We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Alexandra Ryan. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Alexandra below.
Hi Alexandra, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
Honestly I think my work ethic is a combination of things. I was five when I discovered my passion for performing and creating. I went to the theater for the first time (we saw Annie) and I remember my whole body just vibrating. I wanted to be up there with them, acting and singing and dancing my heart out. I’d coerce friends into creating elaborate scenes and songs and dances to perform for our parents. But after seeing Annie, I had to do it for a larger public. My mom worked as a computer systems analyst. She’s very left brained and she helped me figure out concrete steps towards my dream. She’s the one who got me into my ballet class because somehow she’d researched and found out that ballet was the best building block for all dance. Anyway, my parents had already split at that point and my mom was a single, working mom. so when I got my first play at age 7, she was very supportive but said “If you really want to do this, you’ll have to get yourself to the rehearsals, I can’t drive you.” She couldn’t leave work early to take me all the way across town. So that’s how I learned to navigate public transportation in Washington, DC at age 7. It was such a great first test and lesson. Do you want this thing badly enough that you’ll go outside your comfort zone? I love that she did that. She’s now of course mortified by the story but I’m so proud of it. It really shaped me.
The second thing is that I don’t sit still well. I have a lot of energy, possibly too much? I had a cold last week and I thought “this cold isn’t being very productive. It’s just hanging out” If that gives you a sense. So my brain and my body are constantly wanting to be in motion, doing something, whether it’s auditioning or writing, creating a show or a film, Don’t get me wrong, I’m not productive all the time. I definitely overdo it and find myself reading a fiction book in 2 days or binge watching shows for hours.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself and what you’re working on
Of course! It’s probably obvious but acting is my main passion. I’ve been doing it since I was 7. What you may or may not know, as a professional actor, a lot of time is spent in between jobs. And as I mentioned, I don’t sit still well. So I started creating stories that I could act in. Bringing stories to life, sharing moments in the hopes that an audience will feel seen and less alone, it just is such a high for me. My favorite types of characters to play are sparkly characters who, if you look closely, they might not be broken but maybe they’re a little cracked. I love to walk the knife’s edge between comedy and drama, bringing a depth and heart to a comedic character and a quirkiness to drama. And I live to make people laugh.
My work is mainly in tv, film and animation, but I grew up on the stage and I adore being there. I wrote a solo show called “Will the Real Me Please Stand Up” that won the coveted Encore Award at the 2023 Hollywood Fringe Festival. The show will be remounted this February during Whitefire Solofest 2024 and I couldn’t be more excited!
I also have a short film that I wrote, produced and starred in making its way through film festivals now. It’s called The Wish and it’s a dramedy about a complicated sibling relationship. Creating it was such an incredible experience. The people who brought it to life with me are so incredibly talented, and they signed on because they felt passionate about the story. That meant the world to me. It was the first thing that I wrote that I also star in and I’m just so very proud of the film.
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?
Ooh that’s a great question. I feel like the qualities it takes to be a successful actors are also qualities it takes to be a successful human. And I can’t say that I possess these all the time but I’m striving for them constantly.
A curiosity about people and the world is paramount. A desire to know how others tick. I find humans endlessly fascinating. And often times it’s the ones I understand less who make me even more curious. Like a puzzle to solve. And I’m obsessed with puzzles.
A weird combination of thick skin with continuous vulnerability is another quality. Actors face rejection on a daily basis and on the outside it might appear to be rejection of self. But what I learned creating films is that it’s more creating a puzzle…is it a wonder I love it so?…making sure you have the right pieces to create the whole better than you initially imagined it. But to be a puzzle piece, to be an actor, it constantly requires you to bare your soul for others, which is where the vulnerability comes in. It’s a balancing act.
Lastly I think the ability not to take yourself (and others) too seriously. It’s play, it’s connection, it’s fun. There is too much in the world that does need to be taken seriously. Make sure that this is something that brings you joy so that you can bring others joy.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I love collaborations! This entire industry revolves around collaboration. It’s at the cornerstone of what we do. My dream is to collaborate with writers and directors like Quinta Brunson, Peter Hedges or Pamela Adlon because they consistently tell stories that mirror the human condition, with humor, pain and heart.
For me, it’s about whether I resonate with the story someone is trying to tell and if I feel I can add to that story in some way. But I always prefer creating stories with other people to creating it myself. People can reach me either on instagram or on my website.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.alexryanentertainment.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealalexryan/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@therealalexryan
Image Credits
Cameron Radice Justine Joy Kenny Johnston
