We recently connected with Tenley Kellogg and have shared our conversation below.

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

It all started with one summer day camp at a musical theater when I was four years old. I remember having a blast on stage and spending the whole day using my imagination – that was awesome!
I kept asking to go back and eventually was old enough to auditon and to be a part of the shows that the local theater would produce. It was there, that I learned how to tell stories, get “off book” and feel that rush of storytelling.

My love for acting really began to grow when my family and I would read Harry Potter out loud together. We would create special voices or accents to bring the characters to life – it was so much fun, and when the stories were done I craved for more.

The last play I ever did (and one of my favorites) was “It’s A Wonderful Life”. A few months after the play, the director called me and told me of this acting opportunity for a film. She encouraged me to audition for the role, as she believed that I would be both a great fit, and have loads of fun. She was right in both of those categories!

I got the call offering me the role, and I happily accepted, excited to see what this new form of storytelling would be like.

We completed filming, and I had a blast the whole time. On our way home, I remember my mom asking me which kind of acting I preferred, now that I had tried both. Without hesitation, I told her that I liked film better because I liked being grounded in my acting.

After that film, I understood that it would take a lot of hard work to be like the actors that I looked up to, but I still wanted to pursue it. That was the exact moment when acting became my only career choice!

Tenley, 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?

One project that comes to mind when thinking of a platform to help bring awareness to, is the GooGoo Dolls Music Video that I was fortunate to be a part of.
“You Are The Answer” is a beautifully written song about finding the strength and courage within yourself to break the cycle of domestic violence, and creating a fresh start for future generations in your family.
I’m very proud to have been a part of that message, and hope it continues to offer courage to those who feel muted.

I would also like to acknowledge my most recent project, Sunfish (& Other Stories on Green Lake).
This project helped me to accomplish one of my career board goals! I am so proud of the cast and crew, and the opportunity I was given to breathe life into my character “Blue”.
These coming of age short stories, compiled into a Feature, will have their World Premiere on January 26, 2025 at the Sundance Film Festival. I could not be more proud of this cast and crew!

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Somebody once told me that for every audition you land, there will be one hundred that you miss. I think that perfectly describes a lot of actors journeys in this industry.
In order to thrive in this industry, you have to be able to shrug off the roles that you don’t get, so that you can be ready for the next. This process is sometimes known by actors as “Submit and Forget”.
I’ve had many auditions over the years that I desperately wanted to land, but I didn’t. Sometimes even for things like the color of my hair, or my height.
So many factors play into casting, some that you have no control over. At the end of the day, I can’t become emotionally attached to each audition, I have learned to move on in order to prepare myself mentally for the next one!

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

This may seem small, but it will have a huge impact – please keep seeing movies in theaters, or in a live production (instead of renting them on different platforms) it is a great way to support the arts and its creatives!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Tenley Kellogg Official

Image Credits

Michael Roud (headshot)
The rest were taken by mom
(Sue Kellogg)