Meet Brooke Moltrum

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

Hi Brooke , 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?

Work, work, work! That word, and all it’s many meanings is deeply ingrained into my DNA, at least thats what it feels like. To answer this question is to know my family history. For instance, my grandpa Bob’s unprecedented rise from poor, high school deviant and drop out to influential legislator and judge as well as my own father’s “rags to real opportunities” story, beginning work at just 3 years old doing laundry for the ladies in the apartment unit so he could get something to eat from the vending machine, and fast forwarding to become the first in his family to graduate college… Needless to say, we’re not the lucky biological lotto winners of a juicy trust fund that could easily support my decision to become an actor. Both the men and women in my family have all “worked”: worked at getting into school, worked at sharpening their skillsets, and worked a typical 9-5 or even (in the case of my mother, who was working with incarcerated youth at the time) graveyard shifts. So to put it plainly: it’s in my blood.

I’m ambitious by nature, and quite a perfectionist when it comes to what I do. At 10 years old I began classical vocal training because my mentor knew I had a gift and believed in me from my first nerve wrecked audition, belting out, “DON’T BRING AROUND A CLOUD TO RAIN ON MY PARADE!”… I heard it from Glee.

Classical training isn’t quite like what you’d think a kid’s singing lesson would entail. My first piece was “Go ‘way from My Window”, a John Jacob Niles composition for coloratura soprano, not exactly “Let it Go” from Frozen. Long story short, I worked hard on my voice. I spent hours trilling, lowering my larynx, bringing my vocal folds closer together which is near impossible for young singers 8-16. In competitive singing, there’s judgement surrounding everything: your jaw tension, your purity, your vowels, your consistency and control over your breath and vibrato, and finally: the quality of your voice. Do you sound good, or are we gritting our teeth through a smile while you finish “O Mio Babbino Caro”. At least I sounded good, good enough for people to keep pushing me to get better. I won my first NATS (National Association of Teacher’s of Singing) Competition when I was 13 singing a german piece, “Lachen und Weinen”. Through high school I continued to train, and developed a love for theatre. I was blessed with a gifted drama teacher who had a background with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and would be damned if his productions were not comparable to those at The Globe Theater.

At this point in my life, acting was a dream- but still a hobby. I would eventually have to get a “real job”, as to not break the successful lineage of my family tree. Then, something life changing happened. My junior year, I was cast as Fiona in “Brigadoon”, a fantastical musical about some guys taking a hike. It was amazing. I loved performing that show, I had a scottish accent and everything. I ended up winning “Best Actress” in a regional high school competition with that role, and it landed me a spot performing on Broadway in the 2016 “Jimmy Nederlander Awards”. That’s when my family and I started thinking, “I can do this…for real.”

It’s hard to take a step back to see all my successes and say, “look how far I’ve come”…only because it’s in my genes to keep looking forward. Towards the next opportunity, the next role, now the next shift in the industry where I’ve found myself gaining new things like global fandom, internet recognition, and insecurities from being picked a part, then praised, then put back together again each time I do my job.

BUT HERE IT IS: I’ve worked hard for a seat at the table, and I deserve one. When you earnestly try and fail and try again, I believe you deserve one too. Talent is talent is talent…you don’t lower your larynx because your talented. You do it because your trained. That’s where my work ethic comes from: my family paved the way for me to see the benefits of “pounding the pavement” and that’s exactly what I continue to do with gratitude and their incredible support.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I’m an actor! This is commonly followed up by an apology, because in the bustling city of Los Angeles, CA it seems like everyone and their adorable dog is also an actor. But I’ve stopped saying sorry for what I do most days for 12 hours a day, because I’m blessed to be a part of that vibrant, creative, and brave community.

I started working professionally as an actor in theatre and musical theatre, my most recent credit being a new work that premiered last year at the Hudson Theatre in Hollywood called, “Let’s Write a Musical”. Where I find most of my opportunities that keep me busy from day to day are in film and new media. I’ve become involved in the latest, bursting wave of consuming content: I act in mini soap operas referred to by industry insiders as “verticals” or “micro dramas”, as the content is shot in 9:16 aspect ratio or more simply, shot to fit your phone screen. The stories I tell are wild ones of billionaire CEO’s falling for the wrong, but right girl who may or may not be already pregnant with their step brother’s heir! Oh! and they’re also werewolves. Or vampires. Or still in college. OR ALL OF THE ABOVE!

Jokes aside, I get to have a blast in these wacky, dramatic worlds where the stakes couldn’t be higher, which in my opinion, is an actor’s dream. Each production is anywhere from 6-10 days, shooting at least 12 pages a day, 12 hours a day. That’s not a marathon, it’s a sprint: and sharpening myself to meet that standard has been an extraordinary challenge that has truly prepared me for anything. 4 cameras on me at once? No problem. Only two takes? Don’t worry- I’m almost positive I can get it in one! These are just some of the skills I’ve gained as an actor on these sets, not to mention my new knowledge of all things film regarding gaffing, framing and frame rate, crossing “the line” and finding where it is- yes there’s a line to be crossed and as film makers, if we cross it, you’ll cross your eyes while your watching!

My passion for filmmaking has grown tenfold in the time that I’ve been able to work on these “vertical” soap operas, and I promise you, they’re only getting better. To see cinema as only being “horizontal” is to limit yourself as an artist. It also limits your audience, and your outreach. Rotating the camera doesn’t make you less of a story teller, it requires you to get creative.

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?

The first piece of knowledge I would pass along is to know your worth. It’s so much easier said than done. There are a lot of people who will try to convince you they’re important, that THEY will be the one’s who can make you into something more than you are… but to quote one of my favorite movies, “there is no secret ingredient”- Po, Kung Fu Panda. YOU are already enough: you are unique, and you bring something completely different to the table. You are worthy of respect and love, that’s just your divine right!

The second is to prioritize healing, wether it’s physical or emotional. You can’t show up for others if you aren’t able to show up for yourself. It can feel selfish to heal, but truly- all the right people will understand.

Lastly, I would encourage young artists to never stop doing what they love. It doesn’t have to be your entire occupation, it doesn’t have to take up too much time, but nothing will put more resentment in your heart than giving up on a dream.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?

I am trying to take my own advice! I’m a complete work in progress, there are some days that are better than others. Last year, I unfortunately witnessed a stranger’s horrific and tragic last moments in this life, a finality that has been really difficult to understand. Is it all just chaos? Why is it all so painful? And what’s the point?

I started seeing a therapist in May of 2025 for that very specific reason, but it has blossomed into a journey of self discovery and healing that I didn’t expect going into my treatment. My questions lead to more questions but my therapist challenges me to find the answers- and surprisingly, I’ll find I have most of them already.

I’m learning how to trust myself, listen to myself, and approach my feelings and insecurities with curiosity versus judgement. My family and my partner have been an integral part in helping me through this process. I look up to them so much. They inspire me to be a better me everyday.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.brookemoltrum.com
• Instagram: @brookemoltrum

Image Credits

Abigail Gorden, instagram: @acgphotos