Meet Kaylee Durst

We recently connected with Kaylee Durst and have shared our conversation below.

Kaylee, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?

I feel that a big part of building my confidence and self-esteem in terms of acting in this current film was the support system I had while filming. When I first got asked by Christian to do the first film (RMH15), I was genuinely surprised. I have only acted in very small parts in elementary school. Even though I had barely any experience, Christian thought i’d be a great fit for the role of Katie. Throughout the entire filming process, Christian continued to build me up, even when I felt so out of place since many of the other actors and actresses have acted in prior productions. Even the rest of the crew had always complimented and pushed me, which definitely built my confidence on camera.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

Currently I am a senior at Grand Valley State University studying elementary education. In the past year, I have played Katie in two films directed and written by Christian Vanover. This is a new hobby of mine that I instantly fell in love with. Even though my professional career may be different from acting, I’d love to have more opportunities to grow as a new actress and possibly be in more films in the future. Acting was definitely outside of my comfort zone but I love being immersed in a character that is in some ways a lot like my self and in many ways very different. Even though Christian has not yet confirmed about upcoming films, he has mentioned that he plans on making something new after RMH15: Back to Me is finalized and uploaded.

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?

One quality that I believe every new actor/actress should have is flexibility. So many things can change during filming in terms of set, lighting, or even production. As an actress, flexibility and willingness to adapt to changes has made the process so much easier on myself and the rest of the cast/crew. To gain this skill, I recommend just knowing that things may change in an instant and just having that preparation and knowledge can make filming smoother. Also, I feel that people should know that in filming, you have got to learn to laugh at yourself. During the first movie I was so uptight about my mistakes which I have learned did not help me as an actress but hindered me from growing. Laughing at myself while filming and on set just makes the environment so much better for not only myself but for others as well. Energy is such a huge part of filming and if the energy is off on set, more than likely the energy will be off for the audience. Try not to take yourself so seriously especially in terms of acting, it’s not live, you can always reshoot. The last quality that I believe was the most impactful as a new actress is making sure that you build others up on set. As I said before, energy is huge with filming and when you’re positive and also being positive with others, it can make filming seem less like a “job” and more like fun with your friends. On set, I always wanted to help others with either their lines or just words of encouragement.

To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?

Since I grew up in a very different household than many other people my age, my mother had taught me a lot about resilience. Having the quality of resilience has allowed me to push through obstacles or challenges that could’ve pushed me to the limit. My mother also always supported me through anything. My mom had taught me the importance of surrounding yourself with people who support you and are with you through every season.

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Lucas Cuppy

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