We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Tracy Tolliver. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Tracy below.
Hi Tracy, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
My journey to finding my purpose has been filled with detours, potholes, and happy accidents. I didn’t choose to become an actor; it chose me. As a child, I was always fascinated with colors, textures, and designs. And don’t even get me started on glitter! My parents and grandparents always bought me paint-by-number sets, art kits, and construction paper to play with. I would stay in my room drawing, painting, and making crafts for hours. Everyone, including myself, knew I would be an artist one day, but when I saw Annette Funicello on television, my whole trajectory changed.
I remember watching Annette and the rest of the Mouseketeers performing on the old black and white Mickey Mouse Club reruns. She always stood out amongst all the others. She could dance and sing, and all the boys liked her. There wasn’t a lot of minority representation on television back then. Still, something about seeing that dark, curly-haired Italian girl on my television every afternoon resonated with me. Right then, at age eight, I decided to be an artist AND an actor, just like Annette.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I was born in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. My dad was a career Navy man, so we moved around often. I went to over eleven different schools before college. We lived everywhere, from Tennessee to Hawaii. It was stressful at times, always being the new kid, but it created a resilience in me and a sense of wanderlust. My dad retired in Virginia, where I finished high school and went to college.
After graduating from Longwood University, I served in the Air Force; I married and started a family. After my marriage ended, I moved back to Georgia, where my mom’s family is from, to live with my sister. Moving to Atlanta was scary and exciting, being a newly divorced single mom starting over with two kids. After several years of working as a web content editor, I decided to pursue my first love, acting.
I started with a small theatre group, which led to being an extra in Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married Too. After ending up on the cutting room floor, I decided it was too much and walked away from it again. But God had a different plan, and within a year, I was back, but this time, I was determined to do it right, so I started taking classes. For over a year, I trained in everything from on-camera acting to Meisner before I actively started auditioning. Soon, I began working on student films and small indie projects. I even booked a commercial that we filmed in the Virgin Islands.
My hustle paid off, and I ended up getting signed by an agent. I’ve since appeared in OWN’s Queen Sugar, TV One’s Fatal Attraction, and the feature film Lady of the Manor with Justin Long and Melanie Lynskey. I’ve also created my own production company, Untraceable Productions, where I produced my award-winning short film, Diva, Interrupted, which you can catch on Amazon Prime.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The most important thing for people to do when finding their purpose is to keep pursuing their passion. You usually find your purpose in doing the things that you love. I once read an article where Joy Behar, from The View, talked about when she was a kid; she would always love to entertain the door-to-door vacuum salesman visiting their home. She remembered how happy it made her feel to make him laugh; she then realized she wanted to make people laugh. But as an adult, Joy pursued teaching because it was the practical thing to do. Long story short, she started doing stand-up comedy on the side, which led up to her current career as an entertainer and host.
Another thing Joy mentions in the article is that she learned that kids typically know what they want to be when they grow up before the age of ten, but sometimes life and other people’s opinions change their minds. After reading this article, I thought back to when I was eight years old and wanted to become an artist and an actor and how life and other circumstances almost took away my dream. I’ve since learned that a delay is not always a denial and not to let other people’s insecurities or obstacles keep you from purpose; what God has for you is for YOU! Don’t stop. Keep going!
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
Currently, the obvious challenge to all of us in the entertainment industry is the SAG/AFTRA strike. But what I have decided to do in the downtime is work on my acting skills by continuing to train and take classes. I just took Sam Christensen’s Image Process course, which helped me understand who I am and how I am perceived. I am also working on my other artistic passions, such as writing, jewelry design, and furniture restoration. There are so many ways to express yourself creatively. Working with my hands has always been cathartic and healing for me. It takes me back to my childhood when I would stay in my room for hours just crafting and making art.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.untraceableproductions.com/
- Instagram: @tracy_tolliver
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracycaldwell/
- Youtube: Diva, Interrupted Channel on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFm3s3P-9A2hznOF5pBKLjA
- Other: IMDb https://www.imdb.me/tracytolliver Diva, Interrupted on Prime https://www.amazon.com/Diva-Interrupted-Tracy-Tolliver-Film/dp/B07YPQDDS3/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=diva%2C+interrupted&qid=1628519334&s=instant-video&sr=1-1
