We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jillian Armenante a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jillian , thanks for joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

When did I choose to be an actor? Back in the 1980’s I was a kid growing up in Northern New Jersey. Jersey is a great place to grow up. Close to the beach, Manhattan, the mountains. I was like any other Jersey girl – and what you have heard about Jersey girls was completely true in my case. I had a lot of friends, partied like there was no tomorrow, played a lot sports, acted in the school plays, and I was a singer in a band. There was one thing I knew for sure at a very early age: I wanted to be a performer. I was the fifth child of a large Italian/ Irish/ Scottish family. I came from a long line of mathematicians and engineers so, thinking my way through to becoming a Hollywood actress, well… it took a lot of imagination.

At an early age my mom showed me all the old classic movies, sometimes waking me up in the middle of the night to see a phenomenal performance such as Natalie Wood as a child in Tomorrow is Forever, crying through her monologue with a German accent. I remember once her letting me stay home sick from school so I could watch both halves of the Million Dollar Movie which used to run on channel 11 in New York. It was Audrey Hepburn in A Nun Story. I pretended to be a nun in the Congo for quite some time after that. As a child, I got hooked on the PBS import from Britain, Upstairs Downstairs. I fell madly in love with Sarah (played by Pauline Collins), the rascally scullery maid who slept her way into the upstairs family. I spent fourth grade speaking with a Cockney accent and donated all my holiday checks from my aunts and uncles to WGBH Boston, the PBS affiliate that imported the show. As a young girl, I got a job in a video store so that I could get free video rentals. I chipped away at all of the classic films trying to learn as much as I could. I decided to spend a week with each actor I could, gorging myself with the likes of Katherine Hepburn one week, Barbara Stanwick the next. Bette Davis, Carol Lombard and even the great character actress Marie Dressler. I devoured these films like a starving person at an all-you-can-eat buffet. This was my acting school.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I am an actor in Hollywood. The long road to being an actor is a twisty one. I went on working at the video store and started to seek out auditions in the New York newspapers. I started taking acting classes and honed my acting skills. I watched the wave of incredibly naturalistic actors from the late 1970’s: Streep, Spacek, Jessica Lange, Jane Alexander. I was moving toward my ambition of acting with a singular obsession. I wanted to be an actor and I was no longer afraid to say it out loud. It is such a big moment in an actor’s life. When one decides to pursue a single passion at any cost, be it social, emotional or financial. Ready to take on the brutality of rejection perpetually and driving that dream under any circumstance: health crisis, family death, or personal relationships. It is a big moment when you decide nothing will stop you.

I am an actor, I am also a producer, director and writer. I have filmed over 30 films and over 200 episodes of television and have helped to create over 85 theatre pieces over the course of my career. I am a foot soldier in the artistic trenches of the creative military.

I am Spartacus.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Doing what I love artistically is an addiction. Something keeps drawing me in in a way that I am not sure I can resist anymore. A new project, and audition, a creative spark of an idea involuntarily gets my heart pumping in a way that activates my creative soul. Like an adrenaline junkie, the endorphins propel me forward to continue following this creative journey despite monumental setbacks. Life can throw some pretty fast curveballs and to continue the pursuit of your passion with an unwavering attitude is the discipline, the risk which is necessary to push forward. But what a life is one in the arts. We are tribes of creatives who like long lost family members keep finding each other. And the joy of working in the group dynamic to come together artistically, strategically to make art is something to behold. I always say, “It ain’t no fun, unless it’s fun.” And if you are willing to work for years, sometimes decades in the trenches, honing your craft for little or no compensation… boy howdy, it is a gift when you get to actually make your living doing it

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

How to best support your artists in this ecosystem? Like any animal…feed them, exercise them and give them love. Buy a struggling actor a meal, hell- buy them a whiskey. Put your remote down and go see a play. Give a chunk of change to their creative fundraising campaign so, they can make their own art. Spread the word socially about their talent. Draw people to the good work they are doing.

We are here to make you think, laugh, cry and connect with you and your feelings despite what is going on in our own lives.

Support the arts and the artist.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jillianarmenante.com/
• Instagram: @jillarmenante
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JillianArm/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillianarmenante
• Twitter: @jillarmenante

Image Credits
Photo credit Xander Berkeley, Sag carpet photo by Stoic Entertainment, Variety carpet photo by Stoic Entertainment, Jillian Armenante directing Joel McHale photo by Stoic Entertainment, Jillian Armenante directing Rebecca Mozo in Kittens in a Cage, Picture on Independent Filmmakers Showcase red carpet by Alice Dodd, Headshot by Karl Gajdusek