Meet Berta Bee” Sigridardottir”

We were lucky to catch up with Berta “Bee” Sigridardottir recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Berta “Bee”, so happy you were able to devote some time to sharing your thoughts and wisdom with our community. So, we’ve always admired how you have seemingly never let nay-sayers or haters keep you down. Can you talk to us about how to persist despite the negative energy that so often is thrown at folks trying to do something special with their lives?
I was 7 when I got my first no form a casting director. I had auditioned for a production of The Sound of Music and the audition process was long, draining and challenging. I had spent hours in preparation for the role, chemistry readings, singing lessons, dance lessons and so on. After 8 weeks my mom got a call, late on a week day informing her that I had not been selected. It had been narrowed down to me and two other girls but I was not picked. To say I was crushed would be an understatement. My world was shattered. My dream was gone and I had let everyone down. I was not good enough.

I didn’t give up on acting. I kept with it. I worked on voice overs and small roles here and there on children’s shows. Growing from a cute little girl to an awkward teen the castings got fewer and fewer. When I finally reached the age of 16 and wen to college in Iceland I was not booking at all. I tried out for the drama club at school and got a no, I tried out for clubs out of school and got a no. Socially I was getting no’s as well. I watched my childhood friends move on and make new connections and felt left behind. At 16 I finally got a yes. I applied to a summer program at the Royal Academy of Dramatic arts. I went to London for the summer to study Devising theatre. I made friends, and I felt accepted. I came back to school in Iceland filled with inspiration and drive. I strived to try again. It did not go as planned. I was denied all over again.

Later that year I applied to the New York Film Academy. I went to the audition just to experience the audition environment. I was only 17 and not expecting much. But I got in. I moved to New York and started my journey there. I graduated in 2019 and went on to work at a theatre and audition as much as I could until 2020 when the entire world was shut down. On top of that I was assaulted and needed not only medical attention but phycological help and being a recently graduated actor with out a job in a middle of a pandemic I had little choice but to move back to Iceland.

Iceland brought back this feeling of being not good enough. I was an outsider. I studied abroad and not at the Icelandic Academy of the Arts. I applied to everything I could but nearly everything ended with: sorry but no. I’ve not been in Iceland for three years. I´ve booked two on screen roles and a handful of voice over work. I even applied to the Icelandic Academy of the Arts to a Masters program in the Preforming arts. I got a no. That was heart braking. I felt rejected by my own society. I was not good enough for Iceland. I had put all this effort into my artistry and my craft. I had sacrificed so much t study this craft and it was not good enough. I was not good enough.

I’m not a big fan of the word haters, I’m too positive to believe that some people strive to be hateful. I don’t think people enjoy rejecting people. I can´t imagine the feeling that comes with having to tell someone they didn’t make the cut. The feeling to the recipient is personal. But in reality it’s not. It’s not personal. It feels personal because it’s reinforcing the doubt in your own head. The little voice that is constantly trying to tell you that your are not “Good enough” The problem is from my own head and being able to remind myself of that is my power. I am the real hater because I let this affect me and I let it reinforce my own doubts.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I’m an actor. I graduated with a BFA in acting from the New York Film Academy in 2019. I’ve been working with kids since, I’ve been teaching acting to kids and teens and currently I’m working in a Nursery with toddlers as well as studying teaching and Children’s Welfare.

At the moment I’m driven by how I can make a difference. Working with kids gave me an incredible insight into live. Children have the immense emotional depth and they are the epitome of resilience. Right now I am fascinated by what I can do to support my students so they can be the best version of them selves. So they can grow up to be good and successful people.

I grew up with a foster sister with Downs Syndrome and that really effected me. She’s an actress and has been in both international television shows (for example Trapped on Netflix in some countries) as well as on stage here in Iceland. Growing up and understanding our similarities and differences really inspired me. For my Bachelors final project I made a short film based on her and me, called 3:21. The film is about how a young girl sees herself differently than how the world sees her.

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?
Self reflection, patience and positivity are things I often need to remind myself of. The world keeps telling us that we are running late. You are loosing time, wasting time. If you’re not perfectly successful at the age of 21 you are failing, is the message young people are getting. So it’s important to take a step back, reflect: am I doing everything I and at this moment in time to pursue my passion. It takes time. It’s a marathon not a sprint. Life is a rollercoaster sometimes it sucks. It’s not fun to fail but failing and trying again is how we learn. Be positive. That’s hard but you have to try. So give your self some slack and be kind to yourself and your fellow humans. Make an effort to be kind and positive. Wake up in the morning and make a statement. Today I will be kind to myself and others.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
I am raised by a single mother. My mom had me by herself. When I was born she was working full time as a kindergarten teacher. She faced a lot of challenges being a single mother, yet I never felt that I was missing out. My mom worked two jobs to be able to give me everything that my peers got. My mom taught me resilience to not give up. I am lucky enough to come from a long line of women that withstood incredible injustice and challenges. Coming from women that do not give up makes me even more driven to not brake that resilient chain.

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