We recently connected with Tiffany Dodson and have shared our conversation below.
Tiffany, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
I’ll start off by saying that there is an overwhelming amount of people who want to be an actor but I remind myself that we create art to survive. At any point in your life; there is a piece of music, a dance number, or a film that mirrors what you’re feeling. Art imitates life and when I’m given the opportunity to showcase any human experience, it’s the best place to be.
I get my resilience from my mother. My mother raised my sister and I on her own and she always handled difficult situations with grace and kindness. This has shaped the way I see everything and I wouldn’t be who I am today without being exposed to the good/bad parts of life. It’s all about how we perceive people, situations… anything!
If this was supposed to be easy then it wouldn’t be so special.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I’ve been acting professionally for about 7/8 years but fell in love with it when I was a child. Getting to work with so many talented artists from DFW has been so wonderful. The most recent project I worked on is a short called “I Bet You’re Wondering How I Got Here” directed by TX Filmmaker, Ryan Polly. This was especially fun because of the cast/crew, one of the best around!
We have a few things in the works; the confirmed upcoming projects are a feature film, ‘Retro Freaks II’ & a short film called ‘Don’t Scream’. I’m also doing character work on a few other short films. Something pretty exciting that I’ve been working on is a short I wrote. It’s been so fun exploring other avenues of filmmaking.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Being hired is wonderful and it’s even more wonderful to be re-hired! When you’re on set, it’s a lot of waiting to be on camera. This allows you time to get to know your co-stars and crew members.
If you have the opportunity, work behind the camera also! I’ve learned SO many helpful things working with the crew. It gives you (the actor) a deeper appreciation for the work that goes on before/after the actors are involved. Often times, we don’t see what needs to be done to start a film, much less finish it successfully. Having hands-on insight to that world is unmatched.
I used to think auditions were the scariest. The honest truth is: films are a huge group effort, the casting director(s) need an actor and you’re an actor looking for a role. Don’t think of auditions as everyone just watching you awkwardly. Prepare as much as you can and give the best performance you see fit. If the casting directors go in a different direction, they’ll still remember your performance for another project.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
Movies are the best medicine when I’m feeling overwhelmed. For 90 mins or more, I can just focus on the thing in front of me. This always allows me to stop getting in my head so much AND I usually find inspiration along the way.
Sometimes it’s difficult to find motivation to even do the things we love the most but it always turns around. Keep your head up, we’re all in this together!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8517704/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_0_nm_8_q_tiffany%2520skye
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tiffanyskyedodson/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tiffanyskyedodson
Image Credits
Jordan Mathis, Michael Goldermann, David James Ryan, Josh Fortuna, Jake Stockstill. Bradley Glanzer, & Ru Benjamin Revolver.
