as a baby in my 3rd grade play Free to Be You and Me, but my crowning achievement? Impersonating Elvis for my teachers and classmates.
I’m deeply grateful for my family, especially my husband Mark, my wonderful friends, my therapist can’t forget her, and last but not least our rescue Shepherd/Cattle dog mix, Gilda—named in honor of the wonderful Gilda Radner.
When I’m not busy writing or acting, you’ll find me painting everything from impressionistic landscapes to therapeutic abstracts in acrylics or watercolors. Thank you YouTube for all your instruction and inspiration!
I’m convinced that the 60s to 80s were the golden years of filmmaking. If you disagree, here’s a watch list to get you started in my immersion conversion to my side! Jaws, Ordinary People, or Norma Rae.
I’m a maestro of kitchen concerts—catch me belting out tunes and busting moves while unloading the dishwasher. Just don’t ask me to cook, you will be glad you didn’t!
I once had the honor of working as Lorna Luft’s (Judy Garland’s daughter) assistant as well as nanny little Charlie in The Santa Clause movies and his sister who played Tom Hanks daughter in Apollo 13. It wasn’t Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon no, try 6 feet – I was that close! My ultimate idol? The fabulous Carol Burnett, of course, with whom I had the good fortune to meet.
I’m proud to still be in the top-ten on the record books in NCAA Division II basketball, a meaningful reminder of my college days. In 1991, I led the nation in three-point field goal percentage, and I still hold the records for season and career 3-point field goal percentage at the University of Alaska Anchorage. I also received the Sara Lee/Hanes Her Way Alaska Athlete of the Year Award as well as being voted my team’s most inspirational player. I was inducted into my high school Hall of Fame and still have the record for the most career points.
I’ve played every role from Mom to psychopathic killer, but my dream role is to be the quirky sidekick in a sitcom. Someone’s gotta be Ethel, right?
One of the bravest things I’ve ever done? Packing up from college and moving to LA with a car packed so tight my ironing board served as my co-pilot and my dreams served as my GPS.
Searching for Me in All the Wrong Places is my debut solo show, premiering in Los Angeles this December 2024, and I couldn’t be more excited—though a bit nervous too! Ok, I’m a lot nervous! Back in 1988, as a college freshman, I was the regional winner of the American College Theatre Festival’s Theatre Criticism award, and my paper (not me, unfortunately) went on to compete nationally at the Kennedy Center. It feels amazing to return to my roots in the theater world!

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

I think making the choice to enter treatment at 53 and then writing my solo show. I was both spiritually and physically drained at 53, I felt stuck with no clear way out. In the grip of an eating disorder my weight dropped to dangerously low levels, leading to my admission to an inpatient treatment center following a breakdown. I finally through the help of my therapist, treatment and my support system I was able to face my difficult past marked by adoption, childhood trauma, sexual abuse, suicide, and mental illness. Recovery is not a linear path. There are so many two steps forward three steps back moments. It’s about keep on keeping on and being brave enough to ask for help.

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

I think having the courage to ask for help. We can’t do this life thing alone and we are not meant to. Find your “peeps” who truly have your back and keep them close. Find ways to keep the “toxics” in your life at arm’s length whatever that means for you. I didn’t do this or have this when I was younger but I do now and has changed my life and I want to help people who have struggled like I have.

Contact Info:

• Website: Personal career one – Currently under construction – coaching website https://blacksheepactors.com/?fbclid=IwY2xjawF2SrdleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHWbp93qkoXWeCMvKYLFrAXFNwdCOLOZe5CVkPytzbfjCkAKYqXf0AQFV1Q_aem_zvaBmqtJqC3mIbu2708SdQ
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/garbotalks/ or https://www.instagram.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1418686237 or https://www.facebook.com/GretaFadnessActor/