Meet Maureen Janson

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

Hi Maureen, 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?

My background as a professional ballet/modern dancer and a choreographer provided me with a structure for literally embodying a strong work ethic. The discipline of dance and the demands of daily training for years have become engrained. Those same qualities are necessary for an acting career and are incredibly beneficial in any career.

Even more fundamental, the work ethic that allowed me to pursue a career in dance originates from witnessing my father (Gene Janson) in his own successful acting career. He worked tirelessly to improve himself, and I learned early on from him that self-motivation, loving what you do, and tackling the daily hard work yield great results. So making a transition to acting has felt natural for me. In both art forms, training, working to find work, and working towards improvement are constants, whether or not you have a gig or job at any given moment. Each of the forms also require focus and presence. I’m lucky to have always been an interested and curious person, so I feel there’s always more to learn, there are always ways to improve.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

Well, I’ve been around for a while and taken on a variety of artistic endeavors, so the story is a long one… I’ll try to provide a condensed version.

I’ve been fortunate to have had a long and successful career in the field of dance as a performer and choreographer in Chicago and throughout the Midwest and those experiences continue to feed what I currently do. My interests have always revolved around storytelling, and in my dance and choreography years, I was always drawn to narrative and the power and possibility of telling stories through movement. When I started choreographing for theatre, I found that working with text/scripts was something I enjoyed immensely. There’s nothing better than being in a room with a whole bunch of smart, creative artists and working toward telling a common story.

In the early 2000s, I began gravitating towards photography, but didn’t really take it seriously until injuries limited my physical dance work. (Previously, I had an achilles tendon injury that kept me from walking for a considerable length of time, let alone dancing. That pretty much ended my dance career.) I continued to choreograph periodically for theatre and took on a series of other creative projects over the following years, including publishing a print magazine, making jewelry and expanding on photography work. Actor headshots slowly became my bread and butter. When I began photographing dancers about 10 years ago, I felt things really click. Returning to the studio and stage but with a camera in my hand was a whole new way to keep dance in my life, one that allowed me to explore narrative and story in a new way.

Over the years it occasionally occurred to me to put myself in front of the camera. I acted in random student films and a few other things, but being behind the lens really occupied my creative time.

Fast forward to the pandemic, and to keep my photography chops in shape while everything was shut down, I experimented with lighting, color and post processing, mostly using myself as a subject. At the time, I shared a few headshots with some theatre friends who suggested I send them to agents for acting work. At first I laughed at that. Starting something new at my age (then 60) felt like too much of a challenge. But photography work had pretty much fallen off the map, so on a whim, I self-submitted for a local commercial and was cast. I was nervous about it, but that shoot was a light bulb moment for me. I absolutely loved being on set and working in front of the camera. I decided on my drive home that this is what I want to do with my “Third Act.”

I put myself to work finding opportunities, agent representation and places to study with a focus on film/tv/commercial/voice acting. As more auditions came up, I found lots of roles in my age bracket depicting a stereotypical quiet or passive grandma sitting in a rocking chair knitting. But I want to portray older women who are active, engaged, smart, and in charge of things! So I’ve made it a point to seek out roles that reflect those real ideas and find situations and scripts where older women are given value and weight within a story. I’m lucky to have found some excellent projects and several writers/directors with whom I’ve worked repeatedly, who consider and value the possibilities of roles for older women. Some favorite film roles for me include playing a high-powered prosecuting attorney, a grandmother who disconnects from her family by escaping to alcohol, the head of the CIA, a horse veterinarian who reluctantly returns to her college reunion, and a top tier art critic. What’s most exciting about acting work for me is that every situation is different. I love the variety and challenges it brings, and I’m constantly learning.

Coming up, I’m involved in a few film projects that will have festival screenings in early 2025 and, fingers crossed, a few more that may be released later in the year. I’m also committed to being on set for a few projects, but can’t say much about those yet.

Photography is still very much in the picture (pun intended!), although not the booming business that it was prior to the pandemic. Recently, I’ve been more focused on allowing myself to incorporate my background in movement and dance by either photographing movement or moving the camera itself. The results are often surprising and I feel like I’m just starting to tap into something unique. I’m very excited to continue with this practice.

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?

So many things I have learned up to now can be applied to my current acting work, or really any creative endeavors. I’m not sure I can come up with only three ideas that would be the most impactful, but these come to mind readily:

-Perseverance has been very important. I learned this one from my Dad, who persevered many things throughout his brilliant and long career. Despite what’s going on around you or in the world, despite what other people think, despite what is happening to you personally, find a way to persevere. That takes effort and might mean that some things around you could change, but change doesn’t mean that you are giving up. And, it’s never too late to start something new.

-Be open to a variety of experiences. Each can provide knowledge in different ways. Talk to people as often as you can. Listen to people as often as you can. You can find inspiration and learn something new from everyone.

-Acting is very hard work. Being an artist is very hard work. What’s the point of all of this if you don’t allow yourself to enjoy it? Have fun!

What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?

Recently with my photography work, I’ve given myself permission to make images regardless of whether or not anyone else is interested in them. I like to ask myself, “What happens if…”, and it’s been quite liberating to experiment with that question with no specific agenda or deadline. I highly recommend it!

But I’m most proud of finding a new sense of confidence. Up until recently, being on set for a film or a commercial with a group of top-notch actors and crew often made me feel nervous or like I was not good enough to be there. This past year I’ve been in situations where others have placed great trust in me to bring their work to life. Being given that trust and responsibility is daunting, but it’s also wonderful. It’s in those moments that I’ve felt I’ve done my best work yet. And that happened because I was surrounded by excellent collaborators–supportive directors and scene partners–people who believe in me. Earning their trust and taking on that responsibility, I really felt that I deserved to be where I was.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.maureenjanson.com/
• Instagram: @thirdactactor
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thirdactactor/
• Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10120838/

Image Credits

Emma Hutchison, John Klein, Rebecca Rhodes, Maureen Janson Heintz, Jeff Siljenberg