Meet Julie Rhodes

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Julie Rhodes. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Julie below.

Julie, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

As an actor, I’ve always struggled with imposter syndrome, yet the irony is I’m paid to be an “imposter” whenever I book a gig. I’ve trained to take on the fears, struggles and insecurities of the characters written on a page, but then resist these feelings in the rest of my job. The acting profession is one of 98% rejection, so you’re naturally going to question if you belong in this career.

While imposter syndrome might always be a built-in feature of my job, I’ve had several turning points. The first was a very obvious vote of confidence when I was cast as Mrs. Pugh in “Annie” in my very first professional theater production many years ago. While I still wondered if I had what it took (even for a small role!), I learned I was able to “trust the trust” other people had in me. I’ve carried this principle forward so many times: if THEY think I belong here, then maybe I do! Experience and success then confirms it for myself.

As I’ve grown as an actor, I’ve been more and more willing to explore my own insecurities as a way to understand characters I’m playing. If I’m feeling nervous or not up for whatever a role is demanding of me, I stop and ask, “Is my character feeling any of this right now?” Weirdly, the answer usually is YES. Characters we love to watch are always questioning their ability to perform, to overcome, to prove themselves worthy. Imposter syndrome is a wildly universal human experience, so very often I try to harness my very real experience of it for the sake of my characters. This usually makes my performance better, and ironically decreases my imposter syndrome! Though sometimes I’m sorry to see it go, since it’s kind of a superpower…

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?

I am a Texas-based actor, both in theater and in film/TV/commercials. Most recently, I guest-starred on “Vindication” (episode 2 of season 4), playing a mother desperate to help her troubled teen. It was such a huge responsibility to represent such a vulnerable side of motherhood; I have two teenagers in real life myself, so I understand how deeply a woman’s wellbeing is tied to that of her kids. Although it was a very challenging role, it was such an honor. I hope parents who watch it feel validated as they grapple with really scary stuff like drug addiction and bullying.

I’ve been acting since I was a kid, but did not begin pursuing it professionally until about 2011. By that point I was a young mother, which might possibly be the worst time to begin an acting career. Ha! Thankfully, my husband is a very good, very patient and very supportive man. I did professional theater (musicals and straight plays) for almost a decade before the pandemic hit and all the theaters shut down. In those dark days, I began exploring what it would take to pursue more camera work. I got an agent, then a manager, then a different agent (ha!), and then was off to the races. Well, sort of. Things in this business have shifted a lot in five years — the strikes and the still-ongoing pandemic recovery, etc.

But I’m learning so much, and grateful for my wonderful team and the opportunities I’ve had so far. You can keep up with me on Instagram @juliekrhodes.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

1. The capacity for self-forgetfulness.
Some people call this humility. And I’m not saying I have it because that wouldn’t be humble! Or true! But whenever I’m tempted to get really scared about how unsuccessful I seem to be on a given day, I whisper to myself, “It’s not about you.” We in the creative fields should not be doing our work for fame or even for the respect of our peers; we should be doing it to serve our audience. It’s about THEM. What is it THEY need? What encouragement or challenge do they need right now? Even if I wasn’t picked to play that role, maybe the competition/perspective my unique audition provided helped the producers hone in on who would be the BEST fit to serve the story, and then ultimately serve the audience. Just because I don’t book a job doesn’t mean I didn’t contribute to making it better.

2. Trust.
The capacity for self-forgetfulness is impossible to sustain without also cultivating trust. Because obviously I didn’t pick a profession that I expect to fail! I think we actors have to get really good at trust — trusting our training, trusting our work ethic, trusting the process. But all of that is a bit shaky if you don’t trust that God is loving, personal, and is opening and closing doors at the right time for you.

3. Don’t work too hard.
We live in such a hustle culture, and I think it will kill longevity in an already very frustrating creative pursuit. Hard work is essential. Diligence is a must. But overwork? Over-thinking? Never taking a day off? Actors have to be human beings before they are actors. They need to have friends, volunteer, take care of their bodies, watch TV. They have to slow down and observe a wide variety of human experience. And I think this perspective is just as essential if you’re a chef or a fire fighter or an accountant. Part of humility and part of trust means setting limits to our “productivity”. Not in order to be MORE productive ultimately (which maybe I will, maybe I won’t), but simply to honor my position as a finite creature who doesn’t find her ultimate worth in her work. It’s the power of “Sabbath living.” We were created for rhythms of rest.

Advice for cultivating these qualities? I guess we can’t start to intentionally welcome these habits of mind/heart unless we are ultimately very self-aware. I often don’t realize what my own heart and mind are up to until I sit down in a silent room with a journal or a pen, or get out of my house and walk under trees. We need silence and solitude as regular practices.

Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?

I think I would be doing exactly this, though I’m not sure what I will have to show for it in ten years. Ha! It’s natural to ask, “What is the metric of success here? How do I know this is worth my time? How will I be able to tell I’ve invested myself well?” I’m still working through these questions when it comes to acting. But I know that at least right now, part of the answer to them is, “Keep going.”

Contact Info:

• Website: https://juliekrhodes.com
• Instagram: @juliekrhodes
• Facebook: juliekrhodes
• Linkedin: @juliekrhodes
• Twitter: @juliekrhodes

Image Credits

Karine Simon